Forest Spirit

by David Laing

  She had to make a decision. Snook and Quenton needed to be set free now … somehow.

  Shadow rose to his feet and nudged the wombat with his nose. The wombat, standing also, let out a soft grunt. Then, without warning, they ran from their cover into the clearing. Shadow barked, as if to get the attention of the two men. He then swivelled and ran towards the lake and the stacks of cages. The wombat, although much slower, followed on his short, muscular legs.

  Amazed at the sudden departure of the two, Jars could only stare, wondering what they were up to. She quickly found out.

  As soon as he reached the cages, Shadow began to paw at them as though trying to release the door catches. The wombat, when he arrived, tried to do the same.

  The first cage burst open and Jars, as if in a trance, watched, wide-eyed, as a pair of birds emerged. The two birds remained motionless at first, as though gathering their bearings. Then, apparently satisfied, they flapped their wings and flew into the air.

  Just as the dog and the wombat moved onto the next cage, a loud, high-pitched yell pierced the air. This was foIlowed by a single rifle shot. The buIlet, meant for Shadow or the wombat, had missed, but two men, the short one, still screaming, rushed towards the two animals.

  Jars understood. Shadow and the wombat had created the diversion she needed. Without another thought, she rushed towards Snook and Quenton.

  ‘It’s about time you got here,’ Snook said with a crooked grin. ‘As soon as I saw Shadow running around down there, I knew you weren’t far away.’

  Quenton whimpered. ‘N-never mind all that, just hurry up and untie us. We have to get out of here.’

  Jars leant over and began to undo the knots. ‘I wish I had a knife,’ Jars said as she struggled with the ropes. ‘These are hard to undo.’

  ‘J-just hurry up,’ Quenton complained. ‘One of them has a knife. He was going to … going to …’

  Snook’s ropes fell away from his wrists. He bent over to untie the ones around his ankles. ‘Yeah, Quigley, we know he had a knife … and a rifle too, so when we get loose, start running and don’t stop, not till you get back to camp. Dad might even be back by now.’

  Jars looked up as she tried to undo the rope around Quenton’s wrist, then, in a low, urgent voice, she said to Snook. ‘What about the birds? I saw birds come out of one of the cages. They must be in the others as well. We should set them loose.’

  FinaIly free, Snook got to his feet. He rubbed his wrists, then bent to untie the ropes around Quenton’s ankles.

  ‘How do you plan to do that, Jars? In case you didn’t notice, one of these bad guys has a gun.’

  ‘I don’t mean right now, Snook. I mean later. We could hide in the forest and wait for an opportunity to sneak down to the cages.’

  ‘No, too risky. As soon as Quigley here is free we gotta scram, nick off back to camp as fast as we can. Dad oughta be there by now. Then he’ll come back and sort those scumbags out – big time.’

  The last of Quenton’s ropes fell away. He struggled to his feet. ‘My legs are all wobbly. I don’t think I can walk yet.’

  Snook gave him an exasperated look. ‘Don’t think! We don’t have time. Just do it.’ He cast a glance towards the lake. Shadow and the wombat had disappeared into the trees and the two men were starting to head back towards their camp. The skinny one suddenly let out another yell. He raised the rifle. ‘I mean now,’ Snook urged, ‘we’ve been spotted.’

  Snook and Jars led the way. Quenton stumbled along behind. The trees meant safety. They were nearly there. Quenton let out a sharp cry; he fell to the ground, clutching his ankle. ‘I – I think I’ve twisted it,’ he said, nearly sobbing. ‘I can’t run anymore.’

  Snook, with Jars close behind, raced over to him; Snook grabbed him by the arm. ‘Get on your feet. You’ve gotta try. Those two will catch up with us soon if we don’t make it to the forest.’

  ‘Oh, it’s too late for that, little boy.’ It was Hector. He pointed the rifle straight at the three of them. ‘It’s a pity for you that your fat little friend here is so slow on his feet.’ He chuckled and turned his eyes towards Jars. ‘I see we have the third one of you in our care now. Excellent.’ He paused for a moment as though thinking. ‘So, let’s walk back to the camp once again, shall we?’ At that moment, Arnie arrived, puffing. Hector turned to face his brother. ‘And you, Arnie, can do the honours and tie the three of them up good and tight while I decide what to do with them.’ He chuckled evilly once more.

  Hector prodded Jars with the rifle. ‘Get going!’

  Snook fell into step beside her. Quenton followed. ‘Sorry, Snook,’ Jars whispered out of the corner of her mouth. ‘I didn’t free you quick enough. And we didn’t set the birds loose either. That’s what the Forest Spirit wanted me to do. I know that now. I’ve failed.’

  ‘Nah, it’s not your fault,’ Snook said in a low voice, ‘it’s his.’ He jerked his head behind him where Quenton, sobbing once more, limped along behind.

  ‘There’s something else, Snook.’ Jars signalled with her eyes. ‘Out there, coming in fast. It’s a boat, and it’s heading our way.’

  The Kelly camp was deserted. After a quick search of the tents, the lake area and the fringes of the forest, they knew that the kids for some reason, had gone. Jim stood, hands on hips, staring across the clearing. Without turning, and in a low, toneless voice, he spoke to his friend, the ranger. ‘It’s that girl!’ he exclaimed through clenched teeth. ‘She’s done it again. Disobeyed me. I warned her about wandering off – several times – and now …’ His voice trailed away.

  ‘Steady on, Jim.’ The ranger placed a hand on his arm. ‘I can see you’re upset. But what are you talking about? The other two kids have gone too.’

  ‘She would have influenced them. She’s been nothing but trouble, ever since we got here.’ He told Reg about her teasing Quenton with the snake prank, about her losing the camera, and about her roaming around in the forest. ‘She won’t communicate, just hangs her head if you talk to her. She won’t even look at you. She hasn’t denied any of this either. No, I’ve come to the conclusion that she’s a trouble-maker. I wish now that Irene and I hadn’t agreed to let her stay with us.’

  ‘Whoa, Jim. Steady on. Generally speaking, Aboriginal kids show respect to their families, and other adults too. That’s why she didn’t look you in the eyes, why she didn’t defend herself. She respects you for goodness sake. It seems to me you’ve jumped to a lot of hasty conclusions about the girl. I only met her briefly, but even so, I got the impression she was a good kid. Shadow did too, and believe me, he’s a great judge of character.’

  At that moment, Inspector Luciano joined them. The other two police officers stood some distance away as though waiting for orders.

  ‘If the poachers are around here, then they’re somewhere in that forest. What we have to do now is find them and as quickly as possible. So, Reg, is there a way in?’

  Reg ran his eyes over the Inspector’s suit and leather dress shoes. ‘Sure, there’s a track. It’ll take you right through to the southern end, but it’s kinda rough going and you’re not exactly dressed for it, are you?’ He looked over towards the other two policemen. They also wore suits. ‘Neither are they.’

  Ignoring the remark about his clothing, the Inspector signalled to his colleagues. ‘There’s a way in. Go grab the rifles.’ He glanced towards the sun, which was fast disappearing. ‘And get the torches too.’

  Jim Kelly stepped forward. ‘Rifles? Are you expecting trouble?’

  ‘I don’t know what to expect, but it’s best to be prepared.’ The police officers returned with the equipment. Inspector Luciano took one of the rifles, a .303. ‘Right. We’re all set. Let’s go, and please, be as quiet as you can. If they are out there, we don’t want to frighten them off, or make ourselves targets for that matter. Reg, you show the way. Jim, you bring up the rear and try to keep out of our way if anything happens. It’s not policy to let civilians tag along in operations like this,
but since you’re already involved, I’ll make an exception.’

  Jim Kelly had every intention of tagging along. The kids were out there somewhere and they needed him.

  They set off along the track. The sound of the waves lapping on the rocks followed them. All around, the birds, invisible in the dim light, chirped their good nights, and the men, heeding the Inspector’s orders, picked their way along the track in silence.

  Jim, bringing up the rear as requested, had mixed feelings.

  His belly felt squeamish. Were the three kids safe? Had he been wrong about Jars? Reg Carter had certainly thought so. Before his talk with Reg, he had been certain; Jars had deliberately disobeyed him and had tormented the life out of Quenton.

  Now he wasn’t so sure; seeds of doubt had been sown. He could have misjudged her. He would have a good talk with Snook. Despite his larrikin streak, the lad had a good sense of right and wrong. His natural curiosity would have driven him to find out the ins and outs of Jars’ behaviour. But then again, if Snook had found out that Jars was blameless, why hadn’t he said something?

  What they would find at the end of their trek, he didn’t know. He prayed that it would be the three kids, and he prayed that they would be safe and unharmed. He shook his head as if to clear it, and continued to make his way forward.

  He wasn’t to know that at that very moment, Jars, Snook and Quenton were in the middle of a very dangerous situation; one they couldn’t control.

  The boat drifted towards the shore until it came to a halt with its bow resting on the rocky edge of the lake.

  Arnie, a length of rope in his hand to tie up the kids, stood and watched as two people from the boat lowered themselves onto the dry land. ‘Um, should I still tie them up, Hector? Would Evelyn want me to do that, would she, Hector?’

  Hector, his eyes riveted on the approaching figures, their silhouettes barely distinguishable against the glassy blackness of the lake, hissed a reply. ‘Leave it for now.’ He pointed with his chin toward the large boulder where Snook and Quenton had been. ‘Get them on the ground behind that, and make sure they don’t get up to any funny business. Take the rifle with you.’

  Arnie herded them over to the boulder. He told them to sit. ‘Hey,’ Snook said to Arnie, ‘the ground’s damp. You want us to get pneumonia, or what?’

  ‘Ah, Hector says you have to sit there. And he says I gotta stay and watch you, to make sure you’re good.’

  Snook lifted his eyes. ‘Do you always do what that freak says? Why don’t you stand up to him? You’re big enough. You could flatten him with one good slap if you wanted to.’

  ‘Um, Hector, he knows best. He’s my brother and he has to tell me things.’

  ‘Yeah, but they’re pretty bad things, aren’t they? Like trapping all those birds and selling them for heaps of money.’

  Jars joined in. ‘A lot of them will die too, or didn’t you know that?’

  ‘No, no, Hector says they’re to go to nice places. They’ll be safe then, he says.’

  Jars thought for a moment and then, as though reaching a decision, said, ‘Look, whatever your name is, you’ve been tricked. Snook’s right in what he says. Your brother’s going to sell them to private breeders, and like I said, some of the birds will fret and die; others will suffocate, hidden away in things like stockings and boxes.’

  ‘So,’ Snook added, ‘what are you gonna do about it? You gonna let him get away with it, or what?’

  Arnie’s mouth opened and closed as though he was searching for words. But before he could say anything, they were interrupted. It was Evelyn Grimshaw.

  Jars sniffed the air, smelling once again the familiar aroma of perfume, the sickly sweetness that had hung in the air inside the Quigley house and then again in the ranger’s office.

  She stepped into view. Wearing a heavy turtleneck sweater, blue jeans and hiker’s boots, she had prepared well against the chill of the evening. She was not, however, prepared for the sight that now met her eyes. Her bottom jaw dropped. With a stare that could shatter glass, her lips twisted into a snarl. ‘What … what the devil’s going on? Why are they here?’ Without waiting for an answer, she spun on her heels and called through the dim light. ‘Hector! Get over here, wherever you are. You’ve got some explaining to do.’

  Hector, who had hung back, slunk into view. ‘We had to grab ’em,’ he explained quickly, before his sister could say anything. ‘They were snooping around. They saw what we were doing. We had no choice.’

  ‘You idiot. You had a choice all right; you should have kept out of sight. Instead, you chose to stupidly advertise your presence with your snooping around. All you succeeded in doing was to draw attention to yourselves. And now Jim Kelly is in town, waiting for the ranger to get back from Hobart. As soon he does they’ll be out here looking for these kids.’ She rubbed her chin, as though thinking. ‘You’ve kidnapped them, you know. That’s serious. Now we have the problem of dealing with them. If we let them go, they’ll obviously tell everyone about us. We’d be finished – arrested and locked up for God knows how long. What did you have in mind, may I ask, or hasn’t your excuse for a brain thought that far ahead?’

  Before Hector could answer, Evelyn’s partner came from behind the boulder.

  Quento gasped ‘Dad? Wha – what are you doing here?’

  The towering figure of Mr Quigley stepped forward. He looked down at his son. ‘Why are you here? That’s more to the point. Evelyn? Answers please.’

  She quickly told him what had happened.

  Mr Quigley coughed into his hand as though clearing his throat. ‘This is totally unacceptable, absolutely outrageous. Your brothers have placed us in an impossible situation.’ Then, thinking along the same lines as Evelyn, he pointed towards Snook. ‘That boy, who goes by the name of Snook, and the girl, will tell the whole world about all this.’ He waved an arm in the air. ‘It goes without saying that we can’t allow that to happen. We’ll have to take them with us until I decide what to do with them. Hector, get them on board, except Quenton. I’ll deal with him. Arnie, you load the cages, and be quick about it. We need to get out of here.’ Hector grabbed the rifle from Arnie and pointed it at their three prisoners. His lips curled and stretched to a sneer. ‘If you ask me, they need snuffing out now and I’m just the man to do it.’

  Mr Quigley took a pace forward and pressed the barrel of the rifle towards the ground. ‘You’ve caused enough damage. There will be no talk about snuffing out anybody, so do as I say. Get these two onto the boat.’ He paused for a moment, then added, ‘I shall attend to them in due course.’ Quenton Quigley’s face ran with new tears. Jars, who was sitting next to him, placed a hand on his shoulder.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ she whispered, ‘we’ll be okay. We’ll get out of this.’

  ‘Why is he with these bad people?’

  Cupping a hand over his mouth, Snook leant over Jars so that Quenton could hear. ‘Jars is right. Don’t worry, we’ll beat them yet.’

  Jars flinched as Hector raised the rifle to firing position once again. ‘Get on yer feet.’ He nudged Snook and Jars with the barrel. ‘And start walking. You’re going on a nice little trip.’ He sniggered and prodded them once again.

  At that moment, a brown blur flew through the air. ‘Shadow!’ Jars cried when she saw him. ‘Snook, it’s Shadow!’

  Shadow, his training and instinct teIling him that Jars was in danger, had crept towards the group. He had then leapt to the top of the rock where he lay watching, invisible in the darkness. When Hector prodded Jars with the rifle, he knew that meant danger. He knew about guns; he had learnt their purpose while on patrol with the ranger when they had come across hunters in the forest. It had not taken him long to associate their loud noise with death. He had to stop the man with the gun.

  Still in mid-air, Shadow’s teeth sunk into Hector’s arm. The force of the dog’s momentum forced Hector to stumble, then fall backwards to the ground. Shadow held on, shaking his head from side to side, growling.r />
  Hector, through fear or hope, hung onto the rifle. ‘Get him off me! Evelyn, Arnie, get him off!’

  As though in shock, Evelyn and Arnie didn’t move.

  Snook saw his chance. He rushed over towards Hector, who was writhing and twisting on the ground, trying desperately to dislodge the dog.

  Snook was a fraction of a second late.

  With a last desperate twist of his body, Hector grabbed the gun with his other hand. He coiled his finger around the trigger and fired.

  Shadow let out a sharp yelp and fell to his side.

  Taking advantage of Hector’s prone position, Snook let fly with his boot, kicking the rifle out of his hand. He bent and picked it up. He pointed it at Hector. ‘No sudden movements, or I’ll blast you to smithereens. Now, get on yer feet and move over to the others.’ He swivelled the barrel in an arc, covering the Grimshaws and Mr Quigley.

  ‘Shadow!’ Jars hurried towards him. ‘Snook, Shadow’s hurt.’ She bent down, quickly examining the dog. ‘The bullet’s gone through his shoulder. It’s bleeding badly.’

  Snook didn’t take his eyes off the poachers. ‘How bad is he?’

  ‘He’s alive. I – I don’t know how bad he is, but the bleeding is getting worse.’

  Ignoring Snook, Arnie shoved away from the others and walked purposely towards Jars.

  ‘Hey, ya big ape, what’d I tell you?’ Snook pointed the rifle at Arnie. ‘One more step and I’ll …’

  He didn’t complete the sentence. Arnie had already bent down and lifted Shadow as easily as if he were a rag doll. Cradling Shadow in his arms like a baby, Arnie whispered with soft words into his ear. Then, with concerned eyes, he turned to Jars. ‘We have to get the dog back to your camp. I can fix him up good there.’

  Jars noticed that Arnie didn’t stutter or stumble over his words. ‘Do you think he’ll be all right?’ she found herself asking. ‘I mean, how bad do you think he is?’