Brock

by Anthony McGowan

  Jezbo and Rich and Rob got community service, too, for the badgers and for setting the dog on me. They sometimes gave me the eye if I saw them in the village, and Jezbo used to draw his finger across his neck, like he was going to slit my throat. But I knew it was just bullshit and that he was a coward.

  My dad got the job as a care assistant. The money was rubbish, but he loved it.

  It was his idea that we walk here and try to get a look at the badgers. I said there was no way they’d come out if we were there, but Kenny had picked up on it, and after that there was no pulling out. I was surprised that Jenny wanted to do it, but she was quite good at surprising you. Maybe I just wasn’t used to having a lady about the place. It was something we all had to get used to. Two ladies, I mean – Tina was our dog now, or rather Kenny’s. He loved that dog more than he loved me and Dad, I think, and the dog loved him back.

  My dad had scattered some of Tina’s dog biscuits in front of the sett, but we’d been here half an hour now and there was no sign of life.

  I was about to ask if we could go home when I sensed Kenny going stiff, and he grabbed my arm.

  “Snuffy!” he said in a whisper.

  And there, in the shadow of the sett opening, was the distinctive pattern of black and white. The nose emerged, sniffed, and then went back in again, the promise of the dog biscuits balanced by the threat of the dog. We all breathed again, having held our breath for those few seconds, and we got ready to go.

  And then, all of a sudden a shape darted from the hole. It came towards us and touched noses with Tina. Tina wagged her tail and did a little jump in the air. For two magical minutes the dog and the badger rolled and played together in the leaf litter. And then it was over. Snuffy took a biscuit with her and was gone, and we walked back through the trees and over the fields, home.

  Acknowledgements

  My thanks to the entire amazing team at Barrington Stoke, but particularly the wonderful Mairi Kidd, who badgered and baited this book into existence.