Little Jack lived in a small town in his own house with his mum and dad. The boy was in Year One, and had already learnt to write and read. Jack was very talented; he sang beautifully, played the violin, and could quickly add numbers in his head. And little Jack had a best mate — a pony named Bolly. His parents gave him the pony for his birthday because he was such a clever boy.
Jack was mates with a girl named Sophie, who lived nearby. She didn't have such a big house, and her parents couldn't buy her everything she wanted. She often came over to play with the boy, and most of all she loved patting the pony, who was always happy to see her.
One day, on a summer's day during the school holidays, Sophie came over again to play with her friend.
G'day, Jack! I've missed Bolly so much, can I play with him and feed him? — the girl asked.
Jack always let his mate play with the pony, so he readily agreed.
Of course, Sophie! I haven't fed him yet this morning, I knew you'd come, and I was waiting for you.
The boy replied.
Gathering some big red apples and a bit of hay from the shed, the kids headed to the stable. The boy's dad bred beautiful thoroughbred horses, and the pony lived there with them.
When they reached their mate, the kids fed him and let him out onto the grass. Jack always loved watching Sophie play with Bolly; she was so gentle with him and always laughed.
It's so much fun running with him under the open sky! He's a true mate, and he'll never leave us in trouble.
The girl always told Jack.
And so the days passed. Sophie visited her mates every day, and Jack always waited for her in the morning to feed Bolly different treats.
One day, waking up in the morning, Jack looked out the window as usual. At this time Sophie would normally be waiting for him at the clearing, which could be seen from Jack's bedroom window. An hour passed, then another, and the boy decided to check if Sophie was already at the stable, thinking she might not have waited for him.
Jack headed to his dad's property. On the way he grabbed an apple and some hay; Bolly loved a good feed. Opening the doors, the boy couldn't believe his eyes — Bolly wasn't there, and Sophie wasn't there either.
Dad! Dad, where's Bolly gone?
Jack yelled.
What do you mean? I saw him this morning. I didn't even feed him, knowing you and Sophie would come soon.
Dad replied.
But he's not here! Has someone nicked him? Who could it have been!
Jack kept yelling.
Let's wait a bit. Maybe he managed to open the door and just went for a walk.
Dad suggested.
No, that's impossible. He always waited for me, and never went out on his own!
Jack burst into tears, because Bolly was his best mate. The boy was also upset that Sophie hadn't come to visit today, and he had no one to share his grief with.
Several days passed, but the pony still hadn't returned. And Sophie never came again. Jack thought that perhaps the girl had gone with her parents to visit her nan; she'd talked about her a lot and was planning to visit during the holidays.
And then one day, when Jack woke up as usual and looked out the window, he suddenly saw Sophie.
Sophie! Sophie, you're finally back, I have so much to tell you.
The boy yelled.
But Sophie didn't hear; she was heading towards the bush, and she had a big bag in her hands.
Jack decided to catch up with her; he'd missed his mate so much. And he really wanted to tell her about Bolly, because she was very attached to Jack's pony too.
The boy ran as fast as he could, wanting to catch up with the girl as quickly as possible. But getting a bit closer, he suddenly froze — Bolly was standing in the clearing, and Sophie was sitting beside him. In her hands she had lots of apples and hay.
Sophie! Sophie, you found him! You're brilliant!
The boy was delighted. Sophie, seeing Jack, was completely flustered.
G'day, Jack. I need to tell you something terrible. I've always wanted a pony just like yours. But my parents said they can't buy me one, it's too expensive. I miss him so much!
But why didn't you tell me? I let you play with him and come over whenever you wanted. We're mates, and I'm always happy to see you.
Jack was surprised.
The girl couldn't answer. She understood that she'd done the wrong thing, that Jack was very upset because of what she'd done.
You know what, Sophie. I'm going to give him to you. I can see how much you love him, and how attached you are to him. Now I'll come visit you, and Bolly will be happy with you, won't he?
Jack suddenly said.
But how can that be?
The girl couldn't believe her ears.
Jack felt so sorry for Sophie. After all, they really would never buy her such a pony, but she loved him so much. She was a very kind girl; Bolly would be happy with her. She would look after him, feed him and walk with him.
From then on, Bolly lived with Sophie. Of course, Jack missed him, but even more he was happy that he'd helped his mate and done everything to make her happy.
Reading fairy tales, we learn to do good. Jack performed a noble deed, and was proud of himself. He made Sophie's dream come true!
