Keiko's Pony Rescue Read online

  “It’s so soft!” Madison exclaimed in surprise.

  “And light,” whispered Sofia as she carefully petted her chick on its back with one finger.

  “This is so cool,” Jasmine said in awe.

  When they had put all the chicks back in the box and quietly left the chicken coop, Keiko glanced up at her aunt.

  “Isn’t it time for us to feed the hens?” she asked.

  “Not today,” Aunt Yumi replied. “It’s your last day here, so your uncle and I will take care of the chores. But there’s one last thing I haven’t had a chance to show you girls yet. Follow me!”

  Aunt Yumi led the girls past the barn to a tall tree. A small tree house was wedged between its branches like a shoebox, and a rope ladder dangled down the side.

  “From that tree house, you can see the whole farm,” said Aunt Yumi. “I figured you girls would like to climb up and take one last look before you go. And I thought Keiko might want to do one last sketch before she goes.”

  Keiko took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said softly. “But you know I didn’t win the contest, right?” Keiko was sure her uncle had told Aunt Yumi the news.

  “You can try again next year,” Aunt Yumi responded. “You can’t give up so quickly. Skill takes practice. After all, what would Daisy have done if you had given up on her?”

  Keiko’s friends nodded in agreement.

  “Will you guys stay with me?” Keiko asked.

  “Of course!” cried Madison.

  And with that, the girls climbed up into the tree house to enjoy the beautiful farm one last time, from above.

  Later that morning, after the girls had milked Buttercup and Lulu for the last time, Keiko, Sofia, Madison, and Jasmine headed over to Grace’s farm to say good-bye to Marigold and Daisy. The ponies trotted right over to the fence and nuzzled the girls happily.

  Then Keiko pulled her sketchbook out of her backpack and tore out a single page. “I wanted you to have this,” she said, handing the drawing to Grace.

  It was the picture she had drawn of Marigold and Daisy, just after the filly was born. “Oh, it’s beautiful!” Grace cried. “You’re a wonderful artist. I love it.”

  Keiko smiled as she watched Daisy trot around the paddock one last time. Her heart felt full. She was so glad to have people around who believed in her, like her best friends, Aunt Yumi, and Grace. And she knew she would remember this summer for a long time to come.

  Turn the page for a sneak peek at Forever Friends #4, SOFIA’S PUPPY LOVE!

  Sofia Davis marveled at the nest of cat hair at the bottom of the cage as she pulled on a pair of bright yellow gloves.

  “Wow … I had no idea cats shed so much,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Yuck!”

  Sofia’s friends Keiko Hayashi, Madison Rosen, and Jasmine Arroyo squeezed in next to her and peered into the cage. It was a Saturday, and, as usual, the four friends were volunteering at Rosa’s Refuge Animal Shelter along with Jasmine’s veterinarian mother, Dr. Arroyo.

  “Sorry, Nugget,” Sofia added as she glanced down at the orange tabby. “No offense.”

  “Come on, fur ball,” Madison cooed as she scooped up the cat. “Let’s get you settled in an empty cat carrier while we clean your cage.”

  Jasmine grinned at Sofia. “If you think a little cat hair is gross, how are you going to own a dog? Most dogs shed even more than cats. And you’ll have to pick up poop on walks at least twice a day.”

  “True!” added Keiko, nodding slowly. “I’m crazy about Sadie, but I’d love it if she learned to use a toilet.”

  Madison giggled. “That’s why I have cats—they use a litter box!”

  Sofia wished she could chime in with a pet story of her own. She wanted a dog more than anything, but her parents weren’t eager to add a furry member to their family. For now, Sofia had to be content spending time with the dogs at the shelter.

  “You know, comparing how much a dog sheds with how much a cat sheds would be a great science fair project!” Jasmine said. “Too bad I already decided to use a potato to make an electric circuit.”

  “I’m going to melt chocolate to figure out the exact temperature when it changes from a solid to a liquid,” Madison said as she gently scratched Nugget behind her ears. “I’m going to see if melting different kinds of chocolate makes a difference.”

  “Yum!” Keiko replied as she held open a trash bag for Jasmine. “Afterward, you can eat all the chocolate!”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?” Jasmine said, sighing.

  “Those are both great ideas,” Keiko said. “I’m going to build a parachute for an egg. Hopefully I can drop the egg without breaking it! What about you, Sofia? Are you going to enter the science fair?”

  “Yeah, you’re the best science student in class,” Jasmine added.

  “I want to,” Sofia replied. She twisted one of her reddish-brown braids around her finger thoughtfully. “I haven’t come up with any great ideas yet. I’m just waiting to be inspire—”

  Sofia was interrupted by two animal control officers hurrying through the door carrying a large dog crate. They were followed by Mrs. Wallace, the owner of the shelter.

  “You can put her right here,” Mrs. Wallace said, and the officers carefully set the crate down on the counter.

  “We just need you to fill out these forms.” The female officer held out a clipboard for Mrs. Wallace.

  Sofia was dying to know what was going on. She glanced at her friends, but they looked just as clueless as she was. The girls waited patiently as Mrs. Wallace finished the paperwork. By the time the animal control officers had left, Sofia was ready to burst.

  “Who’s in the crate?” she asked Mrs. Wallace.

  “This is a new resident,” Mrs. Wallace explained. “There were some reports that a dog had been abandoned in Greenlake Park. Those two officers responded to the call, and they found Penny and brought her here.”

  The girls inched closer. Penny sniffed Jasmine’s fingers and wagged her tail. Then she lowered her snout onto her paws. She seemed friendly but tired.

  “How do you know her name?” Jasmine asked.

  “We don’t,” Mrs. Wallace explained. “But the officers named her on the way over here. It makes it easier to fill out the paperwork.”

  She lifted the crate and carried it into the examination room.

  “Come on, girls,” she called over her shoulder. “It’s time for her medical exam. She seems very gentle, so it’s fine for you to watch.”

  Jasmine’s mom gently removed Penny from the crate, and the girls gathered around the metal exam table. Penny lay there, tiredly resting her head against Sofia’s hand. In this position, Sofia could see that the dog’s stomach looked puffy.

  “Is she sick?” Sofia asked with concern.

  “I don’t think so, but let’s find out,” Dr. Arroyo replied. First she examined the dog’s eyes and ears. Then she took Penny’s temperature.

  “Her temperature is a little low,” Dr. Arroyo said as she used her stethoscope to listen to the dog’s chest.

  “The heart and lungs sound good,” she announced as she moved to Penny’s stomach. She pressed the dog’s belly gently, using her stethoscope to listen as well.

  “Hmmm,” Dr. Arroyo murmured. “That explains the low temperature.”

  “What is it?” Sofia asked, her face worried. “Is she okay?”

  “She’s just fine,” Dr. Arroyo replied. “She’s also pregnant. And by the looks of things, she’s about two months along. She’ll be giving birth any day now.”

  Madison stroked Penny’s back and gave her a smile. “Hear that, girl? You’re going to be a mom!”

  “I’d like to do an X-ray so we can get an idea of how many puppies she’s having,” Dr. Arroyo told Mrs. Wallace. “The X-ray will also help me see how big the puppies are so I can determine whether Penny’s likely to have any difficulties with the birth. Why don’t you all wait in the other room and I’ll call for you when I’m done.”

&nbs
p; Mrs. Wallace ushered the excited girls out of the exam room.

  “Wow!” Sofia said. “We’re going to have puppies! That’s so exciting.”

  “We?” Jasmine teased her friend. “It seems like Penny’s the one having the puppies.”

  “But the puppies will be born here at the shelter,” Sofia replied, beaming. “And we all volunteer here. So yes, we’re having puppies!”

  A few minutes later, Dr. Arroyo poked her head out of the exam room.

  “Okay, you can come in now,” she said.

  As soon as the girls and Mrs. Wallace were back in the room, Dr. Arroyo flipped a switch above the exam table. A screen lit up and an image appeared.

  “Whoa!” Sofia cried, leaning closer. On the screen she could see the large curve of Penny’s belly, and inside it what looked like a bunch of tiny skeletons. “Are those … skulls?”

  “That’s right,” said Dr. Arroyo with a smile. “It’s crowded in there, so I can’t say for certain, but I think she’s going to have five puppies.” She pointed out each of the five skulls. She was about to turn off the screen when Sofia stopped her.

  “Wait, isn’t that another one?” she asked, pointing to a round object peeking out from beneath Penny’s spine.

  Dr. Arroyo peered closely at the screen. “Hmm … it’s hard to say. It might just be some food in her stomach. Or you might be right. That could be a sixth puppy playing hide-and-seek.”

  Sofia grinned at what she hoped was one more puppy. “Found you!” she whispered.

  About the Author

  Crystal Velasquez was born in the Bronx, New York. She studied English and creative writing at Pennsylvania State University and is a graduate of NYU’s Summer Publishing Institute. She lives in Flushing, New York, and hopes to adopt a new puppy very soon.

  Thank you to the Freier family—Drs. Grace and Dale Freier Jr., Dale III, Mark, Josiah, and Abigail—owners of Every Season Farm, the inspiration for Cherry Blossom Farm. Special thanks to Dr. Heather Wiedrick for her veterinary expertise.

  Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover art by Cathi Mingus, © 2018 American Girl

  Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll

  © 2018 American Girl. All American Girl marks are trademarks of American Girl. Used under license by Scholastic Inc.

  First printing 2018

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-11496-6

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