Calico Horses and the Patchwork Trail Read online

  The bed seemed larger than hers back home. She was about to lie down to test out the mattress when she noticed her mother’s suitcase on top of the bed. Ugh, I just want to find my own space, she thought, picking up her backpack.

  She meandered through the bungalow and peeked into a room that looked like half a kitchen. It was a tiny room with a refrigerator and oven that looked like it was, well, how could she even describe it? Everything looked miniature in comparison to their home in New Jersey and she wondered how her mom would ever get used to it. It felt like it was a room for elves, she thought, opening the door of the little fridge. She giggled, as she really liked this room with its tiny cupboards filled with a few plates next to the table just for two. She opened a squeaky door that led out into a small area that had a bench and a few coat hooks. She returned through the hallway in search of her room but only found a bathroom. Huh? she thought. Where’s my room? Now she began to look around more carefully. Is this a sofa bed? she wondered, eying the couch suspiciously. Great, I bet I don’t even have a room. She slumped down into the easy chair and thought back to the home where she used to live, with its swing set and tree fort and neighborhood sidewalks where she skated with Shannon. She thought of her room and her desk where she kept all of her private items and the bed she had slept in since she was a small child. She thought of the dolls she had given away to one of the neighbors as they were packing and how she wished she had kept just a few, just for old time’s sake. She wiped away the tears that were starting to cloud over her eyes. Oh, how she wished she were back with Shannon, enjoying this time off from school instead of sitting here in this place her mom wanted to call home. But it really wouldn’t fix anything. Mom and Dad were always fighting and I kept pretending it would all get better. It’s not fair, she thought for the hundredth time. It’s not right, any of it. They never even asked me what I wanted. How could her parents have done this to her? Why now—when everything was going fine in her life. She and Shannon were old enough to join the swim team and pretty soon they would be able to get jobs babysitting in the neighborhood. There were so many plans that the two girls had talked about and now they were hundreds of miles apart. She knew it was useless to let her mind stray over shattered dreams, but that’s where she ended up every time she thought of home—her real home, the only place that would ever be home, not this place with its pint-sized kitchen and living room sofa bed. Adults, she thought, shaking her head. They make all the rules and nobody bothers to listen to us kids, and now I’m stuck in a strange place in the middle of nowhere without my own room, while my mom gets to hang out with her best friend. This was not what she had expected at all.

  Brenda and Sam came in through the back door. “Mom,” Carrie said, “where’s…”

  “Heads up,” interrupted Sam, pointing out the window to the jeep pulling into the lot. “I think your dog’s here!”

  Chapter 18

  Milla Spencer knew that some kids were just plain hard to like. Adults thought that just because you were both the same age somehow you were supposed to become instant friends. Maybe that’s how it was in grownup land, thought Milla—you meet someone your age and instantly liked him or her—but that’s not how it works in a kid’s world. She checked herself in the mirror as they pulled into the place where they were supposed to meet Flannel’s owners. Her hair was kinda sticking up in the back and she looked around for her hat. Flannel was anxious to get out of the jeep and was whining as she pushed her nose against the window. So much for the hat, thought Milla, as she realized she must have forgotten it. She looked at her outfit, remembering how many times she had changed—wanting to look cool in the eyes of the new kid.

  Her dad grabbed a bag of stuff that arrived with Flannel the day his friend Alan had asked him to babysit the pet. Milla packed it before they left and was careful not to forget the toys, dog treats, brushes, or feeding dish. The last thing she wanted was to be totally embarrassed and stupid in the eyes of the new girl. Milla made sure Flannel’s collar was tightly clipped to the leash and opened the door. Just then a girl came running out of the B&B and leaped off the porch as the collie whirled in excitement. She hugged the dog and Milla felt awkward holding the leash as the crying girl whispered something into Flannel’s ear.

  “Hi,” Devon said to the girl. “Your dog sure is happy to see you.” Milla rolled her eyes beneath her sunglasses, shooting her dad a look of “Ya think?” Geez, her dad could be so un-cool at times, and she was really hoping he wouldn’t embarrass her. Two women came down the steps and introduced themselves to Milla and her father.

  “I’m Brenda Anderson and this is my daughter, Carrie,” one woman said, pointing to the girl who was hugging the dog tightly.

  “I’m Sam Fox,” said the other woman. “We spoke on the phone a few times. Thanks so much for helping out with the dog. I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”

  Milla’s dad shook hands with each of the women. “Devon Spencer. Nice to meet you. This is my daughter, Milla. She did most of the helping out with your pup,” he said, pointing over to Milla, who stood as close to the jeep as possible, letting Flannel’s leash fall to the ground.

  “Thanks so much, Milla,” Brenda said. “This is my daughter, Carrie.” Carrie was ignoring everyone and just stayed on the ground petting her dog.

  “You’re welcome,” mumbled Milla, wishing she were anywhere but here.

  “Carrie,” Brenda said. “Don’t you have anything to say to this kind girl who has been looking after Flannel?” The girl rose to her feet and untied the red paisley handkerchief that was knotted around Flannel’s white fluffy mane. She stepped toward Milla and handed it to her. Milla stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

  “Thanks for watching my dog and all,” she said, “but Flannel doesn’t wear these things.” The adults moved indoors and the two girls stood there eyeing each other up.

  “What are you talking about?” asked Milla. “Flannel has been wearing this since she got here.”

  Carrie shook her head. “I don’t know why she was wearing it, but I’ve never seen it before and it doesn’t belong on her.”

  Carrie turned and walked away with Flannel toward a yard that faced the side of the B&B. What a brat! thought Milla, climbing into the jeep and slamming the door shut. She realized that her dad’s friend, Alan, must have stuck the red scarf on the dog. She felt like throwing the handkerchief on the ground but she just tossed it into the back seat.

  Carrie was leaning over talking to Flannel and Milla pretended not to care. She turned on the radio and leaned back in the front seat, hooking one leg out of the jeep’s window. She was about to pick up her sketchpad to try and zone out from this horrible place when she saw Carrie do something amazing. She unclipped Flannel’s leash and waved her hand and the dog snapped into action, sitting obediently by her side. Milla, now curious, pulled herself up in her seat. Carrie began walking and Flannel moved forward, matching step for step, staying close to the girl’s side. Carrie halted and the dog quickly sat down and waiting attentively for the next command. The girl turned completely in the opposite direction and the dog ran around her legs and sat at her right side. Milla’s mouth fell open as she watched Carrie and her dog moving together as if they were a team. How is she doing this? thought Milla. Then Carrie waved her hand across the dog’s nose and walked about six feet away, as the collie sat frozen in her place.

  Unreal, thought Milla. She got out of the car and leaned against the jeep, watching to see what came next. Carrie seemed to be waiting a bit. She put her hands in her pocket and just stood there looking at her pet, which was sitting with eyes fixed, not moving a muscle. Then Carrie raised her arm, palm facing down, and made a swift motion toward the ground. Flannel lay down with her ears perked up, waiting for the next signal. Milla thought back to all the days she had cared for the collie and wished she had known about these cool tricks. Carrie moved her hand up with her palm toward the sky and the dog sat up. With a sweeping hand toward her chest, sh
e asked the collie to come. Flannel immediately raced forward to sit facing her master and was rewarded with a pat on the head. The final command was a quick hand movement that sent the dog looping behind Carrie’s legs to sit at her right side. And then Milla saw something that just made her heart melt.

  “Play time, Flannel. Play time, girl!” Carrie said, clapping her hands. This was the collie’s cue to race around the yard and play. The dog crouched down on her forelegs, wagging her tail, barking loudly—and then she leaped into the air and did a flip. Round and round Flannel darted until finally racing toward Milla. She dashed through Milla’s legs, almost knocking her over. Milla laughed and Carrie smiled at her.

  “How did you do that?” asked Milla, pointing to the patch of lawn used in the obedience lesson.

  “It takes lots of practice,” said Carrie. “I wasn’t really sure she would remember her schooling.”

  “Did you train her all by yourself?” Milla asked, clearly impressed by all she had witnessed.

  “No,” said Carrie. “My dad and I took her to a place where they teach dogs obedience.”

  “Cool,” said Milla. “I’ve never seen a trained dog before. So are you and your parents living here now?” asked Milla.

  Carrie’s smile faded and she looked away. “I gotta go now,” she said. “Thanks for watching my dog.”

  Wait, thought Milla, don’t go. We were just getting to…. She watched as Carrie and Flannel went up the front porch and disappeared through the front door. She felt so confused. Watching the amazing lesson made her admire the girl, but she couldn’t help feeling that Carrie didn’t really want to get to know her. She walked back to the jeep and slumped into the front seat. New kids—ugh, they’re all alike, she thought, telling herself it wasn’t worth her time. Too bad, thought Milla, remembering Carrie’s smile as she ran and played with the collie. I’ve met lots of kids in my school, thought the fourth grader, but never anyone like Carrie Anderson. Milla picked up the red paisley scarf and tied it to her backpack. Well, this was odd—liking this new kid was something she hadn’t really planned on. Yep, she said to herself…this new kid’s pretty special and I think if she gave me a chance, she’d see I’m not so bad, either.

  Chapter 19

  Shannon loved going to the beach, especially when she was allowed to invite a friend. One of her mother’s co-workers had kids almost the same ages as Shannon and her little brother and today they were meeting at a beach in Ocean City. She was all packed and ready to go, but—as usual—she was still waiting for her mom and Brian. What could possibly take so long, she wondered? You put on your bathing suit, grab a towel and sunscreen, and maybe a few bottles of water…let’s go already. “Mo-om, aren’t you ready yet?” she whined.

  “Go play outside,” her mom, Jodi, said. “I’m packing sandwiches.” She turned to Brian: “Turn off the cartoons and get your bathing suit on. I’ve told you three times already!”

  Shannon carried her backpack outside and dropped it on the driveway near the car. She was anxious to get moving but knew it could be a while so she decided to go climb the apple tree. It was her favorite hangout because it was too high for Brian to climb. This was her “thinking spot”—whenever she wanted alone time, she would climb up and sit in the crook of a branch, leaning with her back against the gnarled trunk. She often sat very still and watched the robins, as this was their favorite tree to make nests. Her dad taught her to stay away from the nests because mother birds sometimes abandoned their eggs if they felt danger was near. People can be dangerous, her dad said, especially to animals.

  Shannon wobbled her hips and shimmied herself out to the middle of the branch. She locked her legs tight, clamping the branch, and let her body fall backward, swinging easily by her knees. She loved looking at the world upside down with her hair dangling. Suddenly, a hand reached up and yanked her hair, almost pulling her from the tree. “Ow!” she cried, quickly hoisting herself back up into the tree. She looked around and, not seeing anyone, hollered, “Brian, was that you?”

  No one answered. She climbed to another branch a little bit higher and looked around her yard. No one was there. Just then she heard her mom calling, so she climbed down and peered around her house and into her neighbors’ yards. She ran out to the mailbox and looked up and down the street. She heard a dog barking in the distance and her neighbor’s sprinklers made a swishing sound as they watered the grass, but there wasn’t anyone there. Who pulled my hair? she wondered. Getting into the car she glanced at the colorful beach buckets and quickly forgot all about the tree incident.

  It was a hot sunny day by the ocean. The water felt icy cold but Shannon didn’t care. Rebecca was fun to play with and a pretty creative kid—for an eight-year-old. She always brought cool stuff to the beach, like plastic ice cube trays to build sand castle walls and little pieces of old garden hoses to pour water into. Brian was occupied with Rebecca’s little brother, Tommy, who was around the same age. Their moms talked and talked as Shannon and Rebecca made up games, like who could ride the waves the farthest. They each had bright colored boards that were so perfect because they never had to share them—they were too big for little kids and too little for parents. Brian came running up to them all excited. “Quick, quick,” he shouted. “Those kids found something. Look over there,” he said, pointing to a crowd of kids bending over something.

  Shannon and Rebecca ran to see what all the fuss was about. There were quite a few kids standing around and they had to elbow their way to the front. Some older kids had found a horseshoe crab. It was alive and they had rolled it over onto its armor-like covering and were poking its soft under-belly with a stick. They were laughing and one of the kids yanked it by its spikey tail and began to drag it along the sand. “Look, it’s running,” he laughed, as he dragged it along. Shannon bit her lip; she wanted to stop them but was afraid to say anything. She knew all about horseshoe crabs and they weren’t at all dangerous and they needed humans to leave them alone.

  “Stop it!” she heard herself say. She hadn’t meant to blurt it out but she couldn’t just stand there. The crowd of kids became silent, their eyes wide. The older kids walked over to her. One of the boys was dangling the horseshoe crab by its tail and Shannon knew he would probably kill it.

  “You gonna make us?” said the older girl who stood beside the boy who was swinging the poor thing by its tail.

  “Put it back in the water and just leave it alone. You’re gonna kill it if you keep playing with it,” she said, feeling bolder as the other kids started yelling at the older kids.

  “Put it back. We want to see the crab swim,” said a little boy.

  “It’s not actually a crab and it may not exactly swim,” said Shannon. “It might just move along in the sand.”

  “Don’t kill it,” whimpered a little girl.

  “Listen crab-lover,” said the boy. “Go find your own horseshoe crab. This one’s ours.”

  “Let it go, let it go,” cried the crowd of kids, jumping up and down.

  “Ahh, get lost,” the older kids taunted, as they started to move away. They didn’t get very far. A lifeguard had heard the commotion.

  The smaller kids began to shout to him, pointing at the older kids who were trying to slink away. The guard approached the kids and asked them to put the horseshoe crab back into the water. They were angry and one kid said, “It’s a free country and we can do what we like.”

  “Where do you live?” asked the lifeguard.

  “I live in Ohio, but I’m here on vacation,” said the angry girl.

  The lifeguard nodded. “Why don’t you just put that sea creature down and come have a chat with me over by the lifeguard boat?” he said, carrying the crab to the water. “The rest of you, go play and please stay away from this crab and maybe he’ll live.”

  The lifeguard was showing the older kids a book about sea life. Shannon walked back to her mom. She felt sad for the animal that had been so mistreated.

  “Brian told us what you did,�
�� her mom said. “I can’t believe you stood up to them, Shannon. Those kids are in their teens.”

  Shannon felt confused as she watched the lifeguard talking to the kids and they all seemed to be smiling and laughing. “They didn’t even get into trouble. Look, they’re just laughing,” she said. The older children were walking toward the ocean as the lifeguard pointed.

  Jodi looked up and watched the group of kids as they bent to look at something in the water. “He didn’t yell at them, Shannon, because he’s teaching them. They don’t live around here and they probably don’t know about sea life. It’s nice to see that he’s taking the time to teach instead of punish.”