The Magic Spell

One
    ‘W here do you want this box, Mum?’ Lauren Foster asked, staggering into the kitchen.
    Her mum was kneeling on the floor, surrounded by packing cases. ‘Just put it anywhere you can find a space, honey,’ she said.
    Lauren went over to the kitchen table and put the box on it. Just then, Max, her younger brother, came running in. Hot on his heels was Buddy, their ten-week-old Bernese mountain dog.
    The puppy came bounding across the floor to say hello – and crashed straight into a stack of crockery that Mrs Foster had just unpacked. A couple of plates fell off the pile with a horrible clatter.
    ‘Oh, Buddy…’ Mrs Foster sighed.
    ‘It’s not his fault,’ Max said. He rushed over to scoop the fluffy black and tan puppy into his arms. ‘He just hasn’t got the hang of stopping yet.’
    Mrs Foster laughed. ‘Why don’t you take Buddy out into the yard?’ she suggested. ‘You can teach him how to use his brakes.’
    Max and Buddy rushed out again into the April afternoon sunshine.
    ‘Watch out, Max!’ Mr Foster called from the hallway.
    Lauren looked over and saw that Max and Buddy had almost tripped up two removal men on their way out.
    Mr Foster, Lauren’s dad, was directing the men, who were carrying furniture in from the removal lorry.
    ‘What shall I do now, Dad?’ Lauren asked.
    ‘Coming through!’ another removal man shouted, drowning out her dad’s reply.
    Lauren dodged out of the way as the man marched past, carrying the family computer. Mr Foster pushed a hand through his curly brown hair. ‘Perhaps it would be best if you went and unpacked your bedroom, honey?’ Without giving her a chance to reply, he hurried after the man with the computer. ‘Please be careful! That’s a delicate piece of equipment!’
    Lauren grinned. It was a good idea to escape to her room!
    It was strange to think that this house – Granger’s Farm – was now her home. As she walked upstairs, Lauren thought about her two best friends back in the city, Carly and Anna. What would they be doing now? Maybe they’d be playing horses or eating the home-made pizzas that Anna’s mum often made. Lauren wondered if they were missing her.
    Feeling a little lonely, she walked along the landing to the bedroom at the far end and pushed open the white-painted wooden door. Her new room was small with a sloping ceiling. Sunlight streamed into the room through a little window.
    Lauren stepped over the piles of boxes and suitcases and sat down on the window-seat to gaze at the view. The towering Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance were majestic and beautiful, but her eyes passed over them and fell on something much nearer to home: the little paddock and stable behind the house.
    As she looked at them, her loneliness lifted. She might not know anyone here

    in the country but at least she was going to get a pony! A chance to have their own animals had been the first thing her parents had promised when they’d told her and Max about moving from the city.
    Mr Foster had decided to follow his dream of becoming a farmer. Max had chosen to have a puppy. They’d got Buddy a couple of weeks ago, and he was already a big part of the family. Everyone loved him. But for as long as Lauren could remember, she had wanted a pony of her own. And her mum was taking her to a horse and pony sale the very next day!
    Lauren tried to imagine her pony. What colour would he be? How big? How old? Maybe he would be a black pony with four white socks, or a flashy chestnut or a snow-white pony with a flowing mane and tail. Lauren smiled to herself. Yes, that’s what she’d like – a beautiful white pony.
    ‘Lauren!’
    Lauren’s eyes shot open. It was her mum, calling from the landing. Lauren went to the door.
    ‘I’ve unpacked some cookies,’ her mum said. ‘Why don’t you come and have some with Max?’
    ‘OK,’ Lauren replied. And she went back down to join her family.
    By the time Lauren went to bed that night, her bedroom was beginning to look more as if it belonged to her. Her clothes were hanging up in the closet and she had unpacked her books and cuddly toys.
    Mrs Foster gently smoothed Lauren’s hair. ‘Time to get some sleep.’
    Suddenly, Lauren didn’t want to be left alone. This was the first night in their new home and it felt a bit strange. ‘Will you read me a story, Mum?’ she asked. Now that she was nine she didn’t usually have a bedtime story. But this was an unusual night.
    Her mum seemed to