by Dianne Bates
Rory and Trang listened in amazement. This was about the most excitement Emily Street had ever seen.
‘The police told me the man was a burglar. He’d been quite busy, too. When they checked his car they found things he’d stolen from other houses: jewellery, some money and a new smartphone.’
‘Oh, you poor thing.’ Mum patted Mrs Herman’s arm. ‘I’m really glad he didn’t take anything from you.’
‘I’m sure he would have, if your goat hadn’t raised the alarm. Now where is this brave animal? We didn’t get off to a good start when we first met, so I’d like to try again.’
Out in the backyard Mrs Herman took something from a paper bag. Not just an apple: it was a whole apple pie. ‘This is for you. Freshly baked.’ Jellybean gulped it down in seconds. ‘It seems I’ve misjudged you. You’re not just a noisy goat after all. You’re a watch-goat. Keep up the good work.’
News of the burglar spread quickly. Instead of the boys having to go around to say sorry, several neighbours came to the Hunters’ home so they could pat Jellybean and give her treats. She loved all the fuss they made of her. When she maaed, it was a happy sound.
Rory had just one question: ‘Does this mean she doesn’t have to go?’
‘Got that right, mate. Jellybean isn’t going anywhere.’
‘I have some good news for the bulletin this morning, children.’
All eyes were on Mrs Smith as a buzz raced through the assembly hall.
‘In two weeks’ time we’ll be having our annual school pet show.’
There were cheers all round.
‘Raise your hand if you have a pet.’
Hands flew up everywhere.
‘And who’s going to enter their pet in the show?’
Mrs Smith blocked her ears as nearly two hundred young voices shouted back, ‘MEEEE!’
The children were still excited as they headed to their classes. None more so than Rory and Trang.
‘Jellybean will win every ribbon going! Don’t you think, T?’
‘Probably. But what about Bitsa? Is he going to miss out?’
Rory knew what he meant. Last year he’d entered Bitsa in the pet show. He hadn’t won but he’d had the best time ever. Just about every kid in the school had patted him. It wasn’t fair for him to have to stay at home while Jellybean had all the fun.
‘Here’s what we’ll do. Bitsa can be your pet for the day, T. But you have to give him back after the show.’
‘Done deal!’
For days the pet show was all anyone wanted to talk about. It got even more exciting when Mrs Smith said a reporter and photographer from the local newspaper would be there.
‘That means some of you children and your pets might have your photo in the paper. I can’t promise, but who knows – perhaps you’ll even be on the front page.’
‘I really want to win,’ said Rory. ‘Then I’ll be in the paper for sure.’
‘You don’t want it as much as me.’ Trang gave him a shove. ‘No one in my family has ever been in the paper. Mum and Dad would be stoked. So would Grandma.’
‘Bad luck for them!’ Rory smirked. ‘There’ll be heaps of dogs in the show, but Jellybean will be the only goat. That’s why she’ll win. And you’ll lose! Ha. Ha. Ha. Sucked in!’
Trang was quiet for a moment, and then he shook his head and walked away.
‘Hey.’ Rory caught up with him. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
Trang walked faster.
‘I said—’
‘You! That’s what’s wrong with me.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m mad at you.’
‘Why? What did I do?’
‘You laughed at me.’
‘Just then?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I was only kidding. You know that.’
‘No I don’t. All I know is that you’re not supposed to laugh at a friend.’
‘But we’re always joking around.’
‘That’s different.’
‘Whatever. I’m sorry. Okay? We good?’
‘No, we’re not.’
‘What’s wrong now?’
‘When we brought Jellybean to school you told everyone that she was my goat, as well as yours. Remember that?’
‘Yeah, sure.’
‘Well, if she’s my goat too, it shouldn’t just be up to you to say who takes her to the pet show. We should decide fairly.’
‘How could we do that?’
‘I don’t know. Rock, paper, scissors?’
‘Nah. You’re just being a bad loser. I’m taking Jellybean to the pet show, and that’s that. Get over it.’
‘Okay, have it your way, Roar. But you know what?’
‘What?’
‘You’ve just talked to me for the last time!’
When Rory came home from school he usually headed straight for the fridge. On most days he ate almost as much as Jellybean. And he was always noisier than her. Today was different.
He sat at the kitchen table, not eating, not talking. Just feeling sad.
Mum put a glass of milk on the bench in front of him. ‘Is there something you’d like to tell me?’
‘Not really.’
‘I’m a good listener.’
Rory folded his arms and looked down at the floor. ‘Trang hates me.’
‘Hates you?’ Mum snorted. ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘He does, Mum.’
‘Did he say that?’
‘Pretty much. He said he’s never going to talk to me again. And he didn’t just say it, he shouted it, as hard as he could – right in my face.’
‘All right.’ Mum took Rory’s hands in hers. ‘Exactly what happened?’
Talking it over made Rory feel better, but he didn’t like Mum’s plan for fixing things.
‘You should go over to Trang’s house right now. Tell him that you’re sorry.’
‘I already told him that.’
‘Then tell him again. This time let him know you really mean it. I also think you should let him take Jellybean to the pet show. You can have just as much fun with Bitsa.’
Whose side was she supposed to be on?
‘I’ll go with you. Just shake hands and be friends again. You can do that, can’t you?’
‘No. If Trang wants to be friends, fine. But first he has to say sorry to me.’
‘What if he doesn’t?’
‘Too bad.’
‘You don’t want to lose a good friend over a silly argument. That’s what’s going to happen unless you—’
‘I don’t care.’ Rory felt tears building up, but he was determined not to let them fall in front of Mum. ‘I’ve got lots of friends. Who needs Trang?’
He ran into his room and threw himself onto the bed. In seconds he was crying.
It was dark outside when Mum and Dad came and sat on the end of his bed.
‘How do you feel?’ Mum stroked his forehead.
Rory burrowed into his pillow.
Dad lifted it away. ‘Have you thought any more about Trang?’
‘A bit. I still want to win the pet show as much as ever. But I don’t want Trang to lose.’
‘Sometimes you have to put your friends first, mate.’
‘Okay.’ Rory sniffled. ‘But what if he doesn’t want to be my friend anymore?’
‘I’m sure he does.’
‘So am I.’ Mum moved a little closer. ‘Right now he’s probably just hoping to hear from you. Are you sure you won’t go and talk to him?’
‘Do I have to?’
‘Not if you don’t want to. But I will ask you to do one thing.’
‘What?’
‘Just think about what a good friend Trang has always been, and what your life would be like
without him in it. That’s all. Will you do that?’
‘Uh-huh.’
Rory lay awake for ages wondering what he should do. By the morning he knew.
Trang was an early riser, the same as he was. So at six Rory phoned him.
‘I was wrong, T.’
There was silence on the other end. But Rory kept talking.
‘All that stuff I said, that was mean. I don’t even know why I said it. And you were dead right about Jellybean. She’s your goat as much as mine. So if you want to take her to the pet show, that’s cool. I’ll take Bitsa.’
‘Thanks.’ Trang’s voice was husky.
Maybe he’d been crying, too.
‘But I’ve got a better idea, Roar.’
‘What?’
‘Jellybean and Bitsa can both be our pets for the show. That means we’ve got two chances of winning. If one of them wins, we both do.’
‘Sounds like a plan.’
It was Pet Show Day! But before Jellybean and Bitsa could go to the show, they had to be washed.
Rory crept up on Jellybean in the backyard. As soon as she saw him coming – with a bucket of warm water in each hand – she bolted. It took Rory several goes until he was able to corner her long enough to click a chain onto her collar.
Rory covered Jellybean with a soapy lather. ‘What is it with pets and water?’
‘They’d rather be stinky.’ Trang started to shampoo Bitsa. ‘Same as you.’
Rory splashed Trang and got splashed back. They were just fooling around again. Being friends. It felt good.
‘Hold still.’ Rory poured the first bucket of water over Jellybean to rinse off the soap.
She shook it off as fast as it went on. Nearly every drop landed on Rory.
Trang threw his head back as he laughed. ‘That was heaps funny!’
‘It wasn’t all that funny.’
Then Trang tipped the other bucket over Bitsa. He shook twice as much as Jellybean.
‘Hey! Watch out!’
Soon Trang was even wetter than Bitsa.
‘Now that’s funny. Big time!’
Mum came to see how they were all doing. So did Mrs Nguyen. They laughed when they saw how wet the boys were.
‘Does this mean I don’t have to take a bath tonight?’
‘No it doesn’t, Rory. But nice try.’
The boys used old towels to dry the pets.
‘I didn’t think you could ever look so good.’ Rory combed out a knot in Bitsa’s coat. You’ll be the best in the show. Dead set.’
‘Second-best. He won’t beat Jellybean.’
‘What if they both lose?’ Mrs Nguyen winced. ‘Have you thought about that?’
Trang shook his head. ‘Not going to happen.’
‘Well, if it does, it’s important that you’re good losers.’
‘That’s great advice. It’s best not to get your hopes up too high.’
‘Chill, Mum.’
‘But you will be good losers, won’t you?’
Luna ran to catch up with the boys and their super-clean pets. Mum and Dad followed close behind and Trang’s parents waited for them out on the street.
Grandma Nguyen waved from her front verandah. ‘You win!’
Jellybean wore a pink paper hat that Mum had made. It had holes for her horns and ears to poke through.
Bitsa held his head up proudly. Mrs Nguyen had tied a bright yellow ribbon onto his collar.
Both pets looked better than ever.
But would it be good enough?
‘We’ve got a lot of competition.’ Mrs Nguyen looked around her as they walked through the gate. ‘It seems like everyone in the school has brought at least one pet to the show, maybe even two.’
‘Doesn’t matter.’ Trang strode on. ‘We’ve still got the best ones.’
‘Hope so.’ For the first time Rory didn’t sound confident.
Eva and Angela, the twins in their class, were leading two white poodles. Eva’s wore a crown and Angela’s a tiara.
Most children had brought dogs or cats. But Harrison had an animal Rory had never seen before.
‘His name’s Jake. He’s a ferret.’ Harrison took Jake out of his cage to show him off. ‘Ferrets hunt rabbits.’
Joshua ducked away. ‘Don’t bring it near Snowball!’
Lachlan had a goldfish in a round bowl. He walked slowly, but even so, every now and then water still slopped out.
‘What’s his name?’ Mr Nguyen peered through the glass.
‘Jaws. I’ve got other fish at home, too. They’re all called Jaws.’
‘Oh? Why’s that?’
‘It’s a good name.’ Lachlan shrugged. ‘Besides, it’s easy to remember.’
Blake lifted his pet snake Sooky out of its glass tank. The snake was thin and long with green skin.
Dad cringed when he saw it.
The Nguyens stroked Sooky. So did Rory and Trang, and Mum and Luna.
‘It feels smooth, Mummy!’
‘I know – and so strong.’
Blake held the snake out towards Dad.
‘No thanks.’ He backed away. ‘Not into snakes.’
‘This is Polly.’ Georgie took a red hen out of her cage to show Rory. ‘She lays at least four eggs every week.’
‘That’s pretty good.’ Rory rubbed Jellybean’s head. ‘But our goat gives us milk. Every day!’
Mikayla cuddled a guinea pig. The back half of it was dark brown, the middle was chalk white and its face was an orangey colour. She said its name was Rainbow.
James had a brown rat on his shoulder. It had tiny feet and a long curly tail. Seb, the new boy, clutched a tiny cardboard box. It had holes in it, but no one could see what was inside.
Everyone loved Jellybean. She stood quietly while they petted her. Khloe gave her a piece of fairy floss.
Maa!
‘She said thank you!’
Bitsa was just as popular. Every time Jellybean got a pat, he got one, too. And once Bitsa nudged her out of the way when she was being patted so he could have a turn.
His best chance of winning a ribbon was in the Waggiest Tail event. Ever since he’d arrived at the show he’d been wagging it almost non-stop.
The competition was hot, but if nothing else Jellybean was a top chance to win Most Unusual Pet. Compared with dogs and cats, a goat was way unusual. All the other pets were fairly ordinary, except maybe Harrison’s ferret.
Trang wasn’t worried. ‘Jellybean is much cuter than Ferret Face.’
Now Rory and Bitsa, and Trang and Jellybean, marched towards the judges.
‘Go, Rory, go!’ Mum and Dad cheered at the top of their voices.
Luna joined in. ‘Yay!’
Rory wanted to tell everyone he didn’t know them. But he just walked faster.
‘Go, Trang, go!’ The Nguyens whistled, too.
‘Thanks!’ Trang gave them the thumbs-up.
Both of the judges were from the local newspaper. Mr Rivera was the editor. Mr Andrean was the photographer.
‘You’re going to win, girl.’ Trang brushed a fly away from Jellybean’s rump.
Right behind him, Rory was coaching Bitsa. ‘Just do your thing, boy.’
It was all going well, but then Bitsa got so excited by the applause and attention he put his leg up against a post, and peed. The crowd thought it was sooo funny.
Rory didn’t.
Once the judges had looked at all the pets, they sat at the table to make their decisions.
The noisy crowd became whispery quiet.
Mr Rivera stood up. ‘We have the results.’
Not even the animals made a sound.
‘The Most Unusual Pet is’ – Rory and Trang held their breath – ‘also the smallest. Where’s Seb?’
> ‘I won! I won!’
The audience clapped and cheered as Seb ran up to collect his blue ribbon.
‘Before you go,’ said Mr Rivera, ‘better tell everyone what your pet is.’
‘A snail!’ Seb hopped up and down. ‘His name’s Geronimo!’
Next to be announced was the winner of the Waggiest Tail.
‘The ribbon goes to … Sooky the Snake!’
Rory and Trang sighed.
There were three more winners.
Cutest Pet.
Happiest Pet.
Best Dressed Pet.
Each time the boys were certain they would win, but their pets’ names weren’t called out.
‘That sucks.’
‘It’s not nice to say that, Luna.’
‘But it does, Mummy. Jellybean and Bitsa were the cleanest pets. They should get a prize for that.’
Mrs Nguyen put her arm around Luna. ‘They’ve shown lovely manners, too, apart from when Bitsa had his little accident.’
At that moment Khloe walked by.
Jellybean pounced.
‘Hey! Your goat ate my fairy floss!’
‘You boys must be disappointed,’ Mum said as they made their way home.
‘A bit.’ Trang kicked a can. ‘What about you, Roar?’
‘Nah. All good. We’ll just have to wait till next year, that’s all.’
Then someone called from behind them.
‘Hold on!’
They turned to see the photographer, Mr Andrean, hurrying after them.
‘The editor wants me to take a group photo of all the pets and their owners. Are you in?’
‘I am!’ Trang turned to Rory. ‘You?’
‘Bring it on!’
Soon they were standing alongside their pets and their classmates.
They had three important jobs to do:
1. Produce a big cheesy grin.
2. Stop fidgeting.
3. Repeat what Mr Andrean said when he took their photo.
‘Stinky monkeeeys!’
Birthdays and holidays came and went and now school was over for the year. The days were hot and sweaty and once again bats flocked back to the fig tree. At nights they circled the sky in a black cloud.
At last Jellybean seemed to be content with her new life. She played with Bitsa and the boys – Luna, too. And came running when she heard her name called. Best of all, at night she was settled and calm. The only tiny thing wrong was that her coat felt dry and coarse. No amount of brushing could change it.