Theft - snippet
So... I'm enormously nervous about posting this. The characters and setting are out of a sprawling novel type idea that I'm working (very slowly) on, so I'm not sure if they really work in a short snippet. Also, I think this is really two little scenarios clumsily put together. And the more I think about it, the less enthusiastic I am about it, so I'm just going to post it, and stop babbling.
Star was frowning at her painting when she heard her daughter screaming through the open window. It was an angry scream, not a scream of fright, and soon resolved itself into words. "OUT! Get out, you little bastard!" Star leant over the kitchen bench just in time to see Rose sprinting after a goanna which was galloping across their small patch of lawn towards the nearest tree, which it swiftly climbed. Rose gave a yelp of rage, and hurled a stick after its retreating tail.
"What on earth did that poor goanna do to you, darling?" she called out. Rose turned her sweaty face towards the house, and scowled at her mother. "Only stole half the eggs, that's all. Now there's not enough for everyone, and I'll have to ask how people want them divided. And it terrified Millie - she's hidden right at the back of the nesting box. I thought Fin had gone over the chook pens for holes. If a goanna can get in, so can a snake."
Star repressed her smile at the thought of Rose's pet bantam chook, a small and much indulged ball of fluff who usually strutted with unjustified arrogance through the crowd of her bigger cousins, being confronted with a goanna. "I'm sure Millie will be alright. And I thought Fin was supposed to have checked the pens yesterday. When you ask him how many eggs he and Elise need, ask if he can do it today."
"I will. But I'm going to check on Millie first," Rose said, and turning, she jogged off back in the direction of the chook pens.
Star turned back to her painting, and tapped her brush irritably against the counter top. Why was it that no matter how good one's technique, paintings just wouldn't go in the direction one wanted them to? She must have been mad, sweeping all that blue into the upper corner. It jarred her senses, too bright and harsh. Sighing, she took her old teacher's advice, dumped her brush in a tin of water and left the house.
As she passed under the goanna's refuge, she could see it looking down at her warily, trying to judge whether it was safe or not to return to the ground and seek more prudent shelter. "How could you take our eggs, you naughty thing?" she scolded it. "And I'm sure you scared Millie out of her wits. She's probably small enough to make you a decent meal - I'm glad you didn't think of that. Rose would have been devastated." She left the lizard brooding on its sins, and continued on, towards the vegie patch.
Her pumpkin vine was once again doing its best to colonise the eastern corner of the garden - its tendrils climbed up Dan's neat wooden fence, and having conquered those heights, it was spreading determinedly towards Fin's delicate snow peas. The snow peas looked wilted, their green leaves yellowing and drooping in the morning sun. "Oh no you don't," Star muttered, pulling up the strands of pumpkin vine that crossed the sandy path between the beds. "We have plenty of pumpkins as it is - we don't need you conquering new territory." She pushed some of its leaves aside to peek at several large gourds she had noticed last week, and was gratified to discover that they were satisfyingly fat and orange. She pulled her pocket knife from her pants, and sawed her way through the stalks, picking up the pumpkins and pulling up the edge of her tunic to rest them comfortably in the curve of fabric as she swayed her way out of the garden, and towards the main house.
As she approached the house, swaying with the pumpkin's weight, she paused, watching the three people on the verandah. Elise and Rose sat close together on the couch, talking animatedly, as Rose reached forward and patted Elise's rounded stomach. Fin sat in a chair pulled back from them, his large frame awkwardly stiff, a mug of tea clutched in both hands. Star called out as she moved forwards again, but he didn't look up, continuing to gaze in silence into the distance.
Rose and Elise raised their heads at her call, and Rose laughed as she approached. "When are the pumpkins due?" she shouted. Elise patted the empty seat beside her. "We've a spare mug waiting for you, my dear. Pop the pumpkins there on the table."
Star relieved herself of her burden with two thumps and settled herself into the chair cushions, gratefully accepting the warm tea, cupping it in both palms. There was a moment of silence, before Elise put her own mug down and clasped her hands together in her lap, looking down at her bare feet. "We both have something to tell you," she said abruptly, and as Rose and Star both looked up at her serious tone, announced, "Fin and I have decided to separate. We wanted to tell you both first, before we made it common knowledge."
There was silence, awkward and stilted. Star looked over at Fin, who merely nodded slowly, and then turned his eyes away from hers. "Is this a joke?", Rose said in a small voice. Star ached at how young she sounded. Elise put her arm around her. "No, dearest. We have tried and tried and talked endlessly about this. We aren't happy together. I know you've seen us fighting. When we're apart, we won't fight anymore." Rose burst into noisy tears, gasping for air, pushing herself away from Elise's arms. "But you've always been together. And you're having a baby! You have to try harder!"
"I'm so sorry that we're hurting you, Rosey. And neither of us are moving away - Fin is going to live in Georgio's house, and I will stay here. We're going to share time with the baby when it's born. Things won't change much, darling, I promise."
Rose pushed herself up from the couch, shouting "I hate you! This isn't fair!", and ran down the steps and away from the house, her bare feet crunching on the gravel. The adults sat silently together for a moment before Star stood, putting down her mug on the table. "I'd better go after her." She walked down the steps, turning once she reached the bottom. "I don't really know what to say. I'm sorry. I'll talk to Rose, and we'll come to see you tomorrow." No-one replied and Star walked away, surprised to find that the sun was still shining, the world gleaming in its light.
Star was frowning at her painting when she heard her daughter screaming through the open window. It was an angry scream, not a scream of fright, and soon resolved itself into words. "OUT! Get out, you little bastard!" Star leant over the kitchen bench just in time to see Rose sprinting after a goanna which was galloping across their small patch of lawn towards the nearest tree, which it swiftly climbed. Rose gave a yelp of rage, and hurled a stick after its retreating tail.
"What on earth did that poor goanna do to you, darling?" she called out. Rose turned her sweaty face towards the house, and scowled at her mother. "Only stole half the eggs, that's all. Now there's not enough for everyone, and I'll have to ask how people want them divided. And it terrified Millie - she's hidden right at the back of the nesting box. I thought Fin had gone over the chook pens for holes. If a goanna can get in, so can a snake."
Star repressed her smile at the thought of Rose's pet bantam chook, a small and much indulged ball of fluff who usually strutted with unjustified arrogance through the crowd of her bigger cousins, being confronted with a goanna. "I'm sure Millie will be alright. And I thought Fin was supposed to have checked the pens yesterday. When you ask him how many eggs he and Elise need, ask if he can do it today."
"I will. But I'm going to check on Millie first," Rose said, and turning, she jogged off back in the direction of the chook pens.
Star turned back to her painting, and tapped her brush irritably against the counter top. Why was it that no matter how good one's technique, paintings just wouldn't go in the direction one wanted them to? She must have been mad, sweeping all that blue into the upper corner. It jarred her senses, too bright and harsh. Sighing, she took her old teacher's advice, dumped her brush in a tin of water and left the house.
As she passed under the goanna's refuge, she could see it looking down at her warily, trying to judge whether it was safe or not to return to the ground and seek more prudent shelter. "How could you take our eggs, you naughty thing?" she scolded it. "And I'm sure you scared Millie out of her wits. She's probably small enough to make you a decent meal - I'm glad you didn't think of that. Rose would have been devastated." She left the lizard brooding on its sins, and continued on, towards the vegie patch.
Her pumpkin vine was once again doing its best to colonise the eastern corner of the garden - its tendrils climbed up Dan's neat wooden fence, and having conquered those heights, it was spreading determinedly towards Fin's delicate snow peas. The snow peas looked wilted, their green leaves yellowing and drooping in the morning sun. "Oh no you don't," Star muttered, pulling up the strands of pumpkin vine that crossed the sandy path between the beds. "We have plenty of pumpkins as it is - we don't need you conquering new territory." She pushed some of its leaves aside to peek at several large gourds she had noticed last week, and was gratified to discover that they were satisfyingly fat and orange. She pulled her pocket knife from her pants, and sawed her way through the stalks, picking up the pumpkins and pulling up the edge of her tunic to rest them comfortably in the curve of fabric as she swayed her way out of the garden, and towards the main house.
As she approached the house, swaying with the pumpkin's weight, she paused, watching the three people on the verandah. Elise and Rose sat close together on the couch, talking animatedly, as Rose reached forward and patted Elise's rounded stomach. Fin sat in a chair pulled back from them, his large frame awkwardly stiff, a mug of tea clutched in both hands. Star called out as she moved forwards again, but he didn't look up, continuing to gaze in silence into the distance.
Rose and Elise raised their heads at her call, and Rose laughed as she approached. "When are the pumpkins due?" she shouted. Elise patted the empty seat beside her. "We've a spare mug waiting for you, my dear. Pop the pumpkins there on the table."
Star relieved herself of her burden with two thumps and settled herself into the chair cushions, gratefully accepting the warm tea, cupping it in both palms. There was a moment of silence, before Elise put her own mug down and clasped her hands together in her lap, looking down at her bare feet. "We both have something to tell you," she said abruptly, and as Rose and Star both looked up at her serious tone, announced, "Fin and I have decided to separate. We wanted to tell you both first, before we made it common knowledge."
There was silence, awkward and stilted. Star looked over at Fin, who merely nodded slowly, and then turned his eyes away from hers. "Is this a joke?", Rose said in a small voice. Star ached at how young she sounded. Elise put her arm around her. "No, dearest. We have tried and tried and talked endlessly about this. We aren't happy together. I know you've seen us fighting. When we're apart, we won't fight anymore." Rose burst into noisy tears, gasping for air, pushing herself away from Elise's arms. "But you've always been together. And you're having a baby! You have to try harder!"
"I'm so sorry that we're hurting you, Rosey. And neither of us are moving away - Fin is going to live in Georgio's house, and I will stay here. We're going to share time with the baby when it's born. Things won't change much, darling, I promise."
Rose pushed herself up from the couch, shouting "I hate you! This isn't fair!", and ran down the steps and away from the house, her bare feet crunching on the gravel. The adults sat silently together for a moment before Star stood, putting down her mug on the table. "I'd better go after her." She walked down the steps, turning once she reached the bottom. "I don't really know what to say. I'm sorry. I'll talk to Rose, and we'll come to see you tomorrow." No-one replied and Star walked away, surprised to find that the sun was still shining, the world gleaming in its light.