by Sally Morgan
She gave me a cardboard box covered with a tea towel. The box was heavy. There had to be more than three dollars in it. I was rich! But Spike sniffed madly at the box and flipped back the tea towel.
Inside was camel milk, camel cheese, camel tarts, and other camel stuff.
Oh boy!
Spike was grateful, but I wasn’t. I faked a smile.
‘You either get this,’ Aunty said, ‘or what’s in the shed.’
I chose the shed. We all went down to have a look. Inside, a ginger mother cat was playing with three fat kittens. Spike wanted to join them, but I held him tight.
‘Take your pick!’ said Aunty. ‘There are two boys and one girl.’
I told Aunty I’d take the girl. She was the quietest, but she was also the ugliest. Too bad. Mum would prefer a girl, and if it curled up on her lap, it would give me some credit in her good books.
Aunty passed the kitten to me. She hissed and spat (the cat, not Aunty). Then the kitten’s fur stood on end and she clawed me a beauty on the arm.
Yep, it was definitely a girl. Boy, was Mum going to have her hands full!
Then Sergeant Scott came in. ‘About your pup, Charlie Burr.’
I thought the sergeant was going to take Spike because he was a dingo, but then he said, ‘He did a good job today.’
Spike yelped in agreement.
‘Those two blokes have confessed to the break-ins in town. They look like gutless wonders, but they planned to abscond with the day’s takings once the carnival was over. If it wasn’t for the pup, they might have succeeded!’
Uncle Mick was stunned. ‘If that’s true, Charlie,’ he said, ‘then I owe you for Spike’s services!’
He whipped a twenty-dollar note out of his money bag.
‘I want you to promise me one thing, son,’ said the sergeant. ‘Give that dog plenty of training. After all, we can’t have a wild kelpie running around the place!’
On Sunday night, my dog was conked out on my bed. Mum was so crazy about the kitten, she said I could keep Spike! Besides, Spike was famous now and Mum thought he’d make a great guard dog after all! And guess what? I was full of cake! Mum stashed extra in our fridge and I got to eat the lot.
My sisters have given up cake. Pimples.
I now had twenty-five dollars and fifty cents in my saving sock. I remembered where I’d hidden it … in an old bird’s nest in the tree in the backyard.
I would’ve had twenty-eight dollars and fifty cents, but I put three dollars back into Mum’s housekeeping jar. It was only fair. That jar has helped me out a few times and I wouldn’t want to spoil my luck.
Mum named her cat Fluffy. I have a funny feeling Fluffy’s going to be a big cat. Mum might have to tie her up like a dog once she starts hunting. Otherwise Dad will do his block. Actually, he just bellowed down the hall like a bull camel.
‘Inside my best work boots, Shirley! And all over my new metal detector! Nothing stinks worse than cat pee. I’ll never get that stinking pong off my gear!’
MEEOWWRRR!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Sally Morgan and Ambelin, Blaze and Ezekiel Kwaymullina are a family of writers who write as a group and individually. They belong to the Palyku people, from the Pilbara region in Western Australia. They love writing, reading books, listening to stories and music, walking their dogs, painting and drawing, and having a good laugh. (Especially at each other!)
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Peter Sheehan is a Sydney-based illustrator and writer. He has over twenty books to his name, some as a writer and some as an illustrator. When he is not drawing or writing he is storyboarding films, learning to speak French, swimming or walking with his wife, or reading good books. You can find out more about Peter at www.petersheehan.com
