It was a glorious morning. Gigi was awoken by the golden light of dawn that poured in through her silken curtains and rested upon her pillow.

“AAAUUGGHHCCKKLUUGH!” Gigi gagged. She stumbled out of bed, blinded by the ‘first light of dawn’ which had hit her directly in the eye.

Undaunted by her morning blinding and spurred on by her excitement, Gigi quickly got dressed and headed out the door. Her Papa had said it was a little too early yet to go over to the Dartmoors’ (they were late sleepers), so Gigi headed towards the library to pick up some books on horseback riding. She wanted to be well-informed before her first day.

Riding her pale blue bicycle down the road and past many sharp turns, Gigi soon arrived at the Haflinger Town Library.

Mrs. Trotter had been the town librarian for the past 67 and a half years. She had started working there when she was sixteen, and she had no intention of retiring anytime soon. No one knew the library as well as she did. Gigi always went to her for advice on what books to get, and today was no exception.

“Good morning, Mrs.Trotter,” Gigi said. “I was just wondering where I might find some books on horses.”

Mrs. Trotter looked at Gigi over the top of her spectacles. “Oh, goodness. Not you too,” she said wearily.

“What?” Gigi asked.

Mrs. Trotter sighed and continued in a monotone voice as if she were a recording and not an actual person. “You can find any horse or horse-related books in our section labeled: Girls: Ages 12 to 16 Who Are Currently Obsessed with Equestrianism. It is located past the young adult section at the back of the library. We apologize for the current lack of selection as this is our second most popular section right behind Girls: Ages 12 to 16 Who Are Currently Obsessed with Sparkling Vampires.”

“Thanks!” said Gigi. She hurried off to the back of the library.

Mrs. Trotter was right. There were not many books left in this section, but there were enough. Gigi quickly scanned the titles to find the best ones. There were The Lord of the Reins; The Fault in our Stirrups; Fifty Manes of Grey; Rodeo and Juliet; Dan of Green Stables; The Princess Bridle; Black Beauty; Misty of Chincoteague; National Velvet; The Horse and His Boy; Touched by a Horse: Whispers from a Horse’s Heart; Horses for Morons; The Complete Book of Horses and Riding; Wallets, Violin Bow Strings, Glue, and Other Crafts to do with Horses; Fantastic Horses and Where to Find Them; Hitchhiker's Guide to Galloping; and How to Repair your 1967 Mustang.

They all seemed like excellent books, so Gigi scooped up all seventeen of them and headed back to the librarian to check them out. After a strange look from Mrs. Trotter and a mumbled comment about teens with their acne and dandruff, Gigi was out the door. She dumped her books into the white wicker basket attached to the front of her pale blue bicycle and took off towards the Dartmoors’.

She was so excited and going so fast that she didn’t notice the books that tumbled out of her basket at each sharp turn she took, and there were many sharp turns. By the time she arrived at the Dartmoors’ long, topiary lined driveway, she only had three books left in her white wicker basket on the front of her pale blue bicycle.

Still oblivious of her missing books, Gigi found herself in a state of rapture as she gazed upon the intricately trimmed bushes which lined both sides of the incredibly long driveway. They took on nearly every shape imaginable (the topiary, not the driveway). There was an elephant, a poodle, two swans whose necks together formed a heart, a llama, and a group of satyrs playing various instruments like panpipes, tambourines, and lyres. There were many other shapes and creatures, but after spotting one that looked like a horse, Gigi got so excited that she sped to the end of the driveway, skidding to a halt just before she ran into a black mustang (the car, not the horse) that was parked in front of the Dartmoors’ massive house. A man was just getting out of the car. Gigi assumed this man to be Mr. Dartmoor, mostly because he was a man and he happened to be at the Dartmoors’ house.

“Mr. Dartmoor?” Gigi said. “I’m Gigi, from next door. I heard you were looking for someone to help out at your stables.”

The man (who was Mr. Dartmoor, thankfully) turned to look at Gigi. “Yes, I was just about to put an ad out about it,” he said. “We’re looking for help every day from eleven to seven. Would you be able to fit that into your busy teenage schedule? I’m sure you have a lot planned with your friends for the summer.”

Gigi pretended to think about it for a moment. She didn’t want to let on that she only had one friend, and that friend was gone in Europe for the entire summer. “I think I can make that work,” she said.

“Great, you can start today,” Mr. Dartmoor said. “The stables are due west.” He pointed down a separate road that came off of his topiary lined driveway. “It’s a fair way away. Come on, I can give you a lift in my black beauty.” He tapped on the hood of his 67 Mustang.

Gigi’s legs were rather tired by this point so she was grateful for the lift. Leaving her pale blue bicycle in the Dartmoors’ front lawn but taking her books with her, she hopped into the passenger seat of the car. Mr. Dartmoor took off down the road, going faster than Gigi thought safe, but then, this was Mr. Dartmoor’s road. There weren’t really any speed limits.

Squealing to a stop just around the first bend, Gigi found herself in front of the stables. It was not as far away as Mr. Dartmoor had made out. In fact, Gigi could still see her pale blue bicycle from here.

Gigi stepped out of the car and Mr. Dartmoor took off back towards the house. Gigi heard the car squeal to a stop a moment later as Mr. Dartmoor stopped in front of his home.

“Goodbye, Gigi,” Mr. Dartmoor called as he waved to her from his front walk.

Gigi waved back as Mr. Dartmoor disappeared inside his house. She turned back towards the stable, her three remaining books still clutched in her hands. This was it. She was finally going to learn how to ride a horse. She took a step towards the stables and towards her dreams, but then stopped as a squeal louder than that of Mr. Dartmoor’s car issued from Gigi’s own lips and her books tumbled out of her hands.

Colton had just stepped out of the stables.