by A R Dent
~~~~~
A Dog’s Life
As life changed in Null for the humans so too did life change for Penny’s friends; the dogs and her cat, started to think and act differently.
‘Oscar. Do you think the dog catcher is still here?’ Charlie said.
‘Charlie, always assume the dog catcher is here. Where do you want to go to?’
‘If we are Hollow Log Private Investigations, then I want to investigate something. There is an island up Snapper Creek. Can we take the kayak and paddle up and investigate the island?’
‘Sure can Charlie. Sure can. We can do it at night when the humans don’t see us.’
‘Oscar, I have an idea. I have an extra special friend. She will help us. Donella is her name. She said she would help me here at Null.’
‘Charlie, I have helpers too. Fromoth is my best friend and Serena the white bellied sea eagle lives in the trees across the creek. Tell Donella we don’t need her help and thank her anyway.’
‘Donella, Oscar said thanks but he doesn’t need you,’ Charlie said.
Upon those words a mist appeared over Charlie and he disappeared. The mist extended to a bush alongside and that disappeared from view too. The mist then moved to the area of the kayaks. It covered one kayak and Oscar saw it disappear but ripples appeared on the water.
‘Oscar, do you want to be invisible too? Bouncing off energies when you’re invisible is a new thrill for dogs like you,’ Donella said.
‘Who are you? Are you one of my muses playing tricks again?’
‘I am Charlie’s muse. He’s going to write a book one day and I am going to help him write it. Until then I am making him experience life. Not fit into life but experience it. Oscar, do you want to go with Charlie to the island?’
‘Whatever, nothing else to do around here.’
‘Oscar, close your eyes and when you reopen them you’ll be on the kayak with Charlie.’
‘Hey Charlie, you have a great muse there. What else can Donella do?’
‘Keep quiet. Humans can still hear you. Oscar use your paw and paddle. Charlie you do the same. I’ll stay here and work the rudder. The current is on the run in tide so we can go slow. On the count of two start paddling. One. Two. Paddle, one, two, one, two. Yes, we have the beat and the stroke. See how slow we can go. Look at the bottom there. It’s very shallow. Every now and then you will see the colour change. That’s where the big fish are. So slow and yet so fast. Stop paddling. Hop off and onto the island.’
Oscar and Charlie left the kayak and stood looking at the trees. The mist appeared again and moved toward the trees. At the edge of the trees the mist stopped.
‘This is as far as you go on this island,’ the mist said.
‘Huh?’ said Oscar.
‘You are to go back now and we will return at night. During the night is special. This was where water covered oysters and food. It was a supply of food but now it holds many memories. We will return and turn back time for you to know what this island means. Are you afraid of time? Are you afraid of what might be stored in an energy time capsule here. The ghosts of this island have a long memory of being taunted by many creatures of the deep and creatures of the sky. Are you scared?’
‘Who us? Never, we aren’t afraid are we Charlie?’
‘Ah, what happens if we stay locked in time? Do we know we will come back?’ Charlie said.
‘Love will bring you back Charlie. It is your love of the present that keeps you from staying back in time.’
‘But what if we love the other time better?’ Charlie said.
‘Then you will stay there. Locked in time.’
‘Oscar can go with you tonight.’
‘The ghost might have a special treat of burnt crispy bacon.’
‘Okay, count me in then,’ Charlie said.
The mist returned to the kayak and Charlie and Oscar followed. The paddle back was arduous as they paddled against the tide. The sun was still high and the dogs returned the kayak. Charlie stood and looked up and down the creek. Charlie shivered whenever he looked at the island he went to with Oscar.
‘You’re shivering Charlie. Do you feel the energy? What energy are you feeling?’ Donella asked.
‘I feel death. Bones, ancient bones.’
‘Do you feel anything Oscar?’
‘I don’t feel well at all. I don’t want to go back there. Tonight or anytime.’
‘Crispy bacon tempt? If there were lots of burnt bacon would you go?’
‘Let me think about it. Can I just run up and eat it and run back again?’
‘That island is where the massacre took place many years ago. The bones are there and you feel the energy of the grieving. I will take you back when you are ready but we need someone to help take the energy away. Go and eat and then I’ll arrange a meeting with the spirits who are crying out for help. Hollow Log Detective Agency is what is needed.’
‘Our detective agency? Oh, yes, we can help. Can’t we Charlie?’
‘Then it’s settled. We return tonight for a meeting with the spirits of the dead.’
As Oscar and Charlie looked at each other in disbelief, Donella faded from sight. Oscar and Charlie were in their backyard and the call came for walkies from Penny.
‘Penny wants us to go walking. I’m exhausted after all that paddling,’ Charlie said.
Penny opened the front gate and walked along the promenade with Charlie and Oscar lagging behind. The wind was blowing. Trees rustled their sounds.
As Penny approached the trees near Norman Point, a crow took flight. The crow flew out toward the red beacon. The red beacon stood out at the end of the channel. The crow flew out beyond the beacon and turned and flew along the creek. Then Penny noticed a white bellied sea eagle high in the sky riding the wind currents. A flock of seagulls were heading inland away from the coast. Birds were not their normal selves. The birds were telling Penny something. Penny slowed her thoughts. The creek had another appearance as patterns appeared with each wind gust as it swept up Snapper Creek. Unseasonal winds and nature at unrest.
‘What are the birds telling me Charlie? What are they saying to me?’
Penny more unsettled than ever turned for home. Mental notes taking in what she was witnessing. When at home Penny walked straight into the kitchen.
‘Mum, I’m going in to write for a while. Yell out when dinner is ready. I’ll feed the dogs tonight but yell out when the kitchen is free and I can do it easier alone.’
‘Penny. Eloise said she thought of something that might help. She wrote it down, here it is. A funny saying. What do you and Eloise talk about?’
‘Eloise talks in riddles sometimes. It takes me forever to decipher what she says. Eloise said she can’t tell me what to write but we are joined through some sort of connectivity. I will have a look later --- hang on. This one is weirder than the others.’
‘A silhouette, a figment of imagination, when shape is defined as reality. When light changes it plays and teases, we have another perception.’
‘Mum, I’ll feed the dogs now and then have a sleep. Whatever that means it makes my head go funny. ‘When shape is defined as reality,’ is weird. Mum, all the birds are behaving differently. Nothing is normal like day to day stuff. We might be in for a huge storm or something. The weather forecast is saying the wind will stay northerly for one more day and everything back to usual weather. The birds are saying it’s going to get worse.’
‘Penny, feed the dogs and have a nap. I’ll put your dinner in the oven for you.’
Penny went to her bedroom and lay down on her bed. Penny entered into her dreamtime. Penny dreamed another reality of her story.
‘Oscar. Donella is waiting. We have to leave now. We are to go up to the island.’
‘Paddles down. Hop onto the island and stay together,’ Donella said.
‘Where are we? Is this the island we came to before?’ Charlie said.
‘This is another side to the island. We will go in as three. I w
ill change back to my usual self.’
With Oscar and Charlie as a witness, Donella transformed herself into a Brolga. Donella then extended her wings and jumped up and down. The dance of the Brolga displayed in silhouette of the moon dancing upon the water. Donella flapped her wings faster and took flight before the dogs and flew out over the creek and circled around above the island. Slowly Donella glided in to where the dogs stood looking in amazement.
‘That feels better. Nothing like stretching one’s wings every now and then. Shall we go and meet the spirits of the dead?’
‘Charlie. Can we stop and have a think about this one. I need to do some typing into my computer?’
‘Oscar, we have come here to help something. Stop that imagining stuff you have a computer and need to write.’
‘I will go first and you follow Charlie. Oscar, you are last.’
‘Keep up and say nothing. It’s somewhere near the barren area. Somewhere near that opening in the trees. Here we are. Oscar, go and get four sticks. Charlie, scratch out a place to sit. I will dance until we raise the spirits.’
‘I found four sticks. Where do you want them?’
‘Thank you Oscar. Place them in front of you. Charlie, take two sticks. Both of you take your sticks and slap them together. I will dance to the beat of your clapsticks.’
The moon above shone down on the group. Donella danced as the Brolga dances. The movement of her wings displayed a message and her legs lifting her body up and down. Donella danced to the sounds of clapsticks and wind in the trees.
‘Enough. What is it you want,’ said a spirit of Barren Island.
‘We are here because we want to listen.’
‘No one listened when we cried then died. No one listens to our pleas. We will continue to cry out. What is it that you want to listen to?’
‘We respect your death. We respect your situation. We respect your desires. Your desire to move on into another realm is respected.’
‘Death will continue until we are freed. Free to move on to what?’
‘You can only cry out. We cannot do anything. We can listen.’
‘Donella, why did you bring the dogs?’
‘I brought the dogs because they’ve been given gifts to help the planet. I have been set free to assist them. If the dogs and I can help, you may be set free to assist too. Do you want to leave your angst behind and set off on another journey? I’ve been sent to ask you that question.’
‘We don’t think of anything but retribution for the loss of our lands. We died fighting and fighting will continue. Fighting for our lands and waterways.’
‘Many changes have happened since you died. Many changes to the land and water. The sun rises in the east. The moon at night and sun during the day. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the people who killed you are now dead. You can’t fight a memory or a system. Survival is different now.’
‘What is it we can do if we accepted change?’
‘You can help by simply releasing your angst. Your energy pervades all here on this island and it sweeps across the lands. Release your angst and remain proud you fought. Many warriors stopped killing. One small step in that way will see you set free.’
‘Dance for us again,’ the spirit said.
‘Hit it boys. Come in on the four beat. One, two, three, four. . . .’
And Donella danced and pranced as she had never danced before. The dogs with their clapsticks hit a beat just as Donella wanted.
‘Stop. Go now. Leave us at that. Go and do what you have to do. We have decided to keep our angst. Stay away from this island.’
Donella returned to the kayak with the dogs, Charlie and Oscar, and turned back into a mist. The kayak slid along Snapper Creek invisible except for ripples on the water. The kayak was returned to its spot and Donella turned and said,
‘You can’t win them all. We tried but somehow I think your detective agency could do some more research and come up with a solution.’
‘Penny, wake up Penny. Penny, wake up. Have you been writing all night again?’
‘Yes mum. I slept a little but thoughts kept haunting me. I had to write them down. I’ll sleep on the bus. Tell Jack to wake me up this time as we get close to school. Last time everyone on the bus left me asleep and the bus driver didn’t know I was asleep on the back seat.’
After Penny left on the school bus, Oscar sought Charlie and together they discussed the night before. . .
‘Charlie, what do you think about last night. How are we going to help with our detective agency?’
‘I know it’s strange. I think destiny has played a part of the reason I am here. James Pemberton was a man of words. He was my owner that died before I left. He used to settle disputes with words. I think if we use words it might help.’
‘Words. Now that’s my forte. Words can say a lot. I studied words. I have a big green dictionary. Let’s go and study words. What word comes to your mind Charlie?’
‘How about we open the big green book of words and see what word appears. I think humans call it scientific. It’s how humans study something. You open the book and I will pick a word. That will be our scientific way of doing things.’
‘Penny has several books of words. Now you have opened the book. Let me pick a word. Dreamtime. That word seems interesting.’
“Dreamtime was way back, at the very beginning. The land and the people were created by the Spirits. They made the rivers the water holes the hills and the rocks and all things living. They gave us hunting things, they gave each tribe its land, they gave us our totems and they gave us our Dreaming”
‘That’s it Charlie. That’s it. Oh Charlie you are intelligent. A scientist of words. The land and the people were created by the spirits. But where did the spirits come from?’
‘That’s the question of all questions, ‘where did the spirits come from’, and why did we have to meet spirits. I don’t think they know. What about we go down to Crab Creek and talk to the Bunyip. Maybe there is a bunyip in each creek. The spirits are living in bunyips maybe. We have work to do Oscar. We have lots of work to do but we must do it when Penny’s at school.’
‘Charlie, sometimes I wish I was a normal dog. My destiny is a little bit too exciting for me at times. Some humans forego their destiny. Dogs don’t have that privilege. Let’s go Charlie. I saw the dog catcher go past before. Keep to the trees and let’s get out of here and off to the dreaded Bunyip meeting at Crab Creek and back again before Penny gets home.’
Whilst the dogs were at Crab Creek Betty sought out Father Fred. . . .
‘Father Fred. Are you there Father?’
‘Oh, Betty Dawson. What can I do for you?’
‘Father, as a thought Father, would you be as kind as to leave Penny to her own writings now you have kindly helped. She would like to come to church but she seems a little confused whether you want to take over her writings.’
‘Oh I see. She wants to continue making the same mistakes. A little bit of her adult writing has yet to emerge. It is good she learns the hard way. I will continue to be here if she needs me then. I will say nothing as you request.’
‘Thank you Father, and if I may suggest. A little bit of fresh fish would help you and Mary has a new friend in town. She needs some company until she settles down. I understand she’ll be in church on Sunday and she loves to study literature. She will join the church book reading group I understand. Are you still leading the classes?’
‘I am still leading the group. I will meet her on Sunday. And, how tall is she Betty?
‘Oh, about my height, about 5ft 4in.’
‘Thanks Betty.’
