Stella and the Elephant

By Maggie Brooke

When Stella Stardust, a ten-year-old girl from northern New South Wales in 1875, was born the mysterious Aboriginal midwife who delivered her placed a strange-smelling amulet around her neck, for a ‘special child’. Fortune, the oldest elephant in captivity in the Southern Hemisphere, has been with The Amazing Travelling Stardust

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maggie Brooke
• Release date: Jul 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645703792

Maggie Brooke

Maggie Brooke was born on a farm in Kansas and now she lives in Oz. (No ruby slippers, please, she doesn’t want to go back!) She is a free-lance writer and, although she’s had many stories, poems and articles published this is her first novel to hit the big time.She’s lived more places, worked more jobs, had more men than she cares to remember. Favourite place to live – tropical island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Favourite job – delivering babies in an African jungle. Favourite men – her gorgeous grandsons. She now lives in North Queensland with her dog, Gideon.

Book preview

In the Beginning… It was the 6th of May, 1865, and Stella was entering this world, come hell or high water, which is exactly what was happening outside. A wickedly wild storm sounded like the gates of hell banging as high water from the creeks flooded the road. Fierce winds drove the pouring rain sideways and the dogs in the barn howled as crashes of thunder and slashes of lightening shook the walls. No midwife from the town would be arriving to help and Father, panic-stricken, raced to the kitchen to get Cook. Suddenly the back door blew open and the wife of one of the Aboriginal farmhands rushed in amid the rain and leaves. Without speaking, she took Father’s arm and he took her upstairs to the birthing room.

‘The woman was so silent I thought that she was mute,’ Mother always said.

With quiet skill the woman helped Mother to deliver her daughter, dried the baby with a soft blanket, dressed her in a pink bunting and gave her to Mother.

‘Special girl child here,’ she murmured. ‘Very special.’

‘And then I knew she was not mute,’ Mother always said. ‘She left as mysteriously as she had come.’

Father, pacing the hall outside, heard a cry so strong and lusty that he was sure he had another son and burst impatiently into the room. He stopped short when he saw the pink bundle in his wife’s arms.

‘A girl,’ he breathed softly. He tiptoed across the room and gazed into the baby’s blue eyes, sparkling beneath her bright red hair.

‘We will call her Stella for the starlight in her eyes,’ Mother smiled. ‘Where are the boys?’

Father hurried away to fetch the four-year-old twins. They were not so thrilled to have a sister.

‘Her nose is very big,’ muttered Lucas, climbing onto the bed.

‘And you could pick her up by her ears,’ added Marcus, standing on his toes for a closer look.

Baby Stella’s clear eyes danced as she gazed at her brothers. She blew a big bubble and reached out her two little fists, grabbing handfuls of thick black hair from each boy.

‘Ow!’ they cried in unison. ‘She’s awful strong! Help us, Pa!’

As their father untangled hair from tiny hands he noticed a leather thong tied around the baby’s neck. He opened her blanket and saw a strange-smelling amulet dangling from the thong. ‘What the…? Must have been that woman put this on.’

Father reached to untie it but Mother stayed his hand.

‘We don’t know what it means,’ she murmured. ‘I think perhaps it should remain…’

Chapter One: Stella Stays Home

Hidden deep below the decks of The Southern Cross, a three-masted schooner, Stella waited for day to begin. As a sickly grey dawn filtered into her hiding place, the ship trembled with the heavy footsteps of men beginning their duties on board. There was distant shouting as sailors climbed the rigging and set the sails to catch the winds of morning.

She held her breath as wagons loaded with barrels of rum and molasses were driven in to the cargo hold where she crouched low in the darkest corner. She pinched her nose and tried not to sneeze as dusty crates of bananas and mangoes were stowed. She heard loud scraping followed by a dull thud as the gangplank was drawn in and the anchor was weighed. She felt a shudder and a shake as tugs pulled the ship clear of the dock and their journey began. She had no way of knowing how this journey would end but Stella, clutching the amulet around her neck, could recall every footstep that had brought her here.

*****

A sudden rush from a dream she couldn’t remember jolted Stella awake and she popped open her eyes. May sunlight shone through flowered bedroom curtains, softly illuminating the yellow cushions that lay on her window seat. She looked around. Her room hadn’t changed, but had she? Yes! She was ten years old today!

Snuggling deeper into the warmth of her feather doona, she clutched her leather amulet and wondered at the urgent beckoning she felt, like her insides wanted to rush outside. Was this feeling excitement or fear? Suddenly the butterflies flew from belly to brain and she burst from under the covers.

‘Bring it on, world, I’m not afraid of nuthin!’ She shouted as she sprang from her bed, bare feet landing on cold wooden floor.

She dashed to her nightstand, filled the earthenware basin with water from the jug beside it, splashed her face in its brisk chill then yanked her nightie off over her head. She struggled hurriedly into a single petticoat and an old frock, hardly pausing long enough to button up properly. She didn’t even try to comb the wiry red hair which sprang from her head like a scrubbing brush. Adventure was awaiting and there was no time to linger.

‘You are now prepared to follow your fortune!’ she announced to the rather wild-looking girl in the mirror. Marching boldly across the room, she yanked open her door – and was immediately drenched by a bucket of freezing water which had been perched on the transom above!

‘A-a-a-h-h…!!!’ She spluttered, dripping and numb, as her brothers exploded from their room across the hall, whooping like Maori Warriors.

‘Happy birthday, Stella! Think it’ll rain?’

The noise brought Father striding out from his bedroom, black beard looking angry against his white nightshirt but when he saw the mess, he stopped short, causing Mother, running up behind him, to bump into his back.

‘What have you done?’ He roared as Mother attempted to peer over his tall shoulder.

‘Sorry, Pa.’ The twins apologised very unconvincingly, their faces alight with pride in their contraption and the trick they’d played so successfully on their sister.

‘You will be sorry!’ Stella, recovered from the shock, advanced on them with brow furrowed and fists raised. Mother hurried past Father and stepped between her children.

‘Now, now, we’ll have none of that, even if it is your birthday.’ She took hold of Stella’s fists and turned her away. ‘Come with me and we’ll get you dried off and dressed properly while your brothers mop up this water.’

‘This isn’t over yet!’ Stella shouted as she was herded away from the boys. Father, impressed in spite of himself, queried the culprits about their system of ropes and pulleys.

It wasn’t long before Mother had Stella dry and dressed as she thought a birthday girl should be – in three lace petticoats and a long frock with ribbons and beads on the bodice – perfect clothing for sitting indoors all day long!

‘Oh, Mum!’ Stella winced as her long frizzy hair was severely plaited into thick braids. ‘Not boots as well!’ She wailed when her mother brought out the buttonhook and expertly fastened up the stiff leather footwear.

Stella loved her mother dearly but secretly thought that she must have been a very boring child indeed if she thought that this was how girls had fun. Mother was a small, pretty woman whose red hair had been