The Dog that Dumped on my Doona (14 page)

‘Will I ever see you again, Blacky?' I asked.

‘It's possible, tosh,' he said. ‘It's possible. I wouldn't bet against some other animal needing your help at some time. You are something rare in this world. You care and you are prepared to act.'

And then he was gone. I saw a dirty-white streak across the garden, a rustling in the undergrowth and then nothing. I stared until the rustling stopped. Birds sang as dusk drew in. I closed the window.

I wanted nothing more than to sleep, but I had one last thing to do.

Be kind to each other. While we can.

I knocked on Rose's door. She had barely been out of her room since the disaster at the play.

‘Who is it?' she called.

‘Me. Marcus.'

‘Go away, Mucus, you little squirt. I am not in the mood.'

It was a relief to know she had returned to her normal, nasty self.

‘I just wanted to say that I am sorry, Rose.'

And what else was I going to say? That I had a friend called Blacky, a talking dog who had taken a bearded dragon called God on a mission to mess up her play? That I had arranged it all? Sorry was all I could say.

‘I know you are sorry, Mucus. You are the sorriest excuse for a human being I have ever met,' was the muffled response. ‘Now clear off and leave me alone.'

I did.

Dad found me in the bathroom a few minutes later. I guess he'd come in to water his horse.

‘What on earth are you doing, Marcus?' he said.

‘I am shoving my own head down the toilet,' I replied. It was curious how my words echoed down there.

I had to stretch my arm until I almost dislocated it, but finally I managed.

And then I fl ushed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BARRY JONSBERG was born in Liverpool, England, and now lives in Darwin, Australia, with his wife, children and two dogs – Jai and Zac. Both hounds chewed over the original manuscript of
The Dog That Dumped On My Doona
and promptly buried it somewhere in the garden. Despite bribes, they have refused to reveal its whereabouts.

Barry has written several novels for young adults, all of which have been published to great acclaim.
The Whole Business with Kiffo and the Pitbull
was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year (Older Readers) in 2005. His second book,
It's Not All About Y
OU
, Calma!
won the Adelaide Festival Award for Children's Literature and was shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year (Older Readers) in 2006.
Dreamrider
was shortlisted for the 2007 NSW Premier's Award (Ethel Turner Award). Another novel for older readers,
Ironbark
, was published in June 2008.

All of this has convinced Barry he is a smartypants. His dogs, however, are equally convinced he is a sad loser and that the time he spends in front of a computer would be much better employed walking on the beach.