Pony Pals, Book 1 - I WANT A PONY

Chapter 3 A Pony in Trouble

Lulu headed east down Main Street. After passing two blocks of shops and houses she came to a corner where Main Street met Mudge Road. She leaned up against a tree and began her map by drawing and labeling lines for the streets. Then she walked on Mudge Road. Soon Lulu came to another intersection. To her right she saw rolling hills of squared-off fields in different shades of green and brown. Some were dotted with black-and-white cows. The only buildings

she could see were a white farmhouse and two red barns on the nearest hill. A winding dirt road led into this landscape. A faded wooden sign told Lulu it was called Lilac Lane. After Lulu added Lilac Lane to her map, she took a deep breath of the crisp fall air and headed down the road. As she walked along, Lulu found herself thinking what a great road Lilac Lane would be for riding a pony. After about a half mile the road took a sharp turn. Lulu figured she would come upon another farm and more cows. But when she turned the corner, there was only one animal in the squared-off field beyond the bushes - a white pony. She couldn't believe her eyes. "Pony!" she called excitedly. "Look at you. You're a beautiful." The pony was munching grass at the far end of the field. Hearing Lulu's voice, the pony looked up. Lulu walked over to the barbed-wire fence and called out, "Come here, let me get a better look at you. I bet that you're a Welsh pony."

Lulu noticed a yellow house next to the paddock. She decided that was where the pony's owner lived. But right now there were no cars in the driveway or any other sighs that the people were home. Lulu saw that the pony was still watching her. She reached into her backpack, took out an apple, and held it up for the pony to see. "I have a treat for you," she said. That was all the encouragement the pony needed. The pony ran across the paddock in a direct line to where Lulu stood. "You know what," Lulu told the pony. "I think this is the perfect spot for my picnic." The pony gently pushed at Lulu's shoulder with its nose, as if to say, "Where's that apple?" Lulu was worried that the pony would get hurt on the barbed wire. To encourage the pony to love away from the fence, Lulu reached over it and offered the apple in her open hand. The pony gently took the apple with her teeth, then backed away to savor the juicy treat.

Lulu dropped her backpack into the paddock. She carefully raised the top barbed-wire strands, making just enough space to climb through into the field. As Lulu stood up in the paddock, she saw that the pony had already eaten the apple and was now snorting around at her backpack. Lulu rubbed the smooth white slant of the pony's neck to her her attention. "Hey, pony," she said, "I've got some more treats for you - but unless you can work a zipper you'd better let me do the unpacking." Lulu looked into the pony's face. "You're a sweet thing," she said. "But look at all those burrs sticking in your mane. After lunch I'll pull them out. If I had a brush I'd give that white coat of yours a good grooming, too." The pony's ears pointed straight up to the blue sky, and her big brown eyes looked right at Lulu. The pony seemed to be saying, "I was really lonely. It's so nice to have

company. Now, what's in that feed bag of yours?" While Lulu ate her sandwich and cookies she fed the pony a carrot. Then she poured water from her canteen into her cupped hand so the pony could have at least a few licks of water. The pony's younger felt smooth as velvet on her hand. After lunch, Lulu took the annoying burrs out of the pony's mane. She kept the pony still by singing. "Most ponies would have to be tied for this job," she told the pony. "But you're so smart and sweet that you're staying still." By the time Lulu picked out the last burr, she'd sung every son she knew the words to, including a few Christmas songs. The pony seemed to like "Jingle Bells" best. That night, while brushing her teeth, Lulu looked out of the bathroom window at the yards below. Wiggins was lit by the white glow of a full moon. From this second-

story window Lulu had a bird's-eye view of Acorn's paddock. She could see that the Harleys had added an extension to the paddock fence. And there was Acorn looking up at it. He shook his mane, stomped his hooves, and snorted as if to say, "How could you guys ruin all my fun? I'll find another way out of this paddock. You wait and see." Lulu heard the Harleys'back door close. She watched Anna, again in her long pink nightgown, run around the vegetable garden and through the gate into Acorn's paddock. The little pony gaily ran over to her. After Anna gave Acorn a treat, she put her arms around his neck and hugged him. Lulu's heart skipped a beat. "Anna and Acorn," she said wistfully to herself, "how I wish you were my friends." The next morning Lulu went into the beauty parlor. "Grandma," she said, "I'm going for another hike. Okay?" "Don't forget your hair appointment with

me at four o'clock," Grandmother reminded her. "Four o'clock," Lulu echoed. She noticed a wide, flat hairbrush lying on the counter. "This is a nice brush," she said as she rubbed the stiff bristles over the palm of her hand. "If you like it you can have it," Grandmother said. "Getting free beauty products is one of the advantages of having a grandmother who's a hairdresser." Lulu wrapped her arms around Grandmother's waist and gave her a big hug. "Thanks, Grandma," she said. "Thank you so much." Lulu put the brush in her backpack. Today, she thought, I'm going to brush that pony's coat until it shines. It was another sunny day, but a little cooler than the day before. Lulu was glad that she had put a sweatshirt on over her T-shirt. She jogged along Mudge Road. As she turned onto Lilac Lane and passed the first

farm, her heart started pounding with excitement. She couldn't wait to see the white pony. But when Lulu turned the corner in the road she didn't see the pony. Had the owner taken the pony for a ride? Ot had the pony only been visiting for the day? Her heart sank. As Lulu turned to walk away, she heard a desperate, weak whinny. Looking toward the sound, she saw the white pony half hidden by a bush. The pony was lying in a far corner of the paddock and struggling to get up. Something was terribly wrong. The pony was in trouble.