Magic Tree House #49: Stallion by Starlight (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

the horse’s nose, while Jack stroked the horse’s long neck. The animal’s velvety coat smelled of grass and wind.
    “Just know this,” Jack said to the stallion. He spoke tenderly and with all his heart. “Whatever happened to your master was not your fault. Not at all.”
    The stallion lowered his head and nuzzled Jack and Annie. His whole body shuddered, as if he were sighing with relief.

S tars twinkled in the night sky. Jack and Annie were quiet for a long time. Then Annie gently rubbed the horse’s neck and said, “Hey, Buddy, let’s go for a ride. Want to?”
    The stallion stood very still for a moment. Jack wondered if the horse understood. But then he raised his head.
    YES.
    “Great. You go first,” Annie said to Jack.
    Jack grabbed a handful of the horse’s mane. Buddy didn’t move. He didn’t snort or balk. Jacktook a couple of short steps and pushed off the ground. As if he had springs on his feet, he gracefully vaulted onto the horse’s back.
    Jack reached out his hand. Annie took it. Then, as smoothly as a gymnast, she pushed off the ground and leapt onto the horse’s back behind Jack.
    Jack and Annie settled comfortably into place, balancing themselves. Jack felt as if he’d lived on the back of a stallion all his life. He grabbed Buddy’s mane again and held on tightly. He gripped with his legs and leaned forward and whispered, “Let’s go.”
    The stallion stamped the ground. Then he started walking slowly forward. Jack and Annie moved in perfect rhythm with his step. When they came to the gate of the riding ring, Jack pushed it open with his foot.
    The stallion pranced out of the ring. Soon his hooves were crunching lightly over the pebble path leading down to the square. The town wasquiet under a blanket of stars. Market stalls had shut down for the night. Merchants, craftsmen, and shoppers had gone home.
    When the stallion reached the square, a warm wind urged him forward. He quickened his gait and began to trot. Jack and Annie moved in time with his steps: one-two, one-two, one-two.
    The stallion picked up speed, until he began to canter. Jack and Annie moved in time to a different, smoother rhythm: one-two-three, one-two-three. Jack felt as if they were all dancing together.
    When the stallion came to the wide road that led from the square, he began to gallop. He took long, swinging strides, until his hooves barely touched the ground.
    Jack had the feeling that his legs had become one with the horse’s legs, his breath had become one with the horse’s breath, his skin had become one with the horse’s skin.
    Buddy ran on, unafraid of the dark. He galloped along the dirt road, passing the moonlitmilitary field where the king’s army was still drilling for war.
    The stallion kept galloping. He passed meadows where sheep and cows slept under the stars. He passed quiet farmhouses and barking dogs.
    As Buddy galloped lightly over the countryside, Jack and Annie knew how to sit evenly and how to breathe deeply. They knew when to lean forward and when to shift their weight back. If they wanted Buddy to slow down or speed up or turn, they only had to shift their bodies slightly, and the horse seemed to understand.
    Buddy soon left the road and started over a grassy field. Jack couldn’t see what was ahead, but he trusted the horse’s instincts. He trusted his own, too. He felt completely safe.
    When Buddy jumped over narrow ravines, Jack knew how to relax his body and cling to the horse’s mane. When Buddy splashed through swamps and marshes, Jack knew how to stay centered on the horse’s back.

    All through the night, Jack, Annie, and Buddy traveled over the countryside. When the horse finally slowed down to a steady walk, Jack began to grow sleepy. He rested his head on Buddy’s neck.
    Jack heard frogs croaking in the wet reeds and crickets chirping in the dry grass. His body rocked as Buddy’s hooves tapped over the hard, cracked earth, through olive groves and rocky fields. He closed his eyes ….
    “Jack.” Annie nudged him from behind.
    “What?” Jack asked in a daze.
    “Wake up.”
    “What?” Jack opened his eyes.
    The sun was up. In the rosy dawn, Buddy was ambling along the wide dirt road that led back to town. Sheep had risen to their feet and were grazing on dewy grass. A cool breeze blew by Jack’s face. It smelled of open fields and damp woolly lambs.
    “Guess what?” said Annie. “Our hour was up a long time ago.”
    “What do you mean?” said