Abbey Leads the Way
Contents
Abbey gazed up at the stone roof of the clubhouse as she daydreamed. She was imagining herself riding a black pony at top speed.
Abbey had been pony riding before, but had never ridden really fast. She really hoped that this weekend she would have her chance.
‘Hey!’ Olivia shouted, waving the dice at Abbey. ‘Your turn.’
It was raining outside. Inside the clubhouse, Abbey, Olivia, Matilda, Maddie, Emma and Kate were lounging on beanbags playing a board game. But Abbey was starting to get bored and fidgety. She just felt too excited to stay seated one second longer.
‘I don’t want to play anymore,’ she said, heaving herself out of her beanbag. She shook out her arms and legs. Abbey really didn’t know how her friends could just sit around. Weren’t they excited, too?
‘Come on!’ Abbey said, ‘A trail ride and two sleepovers! What could be cooler?’
The other girls grinned up at her.
‘You’re right, Abbey,’ Olivia said. ‘This weekend is going to be the
coolest
!’
‘Well, only if it stops raining before we get to Matilda’s grandma’s farm tomorrow,’ said Maddie, shaking the dice.
Abbey’s best friend, Matilda, nodded. ‘Yes, riding in the rain isn’t much fun.’
Abbey flung open the clubhouse door. ‘Guess what?’ she called excitedly. ‘The rain’s stopped! And the sun is coming out.’
‘Yay!’ the girls all cheered at once.
‘Well, maybe we should head off then,’ said Kate.
‘Yes, we really should go and pack for our trip,’ said Matilda.
Soon the six friends were racing up the quarry hill together. Abbey reached the top first, of course. She looked across the quarry as she waited for her friends.
The quarry used to be a stone mine, but it had been abandoned long ago. Now it was overgrown with plants, especially clovers. One hot summer’s day, Abbey and her friends had found a four-leaf clover at the quarry. Finding that special clover made the girls feel lucky, so they decided to wear a four-leaf clover charm as a symbol of their friendship. After all, a four-leaf clover is like best friends: hard to find and lucky to have!
They often joked about who saw the four-leaf clover first, but Abbey knew it was her.
Soon after finding the special clover, they found the old miners’ shed. Carved into the wall of the quarry, it was well hidden behind hanging trees and overgrown bushes. The Forever Clover girls were the only ones who knew about the shed. It became their very own secret clubhouse.
Abbey touched her four-leaf clover charm, feeling very lucky indeed.
That night, Abbey checked off her list.
‘Well, Moby,’ she told her little black puppy, ‘that’s all my clothes packed.’
Moby was curled up on her bed. He blinked sleepily at her.
‘OK,’ said Abbey, ‘now for the
really
important stuff.’
Abbey collected what she called her ‘survival gear’ – her backpack, a map of Outer Davey’s Bay, where Matilda’s grandma’s farm was located, dried fruit, and the cool keyring compass that her brother Archie had given her for Christmas.
Archie appeared in the doorway. ‘Here you go,’ he said, dropping a pile of coloured plastic.
‘What’s that?’ Abbey asked.
‘Rain ponchos,’ Archie said. ‘We’re not going to the footy this weekend, so I thought you might want to take them with you.’
‘Thanks, Arch,’ Abbey said, packing them into her backpack with her survival gear. ‘Even though I doubt we’ll need them.’
Matilda’s dad drove the girls out to the farm early the next morning, and soon they were enjoying a delicious morning tea on the sunny porch of Matilda’s grandma’s farmhouse.
‘This farm really is huge,’ Olivia mumbled around a piece of poppyseed cake.
‘It needs to be,’ Matilda’s dad said. ‘Matilda’s grandma and Pop run trail rides as well as train horses.’ He turned to Matilda’s grandma. ‘And recently you’ve been buying neighbouring properties to run trail rides through too, haven’t you, Mum?’
‘That’s right, dear,’ said Matilda’s grandma, offering a tray of scones.
Abbey looked out at a nearby mountain as she smothered raspberry jam on her third scone. ‘Is that Mount Padbury?’ she asked.
‘Why, yes, it is,’ said Matilda’s grandma, surprised. ‘Most people think it’s Mount Lofty.’
‘Oh no,’ said Abbey. ‘Mount Lofty would be south from here.’
‘Abbey is
so
good at geography,’ Matilda told her grandma proudly.
Abbey’s cheeks went as red as her raspberry jam.
Matilda was rocketing up the driveway on Rosie the pony. Abbey watched on with wide eyes as Matilda rode into the paddock, cantering hard and fast. Then, in one graceful move, Matilda pulled Rosie to a stop and leaped off her back.
Abbey clapped until she thought her hands would wear out. Now it was her turn to feel proud of Matilda. She really was an amazing rider!
‘OK, girls, this is Rosie the pony,’ Matilda’s dad said. ‘Each of you will ride her around the paddock so we can test your riding ability. That way Pop and I can choose the right ponies for your trail ride.’