“Hi!” Hannah said. “Come on in. You look happy. Excited to ride Stardust?”
“Yes, I am,” Elsie said as she stepped inside, “but that’s not why I can’t stop smiling. My daddy has a job interview next week. At a really good company.” She paused as her smile slipped away. “Oh no. I hope I’m not jinxing it by telling you.”
“Are you still wearing the lucky bracelet?” Hannah asked as she shut the door and led Elsie into the family room.
Elsie pushed the sleeve of her jacket up. “Yep. Haven’t taken it off since you gave it to me.”
“Well, hopefully it will do its thing and your daddy will get that job. I’m so happy for you guys!”
“Yeah. Me too. He said they sounded really excited to meet with him when they called him yesterday afternoon.”
“I don’t even know what he does,” Hannah said, taking a seat on the sofa. “I probably should have asked you. Although the electric company doesn’t have openings of any kind right now, in case you were wondering. I checked like I said I would.”
“Thanks,” Elsie said, taking a seat in the overstuffed chair next to the sofa. “I’m not really sure what he does either, to be honest. Management or something like that. He likes working with people, I guess.” She rubbed her hands together. “Okay, enough about that. You ready to get on Stardust for the very first time?”
“Yep. I think I am. Daddy’s out in the barn now, saddling him up for us.”
“I am so glad you’re doing this, Hannah. It’s going to be great. Just wait and see. You’re not nervous, are you?”
“Yeah. A little bit. I hope he isn’t mad at me. I haven’t been very fair to him, you know?”
Elsie smiled. “He’s not gonna be mad at you. He’s going to be like Taurus the bull, I just know it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was reading about Taurus in one of my constellation books last night. The ruler of the gods, Jupiter, took on the shape of a bull when he became enchanted with Europa, who was the princess of … something. I can’t remember exactly. Anyway, when the princess saw the bull, she loved his beauty and gentleness, and they played together on the beach. Eventually, she climbed onto his back and they swam out to sea together.”
“Oh, wow,” Hannah said. “That’s beautiful. What happened to them? Did she ever find out who he really was?”
“Yes,” Elsie said. “He took her to a special place and revealed who he really was. I think we are supposed to imagine they lived happily ever after.”
Hannah stood up. “So, are you saying Stardust isn’t a mule at all, but some mythological ruler of gods?”
Elsie laughed. “No, silly. I’m trying to tell you he loves you and the two of you are going to live happily ever after.”
“I don’t know about that,” Hannah said. “But let me get my boots on so I can finally ride him. I think that’s the first step toward happily ever after.”
It was cold outside. Too cold for a cowboy hat, Hannah decided. She put on a knit hat and some gloves and loaned Elsie some too, since she hadn’t thought to bring any. As they walked toward the barn, the dirt hard and crunchy beneath their feet and the country air fresh and crisp, Hannah felt butterflies swarming around in her stomach.
“Afternoon, ladies,” Mr. Crawford said as the girls reached him and Stardust, standing inside the barn. “Nice day for a ride, isn’t it?”
“It’s cold,” Hannah said. “I think it’ll be a quick one.”
“Nah, it’s not so bad,” he said. “All right, who’s first?”
“You should go,” Elsie said, giving Hannah a gentle nudge with her elbow.
“I don’t know.”
“It’ll be fine,” her daddy said. “You’ll see. You want some help getting on him?”
Hannah had ridden horses before. That’s why the Mane Attraction 4-H club was so great. At the riding meetings, everyone got to ride, whether they had their own horse or not. Still, she was nervous, and she didn’t want to do the wrong thing.
“Yes, please,” she said to her father as she stroked Stardust’s neck. Last night, after she’d fed him, she’d spent some time brushing him and talking to him. His coat looked nice and shiny in the daylight.
Mr. Crawford gave Hannah a boost up, and just like that, she was settling into the saddle. He slipped the reins he’d been holding over Stardust’s head and handed them to her.
“He knows the way to the corral by now,” Mr. Crawford said. “When you’re ready, loosen the reins and give him a little squeeze with your boots.”
“You look awesome up there,” Elsie said, silently clapping her gloved hands together. “You really do. I wish I had a smartphone, I’d take a picture.”
Mr. Crawford reached into the pocket of his lined jean jacket and pulled out his phone. “Here. Use mine.”
Hannah’s heart was beating fast in her chest. It wasn’t because she was afraid though. She was excited. Really excited.
“All right, Stardust. Giddy up.” She sat forward in her seat and squeezed her legs and just like that, he started moving.
As they approached the corral, Mr. Crawford ran ahead and opened the gate. Stardust’s ears were forward and alert, but he didn’t seem to be nervous about any of it. He strolled right in and Hannah heard the gate click shut behind them.
They rode around the arena, and Hannah could hardly believe what a nice, steady ride he was. There wasn’t a lot of swaying from side-to-side like she’d experienced on a horse. She was curious as to why that was, but for now, she decided to just sit back and enjoy it.
After a few times around, she decided to do as Elsie had done last weekend and move him into a trot. He picked up speed at her command, and Hannah smiled. She loved going faster, the cold wind pricking her face, making her eyes water. Around and around they went and she was so comfortable, she wondered why it’d taken her so long to do this.
She loved riding. Always had. She remembered the first time, at the age of five, like it was yesterday, on the old horse named Pearl that her grandparents used to have. Pearl died a year later, and since then, all she’d wanted was a horse to call her own so she could ride whenever she felt like it.
When Hannah finally brought the mule to a stop, she looked over at her father and Elsie, who stood outside the corral. They could not have looked happier if she’d been riding a unicorn.
Hannah swung her leg around Stardust and jumped off him, like she’d been riding him forever. “Oh my gosh, that was so fun,” she said, her cheeks tingly from the cold. She gave Stardust a few pats and looked into his left eye. “Thank you,” she whispered to him, before she looked over at Elsie and her father. “I cannot believe what a smooth ride he is.”
“I told you so,” Elsie said. “Didn’t I tell you that?” She did a little happy dance. “I’m so glad you finally rode him, Hannah!”
Mr. Crawford walked over and gave his daughter a big hug. “I’m so proud of you, honey. And of Stardust too. You gave him a chance and he delivered for you.”
“You need to thank Elsie,” Hannah told him. “She’s the one who finally got me to ride him.”
“Well, thank you kindly, then,” he told Elsie. “Shall we call you the miracle worker from now on?”
Elsie shook her head. “No, that’s okay. It wasn’t that hard. It’s not like I was trying to convince her to ride a dragon or something.”
Hannah laughed. “That wouldn’t take much convincing either. That’d be cool! Okay, your turn to ride Stardust, Els. He’s all warmed up for you.”
“Are you sure you’re not too cold? I mean, we can go inside and bake cookies if you’d rather do that.”
“I’m fine!” Hannah replied. “I want you to ride him. And then I might ride him again. Because, honestly, I can’t wait to ride him again!”
Mr. Crawford laughed and then said to Elsie, “I think you’ve created a monster.”
Again on Sunday, and every day after school, Hannah rode Stardust. The cold snap continued, but it didn’
t stop her. She just bundled up and went out anyway. Stardust would see her coming and walk to greet her at the fence of the pen. Hannah’s grandpa was usually home and helped her get him ready to ride.
On Thursday, after she changed and put on extra layers of clothes, she ran out to the pen. Except this time, her heart skipped a beat when she didn’t find him there.
“Stardust?” she called, walking toward the barn.
“We’re in here,” she heard her grandpa call from inside.
Hannah smiled. Her grandpa must have come out early to get him ready for her. She needed to tell him that after helping with the saddle and bridle all week, she felt like she could do it by herself now.
Except, when she went into the barn, she didn’t find Stardust ready to ride. Instead she found her grandpa kneeling down, with Stardust’s leg bent up and resting on her grandpa’s knee.
“What are you doing?” Hannah asked, making sure to stay back so she didn’t startle Stardust while her grandpa worked on him.
“I noticed he was limping real bad. Seems he stepped on a sharp rock that caused a small hole near the outer edge of his hoof, and a tiny pebble got embedded in the hole.” He gently pushed the mule’s leg away and let it drop to the ground as he stood up.
“Is he going to be okay?” Hannah asked.
“Yes, I got the pebble out, so he should be fine,” her grandpa said, patting Stardust’s side as he walked around to where Hannah stood. “But I need to call the vet and find out what we need to do next. I suspect we soak it in something. Maybe Epsom salts. And I might need to bandage it so nothing else gets in there. I’m afraid riding him is out of the question for a week or so, though, as it heals up.”
“Right,” Hannah said. “I wouldn’t want to make it any worse.” She glanced over at Stardust, wondering if he was in pain. “I feel so bad for him. Can I brush him?”
Grandpa patted her shoulder. “Of course you can. I’m gonna go inside and give the vet a call. Figure out what we do next.”
“You sure it’s not that serious?”
Her grandpa smiled. “It shouldn’t be, as long as we do the right thing and take good care of him. He’ll be fine, Hannah. Try not to worry.”
“Okay.”
“I guess the good news is you’ve become attached to the fella, huh?” He put his hands in his coat pockets. “We’re all real happy to see the two of you getting along so well. He’s a wonderful animal.”
“Yes. He is. Thanks for taking care of him, Grandpa.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll see you in a bit.”
After he left, Hannah talked to Stardust as she went to the shelf where his brush was kept. “I’m sorry about your hoof. I know it probably hurts, but Grandpa will get you fixed up in no time.”
She went to his head and stroked his cheek. Stardust lowered his head so his big brown eyes looked at her. “You don’t look very happy,” she told him. “Trust me, I feel the same way.”
Hannah brushed his neck and was working her way down his chest when her phone buzzed.
“Sorry, bud,” she said as she stepped back and fished the phone out of her pocket. She set the brush down on the ground so she’d have her hands free.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Hannah?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s Elsie,” she said.
“Oh, hey.”
“I didn’t have your cell phone number since I don’t have one myself, but I called the house phone and one of your brothers picked up. He said you were outside and I could call you at this number.”
“What’s up?” Hannah asked. “Everything okay?”
“Um, not exactly.” She paused. “Look, I have really bad news, and I’ve kept it from you for days, and my mama said it was time to finally come clean about it. You know, tell you about the thing I really don’t want to tell you.”
“Oh no. Do you have to move to Houston?”
“Oh, I’m not sure about that yet. Like I told you at school, the interview went well. We’re just waiting to hear back. What I need to tell you is … I’m so sorry, but I’ve lost your charm bracelet.”
Hannah blinked a few times as she tried to process Elsie’s words. “Lost it? What do you mean?”
“I mean, on Sunday, I noticed it was gone. I hadn’t taken it off; it just fell off, I guess. Somehow. I don’t know, Hannah. I’ve looked so hard for it. Every day, I’ve looked, in every single place I could think of.” She started to cry. “I’m afraid it’s gone.”
“No, no, no,” Hannah said, reeling backward until she leaned up against the wall of one of the stalls. “It can’t be gone. It’s not gone, Elsie. It’s lost, which means it’s somewhere, waiting to be found. Don’t you understand? Caitlin, Mia, and Libby, the four of us from camp, we’re charm sisters. It’s our lucky bracelet, and I have to find it.”
Elsie sniffled. “I’ve looked everywhere, Hannah. I’m so sorry, but I think you have to tell them. You have to tell them that I lost it.”
Hannah didn’t sleep very well Thursday night. She was worried about Stardust, even if her grandpa said he’d be okay. And of course, she was worried about the bracelet. What would her camp friends say if she had to tell them it was gone forever? She tried to imagine avoiding the three of them for the next six months by not writing to them and then showing up at camp without the bracelet. They’d hate her for sure. Wouldn’t they?
On Friday, Hannah was tired and grouchy. She did her best to avoid talking to anyone until lunchtime. But as she headed to the cafeteria, she knew this was her chance to pick Elsie’s brain and help her figure out where else to look for the charm bracelet. Crystal was waiting for Hannah in their usual meeting spot, next to the vending machine that sold bottled water and juices.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to eat with Elsie today,” Hannah explained. “I really need to talk to her. It’s important.”
“Okay,” Crystal said, like she understood, even if she didn’t understand what was going on, exactly. “See ya later.”
Hannah looked around the cafeteria and spotted Elsie in the hot lunch line. “Can we talk?” Hannah asked her. “I brought my lunch, so I can go grab us a table way in the back.”
“Okay,” Elsie said softly. Hannah noticed she looked pale, with dark rings under her eyes. If Hannah hadn’t slept well last night, Elsie probably hadn’t slept well since she’d noticed the bracelet had gone missing.
When Elsie sat down across from her, Hannah put down her sandwich and was about to drill her on how it could have happened, when she looked into Elsie’s eyes. She looked so sad. Sadder than a kid who’d lost his mother in the grocery store. Sadder than a lizard in the rain. Sadder than a birthday cake without candles.
Hannah decided that before she did anything else, she needed to try to make Elsie feel better. As hard as it might be to do that, she knew it was the right thing to do.
“I’m so sorry,” Elsie said, before Hannah could speak. “I mean, I know it doesn’t get your bracelet back, but I want you to know, I feel really bad.”
“I know,” Hannah replied. “I can tell. You look like you haven’t slept in a week.”
Elsie poked a French fry with her fork and avoided Hannah’s eyes. “I haven’t, to be honest. Thanks to my daddy’s interview and the lost bracelet, I’m a knot of worries, as my mama likes to say.”
“Please, try not to feel bad, okay? Whatever happens, it’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. I wish you’d told me sooner. I feel terrible that you’ve been carrying around that worry all by yourself.”
“I just kept hoping I’d find it. I mean, you don’t know how hard I’ve looked for it.”
Hannah popped a green grape into her mouth and pushed the baggie toward Elsie, encouraging her to take one too. Elsie complied.
“So, when do you remember seeing it last?” Hannah asked.
Elsie shook her head. “I’m not sure. I didn’t notice it was gone until Sunday evening, when it was my turn to shower.”
“What do you mean,
your turn?” Hannah asked.
Elsie’s cheeks turned pink as she nibbled on a fry. “It probably sounds strange, but since there’s so many of us, we have assigned days for showers. My mom is kind of obsessed about keeping all of us on a schedule. Not just for showers, but laundry and other chores too.”
Hannah nodded. “Oh, right. I guess it would suck to want to take a shower before school and have a line of four people ahead of you.”
Elsie smiled. “Exactly. Anyway, back to the bracelet. It’s frustrating because the only time I actually remember seeing it was when I showed it to you on Saturday. But it’s been cold and I’ve been wearing long sleeves. I figure it could have fallen off any time between Saturday afternoon and Sunday night.”
Hannah took a bite of her sandwich as she thought about that. “So what did you do on Sunday?”
“Got up and helped my mom with breakfast. We made French toast. Both of us looked in every drawer and cupboard in that kitchen.”
“Okay, so what’d you do after that?”
“Got dressed and went to church.” Elsie’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no! I didn’t check at church. Hannah, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. We were home most of the day on Sunday, so I kept thinking it had to be in the house. But maybe it fell off while we were at church.”
“Or even on your way there, you know? You should check the car.”
Elsie sat back, a look of relief on her face. “Yeah. That’s a good idea. I’ll check our van when we get home. If it’s not there, I’ll ask one of my parents to take me to church on Saturday to look for it.”
“Do you want me to go with you?” Hannah asked.
“No, you don’t have to do that,” Elsie said. “I can ask my brothers and sisters to go and help me. You should spend your weekend riding Stardust, now that you know how much you love doing that.”
“Actually, I can’t,” Hannah said, before she ate some more grapes.
“How come?”
She told Elsie about his hoof and how they’d had to soak it in Epsom salts and then how her grandpa had taken some bandages and duct tape and made a bootie for him to wear.