Misty of Chincoteague

Paul and Maureen trade off riding the Phantom three miles every day. They ride on all surfaces they can find: the sandy beach, the hard village roads, and the pine-needle-covered forest floor. They practice running at the pony-penning grounds so she can get accustomed to the fences and the track. As the Phantom practices, word of her speed spreads to the mainland, and visitors come from faraway towns to watch her. Misty seems jealous of the attention her mother receives. She sidles up to visitors, biting buttons off coats, eating flowers off hats, and at one point stealing an entire hat and tossing it into a barrel.

As Pony Penning Day approaches, Paul and Maureen’s typical closeness falters. They spend less and less time with each other, always finding reasons to do things that the other isn’t interested in. Grandpa and Grandma suspect that their grandchildren are avoiding the inevitable question of who will ride the Phantom in the race. A week before the big day, Grandma asks them outright who the rider will be, but neither can give her an answer. She announces that the matter will be settled with a “pully bone,” a chicken wishbone that she has saved for exactly this kind of decision. The children grasp the bone nervously and deliberately. They close their eyes, and, when Grandma counts to three, they pull the wishbone in half. Paul comes away with the bigger half. Although Maureen is gracious in defeat, saying that Paul is the better rider anyway, she sadly buries her smaller half in the sand.

When Pony Penning Day finally arrives again, the streets are clogged with more visitors than usual. Through all the other events, all anyone can talk about is the Phantom taking part in the race. Paul and Maureen ride her together into the racing grounds. When they arrive at the racetrack, Maureen dismounts and is immediately swallowed by the crowd, all pushing to get a look at her famous horse. Friends and family gather around her, sympathetic that she cannot be in the race. She wishes she could be alone so she could imagine running along with Paul and the Phantom. She pushes her way to the front of the crowd as the announcer welcomes the three competitors, Black Comet, the Phantom, and a horse named Firefly.

The horses make their way to the starting line. As usual, Black Comet looks confident while Firefly nervously prances. The Phantom enters with pride, barely seeming to notice the yelling crowd. The race starts, and at first Firefly begins to pull ahead before being passed by Black Comet. Although the Phantom is fast, she doesn’t seem to realize she is in a race against the other horses. She is running for fun. Maureen grips the fence nervously, begging for the Phantom to go faster. Slowly, she begins to gain speed, passing Firefly and closing in on Black Comet. Maureen feels herself drawn into the horse’s mind, feeling the wind on her face as she rushes around the track. By the time Paul and the Phantom reach the finish line, they are a length ahead of Black Comet. Even after winning, the Phantom continues to gallop around the track, slowing and stopping only after Paul gently pulls on her wickie and whispers in her ear.

Maureen finds Paul and their horse among the cheering crowd and joins Paul on her back. They see Grandpa, who tells them to run home and let Grandma know about the victory. While riding they promise the Phantom that they will spend the $12 they won on presents for her, but Paul imagines that she responds that she doesn’t want anything they can buy. He further “translates” that they should spend the money on a toaster for Grandma and Grandpa because the Phantom wants nothing but “wings on [her] feet” (148).

The next morning, Paul and Maureen hurry through their morning chores so they can race the Phantom against each other. Maureen believes that this is Paul’s way of helping her feel better about not racing on Pony Penning Day. Misty joins the siblings in their chores, hopping between them like an excited puppy. After the chores are done, Maureen runs to grab the wickie and the Phantom. She wonders at how the Phantom seems both docile and wild, as if she is happy to be ridden but still longs for a life of freedom. The Phantom is eager to run and can barely wait while Paul finishes his chores. As soon as he arrives, Maureen nudges the Phantom to go, and she takes off over the fence and into the field beyond. Misty tries to follow but Paul stops her, telling her that she will get to race someday soon.

Maureen soon returns to give the Phantom to Paul, but their race is interrupted by a loud noise from the direction of Assateague. It is an otherworldly neigh that seems to come from the past, from the long-gone horses escaping from the Spanish galleon. The Phantom’s head turns toward the island and Grandpa comes running from the house toward his grandchildren and the horses. He yells that the sound was the Pied Piper, and that he is swimming over to take the Phantom home. Among the swells of the sea, Paul and Maureen make out a long mane and the head of a stallion swimming across the channel.

In a flurry, Grandpa, Maureen, and Paul rush to get the Phantom back into the yard. Maureen removes the top rail of the fence, yelling for Paul to grab the Phantom and ride her over the hurdle to safety. Instead, he slowly releases the wickie. The Pied Piper runs to the farm and the Phantom gallops to greet him. Grandpa vaults over the fence, yelling for Paul to come back to the yard, afraid he might get trampled by the wild stallion. After one look back to her former human family, the Phantom takes off toward Assateague and the other wild ponies. Grandpa, Maureen, and Paul stand frozen for a moment, unable to believe what has happened. They return to the farm and find Misty in the Phantom’s stall. Unlike her wild mother, who finally found true freedom again, she is excited to see her human companions. She nuzzles them, asking for treats, and seems happy to finally be the center of attention. She whinnies with joy, and Paul insists that she has just announced that she not a wild pony of Assateague but Misty of Chincoteague.