Stay:The Last Dog in Antarctica
Read Stay:The Last Dog in Antarctica Online
Authors: Jesse Blackadder
For Aimee
Stay is real. She has been living in Antarctica since 1991.
Some of the adventures in this story are based on Stay’s real ones and some are imaginary. No one really knows what Stay has been up to all this time.
The people in this story have all been made up.
This story is set in the early 1990s. Back then, people in Antarctica relied on high-frequency radio for communication. Telexes (printed messages like telegrams) were common. Letters could only be sent and received when ships came — just a few times a season. Sometimes expeditioners could make short, very expensive INMARSAT phone calls back home on a line that crackled and echoed, and which was really only used for emergencies. The buildings they lived and worked in were old and cold. They still used huskies and sledges to travel around, as well as quad bikes, Hägglunds over-snow vehicles and tractors. There were
many more men than women working in Antarctica, but the numbers of women were increasing each season.
Stay arrived in Antarctica just as the huskies were being taken out and the new ANARESAT satellite communication systems were being installed at each station. New buildings were being erected — it was the end of an era of isolation.
Nowadays people living in Antarctica have landlines, email and internet access. The buildings are more modern and comfortable. People working out in the field carry personal GPS units to track their way safely back. Women are present in all the professions working in Antarctica.
But lots of things about living in Antarctica haven’t changed. It is still a big adventure and can still be dangerous! The food is just as great and, because of the cold, you can eat things that are years past their use-by date.
You can read more about Stay’s real Antarctic life at the end of this book.
The woman raised her hand. ‘Stay, Girl,’ she said. Then she laughed and patted the dog on the head. ‘I guess you don’t have much choice, eh?’
Girl felt the weight of the hand on her head, but she didn’t move. Like all Labradors, she tried to be obedient.
Jet, the black Labrador, wagged his tail.
You’ll be OK, Girl,
he wuffed.
Don’t forget what I told you.
He pulled a little at his handle to get the woman’s attention.
Carol looked down at him. ‘Time to go home, is it, Jet?’ She crouched and snapped the padlock shut on the chain around Girl’s leg, then gave her one last pat as she stood up. ‘Bye-bye, Girl. Your new paint job looks wonderful — I’m sure you’ll do an even better job for us now.’
Girl watched them walking away down the street. Jet padded close to Carol’s legs, guiding her through the throng of people. He stopped at the kerb when Carol
wanted to cross the road and waited obediently till she said, ‘Forward,’ and they stepped off the pavement together. Girl lost sight of them on the other side of the road.
She sighed. She wished she could follow Jet back to Carol’s nice warm house and sit in front of the fireplace, but she couldn’t. Although she was a golden Labrador, she wasn’t a flesh-and-bone dog: she was made of fibreglass. Her job was to sit still in one place and remind people how important Guide Dogs were. She had a coin slot in her head — rather undignified, she thought — and she would look up with her big brown painted eyes and try to will people to put money into it. The funds she raised would help train new Guide Dogs.
It was spring, but the day felt icy. Hobart, Australia’s southernmost city, was on the banks of the Derwent River, which flowed down to the Southern Ocean. After that there was nothing but water all the way to Antarctica. Girl knew all about Antarctica. Before she’d been sent back to the factory for repainting, she’d spent months sitting outside an electronics shop. The televisions in the window were on all night long, and Girl watched them when it got lonely. She’d learnt a lot about humans, but her very favourite program had been about Antarctica.
The workday was ending. The shopping strip closed with a clatter of roll-down doors. A cold wind whistled
along the street and people hurried past with their heads down. No one looked at Girl. They all wanted to get home. A few drops of rain started to spit.
The street emptied until Girl was all alone. The shop window behind her was lit by a neon sign and she was bathed in blue light. There weren’t any televisions nearby for Girl to watch. She would have shivered if she could. By now, Jet would be curled up by the fire with Carol. He was nearly ready to be paired with a blind person and start working as a Guide Dog. He’d have a real owner and a real home of his own. His job was to go everywhere with his owner and keep him or her safe. He didn’t have to stay on the cold street outside a supermarket like Girl did, without even a television to watch.
A seagull flapped down and landed at Girl’s paws. A few chip crumbs were crushed on the footpath and the bird waddled around pecking them up, making little squawking noises. Girl watched her. Even a seagull didn’t have to stay in one spot, but could fly anywhere.
Imagine if she could fly …
Girl pictured herself opening her wings, taking a few steps and flapping into the sky just like the seagull. She’d swoop over the rooftops and across the park to the big trees. From there she could fly to the docks, where the big ocean-going ships were moored.
Squark!
The gull shrieked in surprise and took off.
Clunk!
A coin was shoved through the slot in Girl’s head and clattered down into her empty insides, and a big hand patted her.
‘Good girl!’ a man’s voice said as he walked off, his footsteps echoing along the street.
When she’d recovered from the surprise, Girl reminded herself to keep a sharper lookout for humans coming with money. She sniffed the air. She could smell salt water and fish drifting up faintly from the Hobart docks in the direction the gull had flown.
If only she could have adventures! She’d been told to ‘stay’ by Carol, and she always did what she was told, but she wished with every fibre of her fibreglass being that she could be a real dog like Jet and go on her own adventures.
Girl had only met Jet the day before, but even in that short time she’d learnt a lot about real dogs. She could understand when Jet spoke and he could read her thoughts perfectly. Before long they were talking like old friends.
Jet hadn’t thought her dreams were silly. He’d listened, with his head cocked to one side and his pink tongue hanging out, and given a little whine. ‘Maybe you will have adventures. You never know, Girl.’
It got dark and a little more rain fell. Girl wondered how long she’d have to stay outside the supermarket. Would Carol come back for her tomorrow? Or perhaps the day after?
Way off up the street she heard voices. She pricked up her ears. Who was coming? Whoever they were, they were singing and their voices were horribly out of tune. She could hear footsteps — five sets of them — and by the sound of it they were unsteady.
As they came closer, she tried to make herself invisible, but it didn’t work.
‘Look at that!’ one of them cried, stopping in front of her. ‘A dog!’
His friends laughed. ‘That’s the sort of dog they want us to have,’ another said. ‘Plastic.’
I’m not plastic, I’m fibreglass,
Girl thought firmly.
The man dropped to his knees. ‘Ouch,’ he said. He grabbed hold of Girl to steady himself. ‘Good dog. Aren’t you a good girl?’
The others laughed. ‘Come on, Chills. Leave the poor dog alone.’
‘No dogs!’ He looked sadly into Girl’s eyes. ‘You know that? They won’t let us have dogs any more.’
‘You’ll have to take a toy dog,’ another one of them said. ‘Now come
on,
Chills! It’s late. We’ve got to board at dawn.’
The man called Chills looked at her for a few more moments. His eyes were bright and she wondered if he was going to cry.
Girl remembered what Jet had told her.
I’m lonely,
she thought in Chills’s direction.
And I dream of adventures.
He leant forwards and gave her a hug, and his arms were warm and friendly. It was the first time anyone had ever hugged her. When his friends pulled him to his feet and led him away, Girl thought she might cry too. It was even lonelier and darker after they had disappeared. Feeling very sorry for herself, Girl started to doze.
She woke with a start a few hours later. Something was over her head, blinding her. She couldn’t see a thing. She heard a sharp crunch and the chain fell from her leg with a metallic clatter. She could feel herself being lifted up and carried. She was being dognapped! She wanted to struggle and bark, but she couldn’t do either.
‘Don’t worry, Girl,’ she heard a voice whisper. ‘You didn’t want to stay there, did you? You and I are going to have a little adventure.’
She recognised the voice at once. It was that man, Chills.
Girl spent the rest of the night hidden in the bag Chills had thrown over her head. She couldn’t tell where she was, but she could smell salt water.
She knew it was morning when she heard the seagulls making a racket, but it felt a long time later that Chills opened the bag and gave her a big grin.
‘Now you stay quiet,’ he warned, putting his finger to his lips. ‘No barking, no growling and definitely no weeing in my bag!’
He closed the bag again as Girl heard another voice say, ‘Ready, Chillsy?’ She recognised one of the voices from the previous night.
‘Hi, Beakie; yeah, I’m ready,’ Chills said, and Girl felt the bag being lifted.
‘Cripes, what have you got in there? The kitchen sink?’
Chills laughed. ‘A woodwork project. For my spare time. Come on.’
Girl felt him hoist the bag over his shoulder. The single coin in her belly shifted and clanked, but it seemed no one noticed. She was a little afraid. She wanted an adventure, but where was Chills taking her? How would Carol find her when she came back to collect her from outside the supermarket?
Girl knew they had stepped outdoors when the sounds suddenly became louder. There were all sorts of interesting smells too: diesel oil and chips frying and fairy floss. Girl thought she must be near the Hobart docks. She wished she could see outside.
After a long walk, Chills put the bag down gently. The noises had changed and Girl could hear a babble of excited voices, footsteps and the roar of machinery. The smell of diesel was very strong. She could feel Chills’s ankle pressed against her back and she was glad he was close by.
‘You taking that on board?’ a man asked.
‘Sure am,’ Chills said.
‘It’s a bit big. You should have sent it in cargo. What’s in it?’
‘A woodwork project,’ Chills said. ‘It’s not heavy.’
The bag shifted as the man picked up the handles
to test the weight. Girl heard him grunt and then put it down and walk away.
‘Chillsy! How’s it going? I heard you were coming down this season.’ It was a woman’s voice.
She sounds friendly,
Girl thought, and listened more closely.
‘Kaboom — great to see you,’ Chills said. He lowered his voice so that Girl could hardly hear him. ‘Hey, check this out.’ He unzipped the bag a little and a slice of light shone into Girl’s hiding place.
She saw Kaboom’s face peering down at her, looking puzzled. ‘What on earth’s that?’
‘A Guide Dog.’
‘Did you steal it, Chills?’
‘No! She’s going to try fundraising in a new place, that’s all. I’ll bring her back.’
‘You’d better,’ Kaboom said. ‘Don’t let her scare the penguins.’
While Chills and Kaboom were talking, Girl took the chance to try and see her surroundings. Behind them was a huge blur of orange. Girl looked more carefully. It was an enormous ship sitting at the dock. Every inch of it was painted in the same bright colour.
A deep horn blew a blast that echoed over the docks and set all the birds squawking.
‘Time to board,’ Chills said. ‘Don’t tell anyone yet. She’s a surprise.’
He closed the zip of the bag. Girl felt him hoist it to his shoulder again and the coin clattered around her insides. She’d only managed to collect one so far. She wasn’t doing a very good job.
Chills climbed up steep steps and Girl’s bag banged from side to side on the railings. ‘Sorry, Girl,’ he said.
‘Who are you calling Girl?’ a gruff voice said from behind.
‘Not you,’ Chills said.
‘Good. Aren’t you one of the chicken chasers?’
‘Yeah. I’m Chills and this is Beakie. We’re going out to Bechervaise Island.’
‘Cool. Watching chicken chasers catch penguins is the best summer sport around. I’m Wreck, the dieso.’
‘What’s a dieso?’ Beakie asked, which was just what Girl was wondering.
‘A diesel mechanic is the god of light and machinery on station,’ Chills said. ‘We can’t live without them, so be nice.’
Girl’s head was spinning. What was a chicken chaser, and why was a dieso the god of light and machinery? It was all very confusing.
More stairs, more corridors, muffled voices. Chills kept knocking the bag against the walls and muttering, ‘Sorry, sorry,’ as he squeezed past people. There was so much noise! When he finally put down the bag, Girl
could feel a roar beneath her feet that made the coin in her belly rattle. The horn blasted again, this time much louder and closer.
Voices echoed down the corridor. ‘We’re off!’
Chills patted Girl through the bag. ‘You’ll have to stay here for now. But don’t worry, I’ll let you out soon. You wouldn’t want to go all the way to Antarctica without seeing a few sights, would you?’
She heard his footsteps walking away. The big orange ship was shuddering harder and harder and the voices had all disappeared. She could feel the water churning beneath them. She was going to Antarctica!