Phantom: One Last Chance Read Online Free

his water bucket before heading to the tack room with the others. As they pushed the door open, they found Megan looking much brighter. She quickly shut the copy of Pony Mad she was reading.
    She looked as if she was about to launch intoa speech, but Charlie stopped her before she had a chance to get going.
    “Um, about loaning Pirate,” Charlie started awkwardly, as she hobbled over and sat down heavily on a blanket box, wondering how to put what she had to say. In the end, she decided to come straight out with it. “I… think it’s best if I find someone else, someone who wants to have fun with him and do lots of jumping – I mean, that’s what Pirate loves. I’m going to put up some more adverts. Sorry Megan.”
    “Oh, right,” Megan said quietly. “Are you sure?”
    Charlie nodded. Her parents might not be pleased, but Pirate would thank her for it.
    “Well, okay then,” Megan said, looking at the floor then picking up her red folder. “I guess I better get going.”
    She stood up and they watched her walk across to Pirate’s stable, pat his stocky neck, then disappear round the corner. Suddenly Rosie jumped up and called out.
    “Oh, and don’t forget to…”
    At that moment there was another cry, a bleat and a scuffle, then Hettie trotted past, heading to the feed room.
    “Climb the gate.”
    Rosie sighed as she and Alice got up again, well practised after a few days of shepherding duty. They rushed out into the dark winter evening, shivering as they turned on the yard light, which glowed pale yellow. At that moment they heard a couple of cars crunch slowly up the bumpy drive that led to the yard.
    “That’ll be your mum, Charlie,” Mia said, jumping up, “and my dad. We’d better feed and say goodnight to the ponies.”
    They hastily mixed feeds, dropping carrots and apples into the buckets before taking them out to the ponies, who whickered deeply, their nostrils fluttering at the sight of their dinner. The only horse that stayed back was Phantom. He stood stock still, like a statue, the whites of hiseyes showing, until Charlie let herself out of his stable. Next she opened Pirate’s door and held his bucket for a second as he dived into it, then she put it down on the floor and gave him a long hug. Charlie wasn’t looking forward to showing her mum her scratched face – her mum would go mad – but Charlie couldn’t avoid it. She gave Pirate one final pat, then walked slowly towards the gate, where her mum was standing. Charlie kept her head down, trying not to limp too much. As she got nearer her mum gasped.
    “What happened to your face?” she asked, looking worried. Charlie winced as her mum gently guided her towards the yard light so she could get a better look.
    “I fell off Phantom,” Charlie said with a sigh.
    Charlie’s mum took a deep breath, sounding angry. “Well, from what you’ve told me about that horse I’m amazed it hasn’t happened before. But this is getting serious, Charlie. Look at you, limping as well – next time it could be a lot worse.He can’t be trusted, and you’re NOT to ride him again, not under any circumstances, until I can speak to Pixie’s mum and work out what we do next. And if he does anything bad between now and then, he goes. Phantom’s got one last chance, okay?”
    Mia, Alice and Rosie waited for Charlie to protest, but to their amazement she just sighed again, then nodded and climbed into the welcome warmth of her mum’s car. Alice jumped in beside her to get a lift home, chattering away anxiously to fill the tense silence as they pulled slowly up the track, away from Blackberry Farm.
    Charlie traced patterns in the beads of condensation on the side window. She couldn’t stop thinking about how easily Neve had handled Phantom. Charlie couldn’t help feeling useless compared to Neve. She had been fine bumbling along with a pony like Pirate, but who was she trying to kid? She’d got lucky the first few times she’d competed on