Scramble... please

As the car pulled up to the parking, Estrid looked out the window with her mouth wide open. Before her was a sprawling pasture dotted with a herd of soft, round ponies, their short, round ears twitched as they grazed lazily, some in pairs, others on their own. 

 

"Wow," Estrid breathed, her voice full of awe. "Are they... real?"

 

Svea chuckled as she shifted the gear into park, "They’re as real as it gets, Estrid."

 

Estrid opened the car door and jumped out and Svea followed her, holding a colourful ribbon, decorated with a jingling bell. 

 

"You know what to do, right?" Svea asked, glancing at her cousin with a knowing smile.

 

Estrid nodded, clutching a pink ribbon in her small hands. The rules were simple: tie a ribbon in one of the ponies’ manes, making sure it stayed a week later. If it stayed on, the pony would be hers. Estrid’s heart pounded as she watched the ponies. Each pony had a unique pattern and the young girl could decide where to head first. 

 

“Which one do you want?” Svea asked, looking at Estrid with a smile.

 

Estrid, overwhelmed by the amount of ponies finally laid her eyes on a buckskin pony with a white face, poof tail and multicoloured mane. The pony’s gentle eyes seemed to be waiting for her.

 

“Him. I want him,” Estrid said, pointing at the pony.

 

Svea smiled and handed her the ribbon. “Let’s see if he’ll let you.”

 

Estrid stepped toward the pony slowly, ribbon in hand. The pony’s ears flicked forward, and he took a few steps closer, nudging Estrid’s shoulder with his soft nose. The young girl giggled, scratching behind his ears. The pony nudged her again, and Estrid knew it was time. Carefully, she reached for the pony’s mane, tying the ribbon in a delicate braid. The bell jingled softly as she finished, securing it in place. 

 

“There. Perfect,” she whispered, stepping back.

 

Svea watched, her arms crossed, pride in her eyes. “Now, we wait.”

 

Estrid stood, gazing at the pony, her heart swelling with hope. The bell chimed as the pony continued grazing, and for a moment, it felt as if the whole world had paused, waiting for the ponies to be claimed. As they turned to walk back toward the car, Estrid looked over her shoulder where the buckskin pony stood tall and proud, the pink ribbon swaying gently in the wind.

 

“I know it’s not over yet, but I think he liked you,” Svea said, putting an arm around her cousin’s shoulders.