Visitor
Chapter 3
A figure moved silently through the shadows near the 15 foot high fence that surrounded Powell's property. Suddenly the figure shot up into the air and over the fence to land on Pine Hollow land. The figure was Michael; he moved back into the woods and paused to examine two things in his hand. On was a thin glass vile with a blue top on it and the other was a small legal pad. His eyes magnified the light many more times that a normal until he could plainly make out the impressions on the pad left from the previous page which had been torn off.
A series of letters had been written on the paper, B, S, P, H, B, P, C, G, instantly he made the connection it was one of the benefits of his photographic memory. The names of the horses he had seen at Pine Hollow earlier that evening when he passed their stalls. Belle, Starlight, Prancer, Hugo, Barq, Patch, Comanche, Garnet!"
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Michael stood in Max's office for the second time that night showing Max the legal pad. Max took a penciled and rubbed the soft lead on the page bringing out the impressions so that he could read them.
"This definitely proves that Powell is about to resume his devious doping operation," said Max, "the Problem is we don't know when."
"I don't think it'll be tonight or tomorrow night," said Michael, "because the local riding tournament is going to be held here tomorrow and the day after, there's too big a risk of being seen with all the extra riders around."
"I agree," Said Max, "but just in case I want you to come out in the open and ride in the tournament keep an eye on things from the inside.
"All right," said Michael, "I'll go back to my campsite and get my gear and my horse. I'll be back in an hour."
"Great," said Max, he turned to his desk to look at the accommodations list, "I'll put you in bunkhouse number 2." Once again as Max was saying all this there was the sound of a light gust of wind. Max turned to find his office empty.
"Great," said Max throwing up his hands, "I'm talking to myself again."
The girls were all bedded down in the lounge. Since the tournament was the next day they had all decided to spend the night. Kristy and Veronica were sitting on the couch filing their nails.
"Boy," Stevie said leaning over to Carol and Lisa, who were sitting on their sleeping bags next to her, "If their noses were stuck up any farther they'd fall over backwards." The three best friends got along as long as they didn't talk about Stevie's mysterious hero. It was still a touchy subject. Fortunately Stevie's broken wrist was only a hairline fracture. The small cast on her wrist would still allow her to ride in the competition tomorrow.
Stevie was wearing light blue pajamas, Lisa was wearing a white night shirt with a large Galloping horse on the front of it, and Carol was wearing a Lavender nightshirt with rearing horses on it. Veronica was wearing a fancy night gown and an expensive silk robe ditto for Kristy. They were the frilliest things the Saddle club girls had ever seen.
The girls couldn't help wondering why Veronica was here tonight. She didn't need to be to compete in the tournament. Sometimes the girls suspected Veronica of having more affection for Pine Hollow that she would ever admit to.
Lisa Carole and Stevie decided to go and see their horses. Slipped out of lounge they headed to the barn. They reached the barn and headed for their horses stalls. They were standing there talking to their horses with they heard the sound of a horse outside approaching the barn. The hoof beats stopped and there was the sound of dismounting and feet hitting the ground. Then footsteps with the sound of a walking horse behind them. Into the light from the darkness outside walked a boy in blue denim leading a sliver-white grey stallion behind him.
"You!" Stevie exclaimed.
Michael Smiled.
"Hello, Stevie," he said. Carol and Lisa looked at Stevie and then back at Michael.
"You mean," said Lisa, "that he's."
"Yes," said Stevie, "This is the guy that I've been telling you about!"
"He's real?!" Said Carol
"Yes," said Michael, "He's also standing right here."
"Sorry," said Carole, "sheepishly."
"What's your name?" Asked Stevie.
"Michael," answered Michael with a smile he turned and started putting his horse in the empty stall next to Belle.
"This," said Michael motioning to his horse, "Is Thunder." The girls crowded around Michael and introduced themselves to him and to thunder.
Michael removed Thunders tack and carried it off toward the tack room after promising to meet the girls in the lounge in a few minutes. He entered the tack room and had just set his saddle down when he was jumped from behind. Before he could react his was on his back and Dana was sitting on his chest.
"I knew it, I knew it," snapped Dana, "When I heard Stevie's description of you as well as your ability to disappear the minute her head was turned I knew you had to be here!"
Michael grabbed his sister and threw her up in the air, then moving at lightning speed, he Jumped to his feet and caught her in time to set her gently on her feet.
"What are you doing here?" she growled
"I'll fill you in on the way back to the lounge," said Michael herding his sister toward the door.
In the lounge Veronica and Kristy were still sitting on the couch, but right now they were rolling their eyes as the three members of the saddle club tried to convince them that Stevie's mysterious hero was real!
"Oh come on," said Veronica, "Do you really expect us to believe that this guy is real just because you've got the rest of the Saddle Club to agree with you now, how stupid do you think we are?"
Just then the door opened and Michael, with his bedroll over his shoulder walked in behind Dana.
"What's all the commotion?" Michael asked walking toward Stevie and the girls.
"Veronica and Kristy don't think that the mysterious hero who saved me twice is real?" Stevie replied.
Michael turned and walked into Veronica and Kristy's line of sight.
"You don't think he's real," he said, "Well of course he's real."
"How would you know?" snapped Kristy
"Because he's me." Michael retorted. As soon as he said that the Jeans and blue denim Jacket he was wearing clicked in the heads of the spoiled blondes. Two finger nail files and two jaws simultaneously hit the floor.
Michael flashed a smile and said,
"If you ladies will excuse me, I think I'll bed down for the night." Turning around Michael walked over to the far side of the lounge. Stooping down he rolled out his sleeping back and pulling off everything but his white undershirt and his boxers he slid into his sleeping back.
"Doesn't make you nervous or embarrassed that we were all here just now?" Lisa Blurted breaking the stunned silence that had settled over the room.
"Lady," said Michael with a chuckle as he sat up and turned toward them, "you're looking at a guy you has grown up with a sister who has pulled everything in the book on him and then some and who has been dragging her friends into the house and into my bedroom more times that I can remember. So to answer your question, No, Knowing my sister, Dana if I had gone into the other room to change into my pajamas she would have jerked the door open on me and you would have seen me in my boxers anyway."
With that Michael Smiled and said Good night. Then he lay down, rolled over, and went to sleep. Stevie turned to Dana.
"Did you really do all those things to him?" Dana grinned
"He's my brother," she said, "Which naturally makes him one of my favorite targets."
The next morning the girls found Kristy in the barn waiting by Thunder's stall.
"What are you doing here?" said Carol, her eyes narrowing.
"Michael went with Max this morning to help some riders whose truck broke down on the road north of here, so Veronica, is going to exercise thunder." Snorted Kristy. Thunder nickered from the open door of his stall were he stood fully tacked up.
"Does he know that Veronica's going to exercise his horse?" Said Carol incredulously
"Why don't you mind your own business!" snapped Kristy Just then Veronica appeared looking as haughty as ever she was all decked out in yet another new riding outfit. Riding crop in hand she started toward Thunder just as she reached him Thunder reared violently and began to thrash about as if he had gone crazy. Veronica fell to the ground her helmet and crop going in opposite direction's Thunder advanced on her, and reared again, veronica dove for the stairs that led to the hayloft.
As soon as she was up the stairs Thunder turned and galloped out the door and disappeared toward the woods.
An hour later when Michael got back he was met by the saddle club.
"Michael," they said, their faces ashen, "Thunder when crazy when Veronica tried to ride him earlier he took off for the woods. Veronica told her father and he went and hired a man to find thunder and kill him!"
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