Stay:The Last Dog in Antarctica (5 page)

A sharp metallic
CLANG
jolted Stay awake. She was moving. She rocked from side to side. The single coin clattered and spun inside her until she had a funny feeling in her belly. She couldn’t see anything, but it felt like she was being lifted into the air. Then she heard a familiar metallic groaning noise. It was the sound the crane made when it was lifting something heavy.

She must be inside something big that was being unloaded. Stay’s heart leapt. Perhaps she
was
going to Antarctica! She hoped she was, and that she wasn’t simply being shifted around the cargo hold to another spot.

The wind was whistling in the chains, and the rocking motion would have made a real dog seasick. She was going up-up-up. Then the movement of the crane halted and she was hanging, suspended in the air. She could faintly hear voices far below, but couldn’t make out their words.

There was a jerk and she was moving again. This time it was down-down-down until she felt the crunch as she landed on the ice.

‘OK! Get that Hägg unhooked and into shore ASAP!’ a man’s voice yelled. ‘The wind’s picking up. No more crane lifts today. Hurry up!’

Whatever a ‘Hägg’ was, Stay figured out that she was inside it. She heard the clatter of chains as the men unhooked the crane and then a door slammed close to her hiding spot. An engine roared into life right under her ear, giving her a fright. Then she started moving.
A Hägg must be some kind of vehicle,
Stay thought.

They crunched over the ice and then Stay heard the change in sounds. They were no longer on the sea ice — she could hear the sound of gravel beneath them. Why, they must be on Antarctica itself! She wished she could look out.

The driver parked the Hägg, turned off the engine and jumped out. Everything went quiet for a while and then Stay heard the door open.

‘She’s under there, unless someone found her,’ a familiar voice said. Stay recognised Beakie.

There was a scuffle as he pulled back the baggage covering her. ‘Aha!’ he said. He ripped open the zip. ‘There she is!’

Another pair of hands came pushing through. ‘Show me!’

It was Chills, and Stay felt a rush of pleasure at the sound of his voice, followed immediately by a wave of anger. Chills had stolen her money and she was determined not to trust him again. She concentrated on sending him an angry thought.

‘Phew,’ Chills said. ‘I was sure the Boss was going to find her. Come on, Stay.’

He pulled her out of the bag and gave her a pat. He was dressed for the cold, in a big heavy brown jacket with mittens, a beanie and rubber boots that clanked when he moved.

Stay hardened her heart. She wouldn’t let herself feel close to him, not again. This time she’d be less trusting of humans like Chills.

‘What are you going to do with her?’ Beakie asked.

‘I’m taking her out on the quad bike to wave goodbye to the ship,’ Chills said. ‘So the Boss knows she’s staying here.’

‘Be careful,’ Beakie said. ‘He might stop the ship and come back.’

‘No way,’ Chills said. ‘Once the ship’s broken out of the ice, she doesn’t come back for anything.’

‘Better hurry,’ Beakie said. ‘They’ve started the engines.’

‘Meet you at the Last Husky afterwards. In the LQ?’

‘What’s the LQ? And the Last Husky?’

‘Don’t you know anything?’ Chills said. ‘The LQ is the Living Quarters and the Last Husky is the bar.’

Chills tucked Stay under his arm and backed out of the Hägg. Stay only had time to see that the Hägg was a bright red vehicle with tracks instead of wheels, before Chills was running towards a big square building. The ground was a mixture of dirt, rocks and half-melted dusty snow and the road was covered with frozen puddles. The station was scattered with bright, colourful buildings like giant blocks of Lego. It wasn’t what Stay had imagined Antarctica would look like.

Chills wrenched open a heavy door and stamped his boots on the floor. He ran over to a row of quad bikes, and sat Stay on the back of one. He lashed her down, tying and pulling the knots so quickly that she could hardly see his hands moving. He jammed his gloves back on, pulled on a helmet and swung his leg over the bike. It started, and he warmed it up for a few minutes before letting out the throttle.

‘Hang on, Stay!’ he called over his shoulder, and they sped through the door and outside. They scooted through the station’s ramshackle collection of buildings. In the distance she could see the ship slowly turning. Smoke was rising from its stack.

Chills and Stay bumped down a gravel road, across a muddy stretch and onto the flat sea ice. It was a pretty pale blue colour, and quite smooth and shiny. Chills accelerated and the quad bike sped over the ice in the direction of the ship. At the last minute he swung off to one side and they coasted to a stop. Stay could see streams of moisture coming out of his eyes from the wind.

‘The Boss will be furious!’ Chills said gleefully as he climbed off the bike and stood next to Stay, his arm across her back.

A whooshing noise came from the deck of the ship and Stay saw something fly up in the air. A moment later it popped like a firecracker and a glowing orange light started to drift slowly down towards the sea ice.

‘That’s the goodbye flare,’ Chills said. ‘They’re not coming back now.’

He unlashed Stay from the back of the quad bike, raised her in the air above his head and started jumping up and down. ‘There you go, Boss!’ he yelled. ‘We got her after all. She’s staying here!’

Stay heard a deep, loud blast from the ship’s horn. She could see tiny figures on the Bridge and one of them came out on the deck to stare.

‘Aha!’ Chills said. ‘They’ve seen us. Give the Boss a wave, Stay.’

Stay remembered suddenly that the Boss had looked after her and promised to return her to the Royal Guide Dogs, while Chills had stolen her money and dognapped her twice. Once the ship left, she was stuck in Antarctica for months and she didn’t know what had happened to the money she’d raised. She looked at the ship as it manoeuvred slowly around in a circle and felt a rush of homesickness. She didn’t want to stay in Antarctica at all. She wanted to be sitting up on the Bridge with the Boss, full of money, on her way back to Hobart.

Stay looked around. Antarctica was huge. Ice and snow spread out all around them. The sky looked absolutely enormous, perhaps because she could see the horizon in every direction. Two rocky islands stood up out of the sea ice, one of them covered with thousands of penguins. A big brown bird flew over their heads and let out a hoarse cry before heading in the direction of the ship. It felt like a desolate place.

‘He should have found the ransom note by now,’ Chills said, lowering Stay to the ground.

Stay wondered what he meant.

‘
Deliver the takings to the Royal Guide Dogs or you’ll never see Stay again,
’ Chills said, patting her head. ‘You raised six hundred and thirty-three dollars and forty-five cents on the voyage down, Stay. It’s on the way back
to Hobart in the ship. Let’s see how much more you can raise over summer, hey?’

Stay stared up at him. He hadn’t stolen the money after all. A warm feeling of relief started to spread through her. Six hundred and thirty-three dollars and forty-five cents on the way back to Hobart! She still had the whole summer in front of her. And Chills
hadn’t
betrayed her.

Chills lifted Stay onto the back of the quad bike and started to tie her in place again. ‘You’ll have a fantastic time here. Lots of animals to meet, weird people to hang out with, places to see, things to do. It’s the best place in the world.’

Stay looked out across the sea ice. The ship had turned completely around and was starting to move away from the station. For some reason the scene didn’t look desolate any more. In fact, it was beautiful. Huge blue icebergs were scattered around the bay as if they’d been thrown there by some Antarctic giant and then frozen into place by the sea ice. The sun sparkled on the ice and in the distance Stay could see a line of black-and-white penguins marching along like toy soldiers.

‘Party time,’ Chills said, throwing his leg over the bike and starting the engine. ‘Everyone will be thrilled that we outwitted the Boss and kidnapped you. You’ll be the star of the show, Stay.’

He pressed his thumb to the throttle and the quad bike started to move across the ice. ‘You’re in for the adventure of your life,’ he called over his shoulder.

Stay would have grinned if her mouth could move.

A roar of voices rushed out when Chills opened the door to the LQ. A cold breeze had sprung up and it seemed everyone was inside. Chills hoisted Stay on his shoulder and carried her in.

Stay saw a confusing mob of faces, most of them with beards, turned towards her. Cheering broke out. ‘Let her stay! Let her stay!’ someone started chanting, and they all joined in, raising their glasses towards Stay and Chills.

‘You got her!’ Kaboom said, pushing her way through the crowd to Chills. ‘Brilliant!’

‘Beakie and I hid her in a Hägg,’ Chills said. ‘She came off the ship as part of cargo.’

‘I bet the Boss isn’t too happy.’ Laser had come up to join them.

Chills laughed. ‘He’ll be furious. Let’s hope he’s forgotten by the time he comes back to pick us up.’

Kaboom shook her head. ‘That man never forgets anything, Chills.’

After being hidden in the dark for so long, Stay was enjoying being high in the air on Chills’s shoulder. She could see all the expeditioners crowded together in the bar for their welcome drinks. Through the window she glimpsed the frozen bay and the trail of broken ice where the ship had departed.

‘Where are we going to put you?’ Chills wondered aloud, looking around.

Somewhere nice and high,
Stay thought. If she stayed on the ground in this crowd, the only thing she’d see would be legs. She wanted to see all the faces and enjoy the view of Antarctica out the window.

‘Why not up on the bar?’ Kaboom suggested. ‘A good view from there. She can be the mascot of the Last Husky.’

‘Good idea,’ Chills said. He pushed through the crowd towards the bar. It seemed to take a long time. Everyone wanted to pat her. At last Chills placed Stay on the wooden ledge.

‘Hey, Brewmaster, is it OK if she stays there?’ he called to the man behind the bar. The man shrugged and smiled.

‘Now I really need a drink,’ Chills said. ‘What’s the station brew like this year?’

‘Fantastic,’ Kaboom said, making her way up behind. ‘Can you get one for me and Laser too?’

‘And for me!’ Beakie said, pushing his way through the crowd to join them.

The Brewmaster poured out four drinks and they lifted their glasses and turned to face Stay.

‘A toast to Stay,’ Chills called out. ‘For escaping the clutches of the Boss.’

‘Cheers!’ everyone said in unison, raised their glasses and drank.

‘And don’t forget to put in some money when you get a drink,’ Beakie added.

There was some friendly laughter. ‘Everything here is free, Beakie,’ Chills said. ‘But hopefully people will throw in a few coins for Stay.’

Stay looked around. So this was going to be her home. The LQ was cosy but comfortable, and seemed very warm. There were so many people that the babble of voices was nearly deafening and she stopped trying to listen to their conversations. She could smell dinner being prepared nearby and she thought it smelt like roast beef. She wondered where the food came from in Antarctica. She hadn’t seen any plants and certainly no cows or chickens.

The roar of voices was a happy sound. The humans were all excited about starting their season in Antarctica
and there was a big smile on every face. She looked down at Chills, Beakie, Kaboom and Laser, who were standing together, talking and laughing.
They’re my friends,
Stay thought. She was glad she had them. The LQ was full of unfamiliar people and she knew it would take her a long time to remember all the names.

Suddenly the sound of a siren screeched through the bar, cutting through the voices and making everyone jump. Some people clapped their hands to their ears and everyone stopped talking.

‘What’s that?’ Laser asked.

‘Fire alarm,’ Kaboom said. Stay thought she had gone pale.

A radio set near the door crackled into life. ‘Attention! All station personnel! We have a fire in LQ. Fire crew immediately take up positions. All other personnel assemble at your muster point outside.’

‘Oh my god!’ Laser clutched Chills’s arm. ‘We haven’t even been here a day! We could die.’

Stay could see fear on many faces. Some people put down their drinks and started towards the door.

‘We’ll be all right,’ Chills said, but Stay thought even he sounded worried. ‘I’ve got to run; I’m on the fire crew.’

‘Me too,’ Kaboom said. ‘Let’s go.’

They headed for the door. Beakie turned to Laser. ‘Stick with me,’ he said. ‘We’ll be OK.’

What about me?
Stay thought.
Don’t leave me here!

The bar was emptying fast. Stay sent her thoughts towards any passing human as hard as she could, but no one took any notice. They were streaming out of the room, all with their backs to her. She had no chance to look anyone in the eye. Within a few minutes she was left stranded on the bar.

‘Ah, they’ve all forgotten you, have they?’ a big voice boomed behind her. She recognised the voice as belonging to Wreck, the dieso. She felt his heavy arm come over her shoulder.

‘You’d better come with me then, eh?’ he said.

Wreck tucked her under his arm and headed outside. People were milling around in confusion. The fire crew drove up in a red Hägg, jumped out and started working feverishly to unroll the hose.

A man stepped forwards. ‘Are you ready, fire crew?’ he yelled.

‘Ready!’ they called as the last kink rolled out of the hose. They were standing in a line holding it, poised to fight the fire.

The man looked at his watch. ‘Eight minutes. Not good enough.’

What?
Stay wondered.

‘That was your first fire drill,’ the man said.

A loud groan came from everyone and the fire crew straightened up from their crouching positions.

‘I’m Smoky, your fire chief. Fire is one of the biggest dangers we face down here. You’ve got to respond instantly.’

Another man walked over to Smoky. ‘That “fire drill” broke so many regulations I don’t even know where to start,’ he said.

Smoky shrugged. ‘Sorry, Dux. But no one will forget it.’

Dux turned to everyone else. ‘Hi, folks. For those who haven’t met me, I’m Dux, the station leader. Smoky is right, you need to respond to a fire alarm instantly. Fire is a serious risk to our safety and survival. For the next drill, the fire crew needs to be faster and the rest of you stay in the LQ and take a roll call. We need to know ASAP if anyone is missing when there’s a fire. Understood?’

‘Yes, sir!’ everyone chorused.

‘OK, you can head back inside. Dinner’s just about ready.’

Stay was starting to feel uncomfortable under Wreck’s arm. He was holding her much too tightly and backing away, and she didn’t like it. She looked through the crowd, hoping to see Chills. He was patting Laser on the back and Stay willed him with everything she had to look up.

It worked! He looked over in her direction just as Wreck was starting to turn.

‘Hey!’ Chills called, and began moving towards them. ‘Where are you headed?’

Wreck started to walk faster. If Stay was a real dog, she would have pulled back hard on her lead.
Hurry up!
she thought in Chills’s direction.

‘Wait!’ Chills called, breaking into a run. ‘Hold on, Wreck.’

‘You left her behind in a fire drill,’ Wreck said over his shoulder. ‘Too bad, mate. She’s mine now. I’ve got a great spot for her in the machinery shop. Welded down, I reckon.’

‘She is not yours!’ Chills reached them and grabbed Stay’s leg. ‘Hand her over!’

Wreck pulled back, hanging on to Stay. Stay was in the middle of a tug-of-war, with two big men pulling hard. She could hear voices rising around them, some laughing and some yelling. She could feel that Wreck was stronger. He was pulling so hard that he was dragging Chills and Stay towards him.

Suddenly Stay felt Wreck slip. He’d reached a patch of slick ice on the track and his feet started scrabbling. Chills was dragged along by the weight until his feet reached the ice and slid. The tug-of-war was turning into a fight to stay upright, and they were all losing.

With one final skid Wreck went down, pulling Stay and Chills after him. They landed with a loud crack on the ice in a tangle of arms and legs. Lying underneath them, Stay wondered what had made the noise. She felt people pulling the two men up and as their weight lifted off, she saw Chills staring down at her in horror.

‘Oh, no!’ Chills cried. He knelt beside her and gathered her into his arms. ‘Wreck, you idiot. Look what you’ve done!’

Stay looked up. She could see faces crowding around them, looking down at her. Something was terribly wrong.