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Authors: Jesse Blackadder
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soon.’
Bear laid the wood down on the bench. ‘Sorry, old girl, but my shift’s starting. I’ll work on you again tonight.’
He looped the heavy chain through Stay’s good leg and around the bench. She heard the click of the padlock closing and then the sound of his footsteps crossing the floor and the dull thud of the heavy door closing behind him.
The sound echoed through the machinery shop. It had a hard concrete floor, and hundreds of tools lined the walls. It smelt of grease and oil and timber and metal. It wasn’t a bad smell. Rather interesting. Stay would have liked a chance to investigate more.
She was starting to get a little bored when the door opened again and some expeditioners came in.
‘Here she is,’ the first one said.
They clomped across the floor towards Stay. She didn’t know them, though she remembered seeing them at a distance on the ship.
One of them picked up the chain and padlock and rattled it. ‘She’s locked up. How did they know we wanted to pinch her?’
‘Everyone wants to pinch her,’ the first one answered. ‘She’s the queen of the station.’
Stay quite liked hearing that and she sat up a little taller. It was surprising how often she found herself the centre of attention in Antarctica.
‘For now,’ another one said. ‘They’ll all get sick of her soon. By the end of the season, she’ll be lying in a rubbish heap somewhere, forgotten. I bet you.’
‘Done!’ the first one said, and held out his hand to shake on it.
‘You’re an idiot,’ the third one said. ‘She’s not even a real dog.’
‘It just won’t be the same without the huskies here,’ the first one said. ‘They’re taking away our culture. It’s not fair.’
They were all silent and Stay could feel that underneath their joking they were very sad. She wondered where the real dogs were. It would be fun to meet them. They could be her friends, like Jet had been. She wouldn’t mind some dogs to talk to.
Perhaps these men would take her to the dogs? She looked at the short one, who’d said she was the queen of the station, and concentrated on him.
‘It’s a pity the huskies are all at Mawson,’ he said after a while. ‘I probably won’t get across there to see them this season, and after that it’ll be too late.’
One of the others slapped him on the shoulder. ‘Tough luck, boyo. You’ll never have the joy of sledging with the huskies — unless you go to Minnesota. I hear some of them are being taken there when they leave Antarctica.’
‘You’re kidding?’
‘Nope. These dogs are celebrities. The last dogs in Antarctica. There’ll be a huge crowd to welcome them back to Hobart. The old ones will retire to a life of luxury and the young ones will go to America and keep working.’
‘I heard there’s a litter of puppies,’ the first one said.
‘That’s right, three new ones. Misty, Cobber and Frosty. Born to Cardiff and Cocoa.’
The third man scowled at Stay. ‘And all we get here is the broken-down plastic dog. It’s not fair!’
‘Come on, you guys,’ one said. ‘Let’s go. It’s cold in here. Bye-bye, broken doggie.’
Stay wanted to lower her ears and drop her head. He didn’t seem friendly at all, and she shivered a little.
The dogs were far away, at Mawson Station, where Chills and Beakie had gone on the plane. Chills was probably playing with those puppies right now. He’d forget her in a moment once he saw real dogs, especially pups.
Those men were right. She’d probably end up thrown in a corner on the scrap heap or chucked into Warren. Her luck had turned bad as soon as she’d landed on Antarctica, and there was no way to get home now.
Chapter 16
‘Hold her still!’
Stay was lying upside down in a most undignified position, staring at the floor. She felt Kaboom take a tighter grip on her good leg. As if she could run away, even if she wanted to!
‘OK, I’m setting the new leg in the socket,’ Bear said. ‘Brace yourself,
Bear laid the wood down on the bench. ‘Sorry, old girl, but my shift’s starting. I’ll work on you again tonight.’
He looped the heavy chain through Stay’s good leg and around the bench. She heard the click of the padlock closing and then the sound of his footsteps crossing the floor and the dull thud of the heavy door closing behind him.
The sound echoed through the machinery shop. It had a hard concrete floor, and hundreds of tools lined the walls. It smelt of grease and oil and timber and metal. It wasn’t a bad smell. Rather interesting. Stay would have liked a chance to investigate more.
She was starting to get a little bored when the door opened again and some expeditioners came in.
‘Here she is,’ the first one said.
They clomped across the floor towards Stay. She didn’t know them, though she remembered seeing them at a distance on the ship.
One of them picked up the chain and padlock and rattled it. ‘She’s locked up. How did they know we wanted to pinch her?’
‘Everyone wants to pinch her,’ the first one answered. ‘She’s the queen of the station.’
Stay quite liked hearing that and she sat up a little taller. It was surprising how often she found herself the centre of attention in Antarctica.
‘For now,’ another one said. ‘They’ll all get sick of her soon. By the end of the season, she’ll be lying in a rubbish heap somewhere, forgotten. I bet you.’
‘Done!’ the first one said, and held out his hand to shake on it.
‘You’re an idiot,’ the third one said. ‘She’s not even a real dog.’
‘It just won’t be the same without the huskies here,’ the first one said. ‘They’re taking away our culture. It’s not fair.’
They were all silent and Stay could feel that underneath their joking they were very sad. She wondered where the real dogs were. It would be fun to meet them. They could be her friends, like Jet had been. She wouldn’t mind some dogs to talk to.
Perhaps these men would take her to the dogs? She looked at the short one, who’d said she was the queen of the station, and concentrated on him.
‘It’s a pity the huskies are all at Mawson,’ he said after a while. ‘I probably won’t get across there to see them this season, and after that it’ll be too late.’
One of the others slapped him on the shoulder. ‘Tough luck, boyo. You’ll never have the joy of sledging with the huskies — unless you go to Minnesota. I hear some of them are being taken there when they leave Antarctica.’
‘You’re kidding?’
‘Nope. These dogs are celebrities. The last dogs in Antarctica. There’ll be a huge crowd to welcome them back to Hobart. The old ones will retire to a life of luxury and the young ones will go to America and keep working.’
‘I heard there’s a litter of puppies,’ the first one said.
‘That’s right, three new ones. Misty, Cobber and Frosty. Born to Cardiff and Cocoa.’
The third man scowled at Stay. ‘And all we get here is the broken-down plastic dog. It’s not fair!’
‘Come on, you guys,’ one said. ‘Let’s go. It’s cold in here. Bye-bye, broken doggie.’
Stay wanted to lower her ears and drop her head. He didn’t seem friendly at all, and she shivered a little.
The dogs were far away, at Mawson Station, where Chills and Beakie had gone on the plane. Chills was probably playing with those puppies right now. He’d forget her in a moment once he saw real dogs, especially pups.
Those men were right. She’d probably end up thrown in a corner on the scrap heap or chucked into Warren. Her luck had turned bad as soon as she’d landed on Antarctica, and there was no way to get home now.
Chapter 16
‘Hold her still!’
Stay was lying upside down in a most undignified position, staring at the floor. She felt Kaboom take a tighter grip on her good leg. As if she could run away, even if she wanted to!
‘OK, I’m setting the new leg in the socket,’ Bear said. ‘Brace yourself,
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