The Serpent's Skin by Erina Reddan (top 5 books to read .txt) 📕

of peace inside him to get the brumby to and convince it to stay.

No more waiting for the Grey any more, though, just because Dad wasn’t right enough in himself. I got up close, but I couldn’t see her. I slid under the fence and charged up to the far end and then slowed right down. There was a shadow on the dirt, up in the corner, butted up against the rail. The brumby was lying still and flat, not a twitch. From where I was I could see flies buzzing around her face. All the gloss had gone from her coat.

I came to a complete stop. Hands taking their time getting up to my waist, head shaking one side to the other. Dad’d be sorry now. When I’d done my fair share of lip biting and head shaking, I slipped back through the rails and got to the chook shed and sure enough Philly was on her haunches there, teaching school, her pupils pecking around her paying her no mind. I sent her to find Dad and get him to come to the top paddock quick smart.

‘Why?’

‘Just get him, and get those eggs in to Tessa or she’ll send Aunty Peggy after you.’

Philly snapped up tall; Aunty Peggy fear flew across her face. She ran off.

I bit my lips some more, put my hand down to touch the warm of one of Philly’s girls, but she saw me coming and went for a peck. I snatched my hand back and took off back to the top paddock. I leaned on the rail a moment with my head tucked in and hands dark over my eyes, but then I gave myself a good talking to and made myself get back through the fence.

I squatted down next to the Grey. I put my hand on her long neck. Felt the stiff and cold coming back at me. Squeezed my hand down into it to see if I could make a difference. But it all held and there was no difference that could be made. I snickled in close and laid my cheek against her neck, closed my eyes and went deep into the dark with her.

I heard Dad’s boots coming through the boxthorns. I held my breath and when he was close enough to see, his suck of air was a knife in my belly.

‘Come away from there, JJ.’

‘She’s gone, Dad.’

‘I’ve got eyes.’

‘She was fine this morning.’

Dad saw I wasn’t going anywhere so he swung in under the fence and got over to me. He hunkered down beside the brumby on the other side. Hand on her flank.

‘I named her all ready for when she was broken in.’

He nodded.

‘Silver.’

He nodded again.

‘But she went too soon.’

‘Reckon we can make an exception. Be a help to give her a name. To know she’s still here, a part of you.’

Dad’s hand was moving over Silver’s flank, back and forth, as if he was feeling what was under her skin.

‘Are you going to drag Silver down to the gully?’

He shook his head. ‘Knackers this time.’

One of them crows landed on top of the closest straining post. Head to the side, one fat gleaming eye all narrow and fixed on Silver. I stood up. Hands on hips, staring down the barrel straight back at it.

‘She’d had a gut full,’ said Dad. He was looking at Silver and nowhere else. ‘She was left too long between the home where she came from and the lucerne paddock here where she was ending up. She got too filled up with sad.’

‘And whose fault was that?’ I asked, suddenly all dirty and thinking about all those dead bones down in the gully and how Silver and Mum were going to end up just like them.

His head jerked up. I scrubbed at my eyes with my forearm. Sawing like blazers as if I could rub the red right away.

‘What are you on about?’

‘You didn’t look after her like you said you needed to.’

He stared hard right through me.

Out of nowhere I took off towards that crow, arms out, aeroplane ready and screaming. Red swirl rising and me just ahead of it. I swerved around and headed back in his direction. He was on his feet, legs planted wide.

‘You killed her,’ I screamed.

Dad raised his hand as if to stop my words dead. I pulled up short. The breath in me tearing at my lungs, heaving my chest up and down, real quick.

‘There was no killing here.’ His voice low, quiet. ‘It was her choice. Just her time.’

‘You left her in limbo, then, where nobody loved her and nobody could say her name.’

‘You’re talking rot, girl.’ But there was still no heat in him. He stabbed the heel of his boot into the mud, forehead low, keeping a close eye on what he was doing.

I backed away from all the holes in him. But still I couldn’t stop myself.

‘God sees everything,’ I said. I reeled off and under the fence and was away, running fast from all that seeing.

Dad was asking for our things so we could put them in with Mum tonight at the rosary. He didn’t look at me and I didn’t care. I wasn’t giving him mine because if he knew it was Mum’s brooch he wouldn’t let me put it in. Only trouble was they all thought I hadn’t got something. So I raced back to my room and shot about trying to think of a good enough idea to keep them off the scent.

I wasn’t coming up with anything, and Tessa was yelling to hurry up. I stood at the end of my bed, shaking out my hands and thinking I’d better come up with something quick smart. Then I realised I had to sacrifice Ted. I snatched him off my pillow. It wasn’t like I ever played with him any more—well before Mum died, anyway. And I wasn’t playing with him now, just holding tight to him when the light went off. And now