Page 168 - Mobile Magic

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Saffron climbed through the fence and cut across towards the nearest surveyor. It was not that she wanted to talk with him, but it was unavoidable. There, fraternising with the enemy, was her pony, Magic.
The man held a tripod and theodolite in one hand and was rubbing Magic between the ears with the other. He greeted Saffron as she stalked up to him. 'Hello, just got out of school - eh? Great weather we're having.'
'What are you doing here?' she snapped rudely. 'This is my pony and we're not going to let you build that ugly suburb at Green Mountain! I'll lie down in front of the bulldozers first!'
'She's lovely, what's her name?' asked the man, unfazed by Saffron's anger. 'My twins ride ponies, matching Shetlands ... Bill and Bob.'
'Are they the horses or the kids?' asked Saffron, interested despite herself.
'Oh, the horses! The nippers are Bruce and Brian - we call them the Bee-team. I'm sorry we're upsetting you, I gather the locals don't want this development. This is my job, see ...'
'But you shouldn't be doing it here!'
'It's odd, but I agree with you. This land is still in such a natural state. Our firm's based in the city, but we travel country- wide. I see lots of scenic places and I love the work I do. This time though, I must say they've picked the wrong spot to develop. Isn't there any ordinary land to build on in your town?' asked the surveyor.