The Secret Dog (5 page)

‘Go.’ Reggae bounded over to the bowl and started to eat.

As she ate, Josh thought about something that had happened two short months ago, when the earliest of the spring lambs were being born. He’d been training Reggae to heel. Some dancing lambs on a neighbouring hill had caught her eye. He didn’t have her on the lead and she’d headed for them, ignoring
his command to ‘stop’. All excited, she’d circled the group of lambs and ewes. Josh had been terrified that Reggae would accidentally hurt one of the lambs. This was a serious matter on the island, and dogs had been shot for this. Fortunately, when the big ewes saw Reggae, they’d started to move towards her. Alarmed, she’d sped back to Josh.

She’d come a long way since then.

‘You did really well today,’ Josh told her, as she gobbled her food. ‘According to the weather forecast, this rotten weather will continue tomorrow. We’ll see if you can work
in
the pen. Then you’ll really start getting what being a sheepdog is all about.’

Chapter 7

Josh raced across the muddy field, carrying a margarine tub and a kitchen roll. After school he’d stopped at home to pick them up, and to change into shorts. That had been a good idea. His legs were already spattered with mud.

The small grove of trees lay just ahead. Josh slowed down. He didn’t want to trip. Today’s thunderstorm had been especially violent, even by island standards. He’d already found one of its victims.

‘What are you doing?’ The girl’s voice startled Josh. He was crouched under a tree, still breathing heavily from his sprint. Had she
followed
him?

‘I asked what
are
you doing?’ The voice was impatient now. Josh hadn’t exactly been ignoring her. It was just that he didn’t want to turn away. There wasn’t much time to get this right.

Reluctantly, he swung around to face her. He wasn’t very good at talking to people. Especially girls.

He recognised her immediately. It was Yvonne, the vet’s daughter. She was always getting awards for this and that in the school assemblies. Sometimes she walked home with Kearney. At least
he
wasn’t there.

He beckoned her with his hand. Yvonne was still wearing her green school uniform. It made her thin
brown hair look dull. She hesitated before leaving the path. But her curiosity won out, and she stepped carefully over the thick blanket of old rotting leaves, twigs and branches.

‘Ohhh,’ she cooed, when she saw what Josh was cupping in his hands. It was a baby bird he’d found, wet and bedraggled. ‘Are you sure you should be doing that? I read that once you get your smell on them their mothers won’t feed them.’

‘That’s rubbish,’ Josh said. ‘I’ve saved dozens of birds.’ He thought for a moment. ‘As long as you’re here, you can help. Put your hands together.’

For a moment, Yvonne held back. Then she knelt and stretched out her cupped hands. Gently, he put the bird down in them.

‘Keep her warm,’ he said. ‘Smell isn’t a problem. Cold is. Her mother won’t feed her if she’s cold.’

He speedily laid out layers of kitchen roll in the empty margarine tub. He’d already punched in holes for drainage. ‘Put her in. Carefully.’

Yvonne lent over the yellow tub. She opened her hands and the little bird hopped out.

‘Why aren’t you putting it back in its nest?’ she asked quietly.

Josh pointed to the tree above. Yvonne looked up, tilting her glasses to see better. The remains of the nest were just barely visible.

‘The thunderstorm this afternoon,’ he explained.

He used his arms to grasp hold of a branch above him. Pulling himself off the ground, he wrapped his legs around the tree.

‘Here,’ he said. Yvonne put the tub in his outstretched hand. Keeping the hand holding the tub free, Josh began to climb. He wedged the tub into a group of small branches, then shook the main bough gently to make sure it would stay put. Then, using both hands, he climbed down.

Yvonne watched him in silence. ‘You’re strong!’

Josh had never thought of himself as strong, though he did the work of an adult on the farm. He pointed towards an old oak. ‘We can watch.’ He led the way.

They could hear the baby blackbird’s distressed ‘cheep, cheep’. Yvonne shifted from foot to foot, her forehead wrinkled with worry. ‘Will the mother come?’

Josh put his finger to his mouth and kept his eyes on the yellow tub.

After what seemed like ages, a brown female bird flew onto the branch above the makeshift nest. She inspected the tub. Then she hopped down and stood on its side. She lent over, and they could see her regurgitate a worm. It disappeared into the baby bird’s mouth.

Josh glanced at Yvonne, suddenly worried she might be upset at the sight. But Yvonne was unmoved. Josh remembered seeing her driving around in the vet’s brightly painted van with him, probably doing rounds. She’d probably seen a lot worse that a bird vomiting up worms
 . . .

He smiled, pleased at figuring this out, and at having another successful rescue under his belt. But
suddenly, he felt awkward. He didn’t know what to say to Yvonne.

‘I’ve got chores,’ he told her. And without another word, he ran off.

He caught a glimpse of Yvonne – her mouth was open and her eyes wide, as if she’d been shocked by something. Not him, surely
 . . .

* * *

As they ran along the old river, the light rain continued.

‘I saved a bird today,’ Josh told Reggae. ‘And this girl from my class helped.’ Reggae looked up at Josh. ‘I think it went okay.’

It started to rain in earnest. Josh examined the sky, a heavy grey in all directions.

‘It’s settling in,’ he said. ‘Let’s see what you remember back at the pen.’

Chapter 8

The following day after school, Josh returned to the woods to see how the baby bird was doing. As he approached the oak where he and Yvonne had hidden the previous day, he was surprised to see a glimpse of a school uniform. Someone was already there. He approached quietly.

‘Oh!’ Yvonne exclaimed. ‘I didn’t hear you coming! I ran all the way here because I wanted to see how our bird was doing!’

‘It’s not
our
bird,’ Josh snapped. ‘It’s mine.’ It was! The fourth he’d rescued this spring!

Yvonne reacted sharply. ‘
My
bird,
my
bird,’ she said imitating him and sounding like a three-year-old.

Josh blushed.

‘I thought you were different,’ Yvonne said, now sounding hurt and turning away from him.

Josh didn’t understand. How could she be angry and hurt at the same time? And what did she mean when she said she’d thought he was different? They’d barely exchanged a word before yesterday. Surely she’d never given him a moment’s thought
 . . .

‘I’m not different,’ he said.

Yvonne didn’t turn towards him to speak. ‘You feed the school rabbit and guinea pig when the teacher forgets. You tickle their tummies when you
think no one’s looking. And you told that support teacher off when he pulled the rabbit’s ear too hard. That was really brave!’

‘I didn’t think
 . . . 
anyone noticed,’ Josh said quietly. He always felt invisible at school. Unless he was being told off.

‘Well, you were wrong,’ Yvonne said, still facing away.

Josh thought a moment. ‘Maybe I was wrong about the bird too,’ he said softly. ‘You
did
help me rescue her.’

Yvonne turned to face him. ‘Do you mean it?’

Josh nodded. ‘I’m just used
 . . . 
to doing things by myself.’

Yvonne pointed to the tub nest. ‘The mother comes every couple of minutes to feed her.’

After a few minutes, Josh said, ‘It’s not just the mother. It’s the father too. He’s the black one with the yellow beak. There!’

Yvonne kept her eye on the nest. ‘You’re right! You know a lot about birds.’

‘I spend a lot of time watching them,’ Josh said. ‘You have to if you want to give them what they need.’

‘You’re good at that?’ Yvonne asked.

‘With animals,’ Josh admitted. ‘I’m not very good at figuring out people.’

Yvonne smiled, as if she knew what Josh was talking about. ‘What will happen to the fledgling?’

‘She’ll be ready to leave the nest soon,’ Josh said.

‘Oh,’ Yvonne said, disappointed.

‘She’ll still be there tomorrow,’ Josh reassured her.

‘Can I come and watch her after school?’ Yvonne asked. Her voice had become almost inaudible.

‘Of course,’ Josh said. ‘She’s your bird too!’

Yvonne gave him a shy smile. For a brief moment, Josh had a wild, unreasonable thought: Maybe this girl could become his friend. But then he pushed it out of his mind.

* * *

The next day, as usual, Josh had rushed back to Reggae’s shed to spend time with her at lunchtime. But he’d returned to school early, because he had to try to look up his English homework on the computer in the library. They didn’t have one at home.

He didn’t notice Yvonne until she sat down next to him. ‘You weren’t at lunch,’ she said. ‘Aren’t you hungry?’

Josh was starving. But he shook his head. And hurriedly pressed the minimise icon on the screen. He didn’t want Yvonne to see the Help page he was looking at.

But he was too late. ‘
I
can help you with English,’ Yvonne said. She added quickly, ‘If you want.’

Josh shook his head. If Yvonne realised how thick he was, she’d never talk to him again.

Luckily, Yvonne switched the subject. ‘You used to have lunch all the time. Six months ago you stopped. Why?’

Josh didn’t know what to say. He skipped lunch
because he needed the money for dog food. But he
couldn’t
tell her that
 . . .

‘It’s hard to explain.’

Yvonne suddenly seemed very interested in the way the librarian was putting books onto the shelves. Had he been too sharp?

‘Honest, it’s not you,’ Josh added quickly.

Yvonne turned back to him and nodded slightly.

Josh had a thought and, after a moment, decided to chance saying it out loud.

‘Would you like to come to see our bird with me after school?’

Yvonne smiled.

* * *

Two days later, the baby bird was standing on the side of the tub now, stretching her wings.

‘Isn’t it lovely?’ Yvonne said. ‘Just think: she wouldn’t be there if we hadn’t rescued her!’

For a moment, Josh was annoyed at the ‘we’. But he had to admit it had been fun watching the bird with Yvonne over the last couple of days. She’d even walked with him here today – that made it two days in a row. He’d miss all this now that the fledgling was about to fly its nest.

‘About lunch,’ he said. ‘I skip it on purpose. But you mustn’t tell anyone.’

‘I can keep a secret,’ Yvonne said firmly.

Josh believed her. He couldn’t figure out her moods but he’d noticed something about her the last couple of days. He’d always thought of her as someone who talked with everyone and who had lots of friends. But actually, she spent most of her time alone, watching other people. Like him.

‘It’s just I need the money my uncle gives me for lunch. For something else.’

Yvonne didn’t say anything. She just continued looking at the baby blackbird. Josh was pleased she wasn’t pressing him to say something.

Did he really want to share his big secret? She might laugh, or even worse, tell. But if he didn’t take a risk now, he might never have the chance to talk to her again.

Josh made a decision. He bent down and opened his school bag. ‘I buy this with it,’ he said quietly, holding up two tins.

‘You have a dog?’ Yvonne said in a hushed voice. ‘A secret dog?’

Chapter 9

The valley that Josh had chosen for training Reggae was as secret as Josh could find. It was surrounded by steep hills and it was off the usual walking routes on the commons.

As Josh led Reggae up the hill towards it, he remembered the envelope in his school jacket. He shook his head. He didn’t need to think about his school report until later. He had more important things to deal with.

He was going to start to work with Reggae in the open.