Leaving Home
Ren stood with his back to his friend’s packed Ute and waited for his father to stop ranting. The hot, humid day didn't help anyone's mood. At the end of the long path leading to the farmhouse, his younger brother, Theo, crossed hands behind him leaned against the front door.
Ren remembered seeing his father’s fingers trembling as he pressed the enter button to transfer his share of the estate from his mother’s Will, feeling a pang of regret.
‘This farm’s been in our family for five generations, and you walk out as though it means nothing to you.’ his father said, defeated. You are the eldest. The farm should be yours. It’s what your mother would have wanted.’
‘Bullshit, Dad, don’t ever talk to me about what Mum wanted. She wouldn’t have become so sick if you had treated her better. On her death bed she said to follow my own path regardless of what you wanted and that is what I intend to do. Theo wants to takeover so, give it to him. I never wanted to be a farmer.’
‘Theo!’ his dad yelled. ‘All he can do is the accounts. The animals respond to you!
Ren turned when he heard the door of the farmhouse slam shut. ‘You don’t give Theo enough credit. I can’t stand the thought of farming animals! Never have and never will.’ Ren turned his back on his father who turned to walk away.
‘Forget it! You’re on your own. Don’t come crawling back.’
Ren had heard that before, too. ‘Damn fool,’ his father continued. ‘Damn fool you lot, too,’ he said as he stormed past Jayden and Lia who had been pretending to have an enormous interest in the horizon. You two could have talked some sense into him. Damn all of you.’
Jayden went to say something, and Ren gestured for him to stop. ‘Leave it, Jay. He won’t listen.’
Ren watched him walk up the long path that led to the homestead. He waited for the door to slam and when it did, he turned to his two friends ‘That’s it,’ he said. ‘Let’s go.’
They squashed into the front seat of the Ute, Lia sat in the middle. ‘He’ll come around,’ she said squeezing his hand.
‘Maybe. Still—I worry about him here with only Theo. And he’s right, Theo is useless with the animals, but I can’t be a farmer. I couldn’t stand it.’ Ren had expected to be more excited about moving out of home. He had his own place! Right on the edge of the forest, close to nature, like he had always wanted.
‘And you don’t have to,’ Jayden said. ‘Lucky old you. Getting a house of your own. He could have disinherited you.’
‘He didn’t have a choice; it was in Mum’s will. He is sad and angry but not vindictive,’ Ren said.
‘Well, a housewarming party, Ren?’ Lia said, changing the subject. ‘I’ll do the food.’
‘Yes!’ Jayden agreed with fervour.
‘Not really in the mood for a party. Maybe later.’
‘Too much moping, Ren,’ Jayden said, thumping the wheel. ‘House-warming party next weekend. You must move into this new place as you mean to go on. Party time!’
‘We’ll see.’
Jayden sighed. ‘Fine. We will pick up pizza on the way.’
Ren didn’t say much more during the trip. The later it got, the darker it became. He stared out the window. The streetlights became fewer and the roads 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 happy times he’d spent on the farm.
‘You still sulking, mate? Come on, I’d be rapt if I had my 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. A lot of memories back there, I guess. Growing up with mum and dad. Huh! Even Theo had his moments.’
Lia turned to Ren ‘Yes, but he’s always been jealous of you, Ren.’
‘But now I’m gone, he can have the farm, it is what he wants.’
‘You think? Partly perhaps, but it is more like a desperate attempt to get approval from your dad. Even as kids at school, it was obvious’ Lia said.
‘It got worse once mum became sick. When we were younger, Mum tried to compensate for the high hopes for me that dad made so evident. He virtually wiped Theo off in a lot of ways, and after Mum died everything changed.’
‘Jayden, stop!’ Lia screamed and grabbed Jayden’s wrist.
‘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 jumped out of the car and walked toward a shadowy mound. He turned on the torch in his phone and saw a grey kangaroo lying still on its side.
As he reached the other side, a speeding car with its headlights on a high beam, sped past blaring its horn. ‘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 was still warm and blood pooled around its head. ‘It’s dead and not that long ago either. I must 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. ‘It feels so thin and squishy.’
‘It’s just thin skin, Lia. Please, ease it out—that’s it.’
‘Won’t removing it hurt the joey?’
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. ‘It has detached from the teat which means we can safely remove it.’ He carefully supported its back, 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 through the pillow slip. ‘It’s a fighter, perhaps it’ll be all right 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 as the car showed on his sleeve. His kind hazel eyes matched a gentle voice. ‘Thanks, kids,’ the volunteer worker said. ‘I wish more youngsters had the nous to do what you kids did. We’ll take it from here.’
Ren wouldn’t leave it here to die…er…’ Jayden shined the torch on the volunteer’s name tag which read Al but no surname.
‘I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?’ Ren interjected.
‘Yes, and I recognise your name, 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.’
His face reddened in the shadow.
The other volunteer, a younger woman with thick, fiery red hair, pulled back in an untidy ponytail. Her large, green eyes, even in shadow, stood out. She grinned with a protruding overbite and took the joey from Ren.
‘Do you need your linen back?’
‘No, keep it for warmth, I have more.’
She nodded and 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 liquid. ‘It’s iced tea. My brew, 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 Ren’s place.
The friends plonked several packed boxes randomly around the large kitchen-family area. Lia plugged in the microwave and re-heated the pizza. 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 turned to Ren and frowned.
‘Sorry, Jay, I have a lot of things on my mind right now. Jayden, Lia got the position of assistant chef at Aurora Lounge, in Avondale,’ Ren laughed.
‘Funny. Ren. So, when do you begin?’
‘Full-time from tomorrow. I’m on the late shift for the rest of this week. After that, I have a couple of days off. I’ve given Ren the number if you want to contact me.’
After pizza and coffee, Jayden offered to take Lia home.
‘You can stay here if you want, there’s room on the couch and one spare room,’ Ren offered.
‘I should go, but thanks Ren.’ Lia looked at Jayden.
Jayden nodded. ‘It’s on the way home for me anyway.’
Ren saw his friends out and after going inside, looked around at the boxes waiting to be unpacked and sighed. He flopped into bed that night exhausted.
In the early hours of the morning, 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 the matter with them?’ Every time, a white stag stood before him and the scene shifted as if he saw through the majestic creature’s eyes, and a darkened figure stood ahead in shadow, then it ended. The nightmare frequented his sleep every few nights.
Through his vertical blinds, the moon with wisps of cloud floating past made his black and white striped quilt appear to ripple like gentle waves on the ocean. After trying to go back to sleep, Ren gave up and shuffled down the passage into the bathroom to take 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, held the cold bottle against his head and leaned against the fridge. As Ren returned the bottle to the fridge, a golden glow radiated through from the light in the fridge.
Dampening a flannel and placing it on his forehead, 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. My interview is next week. Ren opened his eyes and sat up to focus on the story and the flannel fell into his hand. He caught some of what the park ranger read in his notes.
‘Some strange things are happening here in Forgotten Valley Reserve. Some are even saying mystical forces are 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, appearing to vanish or injure themselves as they struggled to enter the reserve.
‘I don’t believe this. My dreams, these stories, there must be some connection.’ Ren said aloud to no one in particular.
Completely changed some of this story
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