September Story Contest

A Time to Enjoy
By  Alyssa & Cocoa age 9

Characters:
Girls: Stacy, Claire, Lizzie.  Adults: Mrs. Carter (Stacy’s mom) Lizzie’s mom.  Animals: Gertie, Ginger, Houdini (Mr. Pest) Pepper, Hope, Heart.  Teenager: Joel

Stacy Carter ran down the hall of Caring Animals, a rescue center her mom had just opened.  She was late for a trail ride with her best friend Claire and her Dapple Grey pony, Heart.  Still, there was one more cage to clean out.  Stacy opened the cage of a garter snake.  It didn’t need to be cleaned out.  “Thanks Gertie” Stacy whispered to the snake.  Now I can finally groom Heart!  She thought. 

When Stacy had groomed and saddled up Heart she rode her through the paddock gate.  Suddenly out of the woods cantered Claire on her Arabian pony, hope.  A strange girl with long black hair ran behind them.  “Hi Stacy!  Hi Heart!” shouted Claire as she jumped off Hope and led her towards Stacy.  “Who is that girl?” whispered Stacy when Claire got to her.  “My new friend Lizzie” answered Claire.  Just then Lizzie came running up to them.  “Hi!” she said. You  must be Stacy.  Claire has told me all about Caring Animals.  I think it’s cool!  Can we go see the animals now?”  “Okay, okay!” Stacy put up her hand.  “We can go see the animals.  But first, Claire and I have to tie up our ponies.”  “Yeah!” shouted Lizzie, putting her fist in the air.

After Claire and Stacy had tied up their ponies, Stacy took them into Caring Animals.  “This is Ginger” said Stacy, pointing to a sleepy kitten.  “Would you like to feed her, Lizzie?” Lizzie nodded.  “Oh, yes!” When Ginger was done drinking, Lizzie put the sleepy kitten back in her cage.  “I can show  you the other animals later” said Stacy.  “But now I would like you to meet Mr.  Pest.”  “Who is Mr.  Pest?” asked Lizzie.  “You’ll see” said  Stacy.  “Even I haven’t met him” Claire told Lizzie.  Stacy led Claire and Lizzie into a quiet stable far away from the house.  “This is where we keep the larger animals” she explained.  Stacy opened  one stall door and the girls went inside.  Then she bolted the lock securely.  Inside the stall stood a billy goat.  “This is Houdini” she said.  Lizzie looked confused.  AI thought you were going to show us Mr.  Pest!”  “This is Mr.  Pest!” laughed Stacy.  “His nickname is Mr.  Pest  because he causes so much trouble!” As if to hear what Stacy was saying, Houdini kicked over his water bucket.  “I’ll fill it up” volunteered Lizzie.  “Watch out for Houdini!” warned Stacy.  But it was too late.  The billy goat put down his head and charged through the open door.

 “We’ve  got to catch him!” shouted Stacy.  She, Lizzie and Claire ran outside to their ponies.  “Lizzie, you can ride with me on Hope” said Claire.  Then they mounted their ponies and galloped into the woods after Houdini.  After a while Stacy said; “I think I see Houdini in that clearing munching on grass.  You stay here while I go get him.” Stacy took a halter and lead rope with her.  She quickly grabbed Houdini and put the halter on him.  Claire and Lizzie came over to her with Hope and Heart.  “I’m sorry this happened” said Lizzie.  “It’s okay” said Stacy.  “It happens to me all the time.”  “Really?”  “Really!”  “Let’s get Houdini back to Caring Animals” said Claire. 

After dinner, the girls went outside. An owl hooted in the woods nearby and the sound of the brook was loud and clear. It was very peaceful, until a high pitched whinny came.  Stacy looked at the paddock.  Their ponies weren’t making a sound.  “It’s a pony in trouble!” cried Lizzie.  “I’m going to help it!”  “You go with her and I’ll get your mom” Claire told  Stacy.  “Okay” said Stacy.  “This pony’s leg is caught in barbed wire” said Lizzie, when Stacy came over to her.  “Stacy!” yelled her mom’s voice.  “Where are you?”  “Over here!” Stacy yelled back.  ‘By the brook!” Soon her mom and Claire’s faces appeared in the bushes. “What’s wrong with this pony” asked Mrs. Carter.  “Her leg’s caught in barbed wire!” said Lizzie.  “Okay” said Mrs.  Carter. “I’ve  found the wire and now I’ll clip it off with wire clippers.”  When the wire was off she said; “Let’s take a look at you.”  “Oh!” gasped Stacy.  “Her leg’s bleeding badly!” Mrs.  Carter looked at it.  “She’s lost a lot of blood.  We’ve got to  get her to Caring Animals now!”  “Okay, I’ve stopped the bleeding, stitched up the leg and bandaged it.”

Back at Caring Animals, Mrs.  Carter worked fast.  Her assistant, Joel, stood by her with the instruments she needed.  “We’ll put her on a fluid drip overnight so she won’t get dehydrated.” Lizzie, Claire and Stacy stood close by, watching.  The pony was very weak.  Her eyes were almost shut, and she was taking very slow breaths.  “Where will you put her?” Lizzie asked Joel.  “In the stable” he said quietly.  “Can I, Claire and Lizzie stay up and look after the pony?” Stacy asked her mom.  Mrs.  Carter shook her head.  “That is Joel’s job.”  But Joel will be too busy to sit with her all the time!” protested Stacy. “Stacy,  you girls can’t do any more then you’ve already done!” insisted Mrs.  Carter.  “Besides, you need your sleep.  Come on, let’s go to the house.”  “But mom!” said Stacy.  “Don’t worry Stacy” said Joel.  “I promise I’ll look after her.” Then Joel led the pony quietly out of the room.  The door closed shut behind him. 

”Let’s go” said Mrs.  Carter, again.  Then Claire, Stacy and Lizzie walked towards the house with their heads down.  They all knew nobody was going to get any sleep not knowing if the pony was going to make it through the night.  “I’m going to call her Pepper” Lizzie told Joel, Stacy and Claire the next morning.  They had been up since sunrise watching the pony.  “Pepper suits her” agreed Joel.  “So is she going to be okay?” Lizzie asked.  “Yup, Pepper is a fighter is all I can say!” he said.  As if to prove it, Pepper slowly opened her eyes and tried to walk a few steps.  Then she pulled at the tube attaching her to the drip.  “Okay, girl” said Joel.  “I can take this off if it’s annoying you.”  Then Joel disconnected the tube.  “Well done, Pepper!” Lizzie breathed.  “You  made it through the night!”  Pepper looked up at Lizzie with her gleaming brown eyes.  “You’re beautiful!” she exclaimed.  “Your name is Pepper and you’re going to be fine!” 

“It’s time to put Pepper on our website” said Mrs. Carter a week later.  “What website?”  Lizzie asked Stacy.  She had been helping out at Caring Animals everyday since  she found Pepper. “Oh!” said Stacy.  “I forgot to tell you we have a website where we put our animals that are ready to go to new homes.  We say a little bit about them.” Then Stacy and Lizzie went into the reception area and the receptionist, Nancy, let them use the computer.  Pepper is a gorgeous brown and white pony.  Typed Stacy.  She’s sleek, silky and very smart.  She will love anyone who spends time with her. Then Stacy scanned a picture of Pepper with the message. 

That night Lizzie asked her mom; “Can I have a pony?”  “Of  course  you can, dear,” said her mom.  “Do you have in mind a pony  you want?”  “Yes” said Lizzie.  “Can you sign a cheque now?” The next morning Lizzie ran all the way to Caring Animals.  Claire was there helping Stacy clean out cages.  “Guess what!” she shouted.  “I get to buy Pepper!  Here’s a cheque to give to your mom, Stacy.”  “That’s great, Lizzie!” exclaimed Claire.  “Let’s go on a trail ride to celebrate!”  “Just wait” said Lizzie.  “Stacy, I have a great idea for your website!  People can E-mail us their horse problems and we write back.  We can call it Horse Help Line.  Now, let’s go on that trail ride!”

Their first letter was this: Dear Claire, Stacy and Lizzie, Help!  My horse, Dapple, won’t stop eating!  Every time I go on a trail ride with my friends, I get laughed at.  Dapple stop’s and grazes, and I can’t get his head up.  Dapple is huge, and I’m not.  It’s not fair!  How can I get him to quit trying to eat grass when I’m riding him?  Love, Natalie.  They wrote back: Dear Natalie, When Dapple does graze, you might as well admit you can’t out pull him to raise his head.  Don’t try!  You might lose and get yourself pulled over his head!  Instead, squeeze your knees into his sides and urge him forward.  He’ll have to raise his head whether he likes it or not.  Bad habits are hard to break.  You should start by washing the bit so Dapple won’t be tempted by the taste of grass.  Then, try to read his actions and urge him faster before he lowers his head to graze.  And remember, he’s only doing what comes naturally to a horse.  Don’t be too hard on him.  Love, Claire, Stacy and Lizzie.

                                                 The   End