Cryptid Frontier (Cryptid Zoo Book 7) by Gerry Griffiths

Author:Gerry Griffiths [Griffiths, Gerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severed Press
Published: 2021-01-18T22:00:00+00:00

20

SADDLING UP

Astuto squatted on the porch across from Sophia while she shuffled three inverted cups in circular motions on the deck, trying to confuse the troll. He watched intently, never once taking his eyes off the swiftly moving cups.

Sophia stopped, lining the cups in a single row. “Okay, see if you can find it this time.”

Astuto leaned forward. He sniffed each cup. After some determination, he lifted the third cup. There was nothing underneath.

“Ha ha,” Sophia said. “Fooled you again.” She lifted the middle cup, revealing a quarter coin piece. “That’s the fourth time in a row I’ve won.”

The troll looked up and pointed to Sophia’s thin necklace with a topaz gem draped down the front of her neck. He repeatedly jabbed his finger at the cups and back to the necklace. Astuto patted the small wooden box by his side. He lifted the lid so Sophia could see that it was filled with more coins. He pushed the box toward Sophia.

“You want to bet all of that against my necklace?” Sophia said. “You know you’re going to lose and it will all be mine. Okay.” Sophia reached behind her neck and undid the clasp. She placed the jewelry under a cup. “Say goodbye to all your money.”

With a quick slight of hand, Sophia moved the three cups around, doing her best to trick the troll. This time she did it twice as long as before.

Finally she stopped. “Ta-da.”

Astuto sniffed the first cup, then the second. But instead of using his nose to distinguish if the third cup was indeed the one with Sophia’s necklace, he snatched up the cup and grabbed the piece of jewelry along with his coin box, and raced off down the porch steps.

“Hey, come back here you. Momma gave me that,” Sophia said, realizing Astuto had been playing her the whole time like a pool hustler. She heard her father call out her name and figured she’d get her necklace back from the sly troll later.

She ran down the porch steps and joined her father, who was leading the brown and white pinto out of its stall. He looped the reins around the fence post.

Sophia reached up and stroked the horse’s cheek.

“That’s good,” Miguel said. “He likes that.”

“Am I going to ride Scout?” Sophia asked. She was wearing a cotton shirt, long jean skirt, a pair of cowgirl boots, and one of Camilla’s sombreros with a chin string.

“Yeah, he’s more your size. Let me show you how to saddle him up. First we start with a fitted pad.” Miguel placed the thick, contoured pad onto Scout’s back. “Next goes the blanket for added protection.” Miguel made sure the heavy fabric was situated evenly on both sides of the horse. He grabbed the Western saddle off the top railing. “Now goes the saddle.”

“Is it heavy?” Sophia asked.

“I’m guessing this one weighs about fifty pounds,” Miguel replied, swinging the saddle up and lowering it onto the pinto’s back. “First we cinch the front, then the back.” He reached under the horse’s barrel and grabbed the end of the leather strap.

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