Shelby walked to the edge of the clearing where she thought she had seen the roos before. She squatted down. There was a low path meandering between the trees. She had mistaken it for a burrow the first time. About ten metres in she could see a branch, freshly broken – the fracture was still green. It was possible that Blue had snapped it on his way past.

  She bent down and crawled into the space she had found. There was definitely a trail. It seemed to wind around without direction, but it might have made perfect sense to a roo.

  'Halfway!' Frank called from behind her. 'Because once he's halfway in, he's halfway out,' he finished.

  Shelby ignored him.

  30 Halfway

  The gap between the trees was so low and narrow that Shelby had to bend over double, with the saddle tucked into her hip, and after a short way the small of her back began to hurt. The ground in front of her was thick with leaves of all different sizes and colours, and slightly moist. She could make out the trail that the animals used because there was a slight dip, and the leaf litter was ground into smaller pieces from the traffic. It was perfect snake territory, and if she were to come across one she probably wouldn't see it until she was right on top of it.

  The path meandered up the hillside and after about twenty metres she saw the arc of a hoof print. Sure that she was on the right path, Shelby continued up the hill. She had the bridle over her shoulder and changed the grip on her saddle. She hadn't realised how heavy it was.

  After another forty metres she came to a rock face similar to the one down which Lindsey had fallen. It was whittled in layers and similarly covered with moist mosses and ferns. Blue couldn't climb out this way either, but there was a path that ran alongside it, and further along she could see a patch where a tree grew quite close to the rock face. Here some of the ferns had been broken. Blue must have rubbed his side along the rock face as he squeezed past the tree.

  Shelby was able to stand up straight now and progress more quickly. Above her she could see the morning sun. She estimated that it must be around eight thirty. Her parents would be up and preparing breakfast for her brothers by now. Shelby felt a pang of guilt as she realised that she should have left them a note. Normally she didn't bother because they knew she would either be at the stables, or in the Gully somewhere, but today was different. They would have no idea where she was and what time she would be home.

  After another thirty metres she could see that the rock face was lower and slanted like stairs. Some of the rocks had come away from the wall and clustered in a pile at the bottom. She wondered whether Blue would climb up there, and if he had, how much further had he gone? What was at the other end? Did this track end up joining the one at the power station? Blue may be hours ahead of her. He might have reached the road by now.

  Shelby clambered up quickly. Just as it was on the plateau above the other rock face, the scrub was less dense and the trees younger, slender and with less foliage. She could see much farther in each direction. No Blue. When she looked down the trail was gone too. Here, it seemed, the roos each made their own path. There were no discernible prints either. Shelby sighed.

  She rested for a moment to orient herself. Gully Way was on the eastern side of The Pocket. She had climbed up the hill on the north-west side, and then, as she followed the rock wall around, she was heading east, so she imagined that here at the top of the rock face she must be facing due north. Somewhere to her right was Gully Way. There was a fence along the bridle trail on the other side, but this far up she wasn't so sure.

  Blue always made a big noise when he was crunching through the bush so Shelby stood still with her hands on her hips and listened. She could hear birds calling and insects chirping. She cupped her hands around her mouth, called to him and listened again, but all she heard was the wing beats of a bird taking flight.

  Shelby walked along the top of the rock wall towards where she imagined the road to be. Every now and then she could glimpse into The Pocket, but all she ever saw was the grassy area behind the doll's house. Even from this angle the trees obscured the structures. Shelby thought it was amazing how well hidden Frank's place was.

  Shelby slipped the saddle around over her stomach and held it by the pommel. For a little while it was more comfortable, relieving the pressure on her back, but before long her neck and shoulders began to hurt. She was about to stop again when she heard the heavy drone of a truck's hydraulic brakes. The road must be close by. Up ahead she could see cars moving on the other side of the trees, and as she moved closer she could see the hurricane fencing running along between the bush and the road. At least Blue wasn't able to wander onto Gully Way. She followed the fence along, walking parallel to Gully Way, and then in the distance she could see the shapes of houses.

  Looking through the fence past the houses, she could see a shop on the corner of Gully Way. She was so hungry and thirsty and the idea of a shop full of food made her stomach grumble. Shelby walked along the back fences of the houses. Most of them were made of green aluminium, and all she could see of the yards were the tops of jacaranda, camellia trees or Hills Hoists, but every now and then there was a wooden fence with palings spaced far enough apart that she could peek through and see budgies in cages on back porches, built-in barbecues, and the occasional above-ground pool.

  She was hot now, and smelt like a combination of horse sweat, leather and scummy pond-water. The idea of dunking into a pool was heavenly.

  There was a laneway running between the houses, and as she got closer, Shelby could see the street on the other side. The houses were very similar in style to the ones where she lived – single-storey bungalows of pale brick with a stretch of patchy lawn and a wide cement driveway leading up to a garage at the front of the house.

  There was a woman hanging out washing in the back yard next to the laneway.

  'Excuse me,' said Shelby, peeking over the fence. 'Have you seen a pony come through here?'

  'Yes, I did!' she said. 'Earlier this morning. It came along there, right where you are now, walked across my front lawn and then headed off down the street that way.' The lady pointed to the right. 'Everyone came out to have a look at it. We all stared at each other. We'd never seen that on this street before. It was weird – like in a dream. We get little wallabies sometimes, but only out the back.'

  'Did anyone try to stop him?' Shelby asked.

  The lady frowned and shook her head. 'It looked like it knew where it was going. It didn't stop at all.'

  'Thanks,' said Shelby, but she wasn't thankful at all. She couldn't believe they would just let him head straight towards Gully Way without trying to stop him. He wasn't even shying or being spooky. If the woman had caught him and put him in her yard then Shelby would know he was safe by now, and then Blue could carry the stupid saddle for a while. All she knew was that he seemed to be OK a few hours ago. Who knew where he was now?

  Shelby rushed along the laneway and on to the street. She felt like throwing the saddle on the ground and leaving it there, except it was the only one she had and she knew she would regret it later. Shelby wondered if somebody had stolen her bike yet.

  The street seemed to go on forever, but eventually there was strip of three shops – a newsagent, a video shop, and the corner store she had seen from behind the fence earlier. In front of the shop there were a set of traffic lights where the street intersected with Gully Way. Shelby jogged along under the annexes to the corner. The traffic seemed to be moving smoothly along Gully Way, and that was good news. If there had been a dreadful accident then surely the cars would be blocked.

  There was a man standing in the doorway of the corner store.

  'Hey, was that your horse before?' he asked.

  Shelby stopped. She thought it was fairly apparent, given the tack that she was carrying. 'Yes. Which way did he go?'

  The man grinned. 'Funniest thing I've ever seen. Mr and Mrs Kessler had just bought the paper, and that horse stood there behind them at the lights looking up and down as though he was waiting for them to change, and then when the light went green and they crossed, he walked right behind them like he was their dog or something. They got to the other side and Mrs Kessler turned around. It gave her a real fright! She went, "Ah!", and put her arms up, and then the horse looked kind of startled, as if it was thinking "Ah!" too, and then the Kesslers headed off up that way.' The grocer pointed to the left. 'And the horse walked off along the footpath that way.' He indicated the right.

  'He got across the road safely then?' Shelby asked.

  The man nodded. He patted his tummy, smiling, still enjoying the memory.

  'And nobody tried to catch him?' she added.

  The man shrugged. 'He seemed to know where he was going. Besides, I thought it would have been worse to chase him onto the road.'

  Shelby huffed. 'Thanks.' She pressed the button for the lights with her forehead, because her hands were full. Here she was at the corner of Gully Way again. She hadn't needed to jump into the billabong and run all the way around. She would have been better off heading into the Gully behind her house.

  The walk light illuminated and Shelby crossed the road. On the other side was a cement footpath surrounded by manicured bush that led to a look-out over the Gully. She put the saddle down on the bench for a moment to stretch her arms.

  She realised had been here before. A few times when they were out on a ride together, Erin had a craving for lollies or soft drink and they had ridden up here to the same shop where Shelby had just spoken to the man. Shelby hadn't recognised the shop because she had always waited at the look-out with Bandit and Blue while Erin ran across the road. She wondered if Blue would remember.

  Looking down over the edge of the wooden viewing platform, Shelby could see a dirt path zigzagging down the hill and disappearing into the scrub. Even from this distance she could make out hoof prints, but she was not surprised; other riders probably popped into the shops for drinks and supplies as well.

  If Blue was going home he would take this path down into the Gully, cross the causeway at the bottom and then head up the other side, taking the trail that led to the cul-de-sac around the corner from where Shelby lived. She could imagine him marching purposefully, with his ears pricked forward, all the way home. He might even be there by now.

  Shelby looked out at the Gully stretched out below her and sighed. She was more than Frank's 'halfway in', but if she'd known how far the whole way was going to be she would have stayed in bed. It would probably take her all day to get home again carrying the stupid saddle.

  It would be much easier for her to walk back to the stables. Taking the bridle path along this side of Gully Way wouldn't take much more than an hour. She was sure Lindsey's mum would let her ring home and organise for Shelby's mum or dad to pick her up.

  Shelby picked up the saddle, balancing it on the top of her head, imagining she was an African lady from a National Geographic magazine, and started walking.

  31 Herd Animals

  Shelby didn't carry the saddle on her head for long. Soon she had tucked it over her forearm, holding each wrist by the other along the underside of the saddle. The grip made her twist sideways, and by the time she was passing the entrance to the storm water tunnel her shoulders ached so much that it brought tears to her eyes. She was hungry and tired. Her feet hurt, and what made it worst of all was that it had all been a complete waste of energy.

  Ponies, Shelby thought. Who'd have one? In books and movies it was always about how majestic horses were, and how there was a magic bond, but in reality it was just about lifting heavy things, hay-fever, scrubbing, cleaning, shovelling manure, being trodden on, kicked, head-butted, cut, scraped and bruised, and that was before you even fell off!

  For the first time ever Shelby wondered whether ping-pong mightn't be so bad.

  Dropping the saddle for a moment, Shelby climbed up the embankment to look across the road. Her bike was still chained to the fence on the other side. She couldn't get through the fence on her side of the road, and she wouldn't be able to manage the saddle, bridle and bike all at the same time even if she could. She made a mental note to arrange with her parents to pick it up later.

  This was almost exactly the same spot where she had seen Lindsey on the palomino that day in the rain. Now Shelby knew what Lindsey was doing with that roll of wire. She hadn't picked it up from the trail at all! She'd brought it with her to cover the opening to the tunnel. Shelby shook her head. She'd been so busy trying to cover her own tracks that she hadn't taken much time to consider what Lindsey might be up to.

  Not much further now. Shelby slipped the saddle round to the back and held on to the knee rolls. The girth kept sliding down. The first few times she lifted it up and tucked it into the stirrup, but after a while she just let it drag in the dirt. She was beyond caring.

  The sun was almost directly overhead, and Shelby guessed it was somewhere between eleven and midday.

  She was really close now. Just around the next bend she would be able to see the back gate.

  Soon she would be at Lindsey's place in the office. On the way she could drink from the taps at the corner of the stables. Everybody did that. Then she would ring her mum. She was so looking forward to sitting down. She would hang her legs off Lindsey's veranda and look across the paddocks, resting, while she waited for her mum to arrive. Sitting down would be wonderful.

  Maybe Lindsey's mum was angry? Shelby frowned. She hadn't thought of that. Mrs Edel had been so worried about Lindsey the previous night, and it was possible that today her worry had turned into crossness at Shelby for the being the cause of Lindsey's injury. Besides that, Shelby had no idea what Lindsey had said about why she was there. They hadn't had a chance to discuss their story.

  There it is.

  Shelby reached the gate and she rested the saddle across the top. She sat astride the top bar, thinking. Mrs Edel wouldn't be grouchy forever, but Shelby might want to avoid her just for the next few days. Perhaps she should go straight home now? It would mean carrying the stupid saddle for another hour, but she thought it was probably less damaging in the long run than a fight with Lindsey's mum.

  The fifteen or so spelled horses that lived in the back paddock were standing amongst a grove of trees enjoying the shade. They were mostly thoroughbred brood mares – long and plain, with low-hanging bellies. There were also a few eventing and performance horses spelled between seasons, or recovering from injury. The horses in this paddock were nearly always bays, browns and chestnuts, and so Shelby thought it was strange when she saw a little paint rump poking out from behind a massive warmblood gelding.

  It wasn't just any paint rump, it was Blue!

  Shelby cupped her hands to her mouth and called to him. The pony peeked at her from under the belly of the warmblood. He flicked his head from side-to-side, shaking away a fly, and then he meandered towards her. Some of the other horses opened their eyes a fraction, a few shifted their weight from one leg to another, and one gently butted Blue's shoulder on the way past, but mostly they ignored him.

  'Where have you been, you silly boy!' Shelby said. 'You've had me running all over the neighbourhood and now you're back here again!'

  Shelby had no idea how he had managed to get inside the paddock, but it was a stroke of luck. Now she could slip on his bridle and saddle and she'd be home in twenty minutes at the latest. She wouldn't have to talk to Lindsey's mum at all.

  From across the paddock she could see the riding school ponies marching along in single file. While she was slipping the bridle over Blue's ears she tried to make out who was leading them. It could have been one of the older girls, Monica or Kim, who had the stables across from the Crooks. She slipped the saddle onto Blue's back, glad to be finally rid of it. The girth was very dirty from where it had dragged along the ground. She rubbed it against the thigh of her pants. When she looked up again she could see the leader of the trail ride had broken away from the others, and was heading towards her at a fast canter. Whoever it was sat deep in the stock saddle with her shoulders back and her hands low. The woman glanced over her shoulder at the trail riders, who were milling around together where she left them. The woman rode easily and naturally – like Lindsey.

  She could see now that it was Mrs Edel. Shelby kept her head down and pretended she hadn't seen. She tried to do the girth up quickly. Blue turned his head around and sniffed at her. Normally she fastened his girth one hole at a time, because she thought it was less of a shock that way.

  'I'm sorry, matey, but we're in a hurry.'

  She grabbed the reins, and led him through the gate.

  'Hey!'

  Shelby closed the gate behind her. She was trying too hard and the chain was slipping, not latching properly. 'Come on, you stupid thing.'

  'Shelby, wait!'

  The latch finally caught and Shelby spun Blue around, mounting quickly. She looked up. Lindsey's mum was only thirty metres away now.

  'Oh, hi, Mrs Edel,' she said, waving. She pushed Blue on.

  'Stop!'

  Shelby halted Blue. She couldn't very well pretend she hadn't heard that, and Lindsey's mum was a grown-up after all. She couldn't just run away, even if she really wanted to.

  'Where are you going?'

  'I'm going home.'

  Lindsey's mother pulled up on the other side of the gate. The horse that she was riding – a big, bald-faced, chestnut quarter horse – stopped square. Shelby hadn't realised that Mrs Edel could ride too.

  'Blue lives here now,' she said, staring Shelby in the eye.

  'That's OK,' said Shelby patting his neck. 'We'll find somewhere soon.'

  'You can bring him up to the stables and I'll show you where you can keep his tack, but you can't take him anywhere. He's had a busy enough day.'

  Shelby bit her lip. 'Thanks, Mrs Edel, but I'm going to take him home for tonight. I just need a few days to get myself organised, that's all.'

  'You're not taking him anywhere. Your parents and I have made an arrangement. That horse has been running loose on the streets for the past twenty-four hours and I'm telling you he needs a little quiet time. Now get inside this gate.' The quarter horse took a step forward. 'Please,' she added.

 

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