Phantom: One Last Chance Read Online Free Page A

Phantom, and she’d let it go to her head. But Neve proved today that the black horse wasn’t difficult, just that Charlie wasn’t good enough to cope with a horse like him. And it wasn’t as if Phantom would care for a second if he was taken away from Charlie, either – he was so cold and distant that he would leave without a backward glance. As Alice’s chatter faded and silence filled the car, the patterns on the window began to blur. Charlie felt herself getting cross at how unfair everything was. She wished it could all return to how it had been – before she outgrew Pirate and before she’d ever set eyes on Phantom.

Chapter Five
    AFTER a final week at school filled with carol-singing , the Christmas play, a non-uniform day and exchanging tons of Christmas cards, the Pony Detectives couldn’t wait to get to the yard on Friday. They had another pile of cards to deliver to their out-of-school friends, including Fran, who owned Hope Farm, the animal rescue centre.
    “Our first official Christmas ride!” Rosie had squealed as they mixed their ponies’ feeds first thing on Friday morning.
    “Or cycle,” Charlie added with a small smile. She wished she could just tack up Pirate and take him instead, but she was way too tall for him now and she knew it wouldn’t be fair. The others sighed, feeling bad for her.
    “We can fix some reindeer antlers on the handlebars,” Rosie said, “and pretend the bike’s Pirate.”
    While they waited for the ponies’ breakfasts to go down, Charlie took Phantom out for his daily pick at some grass, so that he didn’t spend all his time cooped up in his box. The others set about turning the yard into a grotto, covering the stable doors with their cards, lots of tinsel, baubles and fairy lights.
    They tacked up, with antlers on their bridles and tinsel on their reins. Rosie had pulled a Father Christmas hat over her jockey skull cap. They’d all wrapped up in as many warm layers as they could find against the icy cold sky. Charlie sat on her bike, which Rosie had insisted on smothering with baubles and jingle bells, as well as the reindeer antlers, and they all rode over to the gate. Charlie scraped it open just as Mrs Honeycott came scuttling out of the cottage, holding a huge ceramic bowl in one arm andwaving a tea towel around, warbling at them to wait.
    “What is she up to now?” Rosie said, shaking her head. She was so used to her mum’s batty behaviour that nothing surprised her any more.
    “All of you have to stir the Christmas cake mix and make a wish before you disappear off!” Mrs Honeycott puffed. “I’m baking it this afternoon, and I didn’t want you to miss your opportunity.”
    “Dancer, pay close attention to this, it involves you,” Rosie said, whirling the spoon stiffly with one hand and holding Dancer off with the other as the mare tried to dip her moustached muzzle into the bowl. “I wish you’d pay more attention to me and far less to passing snacks, including cake mix!”
    “Rosie!” Mia groaned. “Wishes are supposed to be secret!”
    “But the Pony Detectives always share their secrets, so what’s the big deal?’ Rosie said, looking quite pleased with her clever reply.
    She passed the spoon, like a baton, to Alice, who giggled and wished that Scout would always be happy. Alice leaned over to give the sticky spoon to Mia.
    “I wish that Wish Me Luck wins even more red rosettes than last year, if that’s actually possible!” Mia said, after pausing for a second to decide whether or not to wish out loud. “Charlie?”
    Charlie took the spoon, dipping it in the gooey mix, and sighed. She paused for a moment, looking over to her black horse’s stable. “I wish that Phantom gives me a sign, even a teeny one, that he likes me just a little bit. Coming to the front of his stable to say hello when I get to the yard would be nice. Oh, and that he lets me get near him just once without looking seriously cross.”
    “Er, you’re making a