Ravincroft's Retribution – Leaving Home
Chapter 1 - Leaving Home
‘This farm’s been in our family for five generations, and you just walk off as though it’s got nothing to do with you.’ his father said, defeated. ‘What do you think paid for the school fees that got you into that university course?’
‘Theo’s here,’ Ren said.
‘Theo!’ his dad snorted. ‘He can do the accounts. That’s it. You know the livestock, Ren. You know them.’
‘Yeah. Well. That’s part of the problem, isn’t it?’
‘You won’t be able to stay a vegan forever. It’s not natural. We’re meant to be omnivores.’
‘Dad, we’ve been through this.’
‘Forget it! You’re on your own now. Don’t come crawling back.’
He’d heard that before, too. He put his hand out hopefully, but his father had turned away. ‘Damn fool,’ he heard him tell Jayden. ‘Damn fool you, too. You could have talked some sense into him. Damn the lot of you.’
Ren watched him walk up the long path that led to the farm homestead. He waited for the front door to slam and when it did, turned to his two friends who had been pretending an enormous interest in the horizon. ‘That’s it,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’
They squashed into the front seat of the ute, Lia in the middle. ‘He’ll come around,’ she said.
‘It’ll just take time, Ren,’ Jayden chimed in, starting the engine.
‘I know. Still—’
‘It hurts,’ Lia squeezed his hand.
‘I just worry about him here with only Theo. And he’s right – Theo’s useless. But I can’t be a farmer. I just couldn’t stand it.’
‘And you don’t have to,’ Jayden said. ‘Lucky old you. Getting a house of your own. He could have disinherited you.’
‘He wouldn’t do that. He’s sad and angry but he’s not vindictive,’ Ren said.
‘Housewarming party?’ Lia said. ‘I’ll do the food.’
‘Maybe.’ Ren had expected to be more excited about his move. He had his own place! And it was perfect – right on the edge of the forest. Instead, he remembered his father handing over the papers of the investment property. How they had both known that Ren’s time on the farm was coming to an end just as soon as he could sell that townhouse and buy something he wanted. His dad’s fingers had trembled as he’d pushed the title deed across the table.
‘Too much moping, Ren,’ Jayden said, thumping the wheel. ‘House-warming party next weekend. You’ve got to start in this new place as you mean to go on. Party time!’
‘We’ll see. Let’s start with pizza. Tonight?’
‘Fine. We’ll pick one up on the way.’ Jayden sighed.
Ren didn’t say much more during the trip. He stared out the window. The streetlights became fewer and the road more isolated as they drove deeper into the country. The trees became a green blur as his thoughts drifted back to his mother and the happier times he spent on the farm.
‘You still sulking, mate? Come on, I’d be stoked if I got my own place. Partying every night if it were me.’
‘Shut up! Jayden, it’s a big step moving out of home,’ Lia chastised.
‘It’s okay, Lia. Jay’s right, I should be celebrating. Just a lot of memories back there, I guess. Growing up with mum and dad. Huh! Even Theo had his moments.’
‘Yeah, but he’s always been jealous of you, Ren. Even as kids at school, he made it pretty obvious.’
‘He changed after mum left. I reckon she felt guilty since dad had such high hopes for me and that he virtually wiped Theo off in a lot of ways and then with her getting sick and everything—'
‘Jayden, stop!’ Lia screamed.
‘What the hell?’ Jayden hit the brakes and the car swerved skidding to a halt on gravel at the side of the road.
‘Yes, Lia! I see it too.’ Ren said as he jumped out of the car and walked toward a shadowy mound. He turned on the torch of his phone and saw a grey kangaroo lying still on its side.
Just as he reached the other side, a speeding car with its headlights on high beam sped past blaring its horn.
‘Whoa! It’s idiots like that, who cause this!’
Jayden turned on his hazard lights.
‘Are you sure it’s even dead, Ren?’ Lia asked.
‘I don’t know yet.’ Ren reached the body and touched it gently. The body, still warm showed blood pooling around its head. ‘It’s dead and not that long ago either. I have to check and see if it has a joey.’ Ren moved around to the front of the body.
‘Do you still have the number of the Wildlife hotline, Jayden?’
‘Already ringing,’ Jayden said.
‘Lia, I threw my towel and pillow from this morning in the back, can you grab them please.’ Lia brought the things to Ren who ripped off the pillow slip throwing the pillow aside. ‘Help, could you? I’m going to need two hands.’
‘Ooh…do I have to?’ Lia screwed up her nose.
‘Come on, Lia, please, I can’t do this on my own.’
Lia squatted and hesitantly touched the pouch opening. Ren guided her hands toward the pouch. She shuddered as her fingers found the opening.
‘Just ease it out, Lia…yes that’s it.’
‘Won’t it hurt the joey?’ Lia asked.
Jayden had moved around with his phone torch on to add to the light. ‘They are pretty safe curled up in there, Lia.’
The light showed a joey, but it barely moved. ‘Yes! There is a joey and it’s detached from the teat. Good, that means we can safely remove it.’ He carefully supported its back then the legs, tail, and head, which he covered immediately with the towel, and brought the pillowcase up around the joey. ‘It has some fur so it might survive.’ The joey began struggling and its strong back legs pushed into Ren’s stomach. ‘It’s a fighter, perhaps it’ll be alright after all.’
Jayden turned to see a van pull up. He squinted in the headlights but could make out a Fauna Rescue logo on the door. ‘They’re here, Ren.’
A middle-aged balding man stepped into the light wearing a fawn-coloured shirt and trousers. The same logo was sewn on his sleeve. He had kind hazel eyes and a gentle voice. ‘Thanks, kids,’ the volunteer worker said. ‘I wish more youngsters had the nous to do what you just did. We’ll take it from here.’
Well, I just couldn’t leave it here to die…er…’ Ren shined the torch on the volunteer’s name tag. ‘Al is it? I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?’
‘Yes, and your name is getting around, young man, you’ve saved quite a few orphaned animals, haven’t you?
‘He’s always saving animals, even butterflies from spider webs.’ Lia laughed.
‘…and birds from cats,’ Jayden added.
‘Shut up! you two, we need to get going.’
Ren’s face reddened, but he hoped no one saw.
The other volunteer, a younger woman with fiery red hair and green eyes pulled back in an untidy ponytail, had dark-green smiling eyes. She grinned with a protruding overbite, and then took the joey from Ren.
‘Do you need your linen back?’
‘No, keep it, I have more.’
She nodded and then winked at Ren. ‘Not too many youngsters even think about anyone else but you’re different.’ Ren raised his eyebrows. Youngsters? The redhead looked to be not much older than him.
‘Here, you must be thirsty after that little ordeal.’ Al handed Ren a clean skin bottle of iced tea. ‘It’s my own homebrew, hope you like it.’
‘Thanks. Hope the joey comes good.’
Ren picked up his pillow and brushed off the dirt. All three piled back into the ute and continued to his country home.
Several boxes were plonked randomly around the generous kitchen-family area. Lia re-heated the pizza and they sat around eating pizza and chatting.
‘So, Lia, how do you think your interview went the other day?’ Jayden asked.
‘I got the position; didn’t Ren tell you?’
‘No, he didn’t.’ Jayden exchanged looks with Ren and frowned.
‘Sorry, Jay, lots of things on my mind right now. By the way, Jayden, Lia got the position of assistant chef at Avindale Aurora Lounge.’ Ren laughed.
‘Very funny. Ren. So, when do you start, Lia?’
‘Full-time from tomorrow night as a matter of fact. I’m on the late shift for the rest of this week then have a couple of days off. I’ve given Ren the number if you want to contact me.’
After pizza and coffee, Jayden took Lia home.
Ren looked around at the boxes waiting to be unpacked and sighed. He flopped into bed that night exhausted. In the early hours, his eyes flashed open. His whole body broke out in a sweat and his head throbbed. ‘Not this damn dream again.’ In his dream, animals fled in fright; pulsating sounds like drums pounded inside his head. ‘It’s getting worse. Why me? Why always animals? What's after them?’ Just before he woke, a white stag stood before him and the scene shifted as if he saw through the impressive creature’s eyes, and a darkened figure stood ahead in shadow, then it would end. The nightmare frequented his sleep every few nights.
The moonlight shone through vertical blinds onto his black and white striped quilt making them appear to ripple like gentle waves on the ocean. After a few minutes, he shuffled down the passage into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and cleared a circle of condensation on the mirror. The dark rings under his eyes had become more noticeable. ‘Must get more sleep.’ Ren pulled on his tracksuit pants and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed the bottle of iced tea and after downing a few mouthfuls, he held the cold bottle against his head and leaned against the fridge. ‘Wow, powerful stuff, my head feels better already.’
He sank into his leather-look sofa and booted up his tablet bringing up the news. Ren inclined back, closing his eyes as he listened to the usual muggings, murders and celebrity hype that filled the headlines.
A news flash interrupted the bulletins. The head ranger came on from the Forgotten Valley Reserve, ‘That’s the Conservation Park I applied for work a week ago.’ Ren opened his eyes to focus on the story and caught some of what the ranger of the park read in his notes.
‘Some very strange things—are happening here in Forgotten Valley Reserve. Some are even saying something mystical is at work.’ The ranger paused and took a deep breath. He went on to discuss strange skirmishes between animals that normally co-existed. Others became entangled in fences and then appearing to vanish or injure themselves as they struggled to enter the reserve.
‘I don’t believe this. My dreams, these stories, something is not right.’ Ren said aloud to no one in particular.
Completely changed some of this story
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