Rain May and Captain Daniel

by Catherine Bateson

  ‘Yes, of course it is.’ Mum put her hands on my shoulders and held me in front of her. ‘It hasn’t been too bad, has it, coming here to live?’

  ‘It’s been great, Mum. I’m sorry I was so horrid to start with.’

  ‘And we pick up the puppy in a couple of days, Daniel comes home, Christmas is just around the corner.’

  ‘Yep, looking good.’

  ‘I want to know if it’s okay with you if we all do Christmas together — Diana and Mark and Daniel and you and me. And you’d spend Christmas Eve with your dad and Julia.’

  ‘It sounds great. I’d love that. Daniel will love that.’

  ‘And Rain, I want you to know that I am so proud of you. You’re the best. You know that?’

  I wriggled away from her before she had a chance to get all kissy and weepy. I had things to do. I had an invitation to write.

  The Captain’s Log, Supplemental, Stardate 021101

  I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it. President of the Clarkson Star Trek Club. Elected President. They all elected me.

  I was scared I’d cry in front of Rain but I didn’t. I just sat there, my mouth wide open, until the Counsellor told me gently that I’d catch flies if I stayed like that any longer.

  Turns out the American girl’s a Trekkie, too, but she says Trekker, because that’s what they say over there. And Rain’s going to do a newsletter and she says the Club is all anyone ever talks about these days at school and everyone’s waiting for me to come back because they all want to learn Volcan three-dimensional chess and how to swear in Klingon.

  I know boys are not meant to say things like this. And I don’t mean it in the way that you write your names on the bus seat or anything like that, but I’m really, really pleased Rain moved next door and became my best friend. And I know we’ll be friends forever now, because you don’t just forget seeing a platypus with someone, do you? Or how that person showed you who you could be, if you tried. And they cared enough.

  On Daniel’s Fridge

  smile

  we are celebrating

  every brilliant thing

  but most of all

  our much missed

  star boy

  now home again

  welcome back

  best friend

  For Anna, Sasha and Helen

  who all became country girls

  and with thanks to Alasdair, resident Trekkie.

  First published 2002 by University of Queensland Press

  PO Box 6042, St Lucia, Queensland 4067 Australia

  Reprinted 2002 (twice)

  www.uqp.com.au

  © Catherine Bateson

  This book is copyright. Except for private study, research, criticism or reviews, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any foram or by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher.

  Typeset by University of Queensland Press

  Cataloguing in Publication Data

  National Library of Australia

  Bateson, Catherine.

  Rain May and Captain Daniel.

  For primary school students.

  I. Title.

  A823.4

  ISBN 978 0 7022 3337 1 (pbk)

  ISBN 978 0 7022 5626 4 (pdf)

  ISBN 978 0 7022 5627 1 (epub)

  ISBN 978 0 7022 5628 8 (kindle)