Chapter One

The fairground looked lovely in the misty morning light. It was in Chloe's local park, at the bottom of a hill. She gazed down on the colorful rides in delight as she and her dad made their way to the entrance.

"Come on—let's find an exciting ride!" she cried as soon as they were inside the gates.

"Don't you want to get a hot dog first?" her dad asked.

Chloe loved hot dogs. She was about to say yes, but one of the rides suddenly caught her eye. She gasped.

"'Barker's Magic Pony Carousel,'" she read out loud.

The carousel was painted in red, gold, and silver swirls, and the beautiful wooden ponies moved gracefully up and down under rows of twinkling lights. Chloe couldn't tear her eyes away!

"Is that a no?" teased her dad.

"Do you think I could have a hot dog after trying the carousel?" Chloe said.

"Oh, I think so," her dad said. "Why don't you go and get on board? We can find a hot dog stand after you've had your ride."

"Thanks, Dad," Chloe said happily. She didn't have any brothers or sisters to play with, but her dad made sure that she never felt lonely. He was always taking her to do fun things, and at home they liked reading detective stories together.

She skipped over to the carousel to choose a pony. The ride had just slowed to a halt, and one pony seemed to be gazing right at her. It was a stunning golden palomino with a creamy mane and tail and beautiful big brown eyes. From its pretty face with its slightly upturned nose, Chloe knew it must be an Arabian pony, and by the look of the saddle and bridle it could have come straight out