When the tow truck arrives one hour later, the rain finally stops. I kneel on a chair and peek out the front window, watching as the car is loaded onto the truck. It is the first time I have ever seen a tow truck in action and am transfixed on what is going on, until I see Tania ride her bike past the truck and turn into the driveway. I am relieved that there is no glass on the ground which can hurt her.
With her backpack over her shoulder, Tania trundles up the front stairs with a smile on her face. She really seems to be enjoying kindergarten and I find myself looking forward to next year, when it will be my turn.
As soon as Dad arrives home from work, my sisters and I set the table for dinner and tell him about the glass incident. I also tell him how the man spoke to Mum when she told him to clean up his mess. Deep in thought, Dad nods.
“Sounds like some kind of Karma to me. The filthy foul mouthed slime is lucky it was just your mum he had to deal with and not me!” Everybody at the table agrees. Although Dad is quite the softie when it comes to his family, we also know how quick he can be with his fists if his family is threatened in any way.
I can’t help but smile at the events of the day, knowing that now, nobody can hurt their feet on the broken glass. I also know that the driver of the car will never throw another bottle out of a moving vehicle again. The last time I smelled that much fear was when Ralph was wearing a pair of steel-capped boots, kicking my grandfather’s junk like there was no tomorrow. In hindsight, I feel I should have asked Ralph to come down and join us when the guy was mouthing off to my mother.
After dinner, Tania shows Leena and me how she can write her name, just as Leena had done the previous year. Thanks to Leena’s guided tutelage the previous year, Tania is able to write it with ease and shows us both how she can do it, although it is a little bit hard for me to read and the letters are very big.
“It looks perfect, Tania!” I squeal, giving her a big hug. Leena tells Tania that she is very proud of her.
Both Leena and Tania quickly get to work, again trying to teach me how to write my name so that I can impress the teachers at kindergarten next year. They write it on paper and ask me to copy it. They even hold a pen into my hand, but still it doesn’t look like what they have written.
Leena studies the word and frowns at me. “Krystal, you’re killing me, here!” she says, frustrated by what I had written. As she storms off, a gentle voice inside my head reassures me that what I had written was completely correct; that I had written my name in its truest and purest form.
Climbing onto my bed that night, I reach over and give Ralph a hug that almost bursts the stuffing right out of him. Tomorrow will be my third birthday and I am excited that we will be spending it at the beach.
When I wake, the foot of my bed is covered in birthday gifts from friends and family. I decide that they can wait. The weather in Cribb Island always keeps people on their toes and I want to at least get my feet wet today with my family. As I am given the choice in where to celebrate, I choose Shorncliffe Pier. This way, my dad can get in some fishing off the jetty while the rest of us enjoy the water near the sea wall as the tide goes out.
Leena and Tania sit on the jetty with Dad. Mum and I lay our towels on the grass near a tree so we can work on our tans. As soon as I hear the first snore come from my mother’s nostrils, I grab my plastic bucket and spade. The tide has long since gone out, leaving a maze of wet sand as far as the eye can see. I slowly make my way down the stairs and as soon as my feet touch the wet sand, I turn around and face the sea wall.
A giant round pipe is right in front of me which is easily twice as tall as my dad. In front of the pipe is a hole in the sand which is filled with sea water. Having seen people dangle their feet into the water at swimming pools, I decide to sit on the sand with my feet in the water. As I turn to my left with my bucket and spade, hoping to make some amazing sand castles in the wet sand, my body slides into the water in front of the pipe. I scream and move my arms and legs, but as I have no clue how to swim and my head is below the water, I quickly start to panic. I don’t want to drown. Wake up, Mummy! Daddy, come quick! Goddess help me! When I can’t hold my breath any longer, I feel a giant hand grab my swimming costume at the back and yank me out of the water. Dripping wet and gasping for air, I find myself sitting on the wet sand once more. When I turn around to thank the person who had just saved me, I find nobody there. A few minutes later, my mother wakes up and calls out my name, wondering where I am. Still puzzled by who had pulled me from the water, saving me from drowning on my birthday, I make my way back up the stairs in the sea wall and ask if we can go home.
While opening my presents at home, I can’t stop yawning. The events of the day have left me utterly exhausted. I have a bath before climbing into bed for a well-earned nap, sleeping right through until morning.
Before I realise it, Leena’s first day of big girl’s school has arrived. I wave to both of my sisters as they leave. Leena rides her bike alongside Tania until they reach Cribb Island Kindergarten. She then continues riding one street further until she is at Cribb Island State School. Having seen her pack one of her colouring books into her new backpack, I know that she will not be bored during the day.
With nobody to play with, I sit in my bedroom alone and stare at the picture on the wall. Rusty and I look so happy in the photo. I decide to go outside, telling my mother that I will change the water in Rusty’s bowl. There is still quite a chill in the air so I put on a cardigan before heading down the front stairs. After filling the large water bowl at Rusty’s grave with fresh water, I notice that the Frangipani branch has doubled in height and has buds sprouting from the side.
“Thank you for accepting my gift, Rusty. It is getting bigger and stronger because of you,” I say, kneeling at his grave. After touching the soil, I go and sit in the shade at the side of the house, absorbing the peace and tranquillity that surrounds me. Butterflies fly by. Birds sing their beautiful songs. I can’t help but smile as a wallaby hops into our yard and drinks from Rusty’s water bowl. “Thank you, Goddess,” I whisper as the gentle breeze kisses my face.
Mum comes downstairs carrying a tray. She gently places the tray on the ground and grabs a small blanket from the cupboard under my dad’s work bench. After laying out the blanket on the soft dirt, she sits down next to me, positioning the tray in front of us in the shade. Two glasses filled with ice, a jug of water and some Vegemite sandwiches are on the plate. I reach over and hug her arm, leaning my head against her.
“Thank you, Mummy.” I am grateful that everything is so quiet and peaceful.
“You are welcome, Sweetheart,” my mother replies. After eating our sandwiches and drinking our glasses of water, Mum asks if I would like to go and surprise Tania at kindergarten.
“But she took her bike, Mummy. I don’t want anybody to steal her bike!” I say to my mother, knowing how much Tania loves her bicycle.
“Don’t worry about that. We will put her bike into the boot of the car,” my mother tells me. “I thought you would like to see what your sister does in the daytime. You will also get to see where you will be going next year! I definitely think the surprise will be a happy one for Tania.” I ponder this for a moment. If the bike is also coming in the car, I know that nobody will be able to steal it. I also know that Tania loves surprises. I smile, picturing Tania’s face lighting up as we walk through the door at her kindergarten.
“Let’s do it!” I say, excitedly. “Can Ralph come too?”
“You can buckle Ralph into the middle of the back seat. We have to make sure he is safe when he is in the car!” Mum says. We both giggle and I hug my mother tight.
“I love you, Mummy,” I tell her, meaning every word of it. My mother pats my arm for hugging too tight and then gets to her feet, picking up the tray of empty dishes. Upstairs, I ask many times, “Is it time to go yet?” but sadly, it is not. Instead, I take a nap, asking Mum if she can wake me when it’s time. Mum agrees that this is a very good plan.
After sleeping for two hours, I feel well rested. My mother wakes me and says it is time to go and see my big sister at the kindergarten. I smile and roll over to tell Ralph that we are going for a drive. After climbing out of bed, I pull Ralph into a big hug before I put my shoes on.
Most of the parents are gone by the time we arrive at the kindergarten. I look around for my big sister and find her upstairs. Tania is standing in the corner, crying her eyes out. When she turns around, I can see that her lip is bleeding.
“Mummy!” I scream. Mum comes quickly to see what is happening. She frowns when she sees Tania’s lip has been split and demands to speak with the teacher. I listen while the teacher explains to our mother that a boy punched Tania in the face for playing with a toy that he wanted to play with. Anger starts bubbling inside me. Who would do such a horrible thing? My sister is really sweet and had never hurt anybody in her life!
The kindergarten teacher leads Mum to the front door of the kindergarten. It doesn’t take long before an angry exchange occurs between the mother of the boy and our mum. The little boy pokes his tongue at Tania and me as his mother gives the middle finger to our mum. Both of you are filthy pigs with no manners! I am furious. With my skin burning, I feel the need for both of them to receive a bloody good kick up the bum. Staring daggers at them, I pay close attention to their every movement.
As the boy’s mother sticks her nose in the air, she takes her son’s hand and walks to the top of the stairs which lead to the car park. Almost in slow motion, both the boy’s and his mother’s feet slip on the top step. Their legs fly out in front of them and they land on their butts. An invisible force seems to have grabbed them both by the legs, pulling them forwards, feet first. They both hit the top step hard before their butts make a touchdown on each and every step on the way down. It is like watching somebody bouncing in a car seat on a bumpy road in a cartoon. Tania’s and my eyes open wide and our jaws drop in shock at the comical scene transpiring before us.
“Whoops!” I say out loud, trying hard to keep a straight face. But with just that one word, we both break out into hysterical laughter as we fall to the floor and hug. Tania’s tears stop and the pain in her lip also seems to have disappeared. By the time the rude boy and his mother have reached the bottom step – their legs still stretched out in front of them - both have bitten and split their bottom lips. They cringe from the pain and their faces are bright red from embarrassment. Our mother does not go downstairs to offer assistance, nor does the kindergarten teacher. Instead, they cover their mouths, trying to hold in their own giggles.
It takes a while before Tania and I are able to stop laughing. After putting Tania’s bike into the boot of the car, Mum looks at us both as we hug Ralph before clicking our seatbelts into place in the back seat. We all talk excitedly about the unusual, yet hilarious event all the way home. Once we arrive, Mum has a close look at Tania’s bleeding lip. She discovers that the lip itself is no longer split. On further investigation, Mum finds that the boy’s punch had loosened one of Tania’s teeth. She takes a tissue and holds it over the tooth to stop the bleeding, but when she removes the tissue, the tooth easily comes out with it.
“Your tooth came out!” I squeal at Tania as we both stare at her tooth. “Holy moly! Did it hurt?”
“It hurt when he hit me,” Tania answers truthfully. “It doesn’t hurt now, though. It just tastes gross and I have a hole in my mouth which my tongue can fit into.”
“Yuck,” I say, feeling the urge to vomit. It is the first time either of my sisters lost a tooth.
“I am glad they bounced down the stairs on their bottoms!” Tania says, setting off a second wave of giggles and laughter. When I peek around the corner into the kitchen, I see my mother laughing so hard that tears roll down her cheeks, making me laugh even harder. I wonder to myself whether or not the boy’s and his mother’s butts have stopped hurting yet before deciding that I don’t really care. It was just too funny to watch!
Tania and I tell Leena about the kindergarten incident when she comes home from school. After Leena finally stops laughing and wipes the tears from her face, she suggests that we send the lady and her horrible son a thank you card for making us laugh for so long. With this comment, my stomach and ribs start hurting and I almost pee myself from laughing too hard.
Nobody dares hurt Tania for the rest of the year at kindergarten. Although most of them had not been present when the episode of butt-bouncing occurred, news quickly spreads about the strange event and the laughter that ensued.
Leena’s first school year is without incident. She makes many friends at school, but because her friend had hurt me the previous year, Leena decides not to bring any more of them home. While I am so little, Leena does not trust any of her friends around me because she believes that I am not yet big enough to defend myself.
I find it strange that nobody in my family but me seems to notice the Karmic powers that are in play. All I know is that the Goddess must be keeping a very close watch over our family since my grandfather hurt me almost two years ago. It feels good to know that Karma exists and that justice is being served. For that, I am truly grateful.
Chapter Five
The school year finally comes to an end and it is Yule once again. The books from our new book shelf have been read many times, with new ones often being added to the collection. As I listen to my parents read the books to me, I make a decision that when I grow up, I want to write books. Mindy lies with her stomach near my head, snoring as I listen to the story.
“Daddy, I want to be a book writer when I am big like you,” I interrupt, during a reading of “Smoky Joe the Fish Eater,” one of my favourite books written by John O’Grady. I love this book because when I listen to the story and close my eyes, I pretend I am a cat, even though my dad only likes dogs.
“Hmm… perhaps you should learn to write first?” he suggests. After pondering this for a moment, I agree. After I learn to write, I will write lots of books about cats and seagulls and butterflies, but all of the books that I write will be without pictures. I still enjoy the pictures that play in my head as the books are read to me when my eyes are closed. When Dad closes the book at the end, I open my eyes and look up at the ceiling as I gently pat Mindy on the head.
Immersing myself in every single book I can lay my hands on over the next week, I desperately try to teach myself how to read. It frustrates me sometimes that my parents and Leena can read any book they want to, but when I look at the letters inside a book, I cannot figure out their codes in order to pronounce them. Being three years old is tough sometimes.
I continue to practice my incomprehensible reading skills until New Year’s Eve. Although I am still too young for my parents to let me stay up until midnight, I decide that this year, I would like to try to stay awake so I can see the fireworks start crackling outside. Sitting up in my bed, I talk to Ralph and Mindy about my excitement of the upcoming year and what my New Year resolutions will be.
“Ralph, I promise to spend more time with you. I have been neglecting our quality time together and that will just never do. Mindy, I promise more tummy rubs for you and will ask Mummy and Daddy to buy you some new tennis balls to play with because yours are gross from slobber.” Ralph and Mindy both stare at me, seemingly pleased with these mindful resolutions. I hear loud crackling and banging noises outside the window and quickly jump out of bed to look. Fireworks are shooting all over the place in people’s back yards and in the street. As quietly as possible, I cheer and look around at Ralph and Mindy, only to find that Mindy has vanished, even though my bedroom door is closed. Panic races through my veins.
“Mindy? MINDY,” I yell, opening my cupboard door and looking in my closet drawers. Both of my parents come running into the bedroom.
“Krystal, honey, what’s going on?” Dad asks with a worried look on his face.
“Daddy, the fire crackers started going off and when I turned around to tell Mindy, she was gone off the bed! I think she exploded j
ust like the bee!” I start to cry. Wide eyed, they wonder which bee had exploded, before volunteering to help me look for Mindy. It doesn’t take long before she is found under my bed, trembling in fear with her tail between her legs.
“Lots of animals are afraid of the noise and the bright lights,” my dad explains. “Although it is fun for you and Ralph to watch, it is terrifying for Mindy and other animals because they don’t understand what the noise is about. That’s why they hide.” Peering under the bed, I decide to crawl under there to keep Mindy company so she feels less afraid. Smiling, my mum passes a pillow down to me before kissing me goodnight.
I reach up and pull the blanket off the bed. Carefully, I put the blanket up over Mindy and myself, telling her that she does not have to be afraid because Ralph and I will protect her from the noises and the lights. Soon, she stops shivering and we both fall asleep.
Once Upon A Karma (Karmic Krystal Book 1) Page 5
