Dani tried to hide her disappointment.
“Could I have a hug?” asked her father.
Dani saw that the table was set as if they
were having a party, with tall glasses and
bright napkins. A wonderful smell wafted from
the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” Sadie asked hopefully.
Without waiting for an answer she got up and
went out to the kitchen to fetch the dinner.
Dani watched her go.
“What are we having?” she asked suspiciously.
“You’ll see.” Her father was beaming.
And there stood Sadie in the doorway with a
big roast chicken on a plate.
Dani’s face turned thunderous.
“What’s the matter now?” asked her father.
“I don’t eat babies,” said Dani.
“Babies?”
64
“Chickens are hen’s babies! Don’t you know that?”
“Since when do you not eat chicken?”
“Since summer.”
It was true. In the summer holidays Dani and Ella had sworn a holy oath never to eat meat from
animals that hadn’t had a chance to grow up and
be big.
That was fine on the island with Ella’s mother
and stepfather Paddy, but it clearly wasn’t the case back home.
“With us, you eat the food that’s served,” declared her father.
“But Ella and I…” Dani tried.
Her father flared up. “Basta!”
Italian again! That means:
That’s enough!
Dani felt her bottom lip begin to tremble.
65
She had stopped crying a long time ago, but of
course now and then tears still rose inside her. It could happen once or twice a day. She swallowed
to keep them down.
She was about to sit down when her father
noticed her dirty hands. Dani had to go and wash
them.
She scrubbed her fingers long and hard, but
when she came back her father still didn’t seem
satisfied.
“Did you ever thank Sadie for the trip you went
on?” he asked.
66
Some weeks earlier, when her father was still in
hospital, Sadie had taken Dani and Ella to visit her sister who had Iceland ponies.
“Thanks after it happened,” muttered Dani.
“You haven’t told me a thing about it,” her
father continued. “Did you have fun?”
“Not much,” answered Dani.
Her father wrinkled his forehead.
“Why not?”
Dani didn’t answer.
The excursion to the Iceland ponies had been a
catastrophe, but he didn’t know that.
67
Chapter 14
This is how it had gone.
Lisette, Sadie’s sister, wasn’t at home when they arrived, but it didn’t matter.
Sadie was used to looking after the ponies and
there were two ponies in the stable that Lisette
had brought in from the field.
“This is Vilda.” Sadie pointed to a brown mare.
Then she pointed to a little, fat pony with a long mane. “And that’s Shaggy.”
Ella went straight up and patted the ponies but
Dani stayed at a respectful distance.
“Which one would you like to ride on?” Sadie
asked her.
“I don’t know,” said Dani. “Maybe that one.”
She pointed to the fat pony.
“Shaggy.” said Sadie. “Would you like Shaggy?”
“Yes, because isn’t Vilda wild?” said Dani.
“Both are quiet and calm…” said Sadie.
“I’ll take the fat one anyway,” Dani decided.
“He probably can’t run very fast.”
“Don’t be so sure of that!” Sadie laughed.
“Shaggy can be quick when he wants to.”
What did she mean? You could hear in the name
that Vilda was the wild one.
68
Sadie saddled up the ponies and led them out of the stable yard. There she helped Dani mount and
made sure that everything was as it should be
before she went to Ella.
Dani looked nervously around. The day was
grey and windy. Big dark clouds loomed over the
trees.
Ella didn’t need any help. She goes to riding
school and is almost as used to ponies as she is to guinea pigs.
She sprang up into the saddle, shortened her
stirrups, gathered up the reins and waited
impatiently to head for the riding track.
“Bravo, Ella,” said Sadie. “We’ll follow you with Shaggy.”
She took hold of the reins.
“I’ll lead him to start with. Sit up straight,
Dani!”
Dani sat up straight.
69
As long as Sadie led Shaggy around the big riding track, everything went well.
But when they had been walking for a bit, Sadie
said: “I’ll let you go now and stand in the middle.
Is that all right?”
“Yes,” said Dani. “Yes, I think so.”
70
But Sadie had hardly stepped away before Shaggy
stopped to eat a tuft of grass. He was obviously
hungry.
“Come on,” called Sadie. “Use your heels,
Dani!”
Dani knew what using your heels meant
because Ella had taught her. You dig your heels
into the pony’s sides. Then the pony knows it’s
time to go.
Dani kicked gently, but Shaggy didn’t budge.
“Give him a good kick,” Sadie yelled.
Dani kicked harder.
71
Nothing happened except that Shaggy snatched at another tuft of grass.
Sadie came running back.
“Has he had anything to eat today?” Dani
wondered.
“Yes, he has,” said Sadie. “Off you go now,
Shaggy!”
Shaggy lifted his head and glared at her, but he
began to plod.
And they went around the riding track again.
Round and round.
Far up ahead, Vilda was walking with sprightly
steps.
Now and then Ella turned around and waved
happily to Dani.
Still, Dani felt worry growing inside her.
Suddenly Shaggy stopped again.
This time Sadie didn’t notice. She was standing in the middle again, facing Ella who was tired of
walking and had begun to trot instead.
Dani thought it was nice to sit still for a change.
She looked around in the wind.
That’s when it happened.
Something rustled up behind them and a black
plastic bag swept by.
72
Shaggy threw up his head and his ears went back.
Then everything happened lightning fast!
Shaggy wheeled around and took off at a gallop.
Ponies can get very frightened if something
unexpected turns up, even if it’s only an empty
bag.
Terrified, Dani clung to the saddle.
“Pull on the reins, Dani!” Ella yelled.
But Dani had already lost the reins. And the
stirrups, for that matter.
She managed to clutch onto Shaggy’s mane,
until he stopped short and bucked.
73
Then she flew off…
… and landed with a hard thump on the ground.
She l
ay there absolutely still, with her eyes
closed.
Sadie was beside her at once.
“Dani,” Sadie cried, sinking to her knees. “Can
you hear me?”
Dani didn’t answer.
Ella reined in her pony, dropped to the ground
and rushed over.
“What if Dani’s broken her neck?” she panted.
“No, she hasn’t,” said Sadie. “But I think she’s
fainted.”
“Help!” said Ella. “Wake up, Dani!”
Dani opened one eye and tried to sit up, but
Sadie stopped her.
74
“Keep still!”
“You did a somersault in the air,” Ella
explained.
Dani looked at Ella and smiled weakly.
“Did I?”
“Yes, you sure did!” said Ella.
“Do you feel sick?” Sadie asked.
“A little,” admitted Dani, looking at Shaggy,
who was wandering around eating grass as if
nothing had happened.
She tried to get up again, but Sadie held her
back.
“You must lie absolutely still. You might have a
concussion,” said Sadie, making a sort of cushion for Dani out of her jacket.
Dani sank back with her head on it.
75
For the rest of the time she just lay and watched Ella, who got Vilda to trot around the track, round and round.
Ella rode so beautifully on Vilda that it was a
pleasure to watch her.
Dani relaxed and enjoyed it.
But they hadn’t told Dani’s father any of this.
Even Dani hadn’t said a single word.
Nor had Sadie. She hardly dared to think what
could have happened to Dani.
How could she explain it to Gianni?
Only now, when he was home and sitting with
them at the dinner table, did she decide to say
exactly what had happened.
But there was no chance because suddenly the
doorbell rang.
Who could it be?
“Dani, go and open the door,” said her father.
76
Chapter 15
On the doorstep stood Grandma and Grandpa and
Dani’s cousin Sven.
“We just wanted to pop in and see how your
father is,” her grandfather explained.
“He’s in there.” Dani nodded towards the living
room where her father was talking in a low voice
to Sadie.
“Is someone else here?” asked Grandma.
“Yes…”
Grandma and Grandpa stepped into the hall
and peeked into the living room.
Grandma’s face fell.
77
But Grandpa
brightened up.
And Sven asked
what smelled so
good.
“It’s Sadie’s
roast chicken,”
said Dad. “Come
and try some!”
Grandpa collected
more chairs and
Sadie quickly set
three more
places.
Then Dad carved
the chicken and
everyone had to
hold out their
plates.
But just as he
went to put a
chicken wing on
Dani’s, she pulled
it away…
78
…and the wing landed on the tablecloth.
Dani’s father went red in the face.
“That is not okay, Dani!” he thundered.
And Dani burst into tears.
“It’s not so bad!” said Sadie, taking away the
wing. “I’ll go and heat up a corncob for Dani.”
As soon as Sadie had disappeared into the kitchen, Grandma started:
“Why is she here, Gianni?” she asked. “Don’t
you understand that Dani wants her father to
herself for once?”
“Not necessarily,” said Dad. “And anyway, we
talked about it this morning. Didn’t we, Dani?
You’re pleased that Sadie’s here, aren’t you?”
Dani stared at the tablecloth where a stain was
spreading.
79
“It doesn’t seem so.” Grandpa sounded worried.
“How could I be happy…” she sniffed.
“Yes, how could she be?” Grandma agreed.
“…when Ella’s unhappy?”
“Ella?” said Grandpa in surprise.
“What has she got to do with this?” Dani’s
father was just as surprised.
But they weren’t going to find out.
Dani left the table and rushed to her room and
slammed the door.
80
Chapter 16
Snow and Flake the guinea pigs jumped when the
door slammed and started chittering. Now
something was really wrong!
“Don’t be frightened.” Dani tried to calm them
and she took them out of their cage.
She dug in her pockets for something nice for
them to eat, but there were none of the usual
sunflower seeds, only a handful of sweet
wrappers.
And the necklaces!
81
“Maybe you want to hear what happened at Skansen today?” she said. “You’re probably the
only ones interested in my life!”
The guinea pigs pricked their ears.
But they weren’t going to hear the story either.
Dani fell silent, listening to the talk in the living room.
It sounded as if Grandma and Grandpa had
teamed up.
She tiptoed to the door and opened it a little
bit.
but Ella!” her father yelled.
“That’s not so strange,” Grandma said coldly,
“who else has she got? Only her grandfather and
me! And a father who behaves like a complete
idiot!”
“Gianni doesn’t mean any harm!” Grandpa tried
to calm her. “He’s just in love and a bit
distracted.”
“She’s got me too,” said Sven.
“And her friends at school!” Grandpa
suggested.
“What friends? You don’t mean those two
ratbags who are constantly trying to pinch her?”
82
Dani closed the door again, but it wasn’t long
before Sven opened it.
“Can I come in? I just want to know why Ella’s
unhappy.”
83
“Because she has such horrible classmates!”
said Dani. “And a teacher who says she’s crazy…”
“You don’t think she is?” Sven wondered.
“Of course she’s not! But she might be, if no
one does anything.”
Sven didn’t understand, and he wasn’t all that
interested either. He just wanted Dani to come out to the others in the living room.
“Let’s call Ella’s extra father,” he suggested,
and pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Paddy will sort it out. I have his number.”
Dani’s mouth fell open.
“Do you usually call him?”
“Can happen,” said Sven.
“How often?”
“Two or three times a day. We’re friends.”
“Are you?”
After the visit to the island in the summer Sven
counted Paddy as his extra father too, but Dani
didn’t know that.
84
It had begun when he was allowed to drive
Paddy’s motorboat and continued when they had
put the nets out together. And then Paddy gave
Sven his telephone number.
He tapped in the number and turned on the
speaker.
“Hi Sven!” came Paddy’s voice. “It’s been a
while! You haven’t called for several hours!”
“I know, I haven’t had time.”
“Has something happened?”
“Yeah, it seems so. Dani met Ella at Skansen, and she says she’s going crazy.”
“I know…” Paddy sighed. “She’s in a bad class.”
“Can’t you do something about it?” Sven asked.
“I’ve tried,” said Paddy.
“Have you talked to her teacher?”
“Absolutely. Ella’s mother and I have both
talked to her. Many times. But it doesn’t help.”
“Then she needs to change class. Or school,”
said Sven. “I did that. Then it was better.”
“Is that right? That’s probably the best idea.”
85
Dani nodded in agreement.
But all that would take time. Was there nothing
they could do for Ella right now?
Suddenly she had an idea. She left Sven to finish his conversation with Paddy and she hurried back
to the living room.
86
Chapter 17
The atmosphere at the table was tense and Sadie
was nowhere to be seen.
Where was she?
Dad reached out to Dani.
“Sit here with me!” he pleaded. “It’s so long
since I had my little girl on my knee!”
Dani wriggled, but he held on.
“Grandma says it’s my fault that you’re
unhappy.”
“Let go!” said Dani and she managed to free
herself.
She went to the kitchen where she found Sadie
washing the dishes.
Dani got straight to the point.
“Will you do something for me, Sadie?”
“What is it?” asked Sadie, lifting a plate to be
rinsed.
“Can you take me and Ella to the Iceland ponies
again?”
87
Sadie almost dropped the plate, but she caught
and held it under running water.
“Do you really want to go riding again?” she
asked.
“No, not me,” Dani explained, “but Ella. I’ll just watch.”
Sadie turned off the tap and put the plate to
one side.
“Aha,” she said. “I see. You want to make Ella