Sophie and Shine Read Free Page A

got up the courage to ask Courtney if she’d seen Daisy’s ribbons in the barn at the end of the lecture. She didn’t even look startled or anything and she just said, “Yeah, I did. They’d fallen into the straw so I just picked them up and put them back in her tack box. They must have gone missing after that.” I was silent for a moment, thinking, and she gave me a funny look and said, “Why do you ask?” I quickly shook my head and mumbled, “No reason.”
    Luckily I can stop thinking about it now because it’s time to go outside. We were going to have a film tonight because of the rain but it’s stopped now so we’re playing rounders instead. I hope my team wins!

Still Tuesday, just!
    Millie and Beth are asleep, but I feel wide awake after what just happened. I’m worried Millie thinks I’m a bit horrible or something. I wasn’t going to say anything, but we had such a good time playing rounders together (we didn’t win, but never mind!) and then whispering after lights out, that it just sort of came out.
    First, I made them promise not to tell anyone, and then I told them about how I’d seen Courtney pick up the ribbons in the barn, but that I wasn’t sure if she really had put them into Daisy’s tack box. And I reminded them that Courtney was the one who’d really liked the purple silk, too.
    They were both silent for a long time and I started to wish I hadn’t said anything. ThenMillie said, “But Sophie, we were all admiring Izzy’s silk in the yard, and Courtney did say she’d put the ribbons back when you asked her.”
    “Yeah, I suppose so,” I mumbled. “Beth? What do you think?” I whispered then, but there was no reply. What a shame she’d fallen asleep just when I needed her to back me up.
    Millie sighed loudly. “Look, the silk could have been pulled off Izzy’s hat by accident and fallen down somewhere,” she whispered. “And as for Daisy’s ribbons, they could have blown out of her tack box as she came back across the yard, and maybe even been swept up by now. You can’t just accuse someone – you have to be sure.”

    I didn’t say anything after that. I just lay here, feeling really awkward. After a while Millie fell asleep so I found my torch and gotout my diary. Oh, I really hope she doesn’t think badly of me for mentioning it. And I’m glad Beth didn’t hear me after all. Us three get on so well, it would be awful if we fell out over this!
    I feel a bit better now I’ve written all that down. I’m going to try to sleep, so that the morning comes quicker and I can see Shine again. Jody says we’re off on our carriage-driving trip tomorrow too – I’m really looking forward to that!

It’s our free time after lunch on Wednesday
    I wolfed down my breakfast this morning so I could be first out for yard duty. I couldn’t wait to see Shine and have a private talk to her about what happened last night. After filling a few of the water buckets for Lydia, I got on with giving Shine a good groom before tacking up. As I combed Shine’s mane, I told her all about the silk and the ribbons in a low voice. I was careful that no one overheard, especially because by then the yard was busy with all the girls getting their ponies ready. Everyone was talking about our carriage-driving trip – they were all just as excited as me!

    When I’d told Shine everything, she nuzzled into my shoulder, like she was telling me I was right to say something last night after all.
    And it turns out I really was – because just then Shanice came running out of the tack room and straight over to Shine’s stable. “Sophie, my body brush, from my grooming kit, it’s disappeared!” she wailed, tears in her eyes.

    â€œAre you sure?” I asked.
    She nodded miserably. “I cleaned my kit and put it away before dinner yesterday,” she mumbled. “I even double checked I had everything because I’d been