Dreams by Linda Chapman

tried connecting with him before when she was riding and it had never worked. They usually had to be standing still.
    Spirit finally walked on but Ellie was left with the uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong. She wasn’t sure quite how to define it, he didn’t feel nervous or in pain but she could sense a feeling of trepidation in the air around him. Almost as if he was very worried about something.
    They reached the end of the lane and crossed over the quiet, winding road into the woods. The banks at the side of the bridle path were covered with bushy plants full of pink flowers; bluebells pushed themselves up in the roots of trees. It was quiet and peaceful with only the sound of birds singing, but Ellie couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something was very wrong.
    It preyed on her mind, and when she headed for home and saw the vet’s car at the other end of the lane she felt a lurch of alarm. But then she remembered that Len had arranged for the vet to check Lucifer out.
    Spirit pulled at the reins, wanting to trot. She let him, only trying to slow him down when they neared the car park, but Spirit had no intention of walking calmly. He whinnied twice and Ellie was suddenly gripped with a strange sense of urgency. Jumping off, she led him to the courtyard. The sight that met her eyes made her stop dead. Helen and Sasha were both crying. Luke had his arm around them both.
    “What’s happened?” Ellie could feel icy pinpricks tingling over her skin. “What’s going on?” She looked from one to the other.
    Luke looked up, his eyes for once stunned and without a glint of humor. It was then that Ellie knew it was really bad.
    “It’s Merlin,” Sasha sobbed. “It’s…he’s…”
    “What? He’s what? What’s happened?” Ellie’s voice rose. Spirit nudged her back but for once she ignored him.
    “Lucifer attacked him,” said Luke. “When Merlin was put in the field with him, Lucifer went for him. Merlin tried to get away but Lucifer chased him. We couldn’t stop him. In the end Merlin tried to jump the cattle grid to escape.”
    “And?” Ellie stared at him.
    “He didn’t quite make it. He caught his back foot.”
    Ellie’s heart seemed to stop. “Has he broken his leg?” A broken leg meant a horse would have to be put down.
    “No, but he ripped his tendon to pieces.”
    Relief rushed through Ellie. Tendons could mend. She knew that from having been on her dad’s vet rounds with him. They needed a lot of rest and they didn’t always get better, but often with a year off, the horse or pony would recover. “So that’s why the vet’s here?” Luke nodded. “Oh, poor Merlin.” She looked at the three of them in front of her, not understanding why they were so upset. “I guess he’ll just have to be turned out for a year, but at least he hasn’t broken it and—”
    “Ellie,” Luke broke in. “They’re going to put him down.”
    She blinked, the words not seeming to make sense. “Put him down?”
    Luke nodded and Sasha started to cry more. “Len won’t keep him for a year if he can’t work and there’s no guarantee he’ll get better anyway. He’s old, he might not mend.”
    Ellie was shaking her head. “They can’t put him down. He’s Joe’s pony…”
    She saw Luke’s face and knew with absolute certainty that her uncle could do anything he liked. “No!” she cried. And leaving Spirit where he stood, she sprinted towards the field.

Chapter Eleven
    ALL ELLIE’S THOUGHTS WERE fixed on one point: they were going to put Merlin down. She was aware of everything around her—the sound of her boots falling on the gravel, her breath coming in short gasps, the pale blue sky with white clouds scudding across it. She felt like she was running in slow motion. Merlin, Merlin, Merlin…
    The single word pounded over and over in her head.
    As she rounded the bend the sight in front of her almost made her throw up. While Lucifer trotted uneasily up and down the line of