{"id":60146,"date":"2020-03-02T00:51:13","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T14:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.writers-exchange.com\/?p=60146"},"modified":"2026-04-03T13:11:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:11:14","slug":"circus-runaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/circus-runaways\/","title":{"rendered":"Jumping Into Trouble Series Book 2: Circus Runaways by Margaret Pearce"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>A heartwarming Australian series about John Emery Phillips&#8211;a boy with a restless spirit, a stubborn streak, and a deep love for animals. From chasing down runaway horses to escaping danger under the circus big top, John&#8217;s journey is filled with risk, friendship, and self-discovery.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>Set against the changing rural landscapes of Australia, each book captures the real struggles and triumphs of a boy who refuses to accept that some dreams are out of reach. Whether he&#8217;s chasing horses, running from home, or stumbling into unexpected friendships, John is always jumping into something&#8211;and often, into trouble.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"product-component-1739961957093\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/*<![CDATA[*\/ (function () { var scriptURL = 'https:\/\/sdks.shopifycdn.com\/buy-button\/latest\/buy-button-storefront.min.js'; if (window.ShopifyBuy) { if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { ShopifyBuyInit(); } else { loadScript(); } } else { loadScript(); } function loadScript() { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.async = true; script.src = scriptURL; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(script); script.onload = ShopifyBuyInit; } function ShopifyBuyInit() { var client = ShopifyBuy.buildClient({ domain: 'xzb5dh-f2.myshopify.com', storefrontAccessToken: '5c9726a1fcff35811c81f0a700aecc59', }); ShopifyBuy.UI.onReady(client).then(function (ui) { ui.createComponent('product', { id: '8793434226906', node: document.getElementById('product-component-1739961957093'), moneyFormat: '%24%7B%7Bamount%7D%7D', options: { \"product\": { \"styles\": { \"product\": { \"@media (min-width: 601px)\": { \"max-width\": \"100%\", \"margin-left\": \"0\", \"margin-bottom\": \"50px\" }, \"text-align\": \"left\" }, \"title\": { \"font-size\": \"26px\" }, \"button\": { \":hover\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" }, \"background-color\": \"#0c92f2\", \":focus\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" } }, \"price\": { \"font-size\": \"18px\" }, \"compareAt\": { \"font-size\": \"15.299999999999999px\" }, \"unitPrice\": { \"font-size\": \"15.299999999999999px\" } }, \"layout\": \"horizontal\", \"contents\": { \"img\": false, \"imgWithCarousel\": true, \"description\": true }, \"width\": \"100%\", \"text\": { \"button\": \"Add to cart\" } }, \"productSet\": { \"styles\": { \"products\": { \"@media (min-width: 601px)\": { \"margin-left\": \"-20px\" } } } }, \"modalProduct\": { \"contents\": { \"img\": false, \"imgWithCarousel\": true, \"button\": false, \"buttonWithQuantity\": true }, \"styles\": { \"product\": { \"@media (min-width: 601px)\": { \"max-width\": \"100%\", \"margin-left\": \"0px\", \"margin-bottom\": \"0px\" } }, \"button\": { \":hover\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" }, \"background-color\": \"#0c92f2\", \":focus\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" } }, \"title\": { \"font-family\": \"Helvetica Neue, sans-serif\", \"font-weight\": \"bold\", \"font-size\": \"26px\", \"color\": \"#4c4c4c\" }, \"price\": { \"font-family\": \"Helvetica Neue, sans-serif\", \"font-weight\": \"normal\", \"font-size\": \"18px\", \"color\": \"#4c4c4c\" }, \"compareAt\": { \"font-family\": \"Helvetica Neue, sans-serif\", \"font-weight\": \"normal\", \"font-size\": \"15.299999999999999px\", \"color\": \"#4c4c4c\" }, \"unitPrice\": { \"font-family\": \"Helvetica Neue, sans-serif\", \"font-weight\": \"normal\", \"font-size\": \"15.299999999999999px\", \"color\": \"#4c4c4c\" } }, \"text\": { \"button\": \"Add to cart\" } }, \"option\": {}, \"cart\": { \"styles\": { \"button\": { \":hover\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" }, \"background-color\": \"#0c92f2\", \":focus\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" } } }, \"text\": { \"total\": \"Subtotal\", \"button\": \"Checkout\" }, \"popup\": false }, \"toggle\": { \"styles\": { \"toggle\": { \"background-color\": \"#0c92f2\", \":hover\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" }, \":focus\": { \"background-color\": \"#0b83da\" } } } } }, }); }); } })(); \/*]]>*\/\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/Margaret-Pearce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-57870 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/author-page-gold-30.png?resize=108%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Author Page\" width=\"108\" height=\"30\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"footable_parent_216029\"\n         class=\" footable_parent ninja_table_wrapper loading_ninja_table wp_table_data_press_parent semantic_ui \">\n                <table data-ninja_table_instance=\"ninja_table_instance_0\" data-footable_id=\"216029\" data-filter-delay=\"1000\"            id=\"footable_216029\"\n           data-unique_identifier=\"ninja_table_unique_id_963020510_216029\"\n           class=\" foo-table ninja_footable foo_table_216029 ninja_table_unique_id_963020510_216029 ui table  ninja_search_right nt_type_legacy_table selectable celled striped compact vertical_centered  footable-paging-right ninja_table_search_disabled ninja_table_pro\">\n                    <caption>Buy now from Writers Exchange, or from these Retailers:<\/caption>\n                <colgroup>\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_0 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_1 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_2 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_3 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_4 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_5 \">\n                            <col class=\"ninja_column_6 \">\n                    <\/colgroup>\n        <thead>\n<tr class=\"footable-header\">\n                                                                                                                        <th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_0 ninja_clmn_nm_amazon \">Amazon<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_1 ninja_clmn_nm_apple_books \">Apple Books<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_2 ninja_clmn_nm_google_play \">Google Play<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_3 ninja_clmn_nm_barnes_noble \">Barnes and Noble<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_4 ninja_clmn_nm_kobo \">Kobo<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_5 ninja_clmn_nm_scribd \">Everand (was Scribd)<\/th><th scope=\"col\"  class=\"ninja_column_6 ninja_clmn_nm_smashwords \">Smashwords<\/th><\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n\n        <tr data-row_id=\"375\" class=\"ninja_table_row_0 nt_row_id_375\">\n            <td><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/41JTFPP\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-99658\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/buy-now-from-amazon-black-small.png?resize=90%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Buy now from Amazon (black graphic)\" width=\"90\" height=\"30\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/books.apple.com\/us\/book\/circus-runaways\/id6742169351\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-102145\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/apple-books.png?resize=133%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Apple Books\" width=\"133\" height=\"30\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=8MXOCQAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/google-play-badge1-200x65.png?resize=92%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Get it on Google Play\" width=\"92\" height=\"30\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-106062\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/google-play-badge1.png?resize=200%2C65&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/google-play-badge1.png?resize=300%2C98&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/google-play-badge1.png?w=646&amp;ssl=1 646w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 92px) 100vw, 92px\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/circus-runaways-margaret-pearce\/1103726299\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-158430\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/barnes-noble-logo-1-200x53.png?resize=114%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Buy from Barnes and Noble Nook\" width=\"114\" height=\"30\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/barnes-noble-logo-1.png?resize=200%2C53&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/barnes-noble-logo-1.png?w=300&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 114px) 100vw, 114px\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/au\/en\/ebook\/circus-runaways-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-165816\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/rakuten-kobo-landscape%403x.png?resize=157%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Kobo Logo\" width=\"157\" height=\"30\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/rakuten-kobo-landscape%403x.png?w=628&amp;ssl=1 628w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/rakuten-kobo-landscape%403x.png?resize=300%2C57&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/rakuten-kobo-landscape%403x.png?resize=200%2C38&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 157px) 100vw, 157px\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.everand.com\/book\/829937985\/Circus-Runaways-Jumping-into-Trouble-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-217377\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/everand-logo.jpg?resize=105%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Everand (was Scribd) Logo\" width=\"105\" height=\"30\" \/><\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.smashwords.com\/books\/view\/1711810\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/smashwords.png?resize=112%2C30&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Smashwords Logo\" width=\"112\" height=\"30\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-208841 size-full\" \/><\/a><\/td>        <\/tr>\n    <\/tbody><!--ninja_tobody_rendering_done-->\n    <\/table>\n    \n    \n    \n<\/div>\n\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1670\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/blue-line.gif?resize=300%2C8&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Blue Bar\" width=\"300\" height=\"8\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Continue the Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wanted-a-horse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-226485 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-1-wanted-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=310%2C110&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jumping Into Trouble Series Book 1: Wanted! A Horse Continue the series 2026\" width=\"310\" height=\"110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-1-wanted-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?w=310&amp;ssl=1 310w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-1-wanted-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-1-wanted-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=200%2C71&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.writers-exchange.com\/circus-runaways\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-226486 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=310%2C110&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jumping Into Trouble Series Book 2: Circus Runaways Continue the Series 2026\" width=\"310\" height=\"110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?w=310&amp;ssl=1 310w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=200%2C71&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.writers-exchange.com\/missing-a-horse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-226487 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-3-missing-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=310%2C110&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jumping into Trouble Series Book 3: Missing! A Horse Continue the Series 2026\" width=\"310\" height=\"110\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-3-missing-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?w=310&amp;ssl=1 310w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-3-missing-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumping-into-trouble-3-missing-a-horse-continue-the-series-small-2026.jpg?resize=200%2C71&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B08NHST2X8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-64614 size-full aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/button_view-series-on-amazon.png?resize=276%2C43&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"View Series on Amazon\" width=\"276\" height=\"43\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/button_view-series-on-amazon.png?w=276&amp;ssl=1 276w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/button_view-series-on-amazon.png?resize=200%2C31&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1670\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/blue-line.gif?resize=300%2C8&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Blue Bar\" width=\"300\" height=\"8\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Chapter 1<\/h1>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Runaways<\/h1>\n<p>The garage door creaked as he unlocked it, and John froze. Behind the door the dog scratched and whined. He opened the door a fraction more. Blue pushed out and jumped up on him. He staggered, and held the dog tight, feeling his coarse hair and warm body quivering. A pink<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Down, Blue,&#8221; he whispered.he garage door creaked as he unlocked it, and John froze. Behind the door the dog scratched and whined. He opened the door a fraction more. Blue pushed out and jumped up on him. He staggered, and held the dog tight, feeling his coarse hair and warm body quivering. A pink tongue licked at his recently dried tears.<\/p>\n<p>The night was still, frosty stars glimmered, and the house slept on in darkness. The clink of the bridle sounded loud in the stillness. John listened, and reassured, picked up the saddle and the sleeping bag.<\/p>\n<p>He tiptoed along the shadows beside the house, almost holding his breath. <em>What if his young brother woke up? What if his father was prowling around? What if his mother decided to check on whether he was asleep?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Blue&#8217;s entire existence depended on them getting well clear by morning. The terse phone call he had overheard left no uncertainty as to what was going to happen. His dog Blue locked in the garage waiting for death.<\/p>\n<p>The house stayed dark and undisturbed. No lights flashed on or noisy exclamations sounded. As he turned the corner of the street, he relaxed and started hurrying towards the paddock.<\/p>\n<p>At John&#8217;s approach, Roanie&#8217;s head swung around, puzzled but interested. There were loud clicks in the still darkness as the gelding&#8217;s stiffened joints unlocked, and soon the soft nose was pushing at him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;No sugar,&#8221; John apologized.<\/p>\n<p>The warm strong smell of horse rose around him, as he threw the saddle on and tightened the girth straps. Even in his misery he was comforted.\u00a0 Horses smelt of summer and haystacks and wide-open spaces. He buckled the bridle on, and then swung up into the saddle.<\/p>\n<p>Somewhere in the darkness a dog barked. Blue growled deep in his throat. John tensed and waited. There was silence. The houses slept on and the trees loomed blackly against the sky. The streetlights were a tired yellow stretching away into the distance. Not far ahead was the back lane that led across to the winding unmade road, where a horse&#8217;s hooves would be muffled and unheard.<\/p>\n<p>John hunched his shoulders against the cold, and relived the entire desperate evening. If only Blue hadn&#8217;t brought the scuffed corpse of the chicken in at the exact moment that Mr. Perkins was storming up and down. It wasn&#8217;t really Blue&#8217;s fault that he had nipped Perkins&#8211;the old fool had aimed a kick.<\/p>\n<p>So many ifs. If his father hadn&#8217;t swiped him for protesting Blue&#8217;s innocence. If Blue hadn&#8217;t turned on his Dad and laid his shoulder open. Two grown men carrying on about a few stitches&#8211;pitiful it was.<\/p>\n<p>John sighed, and checked his sleeping bag. With Blue under sentence of death, his Dad with five stitches in his shoulder and Perkins with three in his leg&#8211;what was there to do but leave home?<\/p>\n<p>He guided Roanie through the shadowy lane and along the winding track twisting into the darkness. This was the end of street lighting and all the new housing subdivisions. Once over the next hill was the scatter of small farms and grazing land. He was nearly safe.<\/p>\n<p>The twenty dollars in his pocket gave him a momentary feeling of unease. He had really burnt his boats by stealing it. Then again, it was exactly twenty dollars that his father had earlier confiscated from him. He had cleaned three cars, mowed four lawns, and weeded several Saturdays away for that twenty dollars. It was his savings towards Roanie&#8217;s new shoes.<\/p>\n<p>He fought a brief battle with his conscience. It was unjust and wrong of his father to take his money. No chooks were worth twenty dollars.<\/p>\n<p>Roanie squelched through the mud by the creek. John ducked his head under the blackness that was the overhanging fern. Roanie was doubtful, but John urged him on. The darkness was absolute and heavy. He had a twinge of doubt and loneliness. The sound of Blue panting somewhere behind him hardened his resolution.<\/p>\n<p>He couldn&#8217;t have stayed home and let Blue get destroyed. He sat up straighter. Roanie, sensing John&#8217;s confidence, quickened into a shambling trot. By the time they had reached the murmur of water that was the waterfall, there was an imperceptible lightening of the atmosphere. The stars were paler, and the treetops more sharply defined against the sky.<\/p>\n<p>John veered into the left-hand track that led across the hill. He had to find a secure place to hide before daylight.<\/p>\n<p>Over the hill, the bush stopped abruptly, and there was a sense of space; a large paddock perhaps. John looked at the horizon with desperation. The trees were outlined in jet black against a widening pink streak.<\/p>\n<p>A dry haystack&#8211;that was what he wanted. Somewhere he could burrow down and sleep, and Roanie could feed. Just near the heavy bushland by the side of the clearing, a black shape loomed. It slowly became more visible as he sat and looked at it &#8211; hay baled and stacked high under a rusty iron roof.<\/p>\n<p>A pale gold streak edged into the red and pink of the sky. From somewhere among the trees came a tentative twitter. John slid off Roanie and tugged at a tumbled bale. Surely the farmer wouldn&#8217;t miss the remains of a bale already opened? He dragged it behind the shelter of the trees, tied up the horse and took off the saddle. Roanie whickered appreciation as he started nosing the hay.<\/p>\n<p>John went back to the big haystack. In the brightening light he saw the hay piled in steps that led up to under the rusty roof. He scrambled up, puffing as he dragged the saddle with him. Shift two bales of hay and he would have a comfortable platform sheltered from the wind, with ramparts concealing him from any casual gaze.<\/p>\n<p>He put down the saddle and unrolled the sleeping bag. He was tired and his eyes were sore. Blue crept into the sleeping bag with him, and John drifted off to sleep with the comforting feel of the warm body against his back.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3QuB5Eg%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-226493 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumpingi-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-print-cover-2026-800.jpg?resize=800%2C593&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Jumping Into Trouble Series Book 2: Circus Runaways Print Cover 2026 \" width=\"800\" height=\"593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumpingi-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-print-cover-2026-800.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumpingi-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-print-cover-2026-800.jpg?resize=300%2C222&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumpingi-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-print-cover-2026-800.jpg?resize=200%2C148&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/jumpingi-into-trouble-2-circus-runaways-print-cover-2026-800.jpg?resize=768%2C569&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A heartwarming Australian series about John Emery Phillips&#8211;a boy with a restless spirit, a stubborn streak, and a deep love for animals. From chasing down runaway horses to escaping danger under the circus big top, John&#8217;s journey is filled with risk, friendship, and self-discovery. \u00a0 Set against the changing rural landscapes of Australia, each book captures the real struggles and triumphs of a boy who refuses to accept that some dreams are out of reach. Whether he&#8217;s chasing horses, running&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[272],"tags":[623,290,675,52,736,625,417],"class_list":["post-60146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mid-grade-primary","tag-adventure","tag-book","tag-childrensbook","tag-ebook","tag-horses","tag-primaryschool","tag-writersexchangeepublishing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/circus-runaways-3d-cover-2026-500high.png?fit=359%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1tQiy-fE6","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60146"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226494,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60146\/revisions\/226494"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/226482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}