Sundancer. Shelley Peterson

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      “I made you a bacon sandwich. You must be starving.” She held out the bag. Bird felt immobilized, uncomfortably alert to Hannah’s clipped speech and quick movements. She didn’t take it. “I’ve got to get going. Do you want to come to the show with me? I’m taking Kimberly and Jo and Peter and Melanie.”

      Bird could only stare. Hannah was upset, and suddenly Bird knew why. All the joy of the day drained away as Bird recalled last night’s phone call from her mother.

      Hannah spoke firmly. “Bird, answer me. Look, how am I supposed to deal with you? Do you want to come with me or not?” With a heavy heart, Bird looked down.

      No, I don’t, she thought.

      I want to be alone.

      She glanced up and saw her aunt’s worried eyes. She felt sincerely sorry for Hannah. It’s not her fault, Bird thought, that her weird sister burdened her with a weird kid whom she now wanted to disown. I shouldn’t be so difficult. I should get my act together and go to the horse show. I could be a help. Bird looked back down at the ground and studied a line of ants as they paraded past in the dirt. But no. She felt too upset. Best to avoid the company of people today. Today, when no one was around, she would get up on the new horse’s back.

      “Look, make you a deal. You’ll stay here with Cliff and John unless you’re in the truck by the time the horses are loaded. And if you decide to stay here, whatever you do, you are not to get on the new horse’s back.”

      Bird looked up at her aunt quickly. Was she that transparent?

      Hannah thrust out her arm and dropped the paper bag with the sandwich. Bird caught it. Hannah smiled briefly. “Good reflexes.”

      A short while later, Bird watched as Hannah pulled away with the rig, four horses safely aboard. “Saddle Creek” was emblazened in green, grey, and red on the sides of the white truck and trailer. Saddles, bridles, boots, wraps, and grooming kits were stowed in the tack room at the front of the horse trailer, as well as a safety box fitted out for every possible emergency.

      Two cars followed. One with Jo’s mother driving Jo and her best friend Melanie, and one with Peter and his mother. Kimberly always met them at the shows, a subject of discussion at the barn as this left the preparations up to Hannah.

      Bird climbed on the fence to eat her bacon sandwich and watch the new horse. Hector had moved from his usual position at the barn door to lay on the ground at her feet. He kept one big brown eye on Bird’s sandwich, hoping for a spill.

      I’m happy you stayed.

      I’m happy to spend time with you, Hector. Bird leaned down to rub his soft yellow head.

      Can I have a bite?

      You had your breakfast. This is mine.

      It’s going to be an unhurried day, she thought. Good. Lots of time to sit and understand this horse. Bird felt her sadness fade away as she ate and watched. She loved how the sun danced on the horse’s coat. She admired his motion. He moves gracefully, like a dancer, she thought. And he’s the orangey colour of the sunset. That’s it. I’ll name him Sundancer — Sunny for short. Even though there’s a darker side to him, too. He’s a veiled horse, like the wild mustangs of the ancient Indians. A mystery horse with hooded eyes and many secrets — secrets that even Paul Daniels doesn’t know.

      Unfortunately, what Paul Daniels did know was shocking.

      He’d told them that, one time, Sundancer had been in a trailer accident. Because of a faulty hitch and rusted undercarriage, the horse trailer came loose from the truck on the highway. Unguided, it smashed into a hillock on the side of the road, knocking the horse from his feet and sending him sliding under the chest bar. He was lucky. Had the trailer gone into the two lanes of fast-moving traffic, things could have been much worse. As it was, Sundancer survived with nasty scrapes and a lifelong distrust for trailers.

      Another time, as he was being led down the road behind another horse, he pulled free and began to gallop away, dragging a long rope. He ducked in behind a farmhouse, jumped a hedge into the back garden, and leaped out over another hedge. Unfortunately, that second hedge sat at the edge of the Niagara Escarpment, the rocky ridge that runs through the Niagara peninsula. The landing was thirty feet down into big rocks. Again, he was lucky, because if he hadn’t stopped rolling there, he would have gone a hundred feet more. That time his injuries almost killed him.

      Sundancer had many idiosyncrasies, too, that Dr. Daniels mentioned. Some were obvious, like his dislike of trailers and his fear of heights. Others were harder to understand.

      He always assumed that a person was going to hit him with whatever they were carrying, be it broom, water bucket, pitchfork, or hairbrush. He was suspicious of everyone. The first of his nine trainers tried to desensitize his nervous nature with noises, pokes, and slaps, all of which led to a fear of surprises. Sundancer took to hiding in his stall, shaking, anticipating the next scare. He scooted alarmingly fast when touched on his sides. He had a penchant for running away, as well. No fence had been high enough or strong enough to keep him in. Bird wondered if Sundancer would run away from them. More likely it was a matter of when.

      Bird gave Hector the last bite of her sandwich and wiped away the crumbs. She waited for the man who’d come up behind her to speak.

      “Hello there, Bird.”

      Bird didn’t look around. She knew it was Paul Daniels by the feel in the air. His aura, perhaps. Whatever it was, it was good — safe and intelligent.

      She also sensed that his son, Alec, might be sitting in the car. She glanced over quickly to sneak a peek. Yes. There he was. So far, he hadn’t moved to come out. That was good. Bird always got agitated when he was around. It wasn’t Alec’s fault. It was just that Bird had always had a bit of an interest in him. He was his own person and had his own thoughts, unlike the other boys in her class who ganged up to make fun of her. Bird thought he was cute, although that wasn’t the common view. He wasn’t the most popular guy at school, and he got into trouble for asking too many questions, but Bird liked him just the same.

      “Good looking horse, isn’t he? Have you named him yet?”

      Paul knew that Bird never spoke, but he always tried. Bird appreciated his efforts to treat her like a normal human being. It was more than most people could manage.

      “I was glad when your aunt said she’d take him in. Didn’t know where else to try. Didn’t even have a second choice. I thought of Abby Malone because she’s so good with problem horses, but she’s going off to school in New York next month, and good for her. She’s worked hard for it.” Bird could hear the smile on the vet’s face.

      “Is he settling in?” Paul sat on the fence beside Bird. Not too close. Just the right distance. “Sure looks it. Horses like it here. They settle in faster here than anywhere else I know.”

      They sat in silence for a while, both engrossed in the new horse.

      “I don’t know why I saved him, Bird. I’ve never done this before.”

      Bird found herself looking at the man beside her. Dr. Paul Daniels had a quiet, leathered, handsome face and a relaxed, lanky body. He was old. Probably as old as Hannah. Over forty at least. Most of all, though, he was a person she could trust, if she ever needed to trust someone.

      Paul СКАЧАТЬ