Chapter XXVIII: The Trouble with Horses (Part 1)
Monday 15 August. I slept like a log after my exertions on Sunday. As I lay in bed I was aching all over. But once I got up I felt okay. Sue had said yesterday, the more I assumed my pony persona the easier it would become, and that before the next session she intended to give me a few days’ training to prepare my pony muscles! Personally, I was hoping there wouldn’t be another session. I’m sure they’ll think up some new indignity to subject me to.
Stella drove me over to Billy’s, and we made our way to the Scout hut. There were sixteen of us in our Explorer troop, eleven boys and five girls. We have an adult leader, Sandy, who’s very cool. She’s only in her late twenties and she doesn’t really seem much different to us. She lets the older kids keep an eye on the younger ones, and in general she lets us do our own thing, and occasionally comes with us to the pub. I like her a lot.
The coach arrived on time, and we were soon on our way. Billy and I grabbed the back seat and fended off the rest of them. It was going to be a longish journey, probably four or five hours we reckoned, so after we had talked about our plans for the week, we played games on our phones. By eleven we were both hungry. Stella had made me sandwiches, so I delved into my lunch box to see what I had. There was a strange little package with a ribbon around it in there with the food. I pulled it out. There was a label: “To Simon and Billy, from the Committee”. Crap! Couldn’t they leave us alone just for a few days?
“Look at this Billy. It was in with my lunch.”
“What is it?”
“Bad news, obviously! Let’s see.”
I ripped off the outer layer. There was a little envelope. I opened it. This is what it said.
“Dear Simon and Billy,
We hope you enjoy yourselves in the New Forest. We know that, as Explorer Scouts, you pride yourselves on your courage, initiative, imagination, and problem-solving skills. So we are setting you a little task which you must complete while you are away in order to demonstrate to the Committee your dedication to the Scouts, and to Holly End. In the package you will find a little present - two pairs of traditional Scout shorts, one marked ‘S’ and one ‘B’. You must have your photo taken wearing these with the rest of your uniforms in a busy public place, holding hands and each giving the peace sign – and smiling, of course. You must look smart and tidy, with your shirts neatly tucked in and your neckerchiefs straight. You must of course put on your Scout belts and belt-purses. This photograph must be sent to Sue Dawson’s phone by Tuesday evening latest. Failure to complete this task will result in unpleasant consequences. Success will be rewarded. Good Luck!
The Committee”
“Oh, shit!” I said, “I can tell by the feel of this what they’re going to be like. Let’s not open them now.”
That package rather put a downer on our excitement. We sat silent for much of the journey. But when we finally arrived at the Forest, and saw the open spaces and the animals, we forgot about it for a while. We turned up the track to the Scout Activity Centre just after one, and disembarked. This place had a big field for tents as well as log cabins for accommodation. Billy and I chose to pitch a tent. It was good weather, it was more fun, and we wouldn’t have to share with anyone else. But first we had a good lunch in the canteen. Then I had a word with Sandy.
“Sandy, are we scheduled to visit any towns in the next few days?”
“I thought we’d go to Barley village tomorrow. It’s only a little place, but there’s loads of gift shops there in case you’d like to buy presents.”
“Okay, thanks. I remember that place from last year. You can walk off the main street right into the trees, can’t you?”
“That’s right. Any particular reason you ask?”
“No, just curious.”
Later, in the privacy of our tent, we opened the package. Just as I thought – two little pairs of Scout shorts in beige latex, complete with turn-ups.
“They look very small,” said Billy, anxiously, “do you think they’ll fit us?”
“Don’t worry, they’ll fit – though they look more like swimming trunks. They know our sizes down to the last millimetre.”
“And the pockets are fake,” he added, in a tone of annoyance.
“Billy, that’s a technicality! We don’t want pockets. We just need to get this done as quickly as possible. It’s got to be tomorrow, at Barley. This is how I see it. We sneak off from the others at some point – maybe when they’re in the café – change into the shorts, get the picture taken, and quickly change back.”
“But where are we going to change? And who’s going to take the photo?” queried Billy.
“Okay. Do you remember that track that leads off the main street into the trees? We change in the trees, come down to the main street, and ask the first person we see to take the photo. It’s always busy there in the summer. Then we shoot back up and change back. No problem!”
“If you say so, Sim.”
“That’s our only chance. We’ve got to go for it. I don’t like the sound of “unpleasant consequences”.”
So it was decided. The next day we carefully packed our new shorts in our rucksacks. We wore our uniforms, with blue trousers as usual. The coach took us to Barley. On the way in we passed a riding stable.
“They’re everywhere here,” remarked Billy.
“Yes. It must be a great place to ride. You can go for miles without setting foot on a road.”
We spent an hour or so wandering around the shops before Sandy suggested we go and get tea. We pretended to still be looking for stuff, and said we’d meet them there in twenty minutes or so.
“Good thinking, Sim! That way they’ll stay there until we come.”
Once the rest had headed off for the teashop, we made our way quickly back up the street, crossed over, and went through a wooden gate up the track between the shops. We climbed up the bank to where there was a big oak tree and began to change. We took off our belts and purses, and pulled off our trousers and pants, stowing them away in our rucksacks. We pulled on the shorts, tucking our shirts in as neatly as we could. We had to pull in our tummies to fasten the waist press-studs and zip them up. At least the rubber wasn’t too thin and revealing. We quickly threaded through our belts, not forgetting the little leather Scout belt-purses. We decided to leave our rucksacks there next to the tree as we knew we’d be back in a couple of minutes. Before we left, we checked each other and made sure we both looked neat and tidy.
“You look very smart, Sim, but totally ridiculous as well!” laughed Billy.
“And you look like a prize idiot,” I returned.
We scurried down the path, back through the gate, and into the street. We looked about. Unsurprisingly, we immediately attracted the attention of the passers-by. People were stopping and pointing at us. We had to move quickly. A woman was coming towards us from the direction of the central road junction. I hurried up to her.
“Excuse me, I wonder if you’d mind taking our photo?”
She smiled, looking us up and down. “No, of course not. Give me your phone.”
“Thank you so much! Take a couple just in case, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all, boys. I always like to support Scouts.”
We positioned ourselves between her and the junction and posed as we had been instructed. A small crowd was already collecting, and I could hear laughs and expressions of surprise.
“Could you move back a little bit, boys, so I can get you all in? That’s it!”
We turned on our idiot smiles.
“Whoops! I think I pressed the wrong thing. I can’t see you now.”
I had to go back and show her what to do. She may not have been great at using a phone camera, but from the many shutter clicks around us clearly a lot of other people were.
“Oh, that’s not a very good one. Hold still. Just a minute. Now there’s someone in the way!”
It must have taken her a good five minutes to get one decent picture, and then she wanted one on her own phone for herself. In the meantime, we were surrounded by knots of nosey adults and giggling kids, and became the butt of silly jokes, ironic catcalls, and wolf whistles. It was definitely time to leave. But just as we were about to disappear up the forest track, there was an unforeseen incident. A line of horses and their riders had been moving quietly across the junction and walking away from us towards another entrance into the Forest, when one of the horses suddenly took fright. I think he’d been alarmed by a motorbike starting up. It was only a pony, but without warning it bolted off to the left at full gallop, straight towards us, its rider clinging to its neck. The crowd scattered, screaming. We didn’t have time to think. We reacted instinctively. I was already running to intercept as it approached, and Billy was doing the same along the other side of the road. I managed to run alongside the frightened animal for a few yards, and grab the reins. Of course I fell, and it felt as if my arms were going to be pulled out, but I hung on. I was dragged along for about twenty yards, but eventually my weight brought the horse to a stop. The rider, a little girl of seven or eight, was thrown out of the saddle – straight into Billy’s arms! There had been a number of pursuers, who now arrived at the scene, out of breath but, having witnessed our prompt action, full of gratitude and admiration. In an instant we were transformed from objects of ridicule into heroes. Soon we were surrounded by people congratulating us, including what appeared to be everyone from the riding school. The attention was only marginally less unwelcome that that we had already experienced. All we wanted was to get back into our proper uniforms.
“Well done, boys! That was fantastic! So brave!” cried a woman who came running up and embraced us in turn, “I’m Wendy Pemberton. I own the riding school. You must come back and have a drink with us. And Tina’s mother will want to thank you, too!”
“Yes, but, er, we have to get our rucksacks first,” I stammered, trying to extract myself from the throng. At that moment Sandy arrived with the rest of the troop. She pushed her way through to us.
“Boys! There you are! Is this right what I hear, that you just stopped a bolting….”
Her voice trailed off as she noticed our shorts. “Goodness! Where did you ….”
“Never mind, Sandy. Could you please get our rucksacks? There just up that track next to the big oak tree? Could you bring them to us? As quickly as possible?”
We were already being ushered away towards the school, surrounded by a phalanx of booted grooms. There was no gainsaying them. I felt painfully self-conscious in their midst in my tiny rubber shorts. I could feel the stares and hear the whispers. As I walked, my shorts they made that characteristic rustling, crinkling sound, in case anyone was in doubt about the nature of the material. And by now they were slightly slippery inside with sweat, and as I walked, my boyhood was sliding up and down a little in a regular rhythm, and beginning to become aroused. Billy was walking next to me, and looked as though he was having similar problems. He had his thumb hooked through his belt, his hand over his tummy. But it was not hiding anything.
“If only these things had pockets,” he said in an undertone, “it wouldn’t be so bad. But as it is, they show everything we’ve got, and there’s no way of disguising it. I hope Sandy gets back with our bags soon!”
It was a relief when we finally arrived at the school. Wendy showed us into the office. She sat at her desk, and as there were no other chairs we stood, rather awkwardly, facing her,
“I’m just going to check where Tina’s mum is. We rang her just after the incident and she should be on her way. Just a second.” She dialled a number.
“Marcy, darling! Yes, she’s fine. Two Boy Scouts stopped her horse and caught her as she fell off! Yes! Bloody brilliant, I know. Yes, she’s here now. None the worse. So are the boys, if you’d like to thank them. Yes, I’m sure you would. Okay, see you in ten minutes then. Bye!” She stood up, and came round the desk. “Where did you learn to deal with horses like that? I mean, so fearlessly? I’m impressed.”
“Well, Miss, actually we work at a stable – Holly End riding school in Leicestershire, where we come from. So we’re used to horses.” (I was one the other day, I might have added.)
“Oh, that explains it! Holly End stables. Well, well.”
“And we’re just here at camp, near Lyndhurst.”
“And we were visiting Barley,” said Billy. “We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
“Thank goodness you were!” She paused. “Do you mind me asking? About your uniforms… I’ve never seen Boy Scout shorts quite like that before. What are they made of?” She stared at them unashamedly, and looked as though she was about to reach out and feel them. I coloured up, and coyly clasped my hands in front of me.
“Oh, no, well, they were a present from the head of the riding school, and I know she was hoping we would like them, so we, sort of, just thought we would wear them today….”
“Yes,” added Billy, “but I think our Scout leader will be here any second - with our usual trousers, I hope. By the way, we’re not called ‘Boy’ Scouts anymore – just ‘Scouts’.”
“Oh, of course. Sorry! I stand corrected,” said Wendy. “But they really are very nice shorts…”
I took a step back. She looked out of the window. “Ah, yes, your friends are here now. I’ll go ask your leader to come in.”
She disappeared for a moment and came back with Sandy. “You should be proud of these two,” she was saying, “they averted what could have been a terrible accident.”
“Simon and Billy. I’ve heard all about it! Well done, boys! You behaved like true Scouts!”
“Did you bring our bags?”
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t find them.”
“What?”
“Nowhere to be seen, I’m afraid.” And then to Wendy, “they left their rucksacks just up the path, but now they’re gone.”
“Oh, really? How unfortunate. You know, nothing ever gets stolen here. Someone has found them and handed them in to the village lost property, I’m sure.”
“Where’s that?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s in the post office. But I’m afraid they close on a Tuesday afternoon, so you won’t be able to check until tomorrow.”
“Do we have to wear these shorts until then,” groaned Billy, in his distress unconsciously taking hold of his boyhood.
Sandy was about to say something, probably to ask why we were wearing tiny latex shorts instead of our trousers, but at that moment in burst a tall, blonde woman, rather out of breath, gripping the hand of the little girl Billy had caught.
“Oh, boys, this is Tina’s mum, Marcia. Marcy, meet Simon – and Billy. These are the wonderful boys who saved the day.”
“God bless you, boys,” she breathed, hugging each of us in turn. “You’re a pair of angels. Tina wants to say something, too”
“Thank you,” she whined. She still looked a little shocked.
“Their names are Simon and Billy, darling,” said Marcia, gently.
“Thank you, Simon. Thank you, Billy.”
“And this is their Scout leader,” added Wendy, “sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“Sandy. Nice to meet you, Marcia. I’m glad the boys were on the spot at the right time.”
“Thank you, thank you. Look, I have to get Tina home, but I also want to thank you two properly. Do you think it would be possible for the boys to come with me so I can give them dinner tonight? I’d bring them back by eleven. They’d be quite safe.”
“Well, I’m not sure….”
“Please. It’s the least I can do.”
“Boys? Would you like to go?”
“Yes. Thank you!” we chorused. Anything to delay having to explain ourselves to the rest of the troop, who were already suspicious of us after our “Two Little Maids” performance.
“I can see no reason why not. It’s very kind of you to offer to bring them back. But what are we going to do about their bags at the post office?”
“Oh, are their bags there? What, in lost property?” We nodded. “In that case, why don’t they stay overnight, and I’ll run them back first thing tomorrow, and we can call in and pick up their bags on the way?”
“Well, that’s extremely kind of you, Marcia…”
“No probs. Come on boys. Come on Tina.”