Yellowcake - Margo Lanagan [1]
‘What’s the boy got there?’ said Corin, putting his forehead to the window. He brought sudsy hands up to block out the other reflections.
‘He’s got...’ Nance looked up and dredged the picture of Billy out of her memory. ‘He’s got Pumfter von Schnitzel, and that ashtray. The one on a stick.’
Ah yes, from the old days, when Corin had pleased himself where he smoked. ‘And he’s pinched one of those blessed roses on the way out,’ Corin said. ‘The Zephyr ones. Or whatever silly name they’ve got.’
Nance licked her fingertip and caught up a corner of the paper. ‘Hmm,’ she said, reading.
Corin looked over his shoulder at her. ‘You’re not bothered?’
‘Bothered by the rose? He can have a rose. As long as he’s not tearing the petals off every bloom.’
‘By any of those things. What if he loses that dog thing?’
She looked up at him, dragging her mind back from wherever to hear him. ‘He doesn’t need it as much as he used to.’
‘You said you’d never find another with quite such a look on its face. You said in the whole basket there were no others with that look. It’s an accident, the way his eyes were sewn on.’
‘What a memory. That was years ago.’ Nance looked properly at him now. ‘You just don’t want him playing with those Traveller kids.’
‘My eye, I don’t.’
‘You’re not really so bothered about Pumfter.’
‘Maybe not.’
Nance went back to the paper.
Corin sudsed on; plates clanked in the sink and then clacked into the rack. He heard his breath adjusting itself to every shift of his anxiety.
‘It’s nearly dark,’ he said.
‘It’s summer,’ said Nance in that patient tone he hated.
‘It’s long evenings. You go out there and let your eyes adjust and see how dark it is.’
‘Maybe I should. Maybe I should follow the little bugger and see what they’re up to.’
‘Maybe.’ There she went again. What she meant was, Of course you shouldn’t! Leave the boy to his adventures, you clumsy great berk.
Corin heaved a sigh. He sneaked a look at Nance’s reflection. Was she smiling? He wouldn’t put it past her, to have a smile at his expense. Smug cow.
‘Where is he, then?’ asked Billy.
‘Up on the hill in the reserve,’ said Shai. ‘We’ll go up and signal when we’re near.’
‘He can’t spy down on us and see?’
‘It’s all bushy. And he doesn’t want to cheat, remember. Besides, he’d never guess this. What is it?’
‘It’s an ashtray.’
‘Like, for fags?’ Shai looked it up and down. ‘It’s huge.’
‘You stand it, beside your armchair.’ Billy stood it in the air as they walked. ‘Then you tap-tap your ash on the little tray there and push the button, and it spins and all goes in underneath, see?’
‘It’s a marvel. What a thing. Well, I know Jo’s never seen such a one. And a toy, there.’
‘It’s supposed to be a dog.’ Billy held Pumfter up and watched him do his work on Shai’s face.
‘That’s got a friendly look. Let me hold him a second— ooh, his flower came away.’
‘That’s the third thing. It’s a rose. My grandma grows them and they win prizes.’
‘I thought it were part of the doggy. You were very pretty with your rose, weren’t you, doggy? He’s a good size. For holding, eh. Or for tucking away here, look. I can carry him?’
‘Of course you can. I’ve got to keep this rose nice. And manage this ashtray, or it’ll trip me up. Have we got to go through bushes or anything?’
‘We can go around by the walking path. But we’ve to pick up Castle and Alex first.’
‘No, you’ve not.’ Their two forms bobbed darkly up out of the hedge.
‘You must have shovelled that dinner,’ said Shai.
‘We did. Dad said it was disgusting. Alex’s made himself sick.’
‘Don’t talk about it,’ said Alex. ‘I’ll keep it down if I think of something else.’
‘He wouldn’t miss this, not after I told him about last time,’ said Castle to Shai.
‘Hopefully we won’t get into such trouble,’ said Shai.
‘Hopefully we’re far enough away.’
‘In Cottinden’s Domain? It’s a bloody hike, all right. It’ll be dead dark coming home.’
‘It’ll be worth it.