Keiko's Pony Rescue

  To Dax, my best friend’s new puppy. Welcome to the family!

  —C.V.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1: High Hopes

  Chapter 2: Cherry Blossom Farm

  Chapter 3: Early Birds and a Night Owl

  Chapter 4: Henhouse Helpers

  Chapter 5: The Naturals

  Chapter 6: Marigold in Trouble

  Chapter 7: Barnyard Slumber Party

  Chapter 8: Keiko’s Confession

  Chapter 9: A Winning Plan

  Chapter 10: New Arrivals

  Preview

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Keiko Hayashi held the fluffy, pint-size dog in her arms.

  “Aren’t you the cutest thing?” she cooed as she brushed the dog’s soft blonde fur out of its eyes. “What should we call you?”

  “You should be the one to name her,” said Keiko’s friend Jasmine Arroyo. “You were the first volunteer to see her when she came in.”

  The girls were volunteers at Rosa’s Refuge Animal Shelter along with their best friends, Sofia Davis and Madison Rosen. Jasmine’s mother, Dr. Arroyo, was about to give the dog her first checkup.

  “Hmmm,” Keiko said. “She’s a Pomeranian, right?”

  Dr. Arroyo nodded.

  “My mom had a Pomeranian when she was a little girl living in Okinawa, Japan,” Keiko said thoughtfully. “I know—I’ll call her Oki!”

  “That’s perfect!” Sofia squealed, clapping her hands. “It’s so cute, just like her. And she’s so tiny, I’m sure she’ll be adopted quickly. She’d make such a great pet.”

  Sofia sighed and looked longingly at the pup. She wanted a dog desperately, but she hadn’t been able to convince her parents that she was ready for such a big responsibility.

  The other girls smiled at their friend sympathetically.

  “Now let’s check Oki’s vital signs,” Dr. Arroyo said.

  “Signs? You mean like, ‘NO FLEAS ALLOWED’?” Sofia joked, her sense of humor back in a flash.

  Dr. Arroyo smiled. “Different kind of sign,” she replied. “I’ll listen to the dog’s breathing, record her temperature and weight, and check her heart rate and rhythm. If those are normal, it’s a sign the dog is healthy. I’ll write everything down in her chart so we have a record of the exam.”

  She pulled a pen from the pocket of her white lab coat and wrote down Oki’s temperature.

  “One hundred and two degrees?” Keiko cried, reading Dr. Arroyo’s note. “Oh no. She has a fever!” Keiko reached out one hand and stroked the dog’s fluffy fur, almost expecting it to be hot to the touch.

  But Dr. Arroyo shook her head. “Don’t worry, Keiko. In humans, a temperature of one hundred and two would be cause for concern, but in dogs, it’s perfectly normal. Their body temperature is higher than ours.”

  Keiko breathed a sigh of relief, tucking her short black hair behind her ears. “Oh good. Because then I would have been so worried about her! And I already have enough to worry about.”

  Madison looked at Keiko, raising one dark red eyebrow. “Really?” she asked. “What’s going on?”

  “Well,” Keiko replied, taking a deep breath, “I’ve been too nervous to tell you guys, but I entered an art contest! And I really, really want to win. But I don’t know if I will, and it’s making me so anxious!”

  “That’s exciting!” Jasmine said. “What kind of contest?”

  “The local art museum is sponsoring it,” Keiko explained. “If I win, my drawings will be part of a special exhibit. And then I’ll be a real artist!”

  “Well, of course you’ll win,” Sofia said, tossing her braids confidently over her shoulder. “And you’re already a real artist.”

  “Sofia’s right,” Madison agreed, nodding. “You’re the best artist in our grade, Keiko.”

  “Thanks, guys,” Keiko replied, blushing. “But I’m sure a lot of other talented kids entered the contest. Still, I hope I get it!”

  “You will,” Jasmine said firmly. “So don’t even worry about it.”

  Keiko shrugged, as if she wasn’t convinced. “Luckily, I’m leaving soon to visit my aunt’s farm for two weeks. That will take my mind off the contest. I leave the day after school ends for summer.”

  Sofia glanced at Keiko. “That sounds amazing! You’ll get to hang out with tons of animals.”

  “Your aunt has a farm?” Madison asked. “I thought she was a photographer.”

  Keiko had shown her friends the photographs her aunt had taken of the famous cherry blossom trees in Japan. The photos were so good that they had been displayed in an art gallery in Tokyo. Keiko was proud that her aunt was an artist, just as she hoped to be one day.

  “Aunt Yumi is a photographer,” Keiko answered. “But after she married Uncle Henry, they bought a farm together. They have chickens, cows, pigs, and sheep—and they sell eggs, vegetables, and homemade butter.”

  “That’s so cool,” said Jasmine. “You’re going to love spending two weeks there.”

  “Except we won’t be with you!” Sofia chimed in. “Won’t you miss us?”

  Keiko nodded. “Of course I will.”

  Madison propped her elbow on the exam table and slumped down, resting her cheek on her fist. “Your aunt’s farm sounds awesome. I wish we could all go.”

  Keiko gave her friends a big smile. “Why don’t you?” she said, her dark eyes lighting up. “I’ll have to ask my aunt and uncle, but they love introducing new people to the farm. I bet they’d let me bring a few friends, so long as you agreed to help out.”

  “Of course we would help!” shouted Jasmine so loudly that Oki yelped and buried her head under her tiny paws. Jasmine winced and scratched Oki behind her ears. “Sorry,” she said softly. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I just got too excited!” She turned to her mother. “Well, at least we know her hearing is fine! Anyway, could I go with Keiko to the farm for a couple of weeks?”

  “I’ll have to discuss it with your dad, but I don’t see why not,” said Dr. Arroyo. “If it’s okay with Keiko’s parents, and her aunt and uncle, it’s okay with me.”

  “Yes!” shouted Jasmine happily.

  “What about you two?” Keiko asked, looking at Madison and Sofia.

  Madison smiled brightly. “If my mom says yes, I’m in,” she said.

  “Me, too,” Sofia added. “You guys aren’t going on a farm adventure without me!”

  Keiko clapped her hands, excited that she might have company on her trip. Visiting the farm would be even more fun with her friends by her side.

  Three weeks later, the girls squished into Keiko’s parents’ minivan for the two-hour drive to the farm.

  “Is there really a pond to swim in?” Sofia asked excitedly.

  “Sure is,” answered Keiko’s mother. “My sister loves the water; that’s part of the reason she and Henry chose this farm.”

  “Sweet!” cried Madison.

  Keiko giggled happily. It was great to see her friends so psyched to visit the farm, but no one was more excited than Keiko. Not only would she get to see her aunt and uncle and all the animals, but she’d get to spend time drawing and painting. “I’m going to sketch every day. If I win that contest—”

  “You mean when you win,” Jasmine corrected her.

  Keiko shot her friend a grateful smile. “When I win, I’ll have even more sketches to add to the exhibition.”

  “We’ll help make sure you have time to sketch every day while we’re at the farm,” Madison said.

  Sofia nodded. “I guess we’d better make the most of these two weeks before you get so busy with your art that you don’t have time for us anymore!”

  Before the gi
rls knew it, the car turned onto a long dirt road and passed under an arch with a sign that read CHERRY BLOSSOM FARM. There was a beautiful flower on the sign, which Keiko knew had been designed by her aunt. On one side of the road, cows and goats grazed lazily in the sun. On the other, Keiko saw a bright red barn with round bales of hay stacked just inside its open doors. Straight ahead stood a large yellow farmhouse with a wide wraparound porch dotted with small pots of pink flowers. Keiko saw a calico cat perched on the steps, licking her paws and wiping them over her ears, as if she was making herself pretty for guests. It was a picture-perfect scene.

  In the center of the porch stood her aunt and uncle, smiling and waving. Aunt Yumi wore faded jeans, a light blue T-shirt, and muddy boots. Next to them was a slightly older woman Keiko didn’t recognize. As soon as her father stopped the car, Keiko unbuckled her seat belt, pushed open her door, and ran up the steps. “Aunt Yumi! Uncle Henry!” she gushed.

  “Hi, Keiko!” said her uncle. He gave her a quick hug, then stood back to take a closer look at her. “You’ve gotten so tall!”

  Aunt Yumi hugged her and Keiko’s parents, too, then greeted the other girls, who were now climbing the stairs. “And these must be your friends,” she said.

  “Not just friends,” Keiko replied. “Best friends!” She quickly introduced Jasmine, Sofia, and Madison.

  “Any friend of Keiko’s is welcome here,” said Aunt Yumi. Then she gestured to the other woman on the porch. “This is my friend Grace. She and her husband, Paul, own the farm on the other side of the pond.”

  “I’ve heard so much about you,” Grace said to Keiko. “I just came by to say hello.”

  “Looks like you aren’t the only one,” said Sofia as she glanced at the cat. She was busy sniffing the girls’ sneakers and rubbing her furry head against each of their legs.

  “This is Sakura,” said Aunt Yumi. “That’s the Japanese word for ‘cherry blossom.’ She’s named after the farm. Sakura always comes out to meet visitors, don’t you?”

  Madison reached down to pet the pretty cat, who had an orange spot over one eye and a black patch covering her back. Sakura sniffed at Madison’s hand and licked her.

  Grace laughed. “Now that I see you girls have been properly welcomed, I should be getting back to Marigold.”

  “Is Marigold your daughter?” Keiko asked, curious. Maybe there was another girl their age nearby.

  “Not exactly,” Grace said with a laugh. “Marigold is my pony. I’ve had her since she was only a few months old. She’s expecting a foal soon.”

  “Ooh!” squealed Jasmine. “I’ve never seen a newborn foal!”

  “Me, neither,” said Keiko, Madison, and Sofia at the same time. The girls giggled.

  “Well, you may have your chance soon. You’re welcome to come by my farm while you’re here and meet Marigold.”

  Not long ago, Keiko would have been too afraid to meet a pony or a horse up close. They were so big, and Keiko used to be afraid of even smaller animals, like dogs. But thanks to the time she’d spent at the animal shelter, Keiko now knew sometimes the largest animals had the biggest hearts. She was looking forward to meeting Marigold. Maybe she could even draw the pony and add the piece to her exhibit—if she won the art contest, that is.

  After dinner and a quick tour of the farm, Keiko’s parents said their good-byes and headed home, and Aunt Yumi settled the girls in for the night. The four of them had bunk beds in a large upstairs room. Keiko opened the window beside her bed so she could hear the faint moos of cows in the barn and smell the dewy grass of the field.

  “Get a good night’s sleep, girls,” said Aunt Yumi from the doorway. “Tomorrow you’ll all be real members of this farm, which means getting up bright and early to help with chores.”

  “We’ll be ready!” Keiko promised.

  But the girls were way too excited to go right to sleep. Keiko chose the bed closest to the window. Then she pulled out her sketchbook and sat up against the pillows, drawing a picture of the barn.

  “I can’t wait to meet all the animals tomorrow,” Jasmine said as she flopped down on the top bunk and leaned over to see Keiko’s drawing. “Hey, that’s really good. I just know you’re going to win that contest.”

  “I hope so,” Keiko said softly. She wanted to win so badly.

  “You totally will,” Madison added. “Can we come to the exhibit?”

  “Of course we’ll go!” Sofia cried.

  “I don’t know,” Keiko said, suddenly feeling nervous butterflies in her stomach. She wished her friends would stop talking about the contest. It just made it harder not knowing the results yet.

  Keiko closed her sketchbook on the half-finished drawing of the barn and crawled under the covers. “We’d better get to sleep.”

  Keiko hoped her friends were right about the contest. If they were wrong, Keiko realized she wasn’t the only one who would be disappointed.

  “Wake up, sleepyheads!” Aunt Yumi called as she knocked gently on the girls’ door early the next morning. “It’s time to get to work.”

  Keiko opened her eyes, slid out of bed, and peeked out the window. The sun was just starting to rise, and the sky was streaked with red and orange. They would be great colors to add to her barn drawing later.

  “Good morning!” Keiko called to her friends.

  Sophia groaned as she sat up, stretching. “Didn’t we just go to sleep?”

  “Not quite,” Aunt Yumi said with a laugh.

  “I changed my mind about farm life,” Madison said groggily. “No one should wake up this early for any reason!”

  “I know it’s hard at first,” Aunt Yumi said. “But you’ll get used to it. I thought you might want to feed some adorable baby calves, but if you’d rather sleep in …”

  Jasmine gasped. “There are baby cows?”

  In a flash, all four girls were up and dressed and following Aunt Yumi to the barn. When she swung open the doors, two tiny calves were waiting inside. They had white coats spotted with large black swirls that matched their ears, which stuck out like teacup handles. Every few seconds, they swiped their tongues hungrily over their mouths.

  “This is Rosebud,” Aunt Yumi said, gesturing to the calf on the right, “and next to her is Lily. They get bottle-fed every day.”

  “Why don’t they drink straight from their mother like kittens do?” Madison wondered aloud.

  “They did for the first few days,” Aunt Yumi replied. “But now we bottle-feed them so we have enough milk to make butter to sell at the farmers market. Otherwise the calves would drink it all! How would you girls like to help milk their moms?”

  Keiko’s eyes bulged in surprise. “Us?”

  “Yes, you,” said Aunt Yumi, smiling. “Don’t worry. I’ll show you how to do it.” Aunt Yumi waved the girls to an enclosure at the end of the barn with two larger cows. They had the same teacup handle–shaped ears and cookies-and-cream coats, but they were much larger than the calves, with long, swinging tails.

  “Good morning, Buttercup! How’s it going, Lulu?” Aunt Yumi called as she gently patted them.

  Aunt Yumi placed a large metal bucket under each cow. Then she sat down on the stool next to Buttercup. “We sometimes use a machine to milk the cows, but today I’ll show you how to do it by hand.” She stroked the cow’s udder, gently squeezing two of the long teats underneath. A moment later, milk began to spurt into the bucket in rhythmic streams.

  “That doesn’t look so hard,” said Keiko confidently. “Can I try?”

  “Step right up!” Aunt Yumi replied.

  Keiko sat down and carefully wrapped her hand around a teat, just as her aunt had. At first, nothing happened. She angled it toward herself to see if something was wrong and squeezed. Squirt! A stream of milk splashed her cheek, making her friends giggle hysterically.

  “Lesson number one,” said her aunt. “Always aim for the bucket!”

  Keiko wiped off her cheek and tried again. Milking the cows wasn’t quite as easy as her aunt h
ad made it look, but eventually Keiko got the hang of it. Each of the girls took turns, and soon they had two big buckets full of fresh milk.

  “We did it!” Sofia cried.

  “Not bad for first-timers,” Aunt Yumi agreed, nodding approvingly.

  The girls watched as Aunt Yumi poured the milk into bottles and screwed on rubber nipple tops. Aunt Yumi gave one to Keiko. As excited as she was, Keiko felt nervous, too. What if she did it wrong?

  She held the bottle cautiously above Rosebud’s head, tilting it down toward the calf’s mouth. Rosebud quickly latched onto the nipple, pulling on it with soft suckling sounds. Keiko gasped in delight. “She loves it!” she said. Then she handed the bottle to Jasmine so she could take a turn.

  “I’m so glad we woke up for this!” cried Madison as she fed Lily.

  “Totally worth it,” agreed Sofia as she stroked Lily’s head.

  Keiko smiled at her friends. She was having such a good time getting used to farm life, she had almost forgotten about the art contest!

  After they finished feeding the calves, it was time to clean up and have breakfast themselves. As Aunt Yumi and Uncle Henry served the girls plates of fresh scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit, there was a knock at the door.

  Aunt Yumi opened it and her neighbor Grace came in, looking worried.

  “I’m so sorry to bother you during breakfast, but I need your help,” said Grace.

  “What’s wrong?” Aunt Yumi asked, concerned.

  Grace took a deep breath. “My mother is ill, so Paul and I have to fly to Florida tomorrow. But we can’t leave Marigold unattended in her condition. I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you and Henry be willing to look after her while I’m gone? Our farmhands will take care of most things, but Marigold will need special attention.”

  “Of course!” Aunt Yumi said immediately. “We’ll make sure she’s safe and sound.”

  “Can we help, too?” Keiko asked. She looked around at her friends. “We’d be happy to, right, guys?”

  Sofia and Jasmine nodded eagerly.

  “Definitely!” Madison agreed.

  “That would be wonderful,” Grace replied, sighing. “It makes me feel better to know that Marigold will be in good hands. I’ll leave instructions before we go.”