Chapter 4

The week passed quickly and before he knew it Step realised it was Friday night again.  His heart beat faster when he thought about Inspection Day.  Even if he had to work hard for the weekend it would be nice to live in a house with a normal family.  How he hoped he would be chosen by the Foster Parents.

Tear sat opposite him in the Inspection Room. She looked very frightened but was determined not to cry.  The doors opened and in came the adults in ones and twos.  A young woman with a sweet face caught Step’s eye.

“Hi there!  How would you like to live on a farm for the weekend?  There won’t be much hard work, just collecting the eggs of a morning.  There’s nothing better than a fresh boiled egg with some home-made bread cut into soldiers to dip in the yolk.”  She smiled and prattled on. “There’s a billabong where you can swim if it’s hot and horses to ride.”

Step was thrilled.  He followed her to a Land Rover and threw his small bag in the back. They drove for what seemed like forever and it was nearly sunset when she pulled up in front of a tumbledown house at the end of a long driveway.  He wondered about getting back to the orphanage in time for school on Monday.  Climbing out of the Land Rover he walked to the back and grabbed his bag.

“See you”, called the woman as she swung the car in a circle and headed off down the track.

Step looked in amazement as the vehicle disappeared in a cloud of dust. Turning back to the house he climbed the rotting wooden steps to the verandah, knocking nervously on the front door.

“Go round the back,” called a man’s voice. It didn’t sound too friendly, but Step was relieved that at least the house was occupied.

Step pushed past prickly bushes until he came to a small verandah where a large, ferocious dog showed its teeth.  Fortunately, it was on a chain so Step was able to avoid its excited lunges.  The man wheezed and then spat on the grass.

“Took your time getting here, didn’t you?” the man said in an accusing voice.  “Weekend’s half over already.  This is where you’ll be sleeping, beside Bluey.”

The man pointed to a strip of dirty carpet on the veranda floor beside the dog kennel.

“There’s some newspaper if you get cold.  Now your job is to feed the animals.  After each meal we put the leftovers in a bucket.  You can have first pick and then take the rest down to the pig sty.  Don’t eat too much.  I want our pigs to get nice and fat.  Now take this wheat around to the chook pen and when you get back you can go through the scraps for the pigs.”

Step looked through the window into a well-lit room where a woman and two children sat around a wooden table eating and drinking.  He realised how thirsty he was and asked if he could have a glass of water.

“You’ll be drinking from the tank when you give the animals their water.  I’ll give you the Vandal Proof Key in the morning.  Meantime you’ll just have to share with the pigs.”

Step carried a billy can full of wheat to the chook pen.  As he scattered it around he looked longingly at their water bowl.  It was full of feathers and other unspeakable things but he dipped his fingers in and sucked them gladly.  He comforted himself with the thought that he would be going home to the orphanage tomorrow.

The remains of the dinner were disgusting.  He found a chicken wing which looked relatively untouched and nibbled on it doubtfully.  Some peas and a potato rounded off his meal but an orange he found was soft and covered in mould on one side.

He carried the heavy bucket to the pig pen where he was greeted with delighted squeals and snorts.  The water trough was repulsive, so Step reconciled himself to spending a thirsty night.  At least he could look forward to clean, fresh tank water in the morning.

Looking back on that night Step decided it was one of the worst of his life.  As the hours passed by the cold seeped into his bones despite covering himself with newspaper.  Bluey chewed noisily on his bone and growled at the owls and other night creatures as if they might take it off him.

And the thirst! Step had read that if you put a pebble in your mouth it stops you being thirsty but even though he selected a small smooth stone from amongst the bushes it did little to help.  Needless to say, he was up at dawn waiting for the Vandal Proof Key.

The man appeared and let Bluey off his chain.  The dog disappeared with an excited yelp and ran in circles around and around the house.  He showed Step the Vandal Proof Key.  It was made of brass and shaped like a T.  The man hauled a dirty bucket to the water tank and set it beneath the tap, using the T to open the valve.  As the rusty water rushed out Step put out his hand to catch some drops.  The man pushed his hand away.

“Wait until it’s full.  We can’t waste water.”

Finally the bucket was full and the man took the T and put it in his pocket.  Step lifted the heavy bucket and headed off to the pig pen.

“Don’t you dare spill a drop, or I’ll have your guts for garters,” the man called out in a nasty voice before going back into the house.

Step put the bucket down carefully and scooped the water out with his hands.  Never had anything tasted so good.  Once his thirst was quenched, he set about the unpleasant task of cleaning out the water trough before filling it with fresh, clean water.  The pigs pushed him aside as they drank noisily and happily, dropping bits of food in it so that it soon looked just as putrid as when he started.

The breakfast scraps consisted of greasy bacon rinds and burnt toast so Step decided to give them a miss.  He imagined dinner that night at the orphanage.  It might only be a lamb chop and three vegetables but it would be clean and served on a white plate with a knife and fork.  Beside it would be a glass of milk and after would come a pudding with custard.  When would the woman who brought him here come back to get him?

“Hey you.”  The man kneeled down to Step’s level and looked him in the eye.  “We think we might like to keep you so we are sending word to the orphanage that we will be your Foster Parents.  Who knows, you might live here with us for the rest of your life.  We could find you a spot to sleep in the hay shed if you work hard.”

Step was speechless.  A wave of horror overwhelmed him.  One thing he was sure of.  He was not going to stay in this dreadful place one more day.

END of CHAPTER 4