Goodbye, Chocolate Charlie. Marga Jonker

pony doesn’t respond to the usual instructions, that’s for sure,” answered Nicky.

      “My dad told me a bit about her yesterday,” said André. “Apparently she really is blonde – totally clueless!” He smiled and winked, tugging his own blonde mane.

      3

      A bargain buy

      “What were you saying – where did Grandpa get her?” Luke was bursting with curiosity.

      “He bought her on sale,” answered André.

      “Do you mean an auction?” asked Luke.

      “But I thought Grandpa promised he’d never go to an auction by himself again,” Nicky said in surprise. “Grandpa should never be left unsupervised at a livestock auction – he buys anything he thinks is cute, whether we need it or not!”

      “Remember that year he bought the donkeys and piglets?” Luke ran his fingers through his hair, remembering how angry his father had been about that. “And what was that weird camel creature that spat green slime?”

      “Ah, the llama,” laughed André. “And do you remember how quickly it got taken away? Your dad wasn’t happy about getting slime in the face!”

      “For Grandpa’s sake, I hope this pony isn’t one of those spoilt horses. A pony that kicks, bites or opens gates isn’t exactly welcome here at Solitaire,” mused Nicky.

      “Actually, I’m not sure what you can expect from this pony. Your grandpa did buy her at a sale, but it wasn’t a livestock sale – it was a furniture sale!” André was enjoying the fact that he had this inside information. “And it was my mom who took him along.”

      Nicky and Luke were intrigued – André’s mother had been known to do some pretty off-the-wall stuff.

      “My mom wanted to go buy old cupboards at a furniture auction. She took your grandpa along to help her with the horsebox, because they’d apparently fit perfectly,” explained André.

      “Your mom has transported some strange things in that horsebox!” said Luke. “Including us! Remember the time she piled us all in for your picnic party? Your dad totally freaked out!”

      “That’s probably why she took your grandpa along and not my dad,” laughed André. “But it turns out that taking your grandpa is a bit like asking Mickey Mouse to babysit!

      My mom didn’t know about his weakness for auctions. She told us how funny it was: there, among all the furniture and antiques, this real live pony suddenly appears. And the next thing she knows, your grandpa’s bought it! My mom said she couldn’t stop him, but knowing her, she probably didn’t try.”

      They all chuckled, and Nicky stared across the fence at the yellow mare. “Ratu – her name is Ratu.”

      Ratu calmly looked back at the three children who were discussing her.

      “She’s an unknown crossbreed, a palomino colour, more gold than yellow,” explained Nicky. “Doc and Grandpa think she might have Welsh blood, but no one knows for sure.”

      “Strong legs, lively eyes,” said Luke, earnestly weighing up the horse’s attributes. “Not a horse for sport, but she could be a children’s riding horse.”

      “I have a feeling that Uncle Peter and Grandpa Solly are going to argue quite a lot about this horse,” predicted Nicky.

      “Yes, you know how my dad feels about horses that do nothing but eat,” said Luke.

      “Your dad and grandpa always seem to be fighting. They speak so fast, so loud that I don’t understand what they’re saying half the time,” said André, frowning.

      Nicky and Luke couldn’t help laughing.

      “Don’t worry, André – we also struggle to understand them sometimes!” said Nicky. “Aunty Elinor said she sometimes thinks they speak their own made-up language!”

      “A LANGUAGE IN WHICH YOU HAVE TO SPEAK REALLY FAST IN A BOOMING VOICE!” Luke mimicked his father and grandpa.

      Nicky enjoyed her cousin’s joke, and for a moment she seemed so carefree and happy that no one would have guessed at the dark secret deep in her heart.

      The mare lifted her head and focused her big, dark eyes on the laughing children. She pricked up her ears, snorted softly and gave her mane a little shake.

      “Ratu!” called Luke.

      At a slow and relaxed pace, the mare started walking towards them and stopped about a metre away. The palomino had been well brushed and her coat was smooth and glossy. Her mane was long and pure white, and showed up beautifully against her yellow coat. The skin surrounding her nostrils was dark and her eyes were inquisitive and lively, as Luke had noticed. She tilted her well-formed ears forward, as if listening carefully.

      Then Ratu stretched out her neck to nuzzle Nicky’s elbow.

      Nicky immediately tensed up, too scared to breathe. Fear constricted her throat and she could hear her heart beat faster and faster.

      Thud, THUD, thud, THUD . . .

      Her hands began to sweat; she suddenly felt ice cold and dizzy. At her last consultation with Dr Dave, he’d explained that fear is both psychological and biological – it was both in her mind and in her body.

      Breathe. Focus on something else. The sky, the tree, the freckles on Luke’s nose. Take a deep breath. I am not afraid. I love horses . . .

      Despite her best efforts to stay calm, Nicky automatically yanked her arm away from Ratu’s friendly sniffing, and before she could stop herself, she’d retreated a few metres back from the fence.

      Just don’t pass out. Deep breaths. In, out. In, out.

      “Ratu’s just being friendly, Nicky. She’s quite calm. Don’t be scared,” Luke said sympathetically.

      André clambered over the fence and went to stand right beside Ratu, who was now peering over the fence, and seemed to be following Nicky’s every move. She rested her handsome head on the top beam.

      “Look, she’s tame like a cow. My dad said this horse might have some few issues but wildness is definitely not some of them.” Keen to reassure Nicky, André was trying to produce his best English, but was getting it all wrong. It was just what Nicky needed to distract her. She caught her breath and smiled.

      “I’m okay – just got a bit of a fright. Not a biggie,” she said, trying to hide her embarrassment.

      She walked back to the fence and allowed Ratu to sniff her. Her fear dissolved, sinking deep down into her mind. It would rise up again to torment her another day, no doubt.

      “So what is it you do, old Blondie, that stopped people riding you?” Luke stroked Ratu’s face. “Do you bark and bite?”

      Just then, Grandpa Solly appeared from the tack room and came walking towards them, carrying a saddle over his shoulder.

      “Here comes Grandpa,” said Luke. “I think that means we’re going to discover your secret pretty soon, Ratu!”

      4

      A strange trick

      “Hello, hello, and what do you guys think of my little bargain?” asked Grandpa Solly, placing the saddle on the fence.

      “She’s really pretty, Grandpa. I love her colour,” Luke answered. “But what are you going to do with her?”

      “Oh, we’ll see. She looked so lost and out of place amongst all that furniture – I just had to buy her! She’s so adorable, and she was being sold at such a ridiculously low price, I couldn’t resist,” Grandpa Solly explained. “Oh, and she came with a few bits and bobs – an old suitcase or chest or something, and some other stuff. I must still go get all that from the auctioneer in Cape Town. There wasn’t