Casa

By Stefan de Freres

When Ted Markham finds himself in serious trouble after an accident in the top paddock of Weirakee Station near Bendigo, Victoria, little does he know that his saviour, a stray kelpie, would totally change his whole life.

Ted and his wife Dianne are elated at the chance given to them by the little kelpie, Casa, to make their lives, and the lives of others a lot happier.

After assisting in the saving of a toddler from drowning in a Bendigo city park lake, Casa becomes the hero of the hour.
Just when the couple begin to think that the dog would remain with them forever Casa feels a mysterious pull to leave them and head off through atrocious winter weather conditions in order to discover what awaits her in a small Victorian Alpine township.

Casa arrives in Merrijig to find recently widowed, Mary Hamby in need of her companionship to help the elderly lady pull out of a serious state of depression. Just when things begin to look as though they will work out for the better, a crazed escaped convict breaks into the old lady’s home and beats her mercilessly. The only help on hand to save the elderly woman’s life is Casa.

It is through the media that Ted and Dianne Markham learn of the brave little kelpie’s most recent heroic deeds, and they head off to offer their assistance. In the process, a deep friendship is formed between the hospitalized elderly lady and the Markhams; through that contact Ted finally gains a lead on how he can track down Casa’s original cruel owner, and gain legal ownership of her.

Casa will take you on a true to life journey in typical outback Australian style where people work together, are genuinely easy going, and lasting friendships are formed. Where those who are used to battling the odds take things in their stride and laugh in the face of adversity.

This heart warming page turning story will have you crying tears of sorrow, and tears of laughter in turn, while leaving you hungering to read the sequel of this epic tale in, ‘Born to run’.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moorna Publications
• Release date: Jan 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9780987106957

Book preview

Casa

Stefan de Frères

Moorna Publications

Text copyright © Stefan de Frères2011

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any means or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying (except under statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Moorna Publications.

Published by Moorna Publications at Smashwords

ISBN 978-0-9808625-5-3

Cover photograph: Orjagardens Diesel

With kind permission of: Lillemor Bylund

This book is a work of fiction.

No part of the contents relate to any real person or persons,.

living or dead

*****

Part One

Weirakee Station

Bendigo. Victoria.

Chapter 1

Ted Markham could never have even been loosely described as being a careless kind of man by anyone in usual circumstances, but today was proving to be far from usual as it moved forward.

The morning had started out much the same as any other of his mornings ever did.

He rose from his bed a little after four thirty, and carrying the majority of his clothing in his hands, slipped out of the bedroom that he’d shared with Dianne, his wife of more than thirty years.

He tip toed along the hallway toward the kitchen, trying not to disturb her.

After dressing fully in the kitchen he then stepped out onto the back veranda of the house.

Looking down at the neat row of assorted farmyard footwear the individual wearer had slipped off before entering the back door; he selected, and pulled on his own pair of R M Williams work boots and stepped off the veranda into the neat garden.

With the morning still dark, and the cool morning air blowing softly in his face, he meandered along the path until he reached the gate leading out to the farmyard beyond.

From there he headed directly into the garage-come-storage room where he picked up a clean metal dog food bowl and scooped a couple of good sized handfuls of dry dog food into it from the twenty kilo sack sitting on the back of the workbench against the wall. Reaching into the old fridge standing beside the bench, he pulled a good size helping of raw mutton rib bones out of a plastic tub sitting on the bottom shelf.

He added them to the bowl and nudged the fridge door closed with his right foot before heading back out the door, turning the room light off as he went.

From there he made his way across the yard toward the old wooden shed that housed his aging kelpie sheepdog, Toby, to deliver his breakfast and let the dog out for whatever nature called upon the old dog to do.

Out of respect for the dog’s advancing years Ted would only call upon Toby to do the easiest of work tasks when needs were most pressing these days, and really only then because the old dog would sulk badly if he were to be left out of the loop when he felt he should be working alongside his master of fourteen years. However, the reality of the situation was that Toby was well and truly past it, and Ted needed the far younger and fitter working dog that he had been putting off getting so that his old work mate wouldn’t feel rejected.

The dog would always greet Ted at the shed door with tail wagging furiously, his greying muzzle anxious for a fond petting, a good scratch around the ears and a kind, gentle word of praise. But this morning there was no Toby waiting to greet his master in his usual early morning manner.

Ted knew instantly that something was amiss with the old dog.

However, the very last thing that Ted was prepared for was the sight of the old animal lying on his side, cold and stiff after having passed away into doggy heaven sometime during the night after Ted had tucked him up in his warm kennel around ten the previous evening as normal.

Shaking his head sadly from side to side, Ted stepped into the shed and crouched down beside the dog’s inert body to run his hand lovingly along the deceased animal’s side as he spoke in soft, gentle tones, You poor old thing mate. I guess your time to leave us had to come, but it would have been nice if you could have hung on just a little while longer so I could have got the chance to wish you fare-thee-well.

Standing up Ted continued looking down upon the body of his beloved Toby and added, Go in peace mate, I’ll miss ya old fella.

He decided that he’d come back in a little while to take Toby’s body out into the paddock and bury him under the shade of the old animal’s favorite Red gum tree standing just outside the drafting yards of the shearing shed.

Ted stepped back out through the kennel-shed door closing it softly behind him and turned away toward the direction of the machinery shed.

He had wanted to check that the quad bike he often used out in the paddocks these days was fuelled up fully and ready to go when it dawned on him that he was still holding onto the dog bowl containing Toby’s intended breakfast.

As this realization hit him he changed direction mid stride, and again he headed back toward the garage to replace the mutton bones into the fridge so that they wouldn’t become fly blown and stinking in next to no time.

He didn’t bother switching the overhead light in the garage on as he re-entered the door as he felt that he could find his way the few steps to the old fridge without need of it.

He’d totally forgotten that earlier he’d noticed the small garden trowel Dianne had left lying on the floor the afternoon before, when she had dashed out of the garage to answer the incessantly ringing telephone in the kitchen, after doing a spot of weeding in her beloved garden.

Before he realized what was happening to him, Ted was tumbling toward the hard concrete floor while grabbing out at fresh air in a vain effort to save himself from landing flat on his back on its hard, unforgiving surface.

However, before he found anything to grab hold of to save himself, the side of his face caught on the rough edge of the firewood box that stood between the old fridge and the garage door, tearing a ragged gash in his flesh.

Ted had never been heard to use anything remotely close to a swear word in his entire life. He had always maintained that doing so was a poor man’s way of expressing themselves, but came extremely close to doing so now as he felt the flesh of his face split open as it came into contact with the metal reinforcing edge of the firewood box.

He lay on the garage floor stunned for a moment or so before managing to regain his feet, then reaching for the light switch with one hand he gingerly felt for the deep jagged gash to his face with the other.

The moment the overhead light bathed the room in it’s fluorescence he saw that Toby’s intended breakfast was now spread across the concrete floor.

Dropping his hand away from his face and seeing that it was becoming soaked in his own blood caused him to recognize the fact that he would now be forced into returning to the house, and in doing so he would have to wake his wife up so that she could help him by attending to the now stinging, throbbing wound.

Groaning to himself he murmured, Let’s hope that I can get away without a trip into town to the hossie for stitches shall we? Then sighing added, I’ve got way too much to do today to want to waste any of it sitting around there so that some sadistic blighter can practice fancy needlework on me.

Leaving the dry dog biscuit where it was for the time being, Ted picked up the mutton bones off the floor and dropped them back into the tub inside the fridge.

Then wincing at a stab of pain in his lower back his sudden fall had caused, he turned to head back out through the garage door toward the house and Dianne’s helping hands.

He was about to walk straight into the back door of the house when he remembered that he was still wearing his work boots. Pausing in the doorway to ease them off his feet with each toe to heel in turn he kicked them aside so that they wouldn’t be in the way for anyone else to fall over later.

Padding into the house he made his way along the hallway in his work sock covered feet toward the bedroom where he knew his wife would still be sleeping.

Her usual get-up time was around six, when she’d head into the kitchen to prepare his breakfast in readiness for him coming back home for it after taking care of his early morning chores.

Stepping over the threshold of the bedroom he called out to her in an apologetic tone of voice, You awake love?

He was rewarded by the sound of the soft rustle of bedclothes within the still darkened interior of the room as Dianne turned over onto her back as she drowsily responded to his question.

Just about sweetie. she replied. So what’s happening so early in the morning that you disturb me from my beauty sleep? she enquired as she began to raise herself up into a sitting position within the queen sized bed they shared. Has the world come to an end, or has the cat left a deposit on the floor or something else that you don’t fancy cleaning up?

Ted couldn’t help but grin to himself at his wife’s unfazed reaction to being so rudely dragged from her slumbers as he answered, Bit worse than anything that the cat may, or may not have done me dear, assuming of course we even had a cat. He told her lightly.

It dawned on him that by now he was probably dripping blood from the deep cut face to his face onto the bedroom carpet where he stood. Had a bit of a tumble out in the garage a few minutes back and I’m dripping blood all over the place from a cut on my face, so I could do with a bit of tender loving care now if you’re up for it Di.

Dianne became fully awake instantly and reached for the bedside lamp on her side of the bed as she asked, Need stitching will it sweetie?

Hope not girl. He replied as the room became bathed in the soft glow of the bedside lamplight. I’ve got way too much to get through today to want to spend any of it sitting around on my bum in a hossie emergency treatment room.

The moment that Dianne saw the bloody oozing out between her husband’s fingers to run freely down his neck and forearm, to drip off his elbow onto the floor below, she thought that they would be spending a goodly chunk of the day in that hospital, no matter if Ted liked it or not, but decided to keep those kinds of thoughts to herself for the time being.

Dianne slipped quickly out of bed, grabbed up the small hand towel that had been lying on the seat of the dainty bedroom chair on her side of the room, and crossed to where Ted was standing just inside the doorway, his hand clamped over the wound on his face.

She passed the towel to him saying, Here sweetie, hold this firmly against your face while I go grab the first aid gear from the kitchen and meet you in the bathroom in a jiffy.

With those instructions handed out, she padded off down the hallway in bare feet wearing only her thigh length cotton nightshirt with a large cartoon picture of a laughing Snoopy the dog on the front of it, and a pair of knickers.

She didn’t bother glancing back to check that Ted was doing as she had ordered.

Once in the kitchen she reached into the cupboard beneath the sink and pulled out the large plastic box containing all manner of first aid paraphernalia from its resting place and headed back along the hallway to the bathroom.

She found Ted comfortably leaning with his backside resting up against the double hand washbasin unit, with the now blood soaked hand towel pressed to his face.

Let’s take a bit of a look-see at you now then shall we? She asked comfortingly as she reached toward her husband’s face to remove the towel. Plenty of the claret about sweetie. She told him in a casual tone that belied her inner feelings of concern.

Probably looks worse than it is dear. Ted replied in a hopeful manner. I fell over the garden trowel that you left lying on the garage floor yesterday, and caught my face on the edge of the firewood box as I hit the deck. He explained.

Teach you not to go fumbling around in the dark then won’t it? Dianne told him in her usual businesslike fashion whenever she had to deal with such household emergencies.

She had long ago learned not to panic when dealing with such things.

She had spent most of her working life as a nursing sister in the hospital that Ted was so much hoping to avoid visiting now.

Thanks for the sympathy dearest, Ted told her knowing exactly what kind of non-sympathetic response he could expect from an ex-nurse. I don’t suppose that you get to share any of the blame for leaving the trowel there in the first place do you?

Me! Of course not darling husband of mine, I can hardly be held responsible for your own daft actions can I? She grinned at him cheekily. What were you doing fumbling around in the garage in the dark at this time of the morning for anyway?

The innocent question sharply reminded Ted that he still had to break the sad news of Toby’s passing to his wife. I went back in there to put Toby’s tucker back away love, he told her, trying to find a softer approach to what he knew would be an upsetting subject for her, just as it was for himself.

The words didn’t immediately strike Dianne as being all that important, but then she realised exactly what he’d just said, so asked, Why were you putting his breakfast back in the garage instead of taking it over to his shed to give to the poor old love?

Ted felt a huge lump form in the back of his throat as he answered, I found the old boy dead in his bed this morning when I took his tucker over to him as I usually do. I didn’t want flies all over the place, so I was going back into the garage to put his bones back in the fridge before heading off to check on those pregnant ewes up in the top paddock. he explained.

Unbidden tears of sorrow began rolling down Dianne’s cheeks at the news of the old dog’s passing. The poor old boy Ted. She sobbed softly. We’ll have to give him a decent send off after we get you sorted out. He was a good old boy, but we both knew he was getting long in the tooth and was sure to slip off his mortal coil sooner or later, but it doesn’t make it feel any better does it?

Ted shrugged his shoulders in resignation. No it doesn’t girl. Hopefully this face of mine won’t need stitching up. As soon as I’ve seen those pregnant ewes and had a bite of breakfast, we can get him off and on his way to wherever it is that all good working dogs go when they pass on.

By that time Dianne had cleaned away most of the blood from around the deep cut on her husband’s face and was able to pronounce more cheerfully, More blood than anything else sweetie. Bad enough, but not as bad as I thought it might be. I think you might get away without major surgery this time and just need a few butterfly strips across it to keep the edges of the cut together a bit better for a few days until it starts healing up again.

Thank the Lord for a small mercy is all I can say to that then. Ted replied as he winced at the touch of the iodine soaked cotton wool Dianne applied to the torn area of his skin before taping the gash closed with the wound closure strips she’d mentioned.

Moments later the job was completed and the wound on his face was covered over with a large waterproof dressing.

Now, apart from beginning to feel the bruising around his lower back and upper backside Ted was feeling much better about the situation.

Looking up at his face to inspect her handiwork Dianne told him, There’s my old soldier, good as new. Grinning mischievously she added, Mind you, you’ll probably have a nice scar to tell lies about after it’s healed up. Then seeing the mock hurt expression on his face she laughed and kissed him on his lips as she continued, Fine way to start the day I don’t think, and a good morning to you too sweetie.

Ted slipped his arms around her still boyishly slim waist and pulled her toward himself so as to cuddle her as he kissed her good morning in return.

Thanks nurse. He replied mockingly. Don’t suppose there’s much chance of you making a wounded warrior a quick cuppa to help him rebuild his strength before he heads back out to slay the enemy once more is there?

Huh! I suppose that you now think you deserve specialist nursing treatment for getting yourself in a mess. she quipped.

Grinning he answered, Worth a try I thought.

Slipping out of his embrace she gathered up the first aid box as she headed out through the bathroom door tossing her reply back over her shoulder as she went, I suppose so. Just this one time though old man. She laughed as she made her way back toward the kitchen.

Smiling at her cheeky reply Ted leaned back against the bathroom sink unit as he took a moment to admire the disappearing rear view of his wife.

He knew he was as much, if not more, in love with her now as the day they had married when she’d been a twenty two year old ward nurse.

Even though she would shortly be turning sixty four, and had borne and raised their three, now adult and married children - all of whom presently lived and worked on their own farming properties around the district with their young families - she was just as tasteful to his admiring eye as she’d ever been.

Her collar length, modern styled natural blond hair barely contained a silver strand, and her vivid blue eyes were as clear as they had ever been, as was her skin. While showing a few of what she called ‘laughter lines’ around the corners of her mouth and eyes, she still remained as youthful looking as she always had, and her five feet eight inch body was as trim and taut as a twenty five year old model’s.

Dianne had spent all her life working as hard as any man ever could.

She had put in many years of long hours of nursing shift duties at the hospital in addition to competently running a farming family household.

Over the years she had also managed frequently to find the free time needed to spend out in the paddocks carrying out some of the lighter duties when Ted had needed a hand and no one else was available.

Ted was well aware that Dianne was one woman in a million, and daily thanked his God that of all the men that this lady could have chosen for her life partner, she had chosen him.

By comparison the passage of years had not been so kind to Ted.

His once thick mop of dark brown wavy hair was now more grey than brown and topped a deeply tanned, weather beaten skin.

His hazel coloured eyes had faded in intensity, as was the wont of those who spent their entire lives working out under the harshness of the bright, fierce and hot Australian sun.

While his waistline had thickened a little in his latter years, at sixty six years of age he was still just as fit as any man half his age, and still retained an upright posture to his six feet one inches in height.

Dianne and Ted’s marriage had been a good partnership based on a gentle and long lasting love, deep respect for each other, firm friendship, an equal willingness to give and take evenly along the way, plus a very healthy dose of good humour and laughter whenever things didn’t go as planned and the chips were down.

Fine Merino wool sheep farming had never been the easiest way to earn a living, and it certainly wasn’t getting any easier with the constantly re-occurring lower rainfall years that sucked the life out of the land, making it all that much harder to keep their operation profitable enough to give them a decent living and lifestyle.

Now with the overnight death of Toby it wasn’t about to get any easier for him unless Ted was able to find a good ‘started’ working dog from somewhere.

Ted felt that he didn’t possess enough knowledge, spare time, or experience to take on, and train a raw recruit pup.

Turning around he stared deeply into the mirror above the bathroom sink and spoke to his own reflection, Just as well I’m not a drinking man I reckon, ‘cause if I was I may well be tempted to take me a quick snort before getting back to work again, even this early in the day.

He grinned at such a thought and added, I wonder what the local vicar would think of such a notion? Then after pondering his words for a moment or two continued, Never mind what the vicar may, or may not think because I know that Dianne would just kill me if I did something as dumb as that.

Deciding that Dianne had cleaned him up as well as he needed to be for the time being, he shrugged his broad shoulders at his reflection in the mirror before turning away and heading in the direction of