Season of Ponies by Zilpha Keatley Snyder Read Free Book Online

on its strange symbols, said, “You haven’t seen my necklace.”
    Ponyboy glanced at the amulet. “Very nice.” He was grinning again.
    “Uh—aren’t the symbols interesting,” Pamela persisted.
    “Fascinating,” Ponyboy said. “You know, that thing looks as if it might be good for something. Too bad it doesn’t answer questions.”
    Pamela glanced up quickly. Little teasing flames were leaping in his eyes. She felt her face getting hot.
    She was relieved when he suggested, “Let’s tell stories. Your turn first. I like fairy tales.”
    “All right,” Pamela agreed. “How about The Blue Princess ?”
    For the next hour they told stories; that is, Pamela told stories, and Ponyboy told what he would have done if he had been there. At the end of each of Pamela’s stories, he said something like, “Well, it turned out O.K., but if I’d been that prince I’d have—” And he would change everything around to suit himself.
    While they were talking, most of the ponies went to sleep; but Cirro stayed near the door, alert and wide awake, guarding the herd. He tossed his head nervously from time to time, and his long mane leaped like a blue flame. Solsken folded his long baby legs and lay down right between Pamela and Ponyboy. Pamela stroked his warm duckling-soft coat as she talked.
    It was a wonderful evening, but after awhile the rain died down and Ponyboy said, “You’d better go back now, while it’s not raining.” He called Nimbus and made a step with his hands to boost Pamela up. As he was sliding back the heavy door, Pamela had an awful thought.
    “What if Aunt Sarah has locked the doors? She usually does by now. I won’t be able to get in.”
    “Oh, that ought to be easy,” Ponyboy said. “I’ll go along and show you how.”
    He went back into the granary and came out with the beautiful Luna. He shoved the door shut, leaving the rest of the ponies inside.
    “Why aren’t you riding Cirro?” Pamela asked, remembering too late it was a question.
    But apparently this wasn’t the kind of question Ponyboy minded because he answered cheerfully enough. “Cirro doesn’t like to leave the herd alone when we’re away from the forest. Besides, Luna’s better for going quietly.”
    Pamela nodded. It would be hard not to be noticed on Cirro.
    Nimbus and Luna moved so gently and silently they scarcely seemed to touch the ground. Side by side they came to the edge of the oaks and stopped. Ahead Oak Farm House loomed, a huge black shadow in the darkness.
    “We’ll leave the ponies here,” Ponyboy whispered. “They don’t like houses.”
    The two dismounted and tiptoed across the broad lawn, around the house to the kitchen door. With breathless caution Pamela climbed the steps and tried the door. It was locked!
    “The front door,” she whispered, pointing. A broad veranda ran the length of the house in front. As they started up the stairs, something moved in the darkness and two green eyes glared at them from the veranda railing. Pamela gasped. Then she realized she had seen that bad-tempered stare before.
    “It’s only Brother,” she breathed.
    Ponyboy laughed softly. He stepped toward the cat and held out his hand. Brother exploded into a ball of bristling fur. “Me-your!” he yowled as he shot straight into the air. Coming down, he missed the railing and landed in a bush where he scrambled furiously for a moment before he reached the ground and disappeared in a furry streak.
    Pamela and Ponyboy had to smother their giggles with their hands.
    “He doesn’t like anybody but Aunt Sarah,” Pamela whispered. “But he just ignores me.”
    “I make him nervous,” Ponyboy said, grinning. “But I suppose I’d make Aunt Sarah nervous, too.”
    The front door was locked, but Ponyboy confidently motioned for Pamela to follow him. At one end of the veranda a vine climbed a sturdy trellis. Ponyboy went up as easily as if it were a ladder, and Pamela followed. The veranda roof ran just below