Stay:The Last Dog in Antarctica

by Blackadder, Jesse

  ‘Welcome to the Aurora Australis,’ Chills said to her. ‘The icebreaker that takes us all the way to Antarctica. And this is the helideck, where the helicopters land.’

  A voice came out of the darkness, startling them both. ‘Chills, it’s one thing to talk to the huskies and the penguins, but be careful about talking to a plastic dog.’

  ‘She’s not plastic, Kaboom, she’s fibreglass, actually,’ Chills said. ‘What are you doing out here?’

  ‘Same as you, saying goodbye,’ Kaboom said. ‘Thinking about all the people I’m going to miss. I wish I could bring my dog with me, but I won’t see her for ages.’

  ‘Are you down for winter this time?’ Chills asked.

  ‘Yes, a full year,’ Kaboom said. ‘Us weather observers have to do summer and winter now. You?’

  ‘Just the summer for me,’ Chills said. ‘The Adélies are all gone by winter. I wish I was studying emperor penguins. Winter is when they get really interesting.’

  ‘And the dog?’

  Girl wondered what Chills was going to say. She hadn’t thought about how long she might be away.

  Chills shrugged. ‘She’s in for the Antarctic summer now. Did you know they’re bringing out the last husky team at the end of the season? Dogs aren’t allowed in Antarctica any more. Maybe she’ll want to stay for winter too. I guess she can stay as long as she wants.’

  He looked down at her and smiled. ‘Hey! That’s a good Antarctic name for her. Stay. What do you think, Girl? Do you want to be Stay? Do you want to stay with me?’

  Girl could see the clouds rushing overhead and from time to time brilliant stars shone through. No one had given her a name before, everyone had just called her Girl. And no one had ever asked her to stay with them.

  I like it, she thought. Stay was a good name for a Labrador.

  ‘That’s settled then,’ Chills said. ‘Stay. Now, Kaboom, is it true there’s going to be a big blow tonight?’

  Kaboom laughed. ‘Oh, yes,’ she said. ‘A nice storm to welcome us to the Southern Ocean. Make sure Stay is strapped in good and tight. We’re going to rock and roll.’

  ‘I’d best be getting downstairs,’ Chills said. ‘Good night, Kaboom.’

  ‘Night, Chills; night, Stay,’ Kaboom said.

  A gust of wind spattered them with salt spray as they crossed the helideck. Girl felt the droplets on her face, cold and strange. Chills pushed open the door and carried her inside. As he headed back to the cabin, she tried out her new name. She wasn’t Girl any more. She was Stay. It seemed like they all had strange names down here and now she had one too. She fitted in.

  Chills wedged her between the bottom bunks and strapped her down. She was glad, as she could feel the ship rolling more strongly. Beakie was already in bed and he just groaned when Chills wished him good night.

  ‘Good night, Stay,’ Chills whispered, so softly that Beakie couldn’t hear.

  Good night, Chills, Stay thought.

  It wasn’t long before she heard him start to snore, and a little while later the wind picked up outside and the waves began to crash. She was nearly asleep when she remembered what Chills had said just before he gave her a new name. She’d be gone for the whole of the summer and perhaps the whole of the winter too. It wasn’t just a week or two. It might be a year.

  It was a very long time to stay away.

  Chapter 4

  Stay woke with a jolt. It was so dark she thought for a moment she was back inside Chills’s bag. The ship was rising up-up-up over the waves, then diving down-down-down the other side. It landed in the troughs with a crash that made everything shudder. The wind whistled past the porthole. Beakie was groaning and Chills wasn’t snoring any more. Stay reckoned that he was awake too.

  She was wedged firmly between the bunks, but with every roll of the ship the coin clunked and clattered around her insides till she wished she had no coin in there at all. For once she was quite glad she wasn’t a real dog. She didn’t think Jet would have liked this.

  Thinking of Jet was a good distraction from the storm blowing outside and Stay remembered the long talk they’d had back in Hobart. Although she had been fundraising for so long that her paint was scratched and faded, Stay had never met a real Guide Dog. But Carol had come to pick her up from the factory where Stay had just been repainted and had taken her home for the night. She’d put Stay next to Jet’s basket by the fire, and Stay and Jet had talked for hours.

  Jet told her he’d lived with a family for the first year of his life and then had left them to go to Guide Dog training school.

  Didn’t you miss them? Stay asked him.

  Jet’s big brown eyes looked sad. Of course. The three little girls in that family loved me and I loved them. But I always knew I was going to be a Guide Dog. I couldn’t wait to start my training.

  What exactly does a Guide Dog do? Stay asked curiously.

  Jet looked important. Our job is to help blind people move around safely. We learn how to help them cross the road, go up and down stairs and get around obstacles.

  Can you really do all that? Stay asked, impressed.

  Yes. I’m fully trained and I’ve graduated from Guide Dog school. I’m staying with Carol until I’m matched with my new owner.

  What an exciting life you’ll have, Stay said. All I do is stay still and hope people put money in my head.

  Jet turned around in his basket a few times and then settled himself down. But you’re a Labrador! Don’t you know what that means?

  No.

  Labradors love to serve humans. It’s in our nature. We used to be bird-retrieving dogs for hunters.

  Stay thought that retrieving birds sounded like great fun. She loved birds. So?

  We know how to influence our humans. If we feel something very strongly, we can make them feel it too, so we can usually get them to do what we want.

  Stay felt like she was sitting up straighter. Really?

  Yes, really. Jet crossed his paws. It’s easier with your owner, but it works with other humans too. You should try it.

  How? Stay asked. I’m not a real dog.

  Jet lifted his muzzle and looked at her. You’ve got Labrador eyes. If you want a human to do something, look at them hard and send a picture of what you want to their minds. That’s why dogs like you are used to collect money. People look at you and remember how beautiful Labradors are. You make them want to give money to help the Guide Dogs.

  I’ll try. Stay felt doubtful.

  You’ll be great. Just remember. Look them in the eyes and think hard about what you want.

  The ship rolled sharply to one side, bringing Stay back to the present moment. She was on her way to Antarctica! She’d wanted an adventure, and Chills had come back to take her on one. She’d looked at him hard and sent a picture to his mind, and he had understood. Jet had been right. She could influence people.

  There was a crash and a thump next to her. Chills had rolled out of his bunk and was on the floor. He groaned.

  ‘You OK?’ Beakie asked from the upper bunk.

  ‘Guess so,’ Chills said. ‘You?’

  ‘Bit crook, mate.’

  ‘I’m a bit queasy too. Think I’ll stay on the floor.’

  Chills reached up and pulled the quilt off his bunk. He slid closer to her and tucked his arm through her leg. ‘Good girl,’ he murmured.

  ‘Are you talking to that dog again?’ Beakie croaked.

  ‘Oh, shut up,’ Chills muttered. He put his head down near Stay’s feet and pulled the quilt over him. ‘Stay still, eh?’ he whispered. ‘Everything else is moving too much.’

  Sure thing, Stay thought. She braced herself. When the ship went up-up-up, she kept firm and steady. Chills locked his elbow around her leg and held on tight.

  Gradually the storm eased. Chills’s grip on her leg relaxed and he started snoring. Up in the top bunk Beakie groaned every now and then, but eventually he became quiet too. Stay kept awake, watching over Chills. She was still awake when the cabin slow
ly began to get brighter.

  At full daylight there was a bang at the door. ‘Rise and shine!’ It was Kaboom’s voice, sounding merry. She pushed the door open and came in, followed by another woman.

  ‘How was your first night at sea?’ Kaboom asked.

  Beakie gave another groan and rolled over away from the light. Chills raised his head and rubbed his eyes. ‘Awful,’ he said. ‘I always forget how horrible it feels.’

  ‘You’ll be right,’ Kaboom said cheerfully. ‘Breakfast is on. Scrambled eggs and bacon will fix seasickness.’

  Beakie and Chills both groaned in unison and Chills pulled the quilt over his head.

  ‘This is Gina,’ Kaboom said. ‘It’s her first time down too, Beakie. She’s working on that new laser program for summer. What’s it called, Gina?’

  ‘LIDAR,’ Gina said. ‘Light Detection and Ranging instrument. It beams a laser into the upper atmosphere. We’re researching the hole in the ozone layer and climate change.’

  ‘Morning, Laser,’ Chills muttered. Beakie didn’t say anything.

  Stay looked over at Kaboom. There wouldn’t be many adventures happening in the cabin today, but Kaboom looked like she was ready for anything. Stay concentrated on her.

  ‘I don’t suppose anyone wants to come up to the Bridge with us?’ Kaboom said.

  ‘Nuh-uh,’ Chills muttered.

  ‘What about you, Stay?’ Kaboom asked. ‘Want to come and see the great Southern Ocean?’

  Oh, yes! Stay thought.

  ‘I want her to stay here,’ Chills said. ‘She’s meant to be a surprise.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Kaboom said. ‘Nearly everyone’s sick in bed. No one will see her.’

  Kaboom stepped over Chills, picked up Stay and tucked her under one arm. ‘See you later, guys. I’ll ask someone to bring you a cup of tea.’

  ‘What about the Boss?’ Stay heard Chills ask as Kaboom carried her to the corridor.

  Kaboom didn’t answer him. ‘Seasick people are boring, aren’t they?’ she said to Stay. ‘Don’t worry, I never get seasick.’ She looked over at the other woman, who was waiting by the door. ‘This is Stay,’ she said. ‘Stay, this is Laser.’

  ‘A nickname already?’ Laser asked.

  ‘Laser’s pretty good: you should be happy. One guy last year had to live with “Scumbag” all winter and one of the girls got “Slumpy”.’

  ‘Why did you get called Kaboom?’ Laser asked.

  ‘On station I have to let off a weather balloon twice every day,’ Kaboom said. ‘It’s filled with hydrogen. Which is explosive …’

  ‘Oh,’ Laser said.

  They started down the corridor. The boat was rolling so much that they moved from side to side in a one-two-three one-two-three step like a waltz.

  ‘After we’ve been to the Bridge, let’s go looking for albatrosses,’ Kaboom said.

  Stay felt a rush of excitement. She remembered seeing albatrosses on the television, as part of that program about Antarctica. They were some of the biggest birds in the world. Would she really be lucky enough to see one?

  Chapter 5

  The Bridge of the Aurora Australis was huge. A row of windows ran all the way across the front and through them Stay could see the prow of the ship and the cargo hold on the forward deck. There was a wide instrument panel and, in front of it, a tall chair with a fur-covered seat was bolted to the floor.

  Kaboom put Stay down on the ledge that ran around the windows. The Southern Ocean stretched out in every direction. The ship climbed up over the waves and then crashed down between them, sending up a spray of white water. Small birds darted and zipped around the ship. Stay watched them intently.

  ‘Down for another season then?’ a man’s voice said behind them.

  ‘Hello, Boss,’ Kaboom said. ‘Yep, I’m back. Ship’s very quiet this morning.’

  Stay heard a chuckle. ‘We had a couple of forty-degree rolls last night. No one’s got their sea legs yet. They’re all still in bed.’

  ‘Luckily I never get seasick,’ Kaboom said. ‘This is Laser. Looks like she’s got a strong stomach too. Laser, this is the Boss.’

  ‘Morning, Boss,’ Laser said. ‘Great ship you’ve got.’

  ‘She’s a beauty, isn’t she?’ said the Boss. ‘Specially built for Antarctica.’

  ‘Have you seen any albatrosses yet?’ Laser asked.

  ‘Just the cape petrels,’ the man said. Then there was a pause that would have made the fur rise on Stay’s neck if it could have. ‘What is that?’ she heard him ask in an ominous voice.

  Kaboom turned Stay around to face him. ‘Boss, meet Stay. Stay, meet the Boss. Isn’t she cute?’

  The Boss looked her up and down. Stay wished she could jump down from the ledge and put her tail between her legs. He radiated disapproval.

  ‘What’s a Guide Dog doing on board?’

  ‘Chills brought her,’ Kaboom said. ‘She won’t be any harm.’

  The Boss glared at Stay. ‘We treat stowaways very seriously. Might have to throw it overboard.’

  ‘Stay is a she,’ Kaboom said, picking her up and holding her close. ‘I’ll see you later, Boss.’

  Kaboom carried Stay off the Bridge and into the stairwell, followed by Laser.

  ‘He was joking, wasn’t he?’ Laser asked.

  ‘Of course,’ Kaboom said. ‘He just likes to kid around.’

  Stay wasn’t so sure. She’d tried looking into the Boss’s eyes and they’d been very cold indeed. She didn’t think he was a man who could be influenced by a Labrador’s feelings. She was scared of him.

  ‘Let’s go on the helideck and look for albatrosses,’ Kaboom said.

  Kaboom led the way through a maze of stairwells and corridors and eventually shoved open a heavy external door. A splash of water hit the three of them in the face. The Aurora Australis was bucking like a horse and spray was flying everywhere.

  ‘This looks dangerous,’ Laser said, hanging on to the doorframe.

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ Kaboom said. ‘Come on.’ She scrambled out of the door and across to the railings, hugging Stay close. Little brown-and-white birds flew around the ship, floating on the wind and looking as though they enjoyed the rough weather.

  ‘Look at that!’

  Stay stared in the direction Kaboom was looking. It was hard to see through the flying spray and up-and-down movement of the waves, but she caught a glimpse of something that looked far too big to be a bird.

  ‘Wow,’ Laser said. ‘What is it?’

  ‘A wandering albatross,’ Kaboom said. ‘There you go, Laser. It’s good luck to see one.’

  The ship climbed over a wave and the bird swooped close to them. Stay had a clear view of its enormous wingspan. It skimmed so close to the water that she was sure it would be swallowed by a wave, but it rose up a little as the crest came crashing towards it, and flew over the top of the rolling white water.

  ‘How beautiful,’ Kaboom said. ‘Do you know, Laser, they can fly for a whole year without landing on the ground?’

  Another big wave smashed into the side of the ship and drenched them with spray. Kaboom laughed. ‘We’d better get inside, or we might end up overboard.’

  ‘Can I carry Stay?’ Laser asked.

  ‘Sure,’ Kaboom said. ‘She gets a bit heavy after a while.’

  Kaboom led the way back to Chills’s cabin and knocked on the door. When they went inside, Chills was sitting up in his bunk, eating dry biscuits.

  ‘There you are!’ he said as Laser put Stay down on the floor. ‘I was worried you might run off with her.’

  ‘The thought occurred to me,’ Kaboom said. ‘It’s funny how you find yourself talking to her, isn’t it?’

  From his bunk, Beakie grunted. ‘It’s a bad sign when you’re talking to the toys at the start of your time in Antarctica.’

  ‘She’s not a toy!’ Chills and Kaboom said together.

  ‘What is she then?’

  All four of them regarded her. If she’d been a
real dog, Stay would have wagged her tail. As it was, all she could do was look them in the eye and hope.

  ‘She’s … a mascot?’ Laser said.

  ‘A buddy?’ Kaboom added.

  ‘A dog,’ Chills said firmly. ‘The only kind we’re allowed to have in Antarctica after this season. So we have to treat her like a real dog.’

  ‘Don’t say that to the Boss,’ Kaboom said. ‘He made a joke about her being a stowaway and said he’d throw her overboard.’

  ‘What?!’ Chills turned to look at Stay, and she sent him a thought to keep her out of the Boss’s way. ‘I think we need to keep her hidden,’ he said slowly.

  ‘Oh, don’t be silly, he was only kidding,’ Kaboom said. ‘I think he’s worried that you’ve pinched her from the Royal Guide Dogs.’

  ‘You never know when a captain’s kidding,’ Beakie grunted.

  ‘Kaboom, go away,’ Chills said.

  ‘Why?’ Kaboom looked hurt. Stay wished she could give her a lick.

  ‘I’m going to put Stay somewhere safe and it’s best you don’t know where. Then the Boss can’t get it out of you. Now go, both of you!’

  Kaboom and Laser went out of the room without another word. Chills hopped up from his bed and pulled on some clothes. He looked down at Stay. ‘Now where are we going to hide you?’

  Chapter 6

  She was back in the black bag again. Chills carried her down the corridors and stairwells of the ship, occasionally knocking her against the walls.

  ‘Is the coast clear?’ she heard him whisper to Beakie.

  ‘Yep. Quick!’

  A heavy door opened and then closed behind them. Stay smelt a strong diesel scent. The roar of the engine was so loud it made her head ring.

  Chills unzipped the top of the bag. ‘All right, Stay? No one will look for you in the Engine Room.’

  Stay could barely hear him over the racket. The Engine Room was long and narrow and covered in grease. A huge shaft was turning to drive the ship. Surely he wasn’t going to leave her there?

  ‘Where are you going to put it?’ Beakie asked.