“I’ve made your favourite for dinner tonight,” Mum said as she and Mia walked in the front door. “I thought we could eat it on our laps in front of the TV for a treat. We can snuggle up on the sofa and watch a film.”

“Great!” Mia said, dropping her school bag and racing up the stairs to get changed. Marmalade was curled up in the middle of her bed like a big furry hot-water bottle. When he saw her he gave a happy miaow and flipped over on to his back so that Mia could rub his tummy.

“Hi, Marmalade.” Mia perched on her bed to rub his furry belly. He squirmed and started a deep rumbling purr.

“Come on, Mia!” Mum called from downstairs. Mia jumped out of her clothes and got straight into her pyjamas. They had a pattern of blue, purple and red ponies galloping all over them and they were fleecy and warm. “Mum said I should be cosy,” she giggled as Marmalade gave her a curious look. “Come and cuddle up with us,” she said, picking Marmalade up and cradling him like a baby. He snuggled into her arms happily as she took him downstairs. Mum had got everything ready, but instead of sitting cosily on the sofa, she was standing in front of the fireplace.

“Ha! I’ve got the best spot!” Mia crowed, sitting down and pulling the blanket over her legs. Marmalade padded around, then settled in a ball on her lap.

Mia expected Mum to laugh and barge over next to her and start a tickling fight. But instead Mum turned to her with a really serious expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Mia asked. “Mum?”

Mum sat down on the edge of the sofa and started stroking Marmalade’s fur. Then she took a deep breath and looked at Mia. “Sweetheart, you know Polly’s been doing really well?”

“Is she OK?” Mia asked, a bolt of cold fear shooting through her.

“Yes, yes she’s fine,” Mum reassured her. “In fact, she’s so good that we’re going to start looking for a home for her.”

Mia gasped. It had been so long since she’d thought about Polly leaving. She’d just tried to pretend it wouldn’t happen. She stared down at Marmalade, running her fingers through his fur. Her tummy felt like it was tied up in knots inside.

“Oh, sweetie.” Mum put her arm around her and pulled her in close. “You know how expensive it is to keep a horse,” she said gently. “We just can’t afford it. But the RSPCA are going to find the perfect home for her – I’m going to make sure of it. We’ve already got a list of people and we’ll meet them all and make sure that Polly gets matched with someone that will really love her. Isn’t it nice that she’s healthy enough to go to a family of her own?”

Mia nodded, but she couldn’t help a salty tear rolling down her face and dripping off her nose. Polly already had someone who really loved her.

As tears started to patter down on to his fur like raindrops, Marmalade turned around and gave her a confused look. He sat up, stretched, and rubbed his head against Mia’s chin, like he was drying her tears. “Oh Marmalade,” Mia sobbed, burying her face in his fur. “What am I going to do?”

She couldn’t bear the thought of Polly being taken far away – she’d never see her again!

“It’ll be OK,” Mum promised. “Come on, let’s try and have a nice girly evening. You can choose the film.”

But all Mia could think about was Polly. She leaped up so fast that Marmalade jumped off her lap with a surprised miaow.

“Mia—” Mum called out, but Mia didn’t stop. She raced upstairs to her bedroom and flung herself on her bed.

All around her bedroom, where there used to be pictures of horses she’d cut out of magazines, now there were photos of Polly. Mia pulled the closest one off the wall and stroked her fingers over Polly’s light mane. This one was from a couple of months ago, on Mia’s birthday. She’d asked for a carrot cake especially so that she could make a similar one for Polly out of carrots and chaff. In the photo, Mia was holding up her cake and Polly was next to her, nibbling hers out of her feed bucket.

Mia knew that it was a good thing that Polly was so much better. She just wished that she could keep her.

Sniffing, Mia dried her eyes on her pyjama sleeve. Suddenly she had an idea. Even if she couldn’t keep Polly, she could show her how much she loved her. . . She jumped up and grabbed her piggy bank off her desk, then started shaking it out on to the floor. She’d saved every bit of her pocket money she’d ever got. She knew it wasn’t anywhere near enough for her own horse, but there was enough to do something special – buy Polly a present.

She ran downstairs to find one of Mum’s horse magazines. She’d seen the perfect thing. Mia flicked through the pages until she found what she was looking for. It was a set of purple heart-shaped brushes for grooming, all in a lovely glittery purple kit box. Polly’s new owner might not know how much she enjoyed having her mane brushed. And there was a matching head collar and lead rein, too. It was the same purple colour as Mia’s bedroom.

“Mum, can I get these for Polly?” she asked breathlessly, rushing into the kitchen.

Mum looked at the page. “All of this? But that’s nearly seventy pounds!” she said. “Have you saved all this from your pocket money?”

Mia nodded. “My pocket money and the birthday and Christmas money Grandma sends me. I was saving up so I can get a horse one day, but I want to get something for Polly now,” she said. “And . . . and she needs to look nice so that the best people will adopt her.”

“Oh Mia!” Mum opened up her arms to give her a hug. Mia fell into her mum’s arms and sobbed.