Because I knew Mom was going to be really mad, I let the call go to voicemail as we tried to figure out what to do about the horse show. I decided Mom would be upset at first, but she’d get over it because she would be so relieved to find us.
Next, we decided to go back to the arena to try to find the judges or someone we could talk into putting the show back on, but they were all gone. There was nothing more we could do until we came up with another plan, so we went back to the hotel. We had left so quickly that we didn’t have any luggage with us, so we didn’t have to worry about unpacking.
Back at home, Mom was worried when I didn’t come down for dinner. She called Sandra’s and Felicity’s mothers, and when they discovered that our horses were gone, they decided that we had gone for a horseback ride. When nighttime came and we hadn’t returned, they knew something else was going on. At first they started to panic, and then Mom and Dad remembered how upset I was about the canceled horse show and how I had gotten on Miracle to ride all the way back home. Ellie would never try to ride Miracle back to Atlanta and she wouldn’t just leave without telling us . . . or would she?
At the hotel, we decided to get some rest, but I couldn’t fall asleep. When I did, I slept horribly. I tossed and turned all night and woke up five different times. At one point, I fell off the bed and woke up with a huge bump on the top of my head.
Finally, I decided to walk down the hall to the vending machine to get a Coke, and, as I did, I heard music coming from somewhere in the hotel. I’m just naturally curious, so I had to find out where it was coming from. I took the elevator down to the lobby, stepped out of the elevator, and saw people in the lobby, arcade, and even the snack room.
I raced back up to our room, woke up Felicity and Sandra, and dragged them down to join the party in the arcade, playing PacMan and pinball. Finally, we were all so tired that we just went back to our rooms, fell into bed, and were quickly sound asleep.
In the meantime, Mom was driving to get us. When she arrived, she found us sound asleep after an exhausting night. Remember how I said I thought she wouldn’t be mad?
I was very wrong. Mom got so angry, she was like a monkey who had his banana taken away. She brought all three of us home and grounded me again, immediately. Sandra and Felicity were grounded too. I was grounded from television, computer, playing with friends, and, worst of all, Miracle for five weeks. I thought, I guess I’ll survive the whole five weeks.
Who was I kidding? I could never survive five weeks without my Miracle.