making ‘Wa, wa, wa, wa,’ noises with our hands slapping on our mouths, just like they do on TV, dancing around Jacko and the cat.
A light came on at a window so we raced down the road laughing and hollering till we got to the park. Jacko threw the cat up into a tree where it stuck in the branches. He wiped the blood from his hands across his cheeks like war paint.
‘I know,’ he said. ‘Let’s do a job, get some money and go into town. Get some burgers at that all-night takeaway.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’ We all thought it was a brilliant idea. It would be a piece of piss.
At the edge of the park there was a rich looking sort of a house, brick with rose bushes and those big fluffy flowers on real long stems. A window was open. A small one. Up high.
‘Get here Douggie,’ ordered Jacko.
And I was pushed forward. I didn’t want to go. But I wanted Jacko and the fellas to like me again, to show them I was good for something. That it paid to keep me around.
Up on top of Jacko’s shoulders everything started spinning and going weird, the window seemed way too small,like I was Alice in that story where she filled up a whole house.
‘I’m not gunna fit,’ I whispered down to him.
‘Course you can. Don’t pike on us now. Just get in and open the door. We’ll do the rest.’
‘It’s too small,’ I whimpered.
‘Fuck you, Loony. Just do it,’ said Jacko pushing hard on my bum till I fell through, half on a toilet, half on cold tiles. My knife clattered into the bathtub beside me.
‘I’m in!’ I yelled.
‘Shut up, you dickwad,’ came the hiss back. ‘Just let us in.’
It was dark. And quiet. I picked up my knife and followed the moonlight on theblade deeper into the house. Inside it smelt like disinfectant and furniture polish and like something good had been cooked for tea. I was hungry. It’d been a long time since lunch the day before.
I found the kitchen. The fridge shone white like a space-age treasure chest. Inside, it was full of good things to eat, the sort of things you always wish you’d find when you get home from school starving. Cakes and chocolate milk and custard and pies and chicken.
There was a whole big plate full of what looked like Kentucky Fried, and even some roast potatoes. I couldn’t believe my luck. I propped the door open with my body, tucked my knife into the top of my jeans and shoveled in chicken and potatoes, scooped out hunks of apricot pie with my fist. In my mouth it turned real weird, more like sponges than food. I gagged.
The overhead fluorescent light flashed on. Flicker. Flicker. BANG! I was blinded.Something was coming towards me. Something big and mean and ugly. I grabbed my knife and lashed out. It was a trap. An alien blood-sucking trap. They’d all been in on it.
My hands were slippery with chicken and pie but when I held them both around the handle of my knife I got a good grip. I swung and moved forward, scrunching my eyes closed. Swung again.
Hit something.
A cry. A cat. Meeeeooooow.
I peeked and caught a glimpse. A giant white cat, an alien cat with lumpy pink bits instead of ears.
I aimed and lunged. Got it!
Screech.
Laughing, I swung again. It felt good, like I was strong. Invincible. Like it wasconnecting me to the earth and to all hunters, to the cave men. Like I was part of some great cosmic plan.
Something heavy fell, hit the table, and thudded onto the lino. I squeezed my eyes tight trying to get a picture, flick onto the right channel. The thing moved so I lunged towards it again.
The rattling and banging at the door made me stop. Then I remembered. The fellas. Wait till they saw what I’d done. Douggie the alien killer. They’d carry me on their shoulders, cheer, go crazy. I’d be a hero, a king.
‘What took you so long?’ came Jacko’s voice through the door as my hands slipped on the doorknob. ‘Why’d you turn the light on?’
Still smiling I opened the door and the boys came pouring in bringing the dark night with
A light came on at a window so we raced down the road laughing and hollering till we got to the park. Jacko threw the cat up into a tree where it stuck in the branches. He wiped the blood from his hands across his cheeks like war paint.
‘I know,’ he said. ‘Let’s do a job, get some money and go into town. Get some burgers at that all-night takeaway.’
‘Yeah, yeah.’ We all thought it was a brilliant idea. It would be a piece of piss.
At the edge of the park there was a rich looking sort of a house, brick with rose bushes and those big fluffy flowers on real long stems. A window was open. A small one. Up high.
‘Get here Douggie,’ ordered Jacko.
And I was pushed forward. I didn’t want to go. But I wanted Jacko and the fellas to like me again, to show them I was good for something. That it paid to keep me around.
Up on top of Jacko’s shoulders everything started spinning and going weird, the window seemed way too small,like I was Alice in that story where she filled up a whole house.
‘I’m not gunna fit,’ I whispered down to him.
‘Course you can. Don’t pike on us now. Just get in and open the door. We’ll do the rest.’
‘It’s too small,’ I whimpered.
‘Fuck you, Loony. Just do it,’ said Jacko pushing hard on my bum till I fell through, half on a toilet, half on cold tiles. My knife clattered into the bathtub beside me.
‘I’m in!’ I yelled.
‘Shut up, you dickwad,’ came the hiss back. ‘Just let us in.’
It was dark. And quiet. I picked up my knife and followed the moonlight on theblade deeper into the house. Inside it smelt like disinfectant and furniture polish and like something good had been cooked for tea. I was hungry. It’d been a long time since lunch the day before.
I found the kitchen. The fridge shone white like a space-age treasure chest. Inside, it was full of good things to eat, the sort of things you always wish you’d find when you get home from school starving. Cakes and chocolate milk and custard and pies and chicken.
There was a whole big plate full of what looked like Kentucky Fried, and even some roast potatoes. I couldn’t believe my luck. I propped the door open with my body, tucked my knife into the top of my jeans and shoveled in chicken and potatoes, scooped out hunks of apricot pie with my fist. In my mouth it turned real weird, more like sponges than food. I gagged.
The overhead fluorescent light flashed on. Flicker. Flicker. BANG! I was blinded.Something was coming towards me. Something big and mean and ugly. I grabbed my knife and lashed out. It was a trap. An alien blood-sucking trap. They’d all been in on it.
My hands were slippery with chicken and pie but when I held them both around the handle of my knife I got a good grip. I swung and moved forward, scrunching my eyes closed. Swung again.
Hit something.
A cry. A cat. Meeeeooooow.
I peeked and caught a glimpse. A giant white cat, an alien cat with lumpy pink bits instead of ears.
I aimed and lunged. Got it!
Screech.
Laughing, I swung again. It felt good, like I was strong. Invincible. Like it wasconnecting me to the earth and to all hunters, to the cave men. Like I was part of some great cosmic plan.
Something heavy fell, hit the table, and thudded onto the lino. I squeezed my eyes tight trying to get a picture, flick onto the right channel. The thing moved so I lunged towards it again.
The rattling and banging at the door made me stop. Then I remembered. The fellas. Wait till they saw what I’d done. Douggie the alien killer. They’d carry me on their shoulders, cheer, go crazy. I’d be a hero, a king.
‘What took you so long?’ came Jacko’s voice through the door as my hands slipped on the doorknob. ‘Why’d you turn the light on?’
Still smiling I opened the door and the boys came pouring in bringing the dark night with
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