The Others by Mark Brandi

Author:Mark Brandi [Brandi, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Published: 2021-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

twelve

I ate breakfast alone, the sun only just up. I could hear my father getting ready, shifting things in his room.

He came out with the rifle in one hand, bullets in the other. Put both on the table.

‘Hollow-point,’ he said. ‘The bullets. More powerful, these ones.’

He took one out of the box, held it up to the light, then passed it to me. All steel and brass, smooth and beautiful.

‘The bit at the top is the bullet. The casing, the brass bit, is the gunpowder. That’s what makes it go. In a rimfire, anyway.’

I already knew this, he’s told me before.

‘Rimfire.’

I say it out loud because I like the sound. The feel in my mouth. Some words are like that.

He took it from my fingers, put it back in the box, pushed the box into his pants pocket.

‘Should knock them down with one shot now. More efficient. Will have to give you a go.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah. Just a bit of practice first. Maybe when I get back. What do you think?’

His eyes shined, like he thought I’d be happy with that. So I made sure I looked like it.

‘That’d be great.’

He smiled. Gold tooth.

•

She was sitting on the hessian sack. I was happy about this, because it makes me think she would have been warm last night, that she would have used it as a bed. Her water looked the same as it was, but I’m not sure how much foxes drink.

She hopped up when she saw me, shifted to the back of the cage. She went slow, carried her back leg.

‘Shhh,’ I said.

Her eyes sparkled, and her tail is the most beautiful thing – lush and dark like night.

She sat down, curled herself up.

‘Do you miss your mother?’

Her ears shifted left and right.

‘Will they come? Your father and mother?’

I poked my finger through the steel mesh. Her breaths went in and out, her belly up and down. She turned and licked her leg.

‘Your brother? Sister?’

I went to the side of the cage, opened the door. She went further into the corner. I crouched down, reached inside. She was still tense, hard in my hands. I took her out, cradled her against my body.

Wet gum leaves, something else now.

I placed her on the grass. She moved slowly, turned to lick at her leg. I don’t think she can run with her leg like that. Just as well.

‘It’ll get better.’

I stroked her gently along her back.

She sniffed the grass. I won’t be able to teach her anything, not without the goat meat. I’m not looking forward to the goat for dinner. But at least, for once, it might be useful.

Could train her like the wolves got trained, like a dingo. She could be a friend for me and him.

It’ll be better if there’s three of us, instead of just two.

•

I knew it was a risk.

And I knew I wouldn’t get off so easy this time, if he found me there again. But I’d been worrying for days. It didn’t seem fair not to say anything for Rosanna and Patricia, seeing how I’d done it for Daniel.

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