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Awesome Possum: Awesome Possum Pony Club
Awesome Possum: Awesome Possum Pony Club
Awesome Possum: Awesome Possum Pony Club
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Awesome Possum: Awesome Possum Pony Club

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From the author of the popular Blaze of Glory series comes the story of an angry boy, a lonely horse, and no possums at all.

Ben’s never been this unhappy. His parents got divorced and he moved to a small town where he doesn’t fit in. He has no friends. That is, until he meets a beautiful but suspicious black horse. Panther is even more troubled than Ben. 
And unless Ben can convince Panther to trust people again, the horse’s sorrow may cost him his life.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherPetal Press
Release dateNov 5, 2017
ISBN9780993800818
Awesome Possum: Awesome Possum Pony Club

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    Awesome Possum - M. Garzon

    This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or a portion thereof, in any form. This book may not be resold or uploaded for distribution to others. This is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, horses or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

    Copyright © 2014 M. Garzon

    All rights reserved.

    Library and Archives Canada

    978-0993800818

    Cover design copyright Dazzle by Design

    To Oma, for all the happy times we’ve spent together.

    And to the memory of Capu, the funniest, most special little bunny that ever lived.

    Acknowledgments

    A big thank-you to all the test readers who helped make this book the best it could be:

    Zachary Billette, Angela Delle Donne, Taylor Frost, Sidney Hayden, Marika Karafotis, Vanessa Llorens, Lucia Vinson, Heather McBride, Sebastian Mejia, and Logan Nutbrown.

    The input of Rosemary Danielis, children’s author, was both kind and helpful.

    Much appreciation also goes to:

    Linda Riel-Bourgon for lending us The Little Horse of Iron, as well as for your warm and cheerful friendship.

    Christina Conway of Dazzle by Design for the perfect cover image and design.

    The cover models, Fen Garzon-Habacon and Spirit, owned by Michele Fitzpatrick.

    Lastly, thanks to our dog Jace, whose antics always keep us laughing.

    1 - Sneaky, Sneaky

    Ben knew he was in trouble.

    His heart pounded as he pedaled his bike furiously away from school. He half-expected someone to yell, Hey, come back! but the only sounds were the normal end-of-class activity: kids laughing, grownups calling out, and school buses rumbling.

    He slowed his bike as he rounded the corner, out of sight of the school. He took a deep breath as a grin spread across his face. He’d done it — he’d escaped after-school care. He pedaled leisurely now, admiring the fresh greens of the warm spring day. The houses thinned out quickly as he moved away from school, and fifteen minutes later he was turning onto the road that led to his house. It was a dirt road; he remembered his shock when the snow had melted to reveal it, and how it had confirmed his idea that he was now living in the actual boonies.

    A sudden squeal and a sound like rolling thunder jolted him out of his thoughts. A black flash at the corner of his eye startled him and he jerked the handlebars, his bike tilted, and the next thing he knew he was sliding into the ditch. The shock of lying face-down in cold water froze him for a second before he scrambled to his feet, sputtering.

    He heard rapid-fire giggling and looked around wildly, wiping muddy water from his eyes.

    Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, a girl’s voice said. She was standing on the edge of the road, just ahead of him. As Ben started climbing out of the deep ditch the girl ran forward and helped him pull his bike up.

    I’m Sidney, she said. You’re the new kid, right? I’ve seen you at school. I’m in the other grade four class.

    Ben hesitated. Before he’d moved, he would have found something funny to say in this situation. He used to be good at making people laugh, but that ability seemed to have deserted him.

    I’m Ben, he introduced himself finally.

    The sound of approaching thunder came again, and Ben’s head swivelled around in time to see a black streak gallop by, mane and tail flying like ragged flags.

    Wow, Ben breathed. He looks just like the black stallion.

    Yes, he’s gorgeous, but he’s really wild, Sidney said. He won’t let anyone touch him. C’mon, you can get dried off in the barn and then I’ll introduce you.

    They headed up the driveway toward the stables, Ben walking his bike between them. He was shivering in his wet clothes, and yet he could hardly keep his eyes off the horse, who continued to race around the paddock, which ran the length of the driveway. Sidney was chattering away about school and people he didn’t know, but he hardly heard her.

    When they got to the barn Ben dumped his bike on a patch of scruffy lawn before they went inside. Sidney led him to a small room filled with trunks and wooden lockers. She tossed him a towel.

    Here. I’ll see if I have any spare clothes lying around — I usually keep a few things here, she said with her head in a locker. Her voice was muffled.

    Is this your tackroom? Ben asked. He’d finished drying his face and arms and was trying to wring water from his dripping T-shirt.

    You know what a tackroom is? Sidney sounded surprised. She came over and handed him a purple T-shirt with a sparkly owl on it, and some grey breeches.

    Yeah. I used to ride, back when I lived in Toronto, Ben said. Just saying the name of his old home made his chest tighten uncomfortably. To change the subject, he held up the clothes Sidney had given him. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he wasn’t sure a sparkly owl was exactly his style.

    Um, I don’t... that is... he started to say.

    You’re going to get sick if you don’t put dry clothes on, Sidney interrupted him. She pointed to the bathroom.

    Bossy, Ben thought. But he went and changed. Sidney was about half a head taller than him, all skinny arms and legs, but the breeches were stretchy so her clothes didn’t fit too badly. At least his underwear had stayed dry, and he’d stopped shivering. They went outside to hang his wet clothes on the fence. Ben found his eyes drawn magnetically to the black horse, who was grazing in the distance.

    What’s his name? And why is he so wild? he asked.

    Sidney leaned one shoulder against the fence and turned to him. She had large hazel eyes and freckles, and her face was animated as she launched into the tale.

    He’s only been here a few weeks. He used to belong to this old couple, but they died so one of Julie’s clients bought him. Julie owns this place. Mortimer — that’s his name — had lived with the old couple since he was born, and they owned his mom too, but she was sold to a different barn. Apparently Mortimer was trained to ride, but since he got here he’s been impossible to handle. He won’t even go into the barn, so he’s been living out here in the paddock.

    Mortimer?! Ben exclaimed. No wonder he’s unfriendly. That’s not a cool name. His new owner should change it.

    But won’t he be confused if we suddenly start calling him something different? Sidney asked reasonably.

    You could change it to something that sounds similar.

    The kids lapsed into silence, frowning thoughtfully.

    I know! Ben said suddenly. We can call him Panther. It almost rhymes with Mortimer, and panthers can be black, and he moves like a cat.

    Yeah! Sidney gave a little hop of excitement, her loopy golden-brown curls bouncing on her shoulders. Come on, let’s go talk to Julie! She seized his wrist and pulled him rapidly towards a small white house.

    Julie answered the door. She turned out to be a woman about his mom’s age, and her eyebrows went up when

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