Free Prize Problems by Janet Rising

wondering how such a mix of ponies came to be at High Grove Farm. Perhaps they’d been cheap, or a group sold together. I mean, what were the chances? On the other hand, how did I know all stables didn’t have such colorful characters?
    We’d turned the ponies out and tidied the stables by the time Sharon and Caramel returned. Sharon shook her head. “I’m sorry, Amber, but I couldn’t find it,” she said, her face downcast.
    â€œOh no,” wailed Amber, “I can’t believe I’ve lost Silver. I won’t have any luck, now.”
    â€œMom’s going to kill you!” declared Zoe. “She’s always telling you not to wear it when you go riding.”
    â€œOh, put a sock in it, Zoe. You’re so bossy sometimes!” Amber shouted at her, and they had another fight which only stopped when Annabelle waded in.
    â€œAre you absolutely sure you had it on when you went riding this morning?” Annabelle asked Amber.
    Amber sighed. “I’m certain. I always put Silver on first thing in the morning.”
    â€œBut you got up late this morning,” said Zoe. “Are you sure you didn’t forget ’cause you were in a hurry to go and get Sorrel saddled?”
    Amber looked thoughtful. “I’ll go and check my bedside table,” she said, running upstairs. Sharon looked less than pleased at the possibility of having spent all that time looking for something which was upstairs, but Amber soon returned, looking crestfallen. “No Silver. I must have put him on this morning!”
    Annabelle sighed. “In that case, we’ll keep looking when we’re out riding, but it doesn’t seem very promising, does it?” She turned to all of us. “If anyone else has anything valuable with them, it might be a good idea to keep it safe upstairs, rather than risk losing it out riding.”
    My hand went immediately to Epona, safely stashed in my pocket, as always. There was no way I was storing her in my bag upstairs. My little stone statue of the Celtic goddess sitting sideways on her horse would go with me wherever I went.
    Amber was amazingly philosophical about her lost lucky charm—she was soon laughing and splashing about in the swimming pool. Zoe seemed more upset that her sister had been so careless. Amber just shrugged her shoulders when I quizzed her about it.
    â€œI’m really upset, actually,” she said, “but what can I do about it? If Silver turns up, fantastic. If not…well, I’ll have to find another lucky charm. He couldn’t have been that hot as a lucky charm if he’s managed to get himself lost, could he?”
    â€œBut I thought you said he was valuable?” I said.
    â€œYeah, he was. I’m not looking forward to telling my mom I’ve lost him—she bought him for me for my birthday. But then,” she said, grinning at me, “I probably won’t get a chance to—I bet Zoe’s dying to tell her!”
    That evening, Mom called me on my cell phone.
    â€œHow’s it going,” she asked me. “Are you having a fabulous time?”
    I assured her I was and told her all about Sprout.
    â€œHow did he react when you started talking to him?” she asked. I told her he was still getting used to it. Then I asked her how she was and whether she’d been out anywhere nice.
    â€œOh, Pia, I’m very excited,” she said. “I think this could be The One!”
    â€œWhich one, Leonard or Simon,” I asked, trying unsuccessfully to conjure up an image of either of Mom’s two suitors. Surely neither of them could be The One.
    â€œWho?” asked Mom. “Oh no, Pia, Leonard’s out of the running.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œHe turned up on a date wearing those ugly ’80s style shoes I hate.”
    I didn’t know what she was going on about. When it came to men, Mom seemed to have a language all her own. Assuming then that