The Palomino Pony Comes Home Read Online Free PDF Page A

time, wouldn’t you know it? She tried to push Lily into going forward when Lily wasn’t sure. Lily’s always been quite a nervy, delicate pony, but she’s not a bad’un. That’s just part of her make-up. Lily got spooked and ran off. I found her out on the mountainside. My daughter-in-law, Jemma’s mother, wanted to have her put down but I wouldn’t hear of it. I brought her out here to live with me. It’s where I’ve been since I leftthe stud farm.” He pointed in the general direction of a farm in the distance. “Carlamu,” he breathed.
    “Carlamu?” Georgia rolled the word over her tongue.
    “Yes, the Carlamu Show Stud,” Eric explained. “It means ‘gallop’ in Welsh. I used to own it – but it’s my son and daughter-in-law’s now. I had to hand over control of the business when I got ill.” Eric coughed before continuing with his story. “I’m weary to my bones.” He held out his hand and Lily snuffled lightly over it, nudging him affectionately. “That’s why she’s got to go. I’ll miss her when she’s gone.”
    “Gone?” said Georgia.
    “Yes,” said the old man. “Tomorrow afternoon at four. Jemma and her cousins are coming to collect her. She’s going to be sold at the Builth sales on Saturday. I can’t take care of her any more.”
    The man looked upset, shaking his head sadly.
    Georgia felt panicked. The sales? That would mean she might never see the little pony again! She couldn’t let it happen! In that moment when they had made a connection, Georgia had seen the pony’s true spirit and the palomino had stolen her heart.
    She bit down hard on her bottom lip. The little pony could be sold to just anybody – a meat man even – the condition she was in! Georgia couldn’t bear it.
    “Please,” she said. “Please, don’t let them take her. Please look after her here.”
    “I wish I could,” the old man said, his blue eyes sad and watery. “But there’s nothing I can do. I’m not strong enough. It’s not what I want for her. I won’t be here tomorrow to say goodbye to her. I hate goodbyes.” He smiled weakly. “Now, young lady, it was nice to meet you. Enjoy therest of your trip.”
    And with that he turned and limped back down the track, leaving Georgia standing next to the paddock on her own, lost in thought…

C HAPTER E IGHT
    G eorgia stood quite still, watching the old man go, his walking stick acting as a crutch as he gently propelled himself forward. She felt a lump rise in her throat.
    Suddenly there was a noise behind her and a shout. Dan!
     “Georgia! Come on!” he called. “You said you’d only be ten minutes. We’ve got to get back!”
    “Get back?” Georgia stared wildly around her, all thoughts of lessons completely forgotten. She couldn’t bear to leave Lily to her fate. She had to do something. “Dan, it’s Lily,” she cried. “I … er… We need to make a plan!”
    “Lily?” Dan looked puzzled.
    “The pony,” said Georgia impatiently, gesturing at the little mare in front of her. “She’s going to the sales at the weekend!” Georgia briefly filled him in on everything that the old man had told her – how Lily had been bred to be a star, how she had been mistreated, before finally finishing on how the palomino was going to be collected the very next afternoon.
    Dan was wide-eyed by the end of it. “So what can we do?”
    “I don’t know!” Georgia wailed. “I need to go back to the centre and think!”
    “OK,” said Dan. “I’ll help you. I’m good atplans. Although I have to say, I haven’t got a clue what we can do about this one!”
    Georgia nodded in agreement. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet either but Dan, with his sensible head and understanding of animals, was a good person to have for help.
    Saying their goodbyes to Lily, they headed down the slope and back to the clearing, where the group had been busy doing some more fieldwork. Immediately, the two of them ran into a teacher.
    “Miss …