At the Premiere
by
JoAnn S. Dawson
Copyright 2011 JoAnn S. Dawson,
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0483-7
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
1.
Interesting News
“Star! Will you just stand still while I tighten your girth? I don’t have any treats for you right now!” Jody scolded. Although Star of Wonder, the ornery colt, was cross-tied in the aisle of Lucky Foot Stable he somehow had learned to twist his neck in such a way that his muzzle could just reach inside the pocket of Jody’s barn jacket. This was the position he held now, nuzzling and nipping at the fabric, searching for a sugar cube while Jody tried in vain to pull the billet straps tighter on the saddle.
“I’ll hold him for you,” Mary giggled, emerging from Gypsy’s stall with brush in hand. “I’m almost done grooming Gypsy.”
The girls had spent the better part of June, every day since school let out, working with Star. He stood fairly still for grooming and allowed Jody to pick his hooves with no trouble, and even accepted the saddle and bridle without protest. His only bad habit was his constant search for treats, and Mary and Jody both knew that this was their own fault.
“I guess we’d better stop spoiling him altogether,” Mary sighed, kissing Star on the very tip of his muzzle. “You know what Willie said.”
“What did Willie say?” Willie said, peering around the corner of the stable door. Willie, the elderly cowhand on the McMurray farm, always seemed to appear out of nowhere, usually when the girls were talking about things they didn’t want him to hear.
“Oh! Willie…um…we were just saying how good Star has been lately and how we could probably start putting our weight on his back pretty soon,” Mary fibbed. “He’s going to be three years old on Christmas Eve, after all!”
Star took just that opportunity to fling up his head, dislodging Mary’s hand from his halter. He snorted once and then nuzzled her jeans pocket, nipping and pulling at the denim.
“Mmhmm,” Willie replied, narrowing his eyes at the girls. “I don’t s’pose you’ve been spoilin’ him with sugar, have you?” As Willie spoke, he picked up the yellow box of sugar cubes from the top section of Jody’s tack box and peered inside at the nearly empty space. The girls glanced at each other and then looked shame-faced at their shoes.
“Now, I told you before, if you want him to quit nippin’ and pushin’ and nuzzlin’ around your pockets, you got to stop givin’ him treats,” Willie said sternly. “If you want to make him into a biter, you’re on your way.” Willie turned and scratched Star on the shoulder. “But that’s not what I come to tell you.”
Mary and Jody perked up their ears at this, almost forgetting they were being scolded. “What, Willie?” Jody asked. “What did you come to tell us?”
Willie continued scratching the special spot on Star’s shoulder until Star stretched out his neck and closed his eyes with pleasure. The girls knew better than to push Willie for an answer, so they stood watching him in expectant silence. Finally he turned to them and pulled on his ear lobe.
“You remember the movie, I reckon?” Willie said, looking up at the ceiling.
“The movie? You mean the one they shot here at the farm, with me and Jody and Star and Gypsy? Of course we remember the movie, Willie. It was just last summer!”
“And that’s why we still have Star,” Jody added gratefully. “You paid for him with your own wrangler money, Willie.”
“Well, it seems that the movie’s all ready to be shown at the theaters, and there’s goin’ to be a premiere,” Willie said.
Mary’s mouth flew open at this pronouncement. “A premiere!” she shouted, so loudly that Star’s eyes widened and he took a nervous step backward on the crossties.
“Hush, now, you’re scarin’ Star half to death,” Willie said gruffly, trying to stifle a grin.
“But, Willie,” Jody asked breathlessly, “what do you mean? Is it going to be nearby? Can we go?”
“Will there be a red carpet? Will Brian McVey be there?” Mary added, then blushed beet red at her own question. Brian McVey was the handsome young star of the movie, and Mary still remembered with dismay her embarrassing outburst the one time he had talked to her on the set.
Willie ignored that part of the question and turned to Jody. “Well, it’s not too nearby… but it’s close enough.”
The girls stared wide-eyed at Willie, trying to absorb this information. A real movie premiere, and they, Mary and Jody, might be going!
“Now, don’t go off half-crazy. Put Star in his stall, and if you sit down and be quiet, I’ll tell you what’s what.”
Jody quickly and silently took Star off the crossties and led him into his stall. Then both girls sat obediently on a bale of straw and leaned forward expectantly, remembering to be quiet. At that moment, Finnegan the cow-herding dog padded lazily through the door and looked from one face to another, as if he too awaited the upcoming report. Hearing nothing, he lay down and rested his head on Jody’s foot.
“Well, it seems that your part,” Willie began, “you know, the scene where Miss Beaumont teaches you in your first ridin’ lesson?”
The girls nodded.
“That part stayed in the movie. Meanin’ they decided not to cut it out in the editing room.”
“What do you mean, Willie? You mean after filming that part all day long, they could actually have cut it out altogether?” Mary asked incredulously, forgetting to be quiet.
Willie chuckled. “Yes, that’s what I mean. It happens all the time. Why, I’ve seen them cut out scenes that took days and days to shoot.”
The girls looked at each other in shock.
“But the point is that it didn’t get cut out. So you two are in the movie.”
Mary and Jody clapped their hands and whooped so loudly that Finnegan jumped up in fright and barked at some imaginary assailant.
“Oh, sorry, Finney!” Mary giggled, patting him reassuringly. “Willie, does this mean that we get invited to the premiere because we’re in the movie?”
“Well, it doesn’t always mean that. But it seems the producers have a plan for you two, and they hope it will bring some extra attention to the movie.”
Willie
