Runaway Ponies

1- Stolen Ponies

  “We have finished,” Ellie shouted.

 The girls got up and stretched. After a long day of weeding, they could finally go to Petco and get an animal of their own.

 Mother nodded when she saw the thirty-by-thirty foot garden. The girls had been weeding it for three hours a day for a whole month.

 So Mother said they could pick any animal in the whole store that cost under fifty dollars.

Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi walked down Oak Street and down Maple Street. They walked into the store and looked all over.

 There were kittens, but they were too expensive, so they kept looking.

 “Look at the parrot,” Julie said. “It’s two hundred dollars. We can’t get it.”

Susie pointed to six black-and-white puppies. “They’re so cute but they are fifty dollars each.”

   Julie crinkled her nose. “Puppies are stinky, messy, and too much work.”

   The girls looked at the lizards and the parakeets, but they did not want a bird or a lizard.

   Suddenly, they heard a horse’s whinny.

  “Did you hear that?” Ellie asked.

  The other girls nodded and ran toward the farm animal part of the store.

  “Look, Ellie,” Kristi said. “Four ponies for sale.

   Ellie read the sign:

 She smiled. “These are a good

deal, but what does the sign mean by saying ‘caution, ponies are wild’?”

Ellie walked to the pony stables with the other girls trailing behind her. “May I please pet these ponies?” she asked the Petco lady.

“Sure,” the lady replied, smiling.

  “Please, Ellie,” Susie said. “Can we have our own pony?”

  “We will go pick some ponies and check their hooves to makes sure their feet are healthy,” Ellie said.

  For the next thirty minutes, the four girls looked at the ponies and finally decided on which ponies they wanted to buy.

  Ellie agreed they were healthy and had no big problems.

  Here are the choices the girls made: Ellie got a Pony of America, whom she named Shasta.

  Julie chose a Welsh pony. “I will name my pony Rainbow,” she said.

  Susie fell in love with a Connemara, a pony from the highlands of Ireland. “Her name is Angel,” Susie said.

  Kristi wanted a Shetland pony. She named her new, little pony Watermelon.

  The older girls laughed. “Why did you name your pony Watermelon?” Julie asked.

  Kristi laughed too. “Because it has tiny, black spots that look like watermelon seeds.”

  Julie, Ellie, and Susie laughed louder. “You’re right!” Susie agreed.

  The girls dug into their pockets and came up with the two hundred dollars. They paid for the ponies and started to leave.

  Susie gasped. “We forgot about bridles. How will we ride them home?”

  The nice Petco lady smiled. “You may borrow four bridles as long as you remember to return them.”

     The girls agreed and soon they were on their way. When they got home, Mother’s eyes grew big. She did not expect them to bring ponies home.

  But luckily they had plenty of  room. “You may keep them,” Mother said. “If you take care of them.”

  The girls squealed, jumped up and down happily, and promised to take good care of their new ponies.

  A week passed by quickly. One day, the girls headed home from a long trail ride in the woods.

“Oh, my,” Kristi said. “Did you see that giant bear when we were trotting?”

  Susie’s eyes grew large. “Yes, I saw it. I  thought it was going to jump on me.”

  They led their ponies into the barn and started to brush them.

  “Good thing our ponies are fast,” Ellie said. “Now, lets’ finish our chores before Mother calls us into dinner.”

  The next morning, the girls got up at six o’clock to feed their ponies. When they got to the barn, they stopped short.

  “The ponies are gone!” Julie yelled.

  Big tears rolled down Kristi’s face.  “Where is my pony? Where is Watermelon?”

  “What do we do now?” Susie asked.

  Ellie took a deep breath. “Maybe we can go to each house and ask if they saw our ponies.”

  The other girls nodded. “Good idea,” Julie said. “Let’s hurry.”

  The girls went to each door along the road and asked if anybody had seen their ponies.

  Sadly, nobody had seen Shasta, Rainbow, Angel, or Watermelon. They dragged themselves to the last house.

  “I don’t think we’ll see our ponies ever again,” Kristi said. She cried and rubbed her eyes.

  Julie hugged her. “We’ll find them. Don’t cry.”

     They walked up the lane toward the broken-down house. Paint crumbled down the sides of the front. Vines grew around the windows. It looked terribly dark and cold through the windows.

  “Does anybody even live here?” Susie whispered in a scared voice.

  “I don’t know. Shh!” Julie said.

  They tiptoed up the creaky steps. Ellie knocked on the door.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  Squeak! The door creaked open.

      An old man’s eyes stared at them. His hair was full of dirt.Some of his teeth were missing. His hands were two claws.

  “What are you doing here?” he growled.

  The girls shook in fear.

  Kristi looked up at the old man. “We w-wanted to know if you had seen four p-ponies.”

  “They went missing this morning,” Julie said in a shaky voice.

  His eyebrows scowled. “Maybe. What do they look like?”

  “One of them has spots like watermelon seeds,” Kristi said.

  That made the old man smile a little. But then he went scowly again.

  “One is speckled,” Ellie said.

  “And my Rainbow is white,” Julie added.

  Susie looked brave. “Angel is brown,” she said.

  The old man’s eyebrows shot up again. “Yeah. I have them, but they’re mine. Now, get off my property.”

  “Not until you give us our ponies back!” Julie said.

  “No!” the man said. “They’re mine. Now get off my property or I will call the police.”

  They girls scowled and left. Kristi was whimpering.

  They went down the sidewalk and prayed.

  “Please change the old man’s heart so that we can have our ponies back,” Ellie prayed.

  When they finished praying, Julie said, “Let’s go back and ask him again.”

  Knock, knock, knock.

  The door creaked open again. “Now what?” the man asked.

  “We asked God to change your heart.”

  “What?” He let out a breath and opened the door a little more. “Are they really yours?”

  “We paid two hundred dollars for all those ponies,” Susie said.

  The old man looked ashamed. “I thought I would get a little money out of them,” he said.

  “Why?” Ellie asked.

  “Because I found them on the road and need the money. I’m poor.”

  The girls looked at the ground. Kristi started crying. “I want Watermelon!”

     The old man opened the door and walked out. He went over to the broken-down shed. Soon he took out four ponies and led them to the girls.

  The old man gave them four pieces of rope. “Here you go. I’m sorry I took your ponies. Now, take them and go away.”

  The girls quickly tied the ropes to the ponies’ halters and headed home.

  “I’m glad that’s over,” Julie said.

  “Me too,” Ellie said.

  “God answered our prayer fast,” Susie said.

  “He sure did!” they said together.

  The girls put their ponies in the barn and went inside for lunch.

 

 

 2-The Christmas Cat

  One bright and snowy day Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi went outside to feed and water their ponies.

  Then the girls went outside to play in the snow.

  “Ellie!” said Julie. “Look in the snow!”

  A cat sat shivering near the barn. “Meow,” said the cat.

  Julie picked up the cat and took it inside the house. Ellie, Susie, and Kristi followed Julie into the house.

  “May we keep this cat?” Ellie asked. “It’s so cold and has no home.”

“It will die,” Julie begged.

  Susie joined in. “Please?”

  Kristi’s big eyes filled up with tears.

  “Okay,” Mother said with a sigh. “But just until spring.”

  “Okey-dokey,” the girls said, smiling. “Thank you, Mother!”

  They fed the cat and gave it a litter box and water.

  When they finished, Ellie asked Mother, “May we go riding on our ponies?”

  “Sure,” Mother said.

  The girls ran to the barn and found their saddles, bridles, and bits. They saddled their ponies.

  “Let’s have a race!” Susie suggested. “Get ready, get set…go!”

  Zoom, zoom, zoom . . .

  They raced through the woods. Julie was in first place on her horse Rainbow. Close behind came Ellie.

             Susie galloped to the finish line riding Angel and jumped over it.

“Fourth place is Kristi of course,” said Ellie.

  “Yay!” Julie yelled. “I’m finally first place!”

  The girls galloped home, put their ponies away, and had lunch.

     Julie fed the new cat tuna. Then the girls mucked out the stalls in the barn and gave fresh water to their ponies. It took two hours.

Ding, ding, ding!

  Mother was ringing the bell. It was already time for dinner. “Time for dinner!” she called.

  “Okay!” Susie yelled back.

  The girls went inside, ate dinner, and brushed their teeth. Then they went to bed.

  Cock-a-doodle-doo! The rooster crowed.

     Ellie was the first to wake up. Susie was second to wake up, and Kristi was the third. Julie was last to wake up because she was so tired.

It was Christmas morning! Jesus’ birthday!

  There was a beautiful tree in the living room with presents underneath.

  “Whoa!” said Susie.

     The tree was all decorated with ornaments and an angel on top. The lights were red, green, purple, blue, yellow, and orange.

  With presents for everybody!

Just then, the presents rustled.

  “What is that?” Julie asked.

  Then the new cat jumped out.

  “It’s our Christmas cat. Can we name her Bella?”

  Everybody agreed that was a perfect name.

“When can we open our presents?” asked Kristi.

“Later,” Mother answered.

The whole family sat down and Dad read a chapter in the Bible—Matthew 2, the account of the Wise Men bringing Jesus gifts.

Then it was time to open the presents. The girls tried out their new horse saddles and blankets on their ponies.

“We love them!” they all said. “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome,” Mom and Dad said.

“Happy birthday, Jesus!” Kristi yelled, looking at the angel.

Dad’s gift was a shiny new hammer and nails. Mom’s was perfume and lotion.

Afterward, the girls went on a ride on their ponies in the snow with their new tack.

They came back and ate breakfast. Julie cleaned out the litter box of their new Christmas Cat and gave her food and water.

Then the girls went outside to muck out the stalls. Yuck!

“Yuck, doesn’t it stink!” Ellie said.

“Yep, but we gotta finish our chores,” Julie replied. “I’m done.”

The girls thought of a chore chart to help them remember their pony chores. It looked like this:

CHORES          ELLIE JULIE SUSIE KRISTI

Get dressed      X         X         X         X

Pony water      X         X         X         X

Pony food        X         X         X        

Muck pony stall          X         X                    

Cat water and food    X         X                    

Litter box         X         X                    

Then the girls ate lunch. Mmm!

“Macaroni and cheese,” said Ellie. The girls loved macaroni and cheese.

Except Susie. She made a face and didn’t want to eat it. She didn’t like mac and cheese because she thought the cheese tasted like clover.

But it didn’t to the other three girls.

The months went by, and soon it was spring. It was time to let Bella go, just like Mother said.

The girls were very sad. While they were eating lunch one day, Julie asked, “Do we have to let Bella go? Bella will be really sad.”

“Well-l-l, no,” Mother said.

“Hooray!” Julie said. “We want to keep her.”

“Okay,” said Mother.

And they kept her.

 3-The Fair

One bright and sunny day, Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi went outside to feed their ponies. Each girl went to their own stalls.

Ellie’s stall housed a Pony of America. “Good morning, Shasta,” she said cheerfully. How are you?”

Shasta replied with whinny, which hello.

Julie had a Welsh pony. Rainbow’s stall was next to Shasta’s. She gave her pony a carrot. Rainbow nibbled Julie’s hair. That meant thank you for the carrot.

Susie’s pony was a Connemara pony named Angel. Angel stomped her foot, wanting a carrot too.

“Be patient, Angel, and I’ll soon get you a carrot too.”

Kristi had a Shetland pony named Watermelon. Nobody ever forgot her pony’s name. It was a silly name.

Kristi gave her pony a slice of watermelon every day. Chomp, chomp. She liked watermelon.

The ponies whinnied happily.

“We’re going to race today,” Ellie said to Shasta.

The girls saddled their ponies and put their bridles on. Ellie helped Kristi mount Watermelon and then climbed up on Shasta.

Julie and Susie mounted their ponies. They were all ready.

The girls made a jump three feet high, and made a starting and finishing line.

“Ready, get set…” Julie said. “Go!”

And they were off!

The girls leaped over the jump and went around the arena three times.

Ellie came in first. Julie came in second place. Susie and Kristi tied for third place.

“I can’t wait until Friday,” Julie said happily. “It’s fair day.”

Susie clapped her hands. “Oh, I hope one of us wins the horse contests.”

“Yes,” said Ellie. “I hope so too.”

“I want Watermelon to win,” Kristi said.

The girls laughed.

“Oh, Kristi,” Julie said. “Even if we don’t win the race or the other  contests, it will still be fun.”

Ellie nodded.

“Bella!” Julie called.

“Why are you calling our Christmas cat?” Ellie asked. “She’s probably mousing.”

“I want to tell Bella about the fair day contests.”

Julie called Bella again, but she did not come.

“Let’s race again,” Susie said.

“Yeah,” Julie agreed.

So the girls lined up their ponies.

“Ready, get set, go!” Susie yelled.

This time they went around the arena four times. First place went to Julie. Susie won second place. Ellie won third, and Kristi was fourth.

“I think Watermelon ate too many watermelons and it slowed her down,” Kristi complained.

“Maybe,” Ellie said. “But the race was fun.”

“Let’s look for Bella again,” Julie said. “It’s not like her not to come when we call.”

So the girls searched the barn for their Christmas cat.

  “Look!” Kristi called. “I found her. She’s up there in the loft.” She pointed to a black bundle in the hay overhead.

  The girls climbed the ladder into the loft.

  “Oh, my goodness!” Julie said. “Bella has six kittens!”

  “Julie,” Ellie said. “May I have a kitten?”

  “Oh, yes, Ellie. You may.”

“Thanks, Julie. I will call her Licorice. Licorice Rose.”

The girls laughed so hard that the kittens meowed excitedly.

The next day the girls were busy with cleaning their stalls and mucking them.

“Yuck,” Ellie said.

“Disgusting,” Julie said.

“Pee-you,” Susie said.

“Mmmm,” Kristi said.

The girls looked at Kristi.

“What are you saying?” Ellie asked.

They laughed.

“I’m saying it smells bad,” Kristi answered.

“No, Kristi,” Julie said. “Mmmm means yummy.”

“Eeww,” Kristi said, plugging her nose.

The girls finished their chores fast and went into the house for lunch. They ate macaroni and cheese.

After lunch they went outside to go on a pony trail. They saddled their ponies and galloped away. The trail was called “Pony Trail.”

Pony Trail was a trail in the woods that went in a circle and returned to the back of the barn.

The girls nudged their ponies into a trot. Ellie led the way. Julie came next, then Susie and Kristi trailed behind.

They leaped into a gallop then slowed to a lope and then to a trot.

“Tomorrow’s Friday, fair day,” Ellie said.

“Yes,” Julie said. “We must go to bed at seven o’clock so we can get a good night’s sleep.”

“We have a big day tomorrow racing and showing our ponies,” Susie said.

The girls finished their ride and put their ponies in the barn. They needed a good rest too.

 Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi got ready for bed. They brushed their teeth, went to bed, and fell right to sleep.

The next morning Julie flew out of bed. She went downstairs.

Her sisters were nowhere in sight. Where are they? she thought.

Julie put on her coat and boots and ran outside to the barn. “Ellie! Susie! Kristi! Where are you?”

“We’re in the stalls,” Ellie answered.

Julie knew they were brushing their ponies, so she ran into the barn and picked up the curry comb. She got to work.

After the girls brushed their ponies they packed their tack and loaded their ponies into the large trailer.

“I’m going to where my riding boots and clothes,” Ellie said. “Are you?” She asked Julie.

“I am,” Julie answered.

“Me too,” Susie said.

“Me three,” Kristi said.

All four girls got ready to go to the fair. They packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.

Soon it was time to leave. They got into the twelve-passenger van.

“Buckle up,” Dad said with a smile. “We’re off to the fair.”

They arrived at the fair an hour later. It had arenas and ribbons and booths. Cotton candy and popcorn smells were in the air.

“Mmmm,” Kristi said.

“That’s right!” Julie said.

The girls laughed.

“Mom, can I compete in the jumping event?” Ellie asked. “Shasta loves to jump.”

“Okay,” Mother said. “I will see you at noon.”

Ellie led Shasta to the jumping competition. She saw jumps six feet tall.

“Ready, get set, go!” the announcer yelled.

The jumpers took off.

Ellie flew over a six-foot-high jump. Then a four-foot jump, and then a five-foot jump.

Meanwhile, Julie was racing.

“Ready, get set, go!” the other announcer yelled.

Around and around they went for five times.

In another part of the fair, Susie was barrel racing. She loped around five barrels and didn’t knock any down. One was shaky.

All of a sudden, the rider behind Susie kicked over a barrel. Over and over it rolled, right into the judges’ table!

They quickly picked up the table and put the barrel back in place.

Kristi was happily showing her pony in the showing barn. She walked, trotted, loped, and galloped for the judges.

That afternoon, all four of the girls won first place. Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi went up on stage to collect ribbons.

The judge smiled and hung a blue ribbons around each girl’s neck.

“Good job,” he said. Lots of people cheered.

The girls smiled, and the people shouted, “Hooray!”

Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi looked at each other and ran to their ponies. They took off their ribbons and hung them around their ponies’ necks.

“If we didn’t have ponies, we wouldn’t have been here and won.”

They hugged their pony friends. “Good job, ponies!”

The ponies whinnied back.

             4-Movie Pony

“Ellie, did you hear? Megan’s coming over with her speckled stallion to make a movie,” Julie shouted, running to her sister. “I hear he looks like Shasta.”

Ellie made a face. “When?”

“Tomorrow,” Julie answered.

Megan was in sixth grade like Ellie. She grew up in the same school. Megan liked having her own way and getting whatever she wanted.

Ellie finished brushing Shasta and set her blue brush on her tack shelf. Then she mounted Shasta bareback.

Ellie left the barn and rode outside next to a fence. She tied Shasta to a white railing and sighed. She did not want to think about Megan right now.

Film a movie?

Mother had given Megan’s mother permission to use their ranch, the Runaway Ranch, for a movie.

But Ellie never thought it would happen.

She trudged to the barn and picked up her saddle and bridle.

Oof! It dropped out of her hands and onto the floor. It was heavy!

Ellie picked the saddle up a second  time and dragged it to her pony. It landed on Shasta’s back with a ker-plunk.

He stomped nervously.

“It’s okay, Shasta,” Ellie told her pony. “You’ll get used to being saddled. I’m not very good at this yet.”

After saddling and bridling Shasta, Ellie mounted up to go trail riding.

“I wish you could be in the movie, boy,” she said to her pony. “You would be great in a movie. You love having your picture taken every Christmas.”

She giggled. “Remember this last Christmas when I tried to get your neck over my shoulder? You wouldn’t do it, so I had to get a carrot. You grabbed it and chomped away.”

Shasta whinnied happily.

Ellie turned onto the trail in the pasture. I don’t like Megan that much. Sometimes she makes fun of me for having a pony from Petco instead of from some fancy ranch.”

Love your enemies, a tiny voice said in Ellie’s head.

She frowned. “Well, maybe Megan has changed this last week, but I doubt it.”

Shasta nodded his head. It looked like he agreed.

Ellie shaded her eyes. The hot, summer shined in her face. She turned around and saw Julie, Susie, and Kristi galloping on their ponies. They were coming right for her.

  “Guess what!” Susie called. “Megan is here! They are filming her right now with a black and white stallion.”

  “Where?” Ellie asked.

  “Right at our barn,” Kristi said.

  “What?” Ellie shouted, angry.

The ponies stomped nervously.

Susie and Kristi were excited. They wanted to see the new pony stallion. “Yay!” they shouted.

The two little girls raced home on their ponies. Ellie and Julie followed, trotting their ponies.

When they got to the yard, a big, white horse trailer was parked in the driveway.

A girl and her mother came out of the truck. It’s Megan, Ellie thought.

A boy named Jake was leading a black and white pony stallion from the trailer.

“Easy there,” Jake said when the pony snorted and sidestepped on the ramp.

“Hello there,” Susie said to Megan. She, Julie, and Kristi dismounted.

Ellie stayed in the saddle on Shasta.

Megan smiled and pointed to the trailer. “This is Starry Sky, my movie pony.”

Ellie rolled her eyes. Yeah, right.

Megan came over to Shasta. “What’s this pony’s name?”

“Shasta,” Ellie mumbled.

Megan rubbed Shasta’s upside down star.

Julie, Kristi, and Susie looked at each other. Megan did not glance at their ponies—Rainbow, Angel, and Watermelon.

“I love this pony already,” Megan said about Shasta. “May I ride him?”

Ellie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She knew Megan was up to something.

Ellie dismounted unhappily and handed the reins to Megan. Mother always said to be kind.

Love your enemies.

Megan mounted Shasta and rode him in circles around the corral. Then she dismounted and handed the reins back to Ellie.

Ellie looked at Julie and made a face.

Julie frowned.

Ellie frowned back. This is not good.

“Let’s go put our ponies in the barn,” Julie said.

“May I come along?” Megan asked.

The sisters looked at each other and nodded.

What is she up to? Ellie thought.

This girls went into the barn.

“May I brush Shasta?” Megan asked.

Ellie nodded glumly. Why was Megan paying so much attention to Shasta? Shouldn’t she be paying attention Starry Sky?

Ellie’s heart thumped wildly. Very suspicious.

“So,” Megan said, “all of you have your own ponies?”

“Yes,” Julie, Susie, and Kristi replied.

Megan kicked at the dust in the barn aisle. “I have never had my own pony.”

“What about Starry Sky?” Susie asked. “Isn’t he your own pony?”

Megan shook her head. “He is a movie pony I am borrowing for the film.”

“Oh.”

“If I ever wanted a pony”—she took a deep breath—“I would want . . .” Her voice died away.

Ellie’s heart beat faster. Her suspicion grew. “Want what?” she demanded.

“Uh . . . Shasta,” Megan said with a sly smile.

Butterflies fluttered in Ellie’s stomach. This girl always got her way when she wanted something.

Not today.

“Maybe I can buy him from you,” Megan said.

“No!” Ellie shouted. “Shasta isn’t for sale and will never be. I am keeping Shasta forever!” Her face turned red.

“Fine.” Megan huffed and put her hands on her hips. “But you should know that when I want something I usually get it.”

“Really!” Julie said. “How can you get Shasta if Ellie won’t sell her?”

Megan jogged out of the barn whining.

Ellie started crying a little.

“Don’t worry,” Julie said. “Megan will never get Shasta.”

“I’m not worried about me,” Ellie said. “I’m worried about Shasta. He’s already had eight homes in thirteen years.”

Susie sniffed. “Poor Shasta.”

“Yeah,” Kristi said, watching all the excitement. “Poor Shasta.”

“I never want to give up Shasta,” Ellie said.

  Susie and Kristi walked out of the barn. “Ellie, come see Starry Sky,” Susie yelled. “He looks like Shasta.”

 

  Ellie ran to the barn doorway and wiped her tears away. She smiled.

  He does look like Shasta, she thought.

  Megan gripped Starry Sky’s bridle and led her toward the barn. She smiled big. “Now you have met my movie pony.”

  Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi stared breathlessly at the magnificent stallion pony.

  Megan is showing off, Ellie thought.

  “Is he yours?” Julie asked.

  “Of course not,” Megan yelled. “I told you that before, and I—”

  “Megan!” her mother called.

  “Ugh,” Megan said. “She probably wants me to ride—”

  “Megan!” her mother called again.

  Megan took one quick glance at Shasta then ran to her mother.

  “She’s mean and unkind,” Susie said.

  “You finally noticed,” Ellie said.

  “Very mean,” Kristi added. “She wants Shasta.”

 

    Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi finished their long list of ranch chores. They mucked out the stalls and washed the barn windows.

Then they went inside and made bread before they helped with the movie.

“Hey, Megan,” Susie said.

Megan turned around and looked at Susie.

Starry Sky whinnied to Susie.

“What?” Megan asked, looking bothered.

“When are you going to ride Sky?”

“Right now,” Megan answered. She mounted Starry Sky and turned him into a trot.

Sky tripped, and Megan was thrown off the pony.

“Help!” she screamed.

Three people—Jake, Megan’s mother, and a movie cameraman—ran out of the barn and helped Megan up.

“Are you okay?” Her mother looked terribly worried.

“I’m fine, except that horrible pony bucked me off on purpose,” Megan said.

Jake grabbed Sky’s bridle and mounted him.

Sky sidestepped and kicked out with his hind feet at the rider.

“Whoa!” Jake said. “Settle down, Sky.”

Megan looked annoyed. Her face was scrunched up into a frown. “Why can’t I use a different pony for this movie?”

Starry Sky bucked forward.

Jake flew off. Ker-plunk!

Everybody ran to Jake.

“That’s it,” he yelled. “That pony’s going.”

Megan smiled widely and narrowed her eyes. “I know what pony we can use.” She looked at Shasta. “In fact, I know the perfect pony.”

Ellie froze inside.

“Can we use Shasta?” Megan asked. “Mother, please let me use Shasta. I want to use Shasta! Oh, please, Mother!”

“If it’s okay with Ellie,” her mother answered.

Ellie looked at Julie.

Julie looked at Susie.

Susie looked at Kristi.

Ellie frowned. Everybody was looking at her. She did not Megan to ride Shasta, especially for a whole movie. But what could she say? What could she do?

Love your enemies. Be kind to those who persecute you.

Ellie did not want to love her enemies, especially Megan. But what would God want?

She sighed. “Okay, but just for the movie.”

Megan hugged Shasta. “I promise I will give him food and water every day.”

“Wait, Megan,” Ellie shouted. “I will do his food and water! You’re only using my pony for the movie. Nothing else.”

Megan’s mom came up. “I’m sorry, Ellie. Maybe I haven’t told you, but Shasta has to stay with us full time during the filming of the movie.”

Tears stung Ellie’s eyes. What have I done? She swallowed the tears. She would not let Megan see her cry.

“Why?” Ellie asked.

“Because Shasta loves you the most, and if he sees you when we are filming, he will try to get to you.”

 Ellie understood, but how could she lose Shasta for three whole months?

Spring had come and gone very fast.

“Ellie! Ellie!” Susie called from outside. “Come quick!”

Ellie had just finished with the dishes. “They’re done. They’re finally done.” She dropped the dish.

Crash! It broke on the floor into a thousand pieces.

Ellie left the mess and ran outside to the barn.

Shasta stood eating hay in the barn.

Neighhhh! He whinnied when he saw Ellie, like he was happy to see her.

Megan was there too. She ran to Ellie. Megan seemed to be a couple of inches bigger than Ellie but acted much younger.

“Ellie,” she said eagerly. “My mom wants to talk to you.”

“All right, I’m coming,” Ellie said, “but I haven’t seen Shasta for three whole month—”

“Come on!” Megan shouted.

Ellie sighed and ran back outside to the porch.

Megan’s mom smiled and looked at Ellie. “Sit down,” she said. “You have been very kind to let Megan borrow Shasta for the movie.”

Ellie squirmed. “Thank you.”

“I have seen Megan and Shasta together,” her mom went on. “He is the most perfect and obedient pony I have ever seen filmed.”

 “Thank you,” Ellie said again.

“I was wondering . . .” Megan’s mom took a breath. “I asked Megan what she would like for her birthday. Guess what she said?”

Ellie did not want to guess. She had a sick feeling in her stomach.

“Megan said that more than anything in the world she would like Shasta.”

Ellie’s mouth dropped open.

“I would like to buy him from you,” Megan’s mother said.

No words came. Ellie’s throat was too tight to talk. He’s not for sale, she wanted to scream.

“He’s not for sale,” Ellie finally whispered in a tiny voice.

“I thought you might say that,” Megan’s mother said. “All right, if you say he’s not for sale, then—”

“Mom!” Megan yelled, running to her. “What did she say? Did she say yes. Oh, Mom. Hurry, tell me!”

“The pony isn’t for sale,” her mother answered sadly.

Megan started crying and ran off the porch.

Julie, Susie, and Kristi ran to Ellie.

“What’s wrong with Megan?” Julie asked.

“Megan wants Shasta,” Ellie answered.

“Did you say no?” Susie asked.

Just then, Megan’s mom spoke. “We had best be going. Thank you for talking with me.” She got up and went to find Megan.

The sisters watched the truck leave.

“I’m so glad you said no,” Julie said.

“Me too,” Kristi said.

“Me three,” Susie added.

Ellie ran to the barn and hugged Shasta. “I will always keep you no matter what happens.”

 5-Circus Surprise

One hot Sunday Ellie flew out of bed by the delicious smell of doughnuts.

“Mmmmm,” said Ellie. She woke up Julie. “Julie, Julie, it’s time to eat breakfast. We are having doughnuts.”

“Yummy,” Julie said. So the two girls woke up Susie and Kristi.

They ate breakfast and then got ready for church. They piled into van.

On the way to church, Ellie saw a sign. “The circus is coming to town on Monday,” she told her family.

Pretty soon they got to church. Then they left the van and went inside.

Later after church, they piled back into the van. Ellie told Julie, Susie, and Kristi more about the circus poster.

“Maybe we can ask Mother if we can go to the circus,” Ellie said.

So they asked Mother, and she said yes.

The girls ate lunch and went outside to clean out their ponies’ stalls. They gave them grain, hay, and water.

Julie took care of Bella. She gave her clean water and a clean litter box.

Ellie petted her cat Licorice. “Licorice, you are so fat. You eat too much.”

Then they ate dinner, brushed their teeth, and went to bed.

Cock-a-doodle-doo! cried the rooster the next morning.

“Yay!” Kristi screamed. “It’s circus day!” She looked at Mother. “When are we going?” she asked.

“In the afternoon,” Mother replied.

“Okay,” Kristi said.

“But while you’re waiting,” Mother said, “let’s eat breakfast.”

“Okey-dokey,” Kristi said happily.

So the four girls ate breakfast and like usual fed and watered their ponies and mucked out the stalls.

Ellie and Julie did the cats’ food, water, and litter box.

It was afternoon and the girls were all so excited. They jumped up and down, and Kristi twirled in a big circle.

They packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in their backpacks for a snack.

The girls saddled up their ponies, mounted them. Ellie led the way to the circus.

When they got there, they saw clowns. The clowns did tricks. The girls clapped and clapped.

They ate lots and lots of popcorn and drank soda.

It was fun. Soon it was time to eat their snacks.

They trotted their ponies all the way home. What a surprise greeted them!

“Ellie, Ellie!” Julie said. “Licorice had six kittens!”

“What?” Ellie shrieked. She slid off Shasta and raced to Julie’s side.

Julie pointed.

“They’re so cute!” Ellie whispered. She didn’t want to wake them up.

“Let’s name them,” Julie said.

They named them Cotton, Caramel, Candy, Cammy, Cutie, and Chewie.

Ellie and Julie laughed.

“I made up a song,” Ellie said. And she began to sing.

“Cutie, cutie, cutie kitties. They are so cutie!”

The two girls rolled on the floor laughing because the song was so silly.

Ellie petted Licorice. “You’re a good mommy,” she said.

Julie ran to tell Mother the good news about Licorice and her kittens.

“Mother, Mother,” she said. “Licorice had six kittens.

Mother put the plates down and ran to the barn. She saw six kittens cuddling up to the mommy cat.

Mother told Grandma. Grandma told Grandpa. And Grandpa told the whole town!

The next day, the girls saddled their ponies to go trail riding.

“Look,” Julie yelled, pointing to the circus wagon, “the animals! They’re for sale.”

Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi dismounted and led their ponies to the animal wagon.

There they saw ten ducks for sale, plus a few horses and four cats.

The girls were very excited.

Ellie read the sign:

Ellie felt her pocket change. Twenty-two dollars and forty-eight cents.

“I will buy the ten ducks,” she decided, grinning. Ellie loved ducks almost as much as she loved ponies.

The salesman looked surprised. “You want all of them?”

“Yes, please,” Ellie answered.

“Okay,” the salesman said. “I will put them all in buckets. I’ll also give you some rope to tie the buckets to your saddle horns.”

Ellie took the rope from him and tied the buckets of ducks to their ponies. Each girl took a bucket, and Ellie took two.

Julie felt the change in her pocket. Twenty-one dollars and twenty-two cents.

She looked at the sign that read:

“I will buy all of them,”  Julie said.

“That means you will only buy two,” the salesman said.

“No,” Julie said. “I would like all of the cats.”

She took out her money and handed it over.

“Ummm,” the salesman said. “This is not enough. It is only twenty-one dollars and twenty-two cents.”

“Oh,” Julie said sadly.

“But I will let you have the other two cats if you buy the two of them.” The salesman smiled. “You are the only one who has offered anything, so you can have them for your price.”

“All right.” Julie smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He put the cats each into their own basket.

Now Ellie had three baskets to haul home, and the other girls each had two.

Poor ponies!

“We have lots of cats and kittens and ducks,” Ellie said, laughing.

“Yes,” Julie said.

“I wonder how Licorice and her new kittens are doing,” Susie said.

“I hope they’re not dead,” Kristi said. Then she changed the subject. “Watermelon is hungry!”

Watermelon nodded his head to agree.

Susie, Julie, and Ellie laughed.

“When we get home you can feed Watermelon,” Susie said.

“I will have to make a duck  house and pen for these ducks,” Ellie said. “But I do still have two dollars and forty-eight cents for duck food.”

The ducks quacked all the way home. It was a terrible racket.

“I wonder what Mom will do with all these pets,” Julie said.

They mounted their ponies and rode home. The buckets clunked every time the ponies took a step.

The cats meowed all the way home, mad at the quacking ducks.

The sound of banging woke Julie, Kristi, and Susie up. They ran downstairs and outside. What was that noise?

Dad was building Ellie’s new duck house. It had five nest boxes.

“Just one more nail,” Dad said to Ellie.

Ellie smiled and handed Dad the nail. She was glad that when they got home yesterday Mom said they could keep all the pets.

As long as they took care of them!

Bang, bang, bang!

“Okay,” Dad said. “We’re all done.”

“Is it all ready?” Julie asked.

“Yes, it’s ready.” Dad put the hammer down. “Go get your ducks, Ellie,” he said.

Ellie quickly ran back and forth to the barn. She brought out all ten ducks one by one. When she was done, she was panting hard.

The ducks looked curiously at the duck house. Then they waddled around and found a small pool filled with water in the duck pen.

They quacked their excitement and dived in.

Splash! Ten ducks in a pool. Water flew everywhere, even on Dad.

Meanwhile, Julie was caring for her new cats. All four of them.

“There you go.” She put food and water next to them. They looked happy with their new home.

That night Ellie, Julie, Susie, and Kristi got ready for bed. Ellie fed Licorice and also fed her ducks.

Julie fed her four new cats and Bella too.

Susie and Kristi kissed their ponies good-night.

Then they all got into bed and said, “Good-night, animals!”

 THE END.