and hillocks. “So I guess we should go down.”
“Down?” Lisa groaned. “Into Dead Man’s Canyon?”
She nodded. “Something’s down there, otherwise the bobcat wouldn’t have acted the way he did. But you and Cadillac could stay here.” Kirstie glanced at the friendship bracelet on her brown wrist; a gift from Lisa earlier that spring. She held her breath for the reply.
“No way. If you go, we go, don’t we, Cadillac?” Lisa read her mind. She held up her own matching bracelet.
“Not if you don’t want to. Lucky and I can do this.”
In spite of everything, Lisa grinned. “Liar, Kirstie Scott. You
need
me to come. You know you do!”
“OK, OK.” Kirstie realized that this was what was great about Lisa. She could be scared, but she would still go ahead and join in. “Let’s you and me cowboy-up together!” she decided at last.
“There’s even more water coming down here than yesterday!” Kirstie had dismounted now and was leading Lucky step by step down the track. Halfway along, she paused. It seemed that every ledge was now a waterfall and every jagged surface treacherously slippery.
“It’s coming down from the high peaks,” Lisa pointed out. She and Cadillac had stopped a few paces behind. The mist clung to Lisa’s dark red curls so that they stuck damply to her face. Wet from head to foot, her boots squelched water. “You know, the storm hit pretty hard yesterday. That’s why the streams are so full.”
“I guess.” Kirstie went on, letting Lucky pick the safest way. “That’s why, the more I think it through, I can’t believe Glen Woodford when he said the stallion could’ve made it out of the canyon. Like, how, when there’s all this water?”
Frowning, Lisa followed. “You mean, it’s hard enough when the ground’s dry? But when it’s wet, it’s impossible?” She seemed to agree, then thought back to the previous day. “But hey, how come there wasn’t a single horse down there when we arrived?”
Kirstie stepped along a ledge where the water came up to the top of her boots. “How do we know that?”
“We looked, remember! Zilch!”
“Only zilch from the ridge. I mean, how do we know for sure what we’ll find when we get down?”
Lisa shivered, then pulled herself together. “Yeah, like a whole bunch of wild horses were playing a game of hide-and-seek!”
Ignoring this, Kirstie led Lucky down a track she’d spotted which would take them all the way to the floor of the canyon. “What we need is for this mist to clear,” she muttered.
But it still clung to the cliff and swirled into the crannies and crevices in the rocks. When they finally made it to ground level, it seemed thicker and damper than ever.
“So?” Lisa challenged again. Her voice was deadened by tall walls of rock which they could feel rather than see all around them. Stepping backward, she blundered against a boulder and overbalanced into a deep, muddy puddle.
“Listen!” Kirstie let go of Lucky’s rein, knowing that there was nowhere for him to bolt even if he had a mind to. The exit from the canyon was still blocked by the landslide, and the opposite end narrowed to a dead-end, as she knew. “Did you hear something?”
“Yeah … water!” Lisa stepped out of the puddle and squelched anew.
“Right!” Kirstie reacted as if Lisa had really put her finger on something. “Lots of water!”
“So what’s new?” Except that her boots were full of the stuff. Dirty water was bubbling through the seams and out over the tops.
“I mean, like,
really
lots! A waterfall!” By now, Kirstie was convinced. She set off along the rock-strewn ground toward the narrow gully at the top of the canyon. “A new waterfall. Like, one where there wasn’t one yesterday!”
“OK,” Lisa sighed. She took off her boots one at a time to shake out the muddy water. Then she ran to catch up. “I believe you, but I still don’t see …”
“Shh!” Kirstie turned, finger to her lips, eyes wide.
“Down?” Lisa groaned. “Into Dead Man’s Canyon?”
She nodded. “Something’s down there, otherwise the bobcat wouldn’t have acted the way he did. But you and Cadillac could stay here.” Kirstie glanced at the friendship bracelet on her brown wrist; a gift from Lisa earlier that spring. She held her breath for the reply.
“No way. If you go, we go, don’t we, Cadillac?” Lisa read her mind. She held up her own matching bracelet.
“Not if you don’t want to. Lucky and I can do this.”
In spite of everything, Lisa grinned. “Liar, Kirstie Scott. You
need
me to come. You know you do!”
“OK, OK.” Kirstie realized that this was what was great about Lisa. She could be scared, but she would still go ahead and join in. “Let’s you and me cowboy-up together!” she decided at last.
“There’s even more water coming down here than yesterday!” Kirstie had dismounted now and was leading Lucky step by step down the track. Halfway along, she paused. It seemed that every ledge was now a waterfall and every jagged surface treacherously slippery.
“It’s coming down from the high peaks,” Lisa pointed out. She and Cadillac had stopped a few paces behind. The mist clung to Lisa’s dark red curls so that they stuck damply to her face. Wet from head to foot, her boots squelched water. “You know, the storm hit pretty hard yesterday. That’s why the streams are so full.”
“I guess.” Kirstie went on, letting Lucky pick the safest way. “That’s why, the more I think it through, I can’t believe Glen Woodford when he said the stallion could’ve made it out of the canyon. Like, how, when there’s all this water?”
Frowning, Lisa followed. “You mean, it’s hard enough when the ground’s dry? But when it’s wet, it’s impossible?” She seemed to agree, then thought back to the previous day. “But hey, how come there wasn’t a single horse down there when we arrived?”
Kirstie stepped along a ledge where the water came up to the top of her boots. “How do we know that?”
“We looked, remember! Zilch!”
“Only zilch from the ridge. I mean, how do we know for sure what we’ll find when we get down?”
Lisa shivered, then pulled herself together. “Yeah, like a whole bunch of wild horses were playing a game of hide-and-seek!”
Ignoring this, Kirstie led Lucky down a track she’d spotted which would take them all the way to the floor of the canyon. “What we need is for this mist to clear,” she muttered.
But it still clung to the cliff and swirled into the crannies and crevices in the rocks. When they finally made it to ground level, it seemed thicker and damper than ever.
“So?” Lisa challenged again. Her voice was deadened by tall walls of rock which they could feel rather than see all around them. Stepping backward, she blundered against a boulder and overbalanced into a deep, muddy puddle.
“Listen!” Kirstie let go of Lucky’s rein, knowing that there was nowhere for him to bolt even if he had a mind to. The exit from the canyon was still blocked by the landslide, and the opposite end narrowed to a dead-end, as she knew. “Did you hear something?”
“Yeah … water!” Lisa stepped out of the puddle and squelched anew.
“Right!” Kirstie reacted as if Lisa had really put her finger on something. “Lots of water!”
“So what’s new?” Except that her boots were full of the stuff. Dirty water was bubbling through the seams and out over the tops.
“I mean, like,
really
lots! A waterfall!” By now, Kirstie was convinced. She set off along the rock-strewn ground toward the narrow gully at the top of the canyon. “A new waterfall. Like, one where there wasn’t one yesterday!”
“OK,” Lisa sighed. She took off her boots one at a time to shake out the muddy water. Then she ran to catch up. “I believe you, but I still don’t see …”
“Shh!” Kirstie turned, finger to her lips, eyes wide.
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