A dog. A large black dog. Nestled into the edge of the pile of burlap. That’s why the bags had a dog smell. This was the dog’s bed. The cold nose and the heavy thumping in the night. It’d been a tail! It all made sense. It had been real!
Evie studied the dog as it slept. It was curled up so she couldn’t tell if it was male or female. It appeared young and healthy. Its black coat was short and shiny. The dog wasn’t wearing a collar, although fur was missing where a collar might have been, and Evie could see some sore, red skin. She dared not pat the dog before she knew if it was friendly, but why would it sleep beside her if it didn’t want company?
Evie couldn’t help herself. She stroked one of the dog’s long silky ears. It looked up, surprised, and in one quick motion darted away. Now she was able to take a good look. The dog was female. Her body was long and lean and much taller than it looked curled up. There was a little white crest on her chest and a splatter of white on each of her four paws. She stared at Evie with innocent, unsure, dark-brown eyes. They inspected each other, and after a minute both decided the other was okay. The dog wagged her long, skinny tail just a little.
Evie spoke softly to her. “Good girl. Nice girl.”
The dog’s tail wagged more. She crouched down to Evie, licked her nose, and then retreated. From the back of her throat came a gulping noise. Not a growl or a whimper, just an odd little noise.
Evie smiled. “What’s your name, girl? Are you lost?” She stretched out her hand for the young dog to sniff. The dog came close again, still wagging her tail. Evie sat up. The dog approached, made her funny throat sound, and lay down exactly in the spot she’d spent the night, right beside Evie.
Evie stroked her soft black fur. She said, “You need a name. Everybody does. Hmm. You’re black and shiny and you make the oddest noise I’ve ever heard from a dog. More like a dove. I’ll name you ... Magpie. Yes, Magpie it is.”
Evie took a good look at Magpie’s neck. It was raw but not infected or bleeding. She’d get something to help it heal when she went to the store.
Evie already felt very attached to this long-legged animal that had appeared out of nowhere. Maybe because they were both looking for a better home. It must be destiny. Why else would they both have come to this exact place at exactly the same time? Something intangible had drawn them together.
Same with Kazzam. He was nervous around and suspicious of other people. She’d watched the grooms piling bales of hay behind his back feet so he couldn’t kick them when they combed his tail. And he needed two grooms to pick the dirt out his hooves. One would hold his tail while the other would lift his feet. Even then, they watched their backs because he bit very quickly and accurately. It was worse when they tried to ride him. His buck was legendary. One by one, the exercise riders had refused to get on him.
For whatever reason, Evie and Kazzam were attached to each other. She would do everything she could to protect him from her father.
She stretched again and smiled, feeling optimistic about her plans. Things seemed to be falling into place.
Aunt Mary
It was already warm and the day ahead promised to be hot and sunny. Evie tidied herself up as best she could. She tucked some money and Aunt Mary’s number in her pocket, and hid her knapsack with the rest of the money under the pile of burlap sacks. She patted Kazzam’s neck. “I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t go anywhere. Stay and eat grass. I’ll try to buy some oats.”
Magpie followed Evie through the gate and down the road. Maybe someone in the store will know who this nice dog belongs to. But she hoped not.
She walked along the highway with Magpie, who had her ears pricked up and her tail wagging happily. Evie smiled and skipped a couple of steps. She felt positive about her adventure as she double-checked her pocket for Aunt Mary’s phone number.
When they reached the store, Evie asked Magpie to sit on the porch to wait. “Bert’s Variety” was written in faded letters over the entrance, and a bell tinkled as she opened the screen door. The old floors were wooden and the place smelled of ice cream. She followed her nose. There! A whole array of tubs of assorted flavours. Evie’s mouth watered. Maybe breakfast could start with dessert!
An elderly man stood behind the counter, possibly Bert himself, reading a newspaper. Evie approached him. “Do you have a pay phone I could use?” she asked.
The man looked at her over his glasses and pointed to an old white telephone on the wall. “Local?”
“Yes. I live on the Third Line, west of Highway 10.”
“I meant is it a ... local ... call.” He over-enunciated the last two words as if Evie were hard of hearing.
Deafness seemed to be a theme, thought Evie. “It’s to Toronto. Is that local from here?”
“Yes. Be brief.” He resumed reading and muttered, “Nobody asks for the phone anymore, all those cells and text messages, twitters and tweets. I don’t understand any of it, and I don’t intend to learn.”
With the phone in her hand, Evie found herself very nervous. Aunt Mary would not be expecting her call. What should she say? Evie scolded herself. She really hadn’t prepared this part of the plan very well. She took the letter out of her pocket and pressed the numbers carefully.
Ring. What if she had to leave a message?
Ring. Should she hang up?
Ring. “Hello?”
“Oh!” she stammered. “It’s Evie Gibb. I —”
“Evie! Hello dear! This is your aunt Mary.”
Evie was tongue-tied.
“Are you still there?”
“Um, yes.”
“Are you at home?”
“No, I, um —”
“Where are you calling from?”
“Um, the corner of the ... Fifth Line and Little Creek Road.”
“Bert’s Variety?”
“Yes! How do you —?”
“I’m just a few concessions from you right now.”
Evie was confused. “Don’t you ... live in Toronto?”
“My cell number has a Toronto exchange. I live on a farm very close by. Can I pick you up for a visit?”
Evie thought hard. This was too fast. But it was what she wanted, wasn’t it? “Yes. Where, um, where should I wait? In the store?”
“Good idea. I’ll be there shortly.”
“How will I know you, Aunt Mary?”
There was a slight pause. “I’ll know you. Sad we’ve never met. But we’ll make up for it. I’m old and grey. And I don’t expect there’ll be too many people there on Sunday morning this early.”
“Okay. I’ll wait here.”
“Goodbye, dear.” Aunt Mary hung up and so did Evie. The man behind the counter continued his muttering.
“Well, I never. This girl and that racehorse, I don’t understand. She came out of nowhere and disappeared into thin air. With the horse! Kids today.”
Slowly, the man’s words sank in. Evie turned to him and asked, “Excuse me? Who are you taking about?”
He peered at her. “Don’t you listen to the radio or read the newspapers?