Aliens In The Family by Margaret Mahy Page A

another horse close behind him on the track. A slight distance back rode David, who was mounted on a large, hairy, good-natured horse called Enchanter; and Lewis on Tommy, a round, greedy pony which moved busily down the track, looking yearningly from side to side at the grass rather as if he was shopping in a supermarket. Lewis smiled as he rode, entirely wrapped in his own thoughts. Every so often he turned to check that Bond was still safely behind him riding Scoot, while beside Bond rode Dora, wearing her best blue shirt and corduroy trousers, on a horse called Prince. At the end of the line in a position she had chosen for herself, came Jake, hunched and silent, looking strangely vulnerable and small without her cowboy hat. Her horse, a pretty chestnut named Cooney, looked particularly large and powerful in contrast with Jake, who looked unexpectedly defenceless in her black riding cap.
    "Are you all right, Lewis?" Philippa called back a little anxiously. "You're unusually quiet this morning."
    "I'm just thinking," said Lewis in an injured tone. "I'm allowed to."
    Spread out like this it was easy to ride in silence, and Lewis was not the only one who was thinking private thoughts. David was still a little suspicious about the sudden decision to come on the trek, and wondered whether Dora and Jake were enjoying themselves. He wondered too about the mysterious Bond who had appeared so very early this morning, resplendent in his clothes of patches and pockets, with his scarlet hair and what looked like hundreds of dollars of electronic equipment looped around his neck. It is difficult to look at someone riding behind you, and David was trying to work out a way of watching Bond surreptitiously, as he was a riddle that required solving. Meanwhile Dora considered the adventure story she was actually living, while at the rear of the group Jake was troubled about something she could not bring herself to mention.
    And I'm the heroine! Dora was thinking. I'm the one who saved Bond when he was being chased. Jake may understand what he's talking about, but I'm the rescuer!
    Poised uneasily on Cooney, Jake watched his ears, hoping they might somehow signal what his next move would be. If the right one flicked, did that mean he was going to turn to the right, she wondered? She hung on to the front of the saddle covertly until she felt reassured, and hoped Dora hadn't noticed. Don't fall off or I'll never forgive you, she threatened herself. You'll be chained out in the desert covered in honey so the ants will come and eat you. She often tried to frighten herself into a state of courage. Me against the world! she thought and felt better, even though riding was turning out to be a whole lot harder than it looked on television. Cooney's back seemed to be designed for a differently shaped bottom than hers. She felt as though she was straddling a huge barrel. Yet mixed with the discomfort and the anxiety was the beginning of pleasure, for after all, she was actually sitting on a horse's back, moving forward; she was actually... yes, she was actually riding. The bush around about was green and shadowy and smelt rich—and just a little bit peppery. A bellbird called in its strange, pure voice, like a music box gone slightly wrong. Then it made a sterner, husky sound.
    "It's clearing its throat," Philippa remarked to Lewis, still worried about his silence. He slowly turned his eyes to look at her, as if he was surprised to see that there was anyone nearby, and almost as if he was unsure who was speaking.
    "Wakey-wakey, dreamy! Having a nice time?" Philippa asked, even more concerned by his bewilderment.
    "Terrific!" said Lewis. His voice sounded higher than usual—higher and colder. The bellbird, clearing its throat again, now seemed to be making a more human sound that Lewis. It was as if they had swapped over.
    Suddenly there was another bird call, and this one sounded like someone laughing. It's laughing at me! thought Jake. It knows that