Sarah rode Princess back through the woods to the fork in the road. They took the left hand route this time. It was at least a half an hour before the woods cleared away and the beach came into view. The sun was just setting. The sunset stretched magnificently from one side of the heavens to the other. “What a wonderful way to end my birthday,” Sarah murmured, watching the waves crash beneath the brilliant sky. She wouldn’t let herself be sad about Bent. She heard horses neighing in the distance. Looking up, she saw a large green pasture, enclosed by a long, white fence. The pasture was set far back from the beach and woods, higher on the hills. And just beyond the end of the pasture, Sarah could make out the faint outline of Bent’s enormous house. Who would have thought ALL of this could FIT back here? she wondered, looking around in amazement. Princess started to trot and slowly picked up speed to a canter. The horse raced along the beach, hooves barely touching the soft sand. Sarah almost felt as if she were flying through the air, right into the bright, orange sunset. She climbed off Princess’s back and guided her up the hill. It wasn’t hard to figure out where to go. Hoof prints were everywhere from the other horses that had ridden through the sand. “Sarah, hey, up here!” Erin called. Sarah followed a trail that angled upwards from the beach to lush grasslands. A picturesque barn came into view. When she reached the top of the hill, Erin, grinning widely, helped her remove Princess’s bridle and saddle. The girls carried them into the barn.”Bent said to put the bridle and saddle over here on the counter.” She pushed her hair from her face. “Okay, now stand back and watch what happens,” Erin said. Sarah went to stand by the wall. “Now we’re supposed to do this.” Erin pushed a button under the counter. Metal, claw-like arms came down from the ceiling and picked up the saddle and bridle. They lifted them away, into an adjacent tack room.”Amazing, right?” Erin said, laughing. “Okay, now wait. It gets BETTER!” The girls watched Princess stride into a U-shaped room. Her hooves must have triggered a sensor. A whirring sound erupted. Tubes of water sprayed Princess from her head to her tail. Another tube shot out soap. Large, soft brushes went to work scrubbing her down. A separate, smaller metal contraption shot out from the wall and began to scrape away debris from all four of the horse’s silver horseshoes. Once Princess was clean, the machine dried her off with a towel. Giving out a loud whinny, the horse galloped through an open door leading to the pasture. At least ten other horses were already grazing in the green grass. “See? Is that NOT the coolest thing since EVER?” Erin asked, clapping her hands. “You should’ve been here when Trevor saw this machine. He about had a heart attack!” Erin stopped laughing when she noticed Sarah’s face. “Say, what happened to you, anyway? When Bent realized you weren’t behind us, he put Elly on Trevor’s horse and went racing away to find you.”Sarah sighed, shaking her head. Erin put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I tried to convince him that you were perfectly fine. Said you’d taken riding lessons for years. But he wouldn’t hear of it. I swear that guy is more stubborn than even Trevor. And that’s SAYING something!” Sarah followed Erin out of the barn. A golf cart was parked near the fence. “Come on, hop in. This is our ride back to Bent’s.” She patted the passenger seat. “And I know something happened back in the woods. I want to hear all about it,” Erin said. Sarah nodded. She wouldn’t cry.