Into That Forest - By Louis Nowra Page 0,61

she took off back to the den.

We ran after her. Then we stopped cos joining Becky outside the lair were a tiger - it were Corinna. But this were an old Corinna. Right scrawny she were, with her ribs showing and her muzzle white. Mr Carsons aimed his rifle at her. I could see the look in Corinna’s eyes. She had a death wish. She were starving and old and Dave were dead cos of Mr Carsons. Were Mr Carsons going to put her out of her misery or kill her cos she had taken Becky from him? I don’t know but as he pulled the trigger Becky jumped in front of Corinna to protect her. There were a shot and the whole valley echoed it. Becky shooked for a moment and then fell on her back in the snow. Blood were seeping from her chest and staining the snow red. She had her eyes closed. I knew for certain she were dead. Mr Carsons dropped his rifle and fell onto his knees in the snow. I were in such a state of shock that I were paralysed. All I could do were to stare at her. Ernie were crying softly, No, no, no! Mr Carsons were howling in agony like an animal caught in a steel trap. He crawled through the snow to her and cradled her, rocking back and forth like a baby. I noticed Corinna hadn’t moved. She were staring at Becky and she knew Becky were dead.

Night were coming and I heard Ernie say, Time to go home. There were no other words to say. Mr Carsons wrapped his dead daughter’s body in a blanket and roped her to his horse. I sat with Ernie on his horse. I still didn’t believe Becky were dead. Even looking at her tied up like a bundle of clothes to her father’s horse couldn’t make me believe me she were gone. We rode off in silence. I looked back and saw Corinna staring at the bloodstained snow and then looking back at me. She seemed awfully weary and I knew she wanted to die and die she would soon, very soon.

We were all so knackered that during the four-day ride back to Mr Carsons’s farm, we said barely a word. It were enough that we had the strength just to remain on the horses.

I s’pose I have to laugh rather than cry cos the reason Becky went back to the den were cos of Ernie’s soft nature of giving her the ambergris that brought back all those memories for her. I reckon it must have took her six days of non-stop walking to make her way back to the lair. She made it to the den but I weren’t there. It were only a sick and starving Corinna. Then not too long afterwards she heard me singing to her. It were no wonder she thought I were playing a trick on her.

We buried Becky on the farm with only Ernie as a mourner besides me and Mr Carsons. It were a sunny day. She would have liked that. I were hollowed out with grief, but Mr Carsons were even worse. He stayed in bed when he should have been up and working and he moved through the house like the living dead - he were a ghost but didn’t know it yet.

There were no spirit or soul in him any more. I saw a death wish like Corinna’s in his eyes. Ernie must have seen it too cos he stayed on the farm caring for us, but Mr Carsons wouldn’t eat. He were just waiting for death to come and get him but maybe death were taking too long and Mr Carsons were too impatient cos one night as me and Ernie were sitting on the back porch we heard a shot from the bedroom. Mr Carsons had finally given up waiting for death so he decided to go and meet death himself.

We buried him next to Becky. Ernie said he would care for me. I returned to Hobart to live with him. Me grief for Becky were deep and long-lasting. Ernie recorded me talking and singing, but only for short bits cos that’s all the cylinders would take. I were growing into me teenage years with Ernie and he were growing old, not so much cos of real age but cos he were becoming fatter and he found breathing and even walking a trial at times. He knew