Sheeza

By Clancy Tucker

Danny Morandi lives in a large Australian country town and is bullied by a local farm boy, Kyle ‘Mad Dog’ Fletcher, because Danny has an artificial leg, wears glasses and wants a sheep dog. Danny’s best friend, Joey, defends him in a fight with the bully and they end up before the school principal.

Inspired by videos he has seen about English sheep dogs, Danny earns money by doing odd jobs, and his parents finally agree to him having a sheep dog after some rousing fights. He purchases a female pup born with a deformed hind leg and names her Sheeza. Danny trains her to compete in the Wanganui Sheep Dog Trials and finally enters the prestigious contest. It rains during his presentation, Danny falls over and the bully’s dog deliberately interrupts his trial, but Danny pushes on. Will he finish? Will he win?

Sheeza is stolen and Danny is heart-broken. Months pass and he loses hope of finding his dog, but Joey remains positive. With the help of friends, Danny appears on talkback radio and later that night on a famous television show, ‘Tonight Live’. His search for Sheeza has caught the attention of the entire nation. People call the station and recall seeing his dog. Then, a dog matching Sheeza’s description is located outside a diner in Bundaberg, Northern Queensland. Is it Sheeza? Will Danny find his dog?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morris Publishing Australia
• Release date: Aug 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9780646935843

Clancy Tucker

Clancy writes young adult fiction for reluctant readers, but has also achieved success as a poet and photographer. He has lived in four countries, speaks three languages. He has been short-listed and highly commended in writing contests: 2006 & 2007 National Literary Awards, Raspberry & Vine (twice), Positive words, Australian Writers On-Line, Shaggy Sheep Tale, The Cancer Council Arts Awards (2005 & 2008), The Dusty Swag Awards (2010) and had ten short stories published in literary magazines (Page Seventeen, Branching Out & Positive Words), newspapers (The Standard, Mountain Views & The Advocate), written articles for Kid Magazine in the USA and won a poetry prize to name a life-size statue designed by renowned Belgian sculptor, Bruno Torfs. In 2010, he was awarded a two-week mentorship by the National Education & Employment Foundation. He is now a full time writer but has been a speechwriter, public servant, farmer, and small business operator. Clancy has worked with street kids and draws on life’s experiences to write entertaining stories for kids.

Book preview

SHEEZA

by

Clancy Tucker

Smashwords Edition

First published in 2015 by Clancy Tucker Publishing

ABN: 70442136657

Copyright © Clancy Lawson Tucker 2015

Clancy Tucker asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or be transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Photography copyright © Clancy Tucker 2015.

Grateful thanks to Keith Harris, Rubicon, Victoria, Australia and Peter Amarant for the cartography.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication (CIP)

‘Sheeza’ by Clancy Tucker

ISBN: 978 0 646 93584 3

1st Edition

Dewey Number: A823.4

Young adult fiction.

Books by Clancy Tucker

Published in paperback and eBook format, and available via:

www.morrispublishingaustralia.com

www.clancytucker.blogspot.com.au

‘Gunnedah Hero’

Winner of two awards in the Australian National Literary Awards: 2007 & 2011

‘Pa Joe’s Place’

‘A Drover’s Blanket’ – Sequel to ‘Gunnedah Hero’

‘KY!’

‘Highly Commended’ in the FAW Jim Hamilton Award, 2006 Australian National Literary Awards

Dedication

This story is dedicated to all Australian cattle and sheep dogs, especially the mighty Kelpie. It is also dedicated to kids born with a disability.

Clancy Tucker

Chapter 1

Danny Morandi sat nervously outside the principal’s office, and glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. He was worried. The principal, Ken ‘Killer’ Crimmins, wasn’t a man you messed with.

‘This really sucks. They’ve been in there for like ages,’ he muttered. Danny’s best friend, Joey Timmins, and Kyle ‘Mad Dog’ Fletcher had been in the principal’s office for five minutes already. Both of them had been caught fighting in the schoolyard, and Danny felt guilty. They’d been fighting over him. Joey had fired up when Mad Dog shoved Danny on the ground, leaving him in a screaming heap.

Clutching his grazed leg, Danny recalled exactly what happened. Mad Dog had been bullying Danny every day, making cruel comments and calling him a four-eyed cripple or something worse. The bully had even teased Danny for being Italian. Danny was Italian, and he was proud of it. He also wore glasses and walked with a limp, but who cared? Mad Dog obviously cared, and Joey snapped when his best mate landed on the hard, bitumen pathway. Seconds later, Joey was belting into the biggest and meanest kid at school. Danny had never seen his best friend so angry.

Luckily, Miss Jansen came along, but not before Joey had received a few hard whacks to his face. However, Danny’s mate had landed some good punches to Mad Dog as well. Punches, that thrilled the other kids who watched the fight, cheering for Joey. It wasn’t every day that a kid had the courage to take on Mad Dog. Almost every kid at school wanted to flatten him. Now, Joey and Mad Dog were both in deep trouble because the principal of Bideford Secondary School hated fighting.

Danny bent over and lifted his trouser leg to inspect the damage from his fall. ‘Ooh,’ he grumbled, touched his knee and frowned. It looked worse than it really was. The wound was still stinging and bleeding, but he knew he’d be fine once he’d dabbed some of that awful, red stuff his mother always put on cuts. ‘Damn … it’s my good leg,’ he murmured as the door to the principal’s office creaked, then opened.

Danny’s mouth went dry, and his heart thumped like a drum. Mad Dog Fletcher came out, glanced at him and nervously walked off without saying a word. Danny glared at the bully, so pleased that Joey had roughed him up. Mad Dog’s face looked red, and his lips were swollen. ‘The other kids will love to see his face,’ Danny sneered as the door creaked again. This time, Joey emerged, and he didn’t look much better. His lips were puffy, and one eye was almost closed. He looked awful. ‘Joe … What happened?’

Joey Timmins shrugged his shoulders and scrunched up his face like a dried prune. ‘Got another detention. Gotta write a 200 word essay about fightin’ at school,’ Joey grumbled, slipped his favourite cap on and adjusted it. Danny gawked at his best mate. His trousers were torn, and his shirt was roughly tucked into his trousers. Joey never cared much about how he looked, but today he looked scruffier than normal.

‘But … But, did you tell Killer what really happened?’ Danny blurted.

‘Yep,’ he snapped.

Danny slapped his hands on his hips; stunned by his mate’s detention. ‘But, that’s not fair. You were only sticking up for me against the school’s biggest bully.’

Joey looked at him and gave a slip-on slip-off smile; the type of smile you switch on and off. ‘Yeah, but what can ya do? Mad Dog’s old man is president of the School Council, and the richest farmer around. Got no hope when you’re a ‘townie’,’ Joey replied. Danny and Joey were called ‘townies’ because they lived in a town surrounded by farms. All country towns were like that. There were only two types of people in rural areas: townies and farmers.

‘But it still isn’t fair, Joe. Hang on,’ Danny said, spun around and headed towards the principal’s office.

Gob smacked, Joey watched as Danny knocked loudly on the door. ‘Dan. What are ya doin’?’ he asked in a loud whisper. Unfortunately, the door opened before Danny could answer.

‘Yes, Daniel?’ came the booming voice of the principal.

‘Ah … Hi, Mr Crimmins. Can I please talk to you about some stuff?’

The principal glanced at Joey before he answered. ‘Yes. Okay. Come in.’ When the door closed, Joey sat on the same seat Danny had used. His face felt awful, but he didn’t mind. Kyle ‘Mad Dog’ Fletcher had been bullying kids like Danny for ages. Joey smirked, and recalled how messed-up Mad Dog’s face looked.

‘Maybe he’ll leave me mate alone and pick on someone his own size,’ he murmured. ‘So what if Dan wants to get a sheep dog? Just ‘cause he’s a townie and Mad Dog’s a farm boy has nothin’ to do with it.’

That’s how the fight had started. Mad Dog Fletcher had overheard Danny and Joey talking about sheep dogs. The big bully laughed loudly, then he shoved Danny hard and sent him sprawling across the ground, knocking his glasses off. What fired Joey up most was what Mad Dog said to Danny as he lay on the ground groaning, What would you know about sheep dogs … You four-eyed cripple? That’s exactly what he’d said.

Joey gently touched his face where it hurt most.

‘Ouch. Mad Dog, If only ya knew how much Dan really does know about them sheep dogs,’ he muttered. Seconds later, the principal’s door opened and Danny emerged, wearing a cheesy smile. Joey gave his mate the once over. It was the untidiest he’d ever seen Danny. Ordinarily, Danny looked smart, especially in his school uniform. Danny’s mother insisted that he dress neatly at all times, whereas Joey’s parents left it up to Joey to decide what he’d wear and how he’d wear it. ‘Well?’ said Joey, curious to know the outcome of his meeting with the principal.

Danny waited until he heard the principal’s door close completely. ‘You don’t have to do detention,’ he replied.

Joey whipped his cap off and raised his eyebrows. ‘What? How come?’

‘You just don’t, that’s all,’ Danny casually replied.

‘But … But, how come he let me off?’ Joey asked with a dumbfounded look.

‘Easy. I told Killer what’s been going on. You know, that Mad Dog’s been bullying me for ages.’

‘Really?’ Joey gasped. ‘Jeez.’

The final school bell rang seconds later, and both of them ambled back to class to retrieve their bags.

‘Yep. Maybe Mad Dog will ease up on me … And, other kids too.’

‘Crikey, that’s unbelievable. But, what about him?’ said Joey in disbelief.

Danny grinned. ‘He’s still got detention.’

‘No way!’ Joey yelled, and his voice echoed down the long passageway.

‘Yep. Anyway. Come on. It’s Friday, Joe. We’ve got two days off,’