by Felice Arena
Specky nodded.
‘I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should talk to your dad. What d’ya reckon?’
‘I wouldn’t,’ warned Specky. ‘I think I’d leave it for a while. They’re still pretty cut.’
‘Yeah, I guess,’ said the Great McCarthy. ‘I s’pose I’ll catch ya round, then.’
Specky had only taken a few paces before he was stopped again. It was Screamer.
‘Magee, Christina wants to know what’s up,’ he said. ‘She texted me, wanting to know why you haven’t been in contact with her.’
Specky filled Screamer in on why his mobile had been confiscated by his parents. ‘If you can tell her that for me, that’d be great,’ he added.
‘No probs,’ said Screamer. ‘I might be able to tell her in person.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, that masterclass I told you about – it’s in Sydney, on the weekend. We’re gonna try and catch up.’
‘Oh?’ croaked Specky, feeling his gut knotting up. ‘Um, that’s good.’
For the rest of the day, Specky felt increasingly nervous about Screamer’s plans to meet up with his girlfriend. He wished he was the one visiting her. It had been ages since they had talked or texted each other – and he wondered how she was adjusting to her new home, school and city.
‘What’s up?’ asked Brian, as they made their way back home after school.
‘Ah, nothing,’ shrugged Specky. ‘How are the calls going? How’s your plan working out?’
‘Really good, I think. My phone bill will be huge next month, but it’s worth it. What about you? Do you think you’ll be allowed to play against the Bull Ants, now that you’re grounded?’
‘Who knows? I thought I’d wait and ask my folks at the last minute. But I don’t like my chances.’
Later that night, Specky’s parents held another family meeting around the dinner table, but this time Brian was allowed to be in on it.
‘We talked to Brian’s dad earlier,’ began Mr Magee. ‘And we’re going to stay on one of his river houseboats this weekend. Of course, I think your mother should be resting some more –’
‘David, please,’ interjected Specky’s mum. ‘I’m fine. The doctor says it’s absolutely fine.’
‘So, what about us?’ asked Specky.
‘Since you can’t be trusted to stay here on your own, you’ll both be coming with us, but not on the boat,’ said Mrs Magee. ‘Mr and Mrs Edwards have kindly offered to let you and Alice stay with them. They have a spare room for Alice. She can study and do her homework all weekend.’
‘Great, I can’t wait,’ Alice muttered sarcastically.
‘And Brian’s dad asked us if you could play in some special football game on Sunday, Simon,’ said Mr Magee. ‘As a favour to him, we have agreed.’
‘Yes!’ said Specky and Brian, high-fiving each other.
‘He’s driving down to Melbourne very early Saturday to pick up Josh, Danny and Ben, so he’ll pick you up then, Brian.’
‘Why is it such a special match?’ asked Mrs Magee.
‘It’s a showdown with our number-one rival,’ said Brian.
‘Like a one-off friendly game?’
‘Yeah, something like that.’
‘That’s all settled then,’ said Specky’s dad. ‘We’re all off to Rivergum on Saturday.’
Specky’s parents dropped him and Alice at the Edwards’ house and then Brian’s dad drove them out to the houseboat and sent them on their way down the Murray River.
‘Your folks are going to experience peace and quiet like they’ve never felt before,’ he said to Specky and Alice on his return. Everyone was seated around the kitchen table having sandwiches and smoothies.
‘Dad, did you ask them if Specky can camp out with us tonight?’ Brian asked.
‘Yes. They said it would be okay,’ Mr Edwards smiled.
Specky and his mates whooped excitedly.
‘Unfortunately, Alice,’ added Brian’s dad, ‘your parents were adamant that you were to study for the next couple of hours, so…’
‘Okay, Tom! Let the poor girl finish her smoothie first,’ Brian’s mother said.
‘No, it’s fine, Mrs Edwards,’ Alice said. ‘I’ll go now. You guys have fun camping tonight.’
Specky watched his sister leave the kitchen, shuffling a few steps behind Brian’s mum. He felt sorry for her, but he knew she wouldn’t want to come camping with them anyway.
‘Okay, what are you boys waiting for?’ said Mr Edwards. ‘Get your gear together. Brian, go and grab some sleeping bags from the cupboard, and I’ll get the tent from the shed.’
‘This is gonna be so unreal,’ exclaimed Danny. ‘I can’t remember the last time I went camping.’
‘You haven’t, that’s why,’ said Robbo.
‘Yes, I have! And you were there. Can’t you remember?’
‘Pitching a tent in your backyard doesn’t count.’
‘And watching Survivor doesn’t, either,’ Gobba said.
Brian grinned and shook his head. ‘This is gonna be a laugh.’
On the way to the campsite, Brian’s dad stopped to introduce Specky’s friends to Ernie.
‘What a fit-looking bunch you are,’ he said, greeting them on Allan Street outside the Commercial. ‘Great to have you boys here.’
‘How’s it looking for tomorrow, Ern?’ asked Mr Edwards.
‘Well, to be honest, Tom, it doesn’t look that good. Counting these lads, we’ve got under ten players confirmed. I’m just about to head out to see if Matt can play. The Dawson boys said they’re not sure if they can make it this time either.’
‘G’day, Tom! Hello, boys!’ said Lizzie, breezing out to meet them. ‘Is he talking about the showdown tomorrow? That’s all he’s been talking about. He’s been beside himself all week. I can’t understand why you’d agree to have a friendly game with that awful Carl Sharkey. The whole town is wondering.
‘It doesn’t make sense. I know my husband better than he knows himself and there’s something he’s not letting me in on.’
‘C’mon, love,’ groaned Ernie.
Specky and Brian exchanged looks.
‘Um, well…’ stammered Brian’s dad.
‘Look, for heaven’s sake, woman,’ sighed Ernie. ‘It’s just to give the boys a run – we’ve got a bye this weekend and I couldn’t say no when Sharkey suggested it. Now, let it go.’
‘Yeah, yeah. That’s why you’ve been so keyed up all week, ’cause nothing’s going on,’ Lizzie muttered.
‘Well, you boys better not stay up yakking all night. I want you bright and raring to go tomorrow,’ Ernie said, changing the subject as fast as he could.
∗∗∗
Mr Edwards drove out of town to Brian’s favourite campsite, Yabby Bend. It was a cleared-out area in the bush right on the banks of the Murray.
‘Right, do you boys need anything else?’ asked Brian’s dad, after helping them set up the tent. ‘Do you want me to start a fire for you?’
‘Nah, we’re okay, Dad,’ said Brian. ‘I’ll do it later. I wanna get some lines in before it gets dark.’
‘Okay. Well, you have your mobile. Call me if you need anything.’
As Mr Edwards headed off back into town, Specky and his mates followed Brian to the water’s edge.
‘Right, this is my special home-grown bait,’ said Brian.
‘And whatever we catch is our dinner for tonight?’ asked Gobba, looking revolted at the container of slimy worms Brian was holding out. ‘We do have other food, don’t we?’
‘Course we do. But how cool would it be to catch our own meal?’ exclaimed Specky, trying to get into the spirit.
Gobba, Danny and Robbo almost fell over each other as they lunged for the fishing rods.
‘Give me the red one, will ya?’ said Danny. ‘The Italian Stallion needs a Ferrari-red fishing rod.’
‘You’re such a dweeb, Castellino,’ said Robbo as he proudly displayed the bigger of the two fish
ing rods.
‘That leaves me with this little hand line,’ moaned Gobba. ‘How am I gonna catch a big cod with this poxy little thing?’
Specky and Brian laughed.
‘Relax, will ya?’ said Brian. ‘The sooner you get your line in the water, the sooner you’ll get a bite.’
Danny and Robbo, competitive as always, quickly speared worms on their hooks. They raced each other down to the river, and at the same time cast their lines into the water. One went downstream and one went upstream, and the lines crossed in midair.
Pretty soon, an all-out battle had broken out between the two of them, as they sat down to try and sort out what had become a mess of tangled fishing line.
Meanwhile, Gobba wandered over to Brian with a big fat worm in his hand and, pulling him aside, said in a low voice, ‘You couldn’t put this worm on the hook for me, could you, Edo? This stuff sort of grosses me out.’
‘No problem, Gobba.’
‘Oh, and if you could avoid mentioning this to the others, I’d appreciate it,’ Gobba added.
Specky knew Gobba meant Danny and Robbo. He’d never hear the last of it if they knew.
‘I think I got a bite!’ Robbo yelled, jumping up excitedly.
‘Already?’ said Specky, impressed.
Brian checked Robbo’s line to discover that it had been snagged on a log. He yanked at it and set it free.
‘Good onya, Rex Hunt. You wouldn’t know a bite from a snag if your life depended on it,’ stirred Danny.
Robbo stuck his hand in the bait box, grabbed a fistful of worms and chucked them at Danny. They landed all over him, some in his hair, some falling down the back of his shirt.
Danny jumped up, dancing from foot to foot.
‘Get them off me! Get them off me!’ he yelled. ‘I think one’s gone down my jocks.’
Robbo, Gobba, Brian and Specky collapsed on the ground laughing their heads off. The sight of Danny jumping about, pulling worms out of his clothing was just about the funniest thing Specky had ever seen.
‘If you don’t shut up,’ said Robbo, in between fits of laughter, ‘I’ll put a hook in you and use you as bait.’
Finally Danny managed to find all the worms in his clothing and everyone calmed down a bit.
‘Ouch!’ said Gobba slapping his knee. ‘Man, I can’t believe there are mozzies out here in the middle of winter. They’re eating me alive.’ He slapped his hand against the back of his neck. ‘Do we have any Aeroguard?’
‘Nah, I forgot it,’ replied Brian, grinning. ‘But there’s a good bush remedy to keep them away.’
‘What? Tell me quick, ’cause they’re sucking the blood out of me.’
‘Me too,’ said Danny.
Brian told them that before they had insect repellants people from the area used to smear mud from the riverbed all over their skin.
‘Are you serious?’ asked Danny.
‘Why wouldn’t he be serious?’ said Specky. ‘If anyone knows this stuff, it’s Brian. He’s been camping like a million times before.’
Gobba and Danny slapped at their arms in unison – bitten again.
‘Well, I’m game,’ Gobba said. ‘I can’t believe they’re not eating you guys.’
Danny and Gobba took their shoes off and stepped into the icy water. Together they bent down and scooped up a blob of river mud each.
‘That’s it!’ Brian egged them on. ‘Make sure to rub it evenly all over your hands, the back of your neck and your face.’
Specky had to look the other way. He was ready to crack up.
‘Robbo, you do it, too,’ said Danny, as he smeared a dark-grey clump of mud across his forehead.
‘Yeah, as if! They’re not eating me anyway,’ he replied. ‘I can’t believe you knobs are actually going through with this.’
Again, Specky had to try hard not to lose it, as Danny and Gobba completely masked their faces in mud.
‘Hey! I think it’s working. They’ve stopped biting.’
Specky couldn’t hold back any longer, and neither could Brian. They roared with laughter.
‘I knew it!’ snapped Gobba. ‘I knew you were freak’n having us on.’
‘Sucked in, big-time,’ chuckled Robbo.
‘Yeah, well, maybe you should try it,’ grumbled Danny, as he grabbed another handful of mud and tossed it at Robbo.
Before Specky knew it, he and his mates were in a full-on mud fight. Mud and river water was hurled all over the place: Thoomp! Splat! Thoomp! Thoomp! Splat!
The dirty scuffle went on for five minutes before Brian called a truce.
‘Hang on! Hang on!’ he shouted. ‘Let’s call it even. We gotta get a fire going now. It’ll be dark soon.’
Everyone agreed, and, as the sun set behind the trees and the evening chill started to set in, Specky and his friends prepared for the night ahead of them.
‘These are the best I’ve ever had,’ said Specky, slurping some baked beans off a plastic plate.
They were all sitting around a roaring fire, polishing off the meal of sausages and beans that Brian had cooked.
Night had fallen quickly and the surrounding bushland was now pitch-black.
‘Any meal tastes good when you’re starving,’ remarked Danny, his muddy face lit up by the glow of the flames. ‘Lucky Brian could make a fire from scratch. That was awesome how you got it started by rubbing two sticks together like that.’
Brian grinned. He had told the boys that he had forgotten to bring matches and that he’d have to start a fire the old-fashioned way. As he’d searched around the campsite for the ‘perfect sticks’, Specky had spotted the lighter Brian had hidden in his sleeve.
When it came to rubbing the two sticks together in a pile of twigs and scraps of paper, Brian had added a little theatrics to it, as if he were a magician on stage.
‘Almost… yes, it’s almost alight…’ he had said excitedly, moving the sticks as quickly as he could.
And suddenly there was fire. Everyone gasped in awe. Specky had wondered if Brian would ever reveal his trick – he suspected he wouldn’t.
‘Man, I’m busting to go,’ said Danny.
‘Then go!’ replied Robbo. ‘You’ve been going on about it for an hour.’
‘But I have to… well, you know…’ winced Danny. ‘Brian, are you sure there isn’t a toilet nearby?’
‘Nup, not out here. Just find a good gum tree to hide behind, dig a hole and there’s your dunny. Here, take this,’ he instructed, handing Danny a torch, a small garden spade and some toilet paper. ‘Throw the paper in once you’re done – it’s biodegradable – and then cover the hole up with dirt.’
Danny looked at Brian as if he might be having him on again. ‘But, it’s dark and –’
‘JUST GO!’ everyone snapped.
They watched Danny reluctantly shuffle off into the darkness.
For a moment, no one said a word. The boys stared into the fire, mesmerised by the crackling coals and the stillness of the night.
‘So, you know how we met that old dude and his wife today,’ said Robbo, finally.
‘Yeah, Ernie and Lizzie,’ said Brian.
‘Yeah, well, why was she so surprised that this grudge match was happening? Is there something about this game you’re not telling us?’
Specky tried to keep his face expressionless. He glanced at Brian, who was also trying not to react. But Robbo was on to them.
‘There is something going on, isn’t there?’ he said.
‘What? Have I missed something?’ asked Gobba.
‘It’s not just a friendly tomorrow, is it?’ pressed Robbo. ‘It’s more than that, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah,’ sighed Brian. ‘But we can’t tell you guys anything else.’
‘Why not? Come on, you gotta tell us something.’
‘We just can’t say, okay?’ Specky said defensively. ‘We’re not allowed to. I wish we could, mate, but we can’t.’
‘Just know that tomorrow we’re playing in Rivergum’s most i
mportant game ever. And I’m really glad you guys are here,’ added Brian.
‘Welcome back, viewers,’ announced Gobba in his best commentator’s voice. ‘If you’ve just joined us here at Yabby Bend studios, then let me bring you up to speed. Tomorrow is turning out to be the biggest match in Rivergum’s proud million-year history. Although it’s being touted as a one-off friendly, this battle has us all wondering. We here at the campfire panel will attempt to answer all your hard-hitting questions right after the break.’
Suddenly, a spine-chilling shriek echoed from the bush.
‘ARRRGHHHHHH!’
It was Danny. He came stumbling out of the bushes, screaming – in his boxers with his jeans still down around his knees.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Specky, rushing to him.
‘There’s someone or something out there,’ Danny said, gasping for breath.
‘What was it?’ asked Gobba.
‘I don’t know! But I saw a shadow duck behind a tree. It looked huge.’
‘Like your imagination,’ quipped Robbo.
‘No, I’m serious. It was heading right for me, but I think I startled it.’
‘You mean, when you screamed like a big girl?’
Danny glared at Robbo.
‘It could’ve been a roo,’ said Brian calmly. ‘Let’s go and have a look.’
Brian took the torch off Danny and headed into the trees.
‘Anyone coming with me?’ he said, marching ahead without looking back.
‘Yeah, I will,’ said Specky.
‘Me too,’ added Robbo.
‘If you’re all going, then I’m going too,’ croaked Gobba, in his toughest-sounding voice.
‘Well, I’m not staying here on my own,’ hollered Danny, as he pulled up his jeans and ran after them.
Danny led the boys to where he had been about to take his toilet break.
‘See, here’s the hole I dug,’ he said.
Brian shone the torch over it. ‘Nice hole,’ he said.
‘Thanks,’ said Danny. ‘And just as I was pulling down my jeans, I heard something come from over there, behind that tree.’
Brian aimed the torch in the direction Danny was pointing. There was nothing there.
‘Let me switch off the torch for a sec. And let’s be quiet. See if you can hear anything,’ he said.
