07 Ghost Story

Chapter 07 Ghost Story Jack bounced in the saddle. He felt the cool night wind against his face. He couldn’t tell where they were going. But he trusted Dusty to follow the others. Finally Dusty caught up with the herd as they began to slow down. Jack snapped his reins. Dusty came up beside Slim and Annie. “ Howdy! ” said Slim. “ Howdy! ” said Jack.

“ Howdy! ” said Annie. “ Are you okay?” Jack pushed his glasses into place. “ Yup, ” he said. “ You?” “ Yup, ” she said. “ That was some good riding, Shorty! ” said Slim. “ Thanks, ” said Jack, smiling. He even liked being called “ Shorty” now. “ Where we headed, boss?” Jack asked Slim. “ Blue Canyon, ” said Slim. “ Okay with you?” “ Yup, ” said Jack. “ This way! ” said Slim. He slapped his horse and they all speeded up again. Slim steered the herd to the left. Soon he led them through a deep, narrow pass.

Finally they came to a boxy open space surrounded by walls of rock and lit by moonlight. “ We’ll corral the mustangs here in Blue Canyon, ” Slim said. He got off his horse. He helped Jack down. Annie slipped off Sunset. “ Take him to his ma, ” Slim told Annie. Annie led Sunset to the mare. In the moonlight, the two mustangs rubbed against one another and neighed. As Jack patted Dusty’s damp neck, he remembered the last two rules: praise and reward. “ Thanks, ” he whispered to Dusty. “ You were great. You were super great. ” Slim unsaddled Dusty, then handed Jack his saddle bags. “ Take those over to that grassy spot. We’ll camp there, ” he said.

As Jack carried the saddlebags, his boots felt stiff and tight. His legs were sore and wobbly. But he didn’t mind. He threw down the saddlebags and his backpack. Then he flopped himself down. He was very tired. Annie joined him. “ They seem so happy to be free and together again, ” she said, gazing at the moonlit mustangs. “ Yup, ” said Jack. He lay back, using his backpack as a pillow. He looked up at the stars. “ If we just had the answer to the riddle, everything would be perfect, ” he said. “ Yup, ” said Annie. “ Hey, Slim, ” he called. “ I have a question for you. ”

“ Shoot, ” said Slim. “ Do you know the answer to this riddle?” Jack asked. “ Out of the blue, my lonely voice calls out to you. Who am I? Am I?” Slim was silent for a moment, then said, “ Sorry, Shorty, don’t know that one. ”

Jack’s heart sank. “ That’s okay, ” he said. “ We don’t either. ” “ I have a question, too, ” said Annie. “ Why does the piano in the hotel play by itself?” “ I do know the answer to that one, ” said Slim.