Chapter 1: A Farm Life

Mafia was playing up. It was hardly a suprise and Casper was used to the stallion now. He had a packet of polo's in his trouser pockets and Mafia knew that already. The black stallion pushed his head around the defending arms of the man and grabbed the polo packet. With in seconds there was nothing left of polo's or packet. Casper gave an annoyed sigh. He'd been intending to use them with Scandle. The hard work was over. For now. And Casper grabbed the reins before hauling himself into the saddle. Mafia side stepped in a bid to un-seat his rider, but Casper was to experianced and sat tight.
Sophie moved with great speed down the stair's and into the hallway, stuffing her small feet into her riding boots and grabbing her helmet and body jacket. She tottered outside, slidding her jubby arms into the body protector as she went. She hurried towards the stalls where her daddy was waiting. He was sat on Mafia already!
"Daddy! Maf Maf!" she squeeled with excitment as she approached the duoe. Living on a farm was great, especaily when she had her own horse. Casper grinned at looked down towards his daughter. He didn't dismount but he leaned over and checked her helmet and protector before giving her the all clear. Sophie gave an exicted squeal as she got the reins of Chinche and used the mounting block to help her into the saddle.

Sophie made it her duty to go riding every day. Since she was old enough to see her parents had taken her to the horses and pigs. Bonito Farms wasn't just Sophie's home but the place where seventeen horses, twenty-three pigs, four-hundred and two sheep and nine cows all stayed. Not to mension the snakes, mice, cats, dogs and rabbits that had settled into the gentle, laid back atmosphere of farm life. Of course, she couldn't ride everyday because sometimes the Scottish weather just didn't allow it, or her parents were busy sorting out other animals and no one could go with her. Never the less Sophie made time in her life to be with the horses.
The girls blonde curls and bright blue eyes shone in the afternoon sun of Novemeber. She'd settled into a gentle trot and Chinche moved with elegance down the woodland trail. Infront her father rode Mafia who wasn't being so well beihaved. The thoroughbred bucked and tried to turn back down the path but Casper cut him short and brought him to a stop. As Sophie rode along side on her irish hunter mare she grinned.
"Having fun mafy?" the girl asked impishly. Her father chuckled heartly.
"Go on ahead, there's a fallen log you can practise jumping." He nodded for his daughter to go off and without hesitation she did so. Her back was straight and her heels down, Chinche responded with the lightest of touches and in seconds they were closing in on te fallen log. Sophie loved jumping. It sent a wild thrill down her little spine and she leaned forwards, eager, in the saddle. Chinche took off, her front hooves tucked under as the pair sailed over the rotting wood and landed cleanly a few meters away. Sophie gave a triumphant cheer and patted the mares nape.
"Good girl. Good Chinche" She said in soft tones as the loud whicker of Mafia came from behind. Sophie turned Chinche around and saw her father riding maddly towards the log.
"Heya!" She cried urging Chinche into a gallop in the other direction. She could hear the pounding hooves of Mafia close behind and her father called out.
"I'm coming to get you! Getting closer!". Sophie was laughing hard and the two horses made light work of the woodland trail. Chinche broke from the tree's first but Sophie brought her to a hault and waited for her father to catch up. He arrvied and brought Mafia to a stand besides her. Chinche was busy chewing the grass and Mafia whinnied, tossing his head in an attempt to impress her. "Are darling you beat me!" Casper soudned heart-broken at not being able to catch his five-year old daughter, who giggled at her fathers silly face.
"I'll race yo back to the farm" She called and she pushed Chinche into a gallop again. Casper cried in protest but leaned forwards, Mafia gave a furious whistle but gave chase.

Bonito Farms was the result of years of hard work. Casper was built it with help from his mad friends: Freddy -the drunk plumber-, Maxx -the stupid electricion- and Josh the handyman. The trio had worked for nearly five years to get the whole place looking like a home but the effort was worth it. Casper, Clair and Sophie Bonito lived in a seven-hundred acher patch of land in Scotland. They worked with animals every day of the year and their income differed depending on the crops and the animals. Sophie spent her weekdays at school with her mates, but Clair and Casper would work together to sheer sheep, milk cows, rear pigglits, train race horses and teach riding lessons. On top of that was the annual harvest of crops. that took a lot of time. But Casper and Clair had just finished the last of the wheat and barley harvest, so to make up for lost time Casper had agreed to ride with Soph. The pair were no making their way down the hillside from Bonito Woods. Bellow them were the pastures where dozens of horses grazed peacfully.
Sophie was making a wild dash back to the stalls, she new Mafia was the faster of the two horses but he had a cheeky streak and with any luck he'd play up. She was right. Behind her she heard her father cry out as he was bucket from the saddle. She didn't stop because she knew he'd be okay and she dismounted when she got back to the stalls. She unhooked the reins and took of the bridle, replacing it with Chinche's halter and letting the mare drink from a bucket. A few minutes later her father came walking past with Mafia in toe. The stallion pranced with glee at unseating Casper. Smug devil.



(Above:Sophie was making a wild dash back to the stalls, she new Mafia was the faster of the two horses but he had a cheeky streak and with any luck he'd play up.)

Chapter 2: The escape!

Dawn had only just started to crawl over the hill sides. Salmon pink light invaded the bedroom of Casper and Clair Bonito. The clock began beeping franticaly in Clair's ear and she growled with annoyance, smacking it silent. The pair were silent. Clair rolled over and gazed at her husband. The douvet was warm and she didn't feel like getting up. It was a sunday. There was no real reason not to have a lie in, but she knew Sophie would start causing chaos soon.
"Casspy...Casspy darling" Clair cooed kissing his cheek as he yawned and faced her.
"I was just about to dive into a pool of brownie-ice cream then..." Casper complained kissing his wife in return. The pair laughed quietly before a large knock on the door and an excited looking Sophie came barging in. She leapt onto the double bed and snuggled in besides her parents.
"Mummy mummy! Nick's here!" Sophie cried with delight and Casper gave a startled choke as he dived out of the bed and dressed in a fadded superman shirt and jeans. Sophie and Clair giggled together as he put on odd socks.
"So what did you have for breakfast honney?" Clair asked her daughter as she sat up in the bed and gave her daughter a goodmorning kiss.
"Cheerios!" Sophie replied meerily. Casper scoffed.
"Nah, we'll have a good fry up later. Eggy bread, bacon, mushrooms-" Sophie made a vomiting noise and they all burst into fits of laughter. The doorbell rung and Casper carried Sophie downstairs to greet the groom. Clair climbed out of bed slowly and headed for the bathroom.
Nick had driven up in his car and parked it on the gravel outside. He was dressed in an od attire of wellies, a smart black suit and tie and jodpurrs. He greeted Sophie will a big smile and hug before shaking Casper's hand. The small group headed out for the horses with buckets in hand. Sophie didn't like doing the water job so she helped Nick fill up all the buckets with oats.
"No no Nick, Chinche likes bran oats not alfa hay" she corrected the groom before marching over and adjusting it. Casper headed outside to get the hose. They spent the first two hours feeding the horses and cleaning out the stalls. It was tiering and Sophie wondered back inside to get her colouring pad and crayons so she could draw Nick. She showed him the orange and pink scribble she'd made and he picked her up.
"Well well, we've a little artist in our midsts!" he chuckled holding her against his hip. She laughed and played with his hair as they headed for the pig pen.

The pigs were seperated because, unlike other animals on the farm, the boars couldn't be trsuted with the piglets. It was obvious something wasn't right as soon as they got close. The piglet house was broken. The stone walls which normally kept the large family of thriteen pigs had crumbled. Small muddy trails went of in every direction. Casper gave a horrified sigh, Nick gave a bewildered gasp and Sophie clapped her hands cheering for the pigs. Nick let Sophjie down and the five-year old got onto her hands and knees, crawling in the mud of th pig pen.
"Soph!" Casper said sternly but the cheeky grin on her face made him smile. "I'll get the dogs, we'll see if he can find the escappies." Nick agreed and stayed with Sophie as Casper left to get Berney the old sheepdog. Sophie dissapeared into the pig house and came back a moment later. She stood up and smiled sweetly at Nick. Inside the pig house were the piglets and their mother. But she wasn't going to tell anyone else that...
Casper came back with Barney and Clair before devising that Nick should go with Sophie and that he would go with Clair and Barney. As everyone agreed Casper and Clair headed for the fields while Sophie and Nick headed for the paddocks.

Barney spent the afternoon with his snout pushed into crevises and barns in search for the missing pigs. He didn't mind. He was an old dog who hadn't done anything more than lie in frnot of a fireplace for a couple of months. It was exciting being out and about again. His tail wagged even when Casper called off the search and waited with Clair at the pig house for Nick and Sophie to turn up.
"Hey, it isn't your fault" Clair soothed as Casper complained about life being a little un-kind. "That wall held fast for years. You didn't expect it to just crumble over night." But Casper had bent down and was inspecting the ground. It was filled with tiny marks where pigs had been digging at the foundations. As he stood up he explained this to Clair. The pair looked at each other. So the pigs had done it all! Sophie and Nick arrived back, Sophie was in fits of laughter and Nick looked bemused as well. "Whats so funny?" Clair asked confused as Sophie ran into her arms for a hug. Nick caught his breath back and pointed at the pen. Casper looked inside. And found thireteen pigs all looking back at him. He straightened and looked at Nick.
"How?" He asked annoyed that all the pigs were there. Nick shrugged and pointed at Sophie who gave a mischeivious grin.
"They never left the pen. I saw them this morning." Now Casper saw what was so funny. He rolled up his daughters shirt and blew a rasberry on her tummy. The five-year old burst into fits of laughter and giggles, thrashing about in her mothers arms. "Thats for not telling" Casper said cheekily. Sophie smiled.
"And that was for not playing with me" she stuck out her tongue and blew a rasberry back at her father.