Diamond Spirit (2 page)

‘—pigroot,’ finished Jess, pulling Rocko up before he decided to join in the fun.

Shara stood and brushed herself off. ‘Give me my horse back,’ she demanded. ‘This one’s dangerous!’

Jess rode up next to Diamond and leapt back onto her. ‘Not like your little angel.’

Shara took Rocko’s rope and gave him a hug. ‘He’s just misunderstood, poor boy,’ she said, as Rocko screwed his nose and bared his teeth at her. She pushed his sour face away and sprang onto his back.

They walked and talked and laughed, and all the while, Jess pushed aside a gnawing uneasiness in the pit of her stomach. Surely Shara wouldn’t really leave Coachwood Crossing?

After a while they reached the pile of fencing gear. Then, with the horses tethered, they staked out the new paddocks and ran tape around the perimeter. Jess marked out a large square that crossed over a section of creek and had a few shade trees. She ran three strands of tape around the star pickets and pulled them good and tight, taking care the electric current wouldn’t short out on any tall clumps of grass or overhanging branches. Shara put Rocko’s paddock away from the riding trail so passing riders wouldn’t be tempted to pat him.

When the paddocks looked like little horsey heavens, the girls released their ponies and watched them sniff around, roll gleefully in sand patches and then snatch greedily at the sweet green grass.

Seeing Diamond so happy brought a smile to Jess’s face. ‘You deserve it, girl,’ she said. ‘You’re the best horse ever.’ The little horse stared straight at Jess and cocked her head slightly to one side, her mouth full of grass. Her golden coat shone like liquid metal in the sun.

‘
Second
best,’ said Shara. ‘Come on, race you to the creek. Let’s have a swim!’ She bounded off across the river flats, leaping over the long grass with her arms flapping madly.

Jess rolled her eyes, laughed and ran after her.

2

TWO WEEKS LATER,
Jess sat in the sunroom out the back rubbing an oily rag over her saddle. It was Saturday, the big day – Shara was sitting her test. Jess had tried to be as supportive as possible and give her friend space when she needed to study. If she didn’t get in, Jess didn’t want to be blamed for distracting her.

In between swot sessions, they had built an amazing cross-country course. Jess just couldn’t wait to get a saddle on Diamond and try it out. One especially tricky jump was like a ski ramp on the bank of the creek. They would jump it downhill and land in the water. Wicked!

Diamond was fat and happy down on the river flats; so happy, in fact, that she barely raised her head from the grass to say hello to Jess each day.

Bang, bang, bang.

Jess registered a noise from the front of the house. She glanced up at the line of trophies along the picture rail and the scores of ribbons hanging on the wall. Only one more week and she could ride again.

She dipped her rag into the oil, lifted the flap of the saddle and kept rubbing.

Bang, bang, bang.

Someone was knocking at the door. No one ever knocked around Coachwood Crossing. She heard voices: her father’s and another man’s.

‘Jess!’ called her father. ‘You’d better come out here, love.’

‘Hang on,’ she called back. ‘I’ll just finish my saddle.’

‘Jess, come
now
. It’s Diamond.’

Jess dropped her rag and ran to the front door. ‘Diamond?’

A man she had never seen before stood holding the flyscreen door open. Her father was pulling on his boots.

‘Do you own an Appaloosa pony?’ asked the man.

‘Yes.’

‘It’s stuck in the cattle grid down near the old drovers’ yards. I nearly ran over it.’

‘My pony is about a kilometre up the river from there. It wouldn’t be her.’

‘Is it a buckskin Appaloosa with spots all over it?’

Jess’s blood ran cold. She pushed past the man and grabbed her boots, then ran down the front steps after her father, who already had the car running.

‘Why would Diamond be down near the drovers’ yards?’ she cried, as she jumped in. ‘Her paddock isn’t anywhere near there.’

‘She must’ve got out,’ said Craig.

‘She was behind three strands of electric tape. I checked her this morning. It can’t be her.’ Jess’s stomach churned. Cattle grids and horses were not a good mix.

‘We’d better go and find out,’ said Craig. ‘Thanks, buddy,’ he called out to the man, before ramming the ute into gear and accelerating up the driveway.

They sped along the dirt road until they reached an overgrown easement that ran between two properties and down to a small tributary of the river called Slaughtering Creek. Craig put the ute into four-wheel drive and let the bull bar push through chest-high weeds. Just before the line of trees that marked the river was an open gateway leading onto the old droving route that had once followed the river. Behind the gateway were some dilapidated cattle yards that hadn’t been used for years.

‘I can’t see any horse,’ said Jess, stepping out of the car.

‘Well, there are no other cattle grids around,’ said Craig.

Jess swore out loud. In the ditch next to the grid, Diamond lay with her head back, eyes blank. ‘Oh my God,
Diamond
!’ Jess squealed. She ran to the ditch.

Jess’s eyes darted frantically over her pony’s body and legs. Her stomach twisted when she saw the two front hooves jammed between the steel rails. She looked up desperately for her father. ‘Dad, her legs are stuck. They’re in the grid!’

Her dad knelt beside her, hand over mouth. He closed his eyes and swallowed.

‘Dad,’ Jess said, her voice starting to quaver. ‘We’ve got to get her out. Her legs, Dad. Look at her legs!’

Diamond’s legs were wedged tightly and bent at a weird angle.

‘How are we going to get her out?’ Jess looked urgently to her father for answers.

Craig took a deep breath. ‘Okay, let’s get it together, Jess,’ he said, firmly. ‘We won’t be any use to her if we fall to pieces. Do you have your phone on you?”

Jess patted her empty back pocket and cursed again.

‘Grab a halter from the car.’ Craig took a step towards the pony and muttered something under his breath. ‘And stop swearing.’

Jess ran to get the halter. She put it down beside her father and ran her hands over Diamond’s neck. ‘It’s okay, we’re going to get you out, Dimey. It’s okay.’ She took a large gulp of air and willed herself to keep it together. ‘Hang in there. It’ll be all right.’

‘She must have really galloped through it. Her feet have gone straight through the rails and her body’s just kept going, I reckon.’ Craig took hold of one of Diamond’s feet. ‘It’s wedged in so tight!’

Diamond groaned.

‘Don’t hurt her,’ sobbed Jess. ‘Be gentle.’

‘I’m trying to, honey, but we need to get her out of here. These rails’ll cut off her circulation. Who knows how long she’s already been in here?’

Another car rumbled through the easement. Craig looked over his shoulder. ‘It’s your mum.’

Caroline stepped out of the car in an old sarong and ugg boots. ‘I ran into some strange man in our driveway. He said that—’ She looked down and saw Diamond lying in the ditch. ‘Oh crikey, Diamond. What have you done to yourself?’

‘Caroline, can you race back to the house and ring the vet? Then hook up the horse float and bring it back.’ Craig turned to Jess. ‘Get that halter on her head, while I try to get her legs out.’ He continued to push at the pony’s legs.

Jess lifted Diamond’s head and slipped the halter over her nose. She stroked her neck. ‘It’s okay, beautiful girl. I’m here. We’re going to get you out,’ she whispered as she buckled it along the pony’s jaw with trembling hands. Diamond’s eyes rolled to the back of her head. ‘She’s not moving, Dad. Why isn’t she moving?’

‘She’s probably in shock,’ said Craig, still working at the pony’s legs.

‘Why don’t we cut the bars?’

‘Do you know what it would take to cut through steel that thick?’

Behind him, the car door slammed and Caroline’s car engine started up again.

‘Bring some bandages back too,’ called Craig.

‘Okay,’ said Caroline, as she pulled away and roared back towards the house.

‘That’s it. I’ve got one out,’ said Craig, giving a final push. Blood spurted from the front of Diamond’s leg as it squeezed out between the rusty steel.

‘You’ve cut her!’ squealed Jess. ‘You’ve split her leg in half!’

‘It’s the only way I can get her out,’ said Craig. ‘Flesh can be healed, Jessy, bones can’t. It’s better than leaving all her weight hanging on those legs while they’re twisted like that.’ He took a breath and shoved the other leg out from the bars.

Jess stared in shock at Diamond’s two front legs, slit right along almost to the bone. She felt sick. ‘Dimey?’ she whispered, but the pony was motionless, her head stretched back. ‘Diamond, we got you out. It’s okay, you’re free.’

But the pony still didn’t move.

‘We should get her up,’ said Craig, reaching for the lead rope.

‘No, you’ll hurt her,’ said Jess. She snatched at the rope. ‘Daddy, no.’

Craig pulled at the pony’s head. ‘She has to, honey. It’s for her own good.’

‘Please don’t,’ sobbed Jess. ‘She can’t, leave her alone!’ She pulled at the rope.

Her father ignored her. ‘Come on, girl.’

‘Dad, stop it!’ screamed Jess.

Her dad kept pulling until Diamond gave a mighty heave and struggled to her feet. Jess jumped back out of the way.

The pony stood squarely on all four legs, her head low. Both Jess and her father were quiet.

‘It’s okay, honey, she’s up,’ said Craig. He put his arms around Jess. ‘She’s going to be okay, she can stand.’

Jess shrugged him off. She threw her arms around Diamond’s neck and sobbed. ‘Thank God you’re all right.’

3

IT WAS TWO
whole hours before John Duggin, short and stocky in dark blue coveralls, stepped out of his car and gave Jess a warm smile. ‘Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, Jess. A horse went down on the racetrack.’ He lifted the back hatch of his car. ‘What’s happened?’

Jess told him as much as she could about the accident while he squatted down and began examining Diamond’s legs. He ran a gentle hand over one fetlock and pressed gently with his thumb around the cut. With a small bucket of water and disinfectant, he began cleaning the wound and inspecting inside it. He tried to lift one of her legs but Diamond reared in protest.

Jess was relieved when he gave up. She gave Diamond a reassuring rub on the forehead while John went to his car and rummaged in the back. He resurfaced holding a needle and syringe. ‘Let’s make her more comfortable first.’

After a short while the pain in Diamond’s eyes subsided and John was able to have another go at lifting her legs. He moved them about gently, squeezed, prodded and frowned without saying anything, then stood there with his hands on his hips, staring at the wounds. Jess watched his face. Something about his expression made her feel cold.

What? What are you thinking? Say something.

John scratched his chin. ‘I think we should take some X-rays.’

It seemed to take hours to get Diamond’s legs X-rayed, and for John to stitch her leg wounds and carefully wrap them in wads of cotton wool and bandages. As he lifted the heavy X-ray machine back into the car, he promised to let Jess know the results as soon as he could.

Jess led Diamond one slow, painful step at a time back to her yard and put her in the stall with a large haynet.

Half an hour later, Jess stared at Diamond. The pony stared at the wall. The haynet hung from its hook, untouched. Jess ran a hand along Diamond’s back and over her speckled rump, tracing around the three silver diamonds as she often did. She knew every mark, every spot. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket.

It vibrated in her hand as though it had read her mind.

Shara: S^

Jess let herself out of the stall and ran to the front yard. Sure enough, Shara was stepping out of her mother’s car. She skipped down the driveway, yelling, ‘Guess what! Guess what!’ before Jess could tell her about Diamond.

‘What?’

Shara stopped, did a big star jump, and screamed, ‘
I made the shortlist for Canningdale!
’

‘Oh my God,’ said Jess.

‘I have to do the final test on Wednesday. It’s a maths test!’ Shara jiggled up and down on the spot.

Shara was a total brainiac at maths. She got a hundred per cent every time. How could anyone beat that? If selection got down to maths, Shara was in. She’d be leaving in a matter of weeks, at the end of the school holidays. Jess blinked back tears.

‘Jessy, don’t,’ said Shara.

‘Don’t what?’ said Jess.

‘Get all emotional.’

‘I’m not,’ said Jess, bursting into sobs.

‘You are.’ Shara put her arms around Jess. ‘Stop it. You’ll make me cry too!’

‘Sorry,’ sniffed Jess, squeezing Shara tightly. ‘I can’t help it.’

Shara winced and shrunk away from her. ‘Ouch.’

‘What?’

‘Nothing,’ said Shara quickly. ‘Come on now, this is over the top. We’ll still ride together in the holidays. We’d probably start having different classes next year anyway.’