Beginner's Luck by Alyssa Brugman Read Free Book Online

than usual.
    Shelby rode past the back gate of the stables and
on towards where she remembered the storm water
tunnel to be. Along this part of the trail there was a
fence between the bridle path and Gully Way, and
she was pleased because Blue seemed anxious. If
something spooked him and he skipped about, at
least the fence would stop him from shying onto the
road.
    He looked around with his ears pricked, and every
now and then he would swivel his head around to
look at her, as though asking for reassurance. She
gripped tighter with her knees in case he shied.
    'It's OK, little man,' she said, patting him on the
neck.
    They stopped at the mouth of the storm water
tunnel. A steady flow of grey-coloured water spilled
down the slope from the road, and all around the
entrance of the tunnel the water had swollen into a
murky pool with sticks and leaves floating and
spinning along the surface.
    The water inside the tunnel was moving swiftly.
She could hear the heavy rushing sound as it poured
down the slope on the other side.
    She pressed her heels to Blue's side. He halted,
snorting, and staring at the water with his eyes wide,
as if he was thinking, 'You've got to be kidding! I'm
not going in there!'
    'Come on, Blue. We've done this before. We don't
have to go all the way. I just want to see what's on the
other side.'
    He took one step into the stream and then another.
They were half in and half out of the tunnel now, and
then he stopped. She squeezed harder. 'Get up! It's not
like you to be a scaredy cat.'
    He took another tiny step and stopped again,
snorting. His feet were planted wide apart. Shelby had
sometimes seen horses stand like that at pony club,
refusing to budge, but her Blue had never been so bad-mannered.
    'Oh, for heaven's sake!' she said, swinging her leg
over his back. As she stepped down she immediately
lost her footing in the water and the soles of her boots
slipped from under her. She hit the concrete bottom
with a thump and a pain flashed up her side. Suddenly
she felt herself being carried forward further into the
tunnel. She threw her arms out, trying to find something
to keep her from being swept away.
    Blue thrust his head down and she had just enough
time to grab one of his reins. She heard him grunt as
his head took the full weight of her body. He stood
with his legs splayed, leaning backwards. She could
see now that the water was much deeper than she had
thought. It was over Blue's knee, and sweeping along.
It could carry them both over the edge. How far was
that drop at the end of the tunnel? She tried to
remember. Five metres at least – maybe even ten.
    Shelby took a breath and some of the water filled
her mouth. It tasted dirty and gritty. She spat and
coughed.
    'Back,' she called to him. The word came out like
a bark, and it reverberated off the tunnel walls. She
could see the whites of Blue's eyes and his dilated
nostrils. He kept his head very still and, ever so
slowly, he lifted up his hind leg and shifted backwards.
As he moved, his bridle started to slip halfway
over his ear. If it came off she would be washed away.
How deep was that pool underneath? I'll never
survive. I'll hit my head and drown.
    'Whoa,' she grunted. A stick whisked past on the
surface of the water, scratching her face. She grunted,
flailing her other arm, trying to grasp hold of something
– anything. Blue stopped. He was looking her
right in the eye and there was such concern there that
she felt a wave of emotion rush over her.
    I love you too, little man. I don't know what to do.
    Ever so slowly, centimetre by centimetre, Blue
raised his head up and to the side, drawing her closer
to him. Shelby reached for the side wall of the tunnel
with her other hand and her foot and she pushed
against it.
    'Just a little more,' she gasped. She grabbed for
Blue's leg and found it. Her weight shifted his foot off
the ground, and for a moment he slipped forward, but
then he leaned backwards and stood still – a rock in
the stream.