For
Vicky’s
Ears Only
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List of Authors
Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta: Team 1
(In order of chapters)
Vasudha Punyane
Claire McKinley
Thelma Banza
Vevien Fornolles
Ingrid Bonney
Jenny He
Eden Carbone
Czarina Tan
Pauline Tan
Lily Hoang
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Copyright
Published by: Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta, Victoria Road NSW 2150 Team 1.
Copyright © 2014 Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta. All rights reserved. Apart from any
fair dealing for the purposes of private, study, research, criticism or review, as permitted
under copyright act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.
Enquiries should be made to the publisher
Parameters
Primary Human Character 1 – Brick Layer
Primary Human Character 2 – Garbage Collector
Non-human character – Fox
Setting – Hills or Mountains
Issue – Christmas with a difference
Words which must appear in the story at least once:
Hectic
Fascinating
Cantankerous
Furry
Curious
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Acknowledgments
Our team would just like to thank our teachers Ms Ebbott and Mrs Hackett for organising
Write a Book in a Day for us. Without the two of you creating this story wouldn’t be possible.
Also to the team, throughout this day we laughed together, shared ideas and created new
friendships. Thank you for the fantastic day!
Dedication
To the children in the Kids Cancer Project – Westmead, as the authors of this book we hope
that as the readers you loved the story and its characters. Hopefully you enjoyed the story
just as much as we enjoyed writing it for you. Nothing makes us happier than to know that
we brought a smile to your face during your time of need.
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Contents
Chapter 1………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6
Chapter 2………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8
Chapter 3………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….11
Chapter 4………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13
Chapter 5…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15
Chapter 6………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….17
Chapter 7………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….19
Chapter 8………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….21
Chapter 9…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 23
Chapter 10……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 26
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CHAPTER 1
The steady hum of the truck was calming to Vicky's overactive mind. She drove with the
window rolled down and the stereo off, listening to the world waking up. The horizon was a
brilliant golden, giving way to reds and oranges, to lighter blues and then the dark of night.
Lights were flickering on in houses, and dark shapes were rising behind closed curtains, some
peering out at the loud noise of the truck.
A gentle breeze carried her mind away, back to Orlea, her home. Or, it had been her home. 5
months ago, she’d been banished.
***
The Council of Elders of Orlea had been assembled at short notice to decide my fate. The
crime I’d committed was punishable by death, but I hoped beyond anything that it wouldn’t
be so. They looked down upon me from various seats, which were all higher than me. Some
sat on old trees, on huge leaves, hissing, barking, and calling out to each other. I felt so small
compared to them, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up and hide behind my ginger tail.
The Great Elder called for silence, and began to speak in the common tongue.
“The Council is assembled, and henceforth we use the common tongue,” he said in his slow,
calming voice. “The Fox Elder has called us to discuss the fate of Vie, a young vixen under
his care.”
Those who were unaware of why they were here now knew. Whispers rose in different
languages, discussions breaking out.
“Quiet, quiet!” the Great Elder called out. “We need to get through this quickly! We all have
things to attend to! Fox Elder, explain what happened.”
Fox lifted himself up from his patch on the ground, and slowly limped forward. His fur
seemed to be falling out and was becoming duller; he was looking tired and his face appeared
to be melting off. Age was taking a toll on the Elder. He didn’t have long.
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Some part of me knew that what I’d done had caused the Elder great pain. He cast me a
glance and spoke in our tongue.
“I will try to keep you alive,” he said.
Then, he addressed the Council. “We all know why we’re here, and so we come to
discussion. Vie has committed a crime and a punishment is to be issued. The Bilby Elder is
the one who has complained and he asks for Vie to be executed on grounds of assault.”
Murmurs rose at his words and it was evident that an argument over me was about to begin.
He stopped them in their tracks.
“Vie must first confirm that it was she who committed the crime and then we will move onto
her punishment,” he said.
“I plead guilty. It was me,” I whimpered. My tongue was hanging out, and it most likely
appeared that I had no control over myself. A look of pain flashed over my Elder’s eyes. The
Bilby Elder shouted out at me.
“She’s guilty! Execute her now!” he said in a cantankerous tone. Fury was blazing in the
little creature, and it seemed that if he had the choice I would suffer a most painful death.
“Could it… could it be possible she be banished to the humans?” put forth Fox. A pang went
through my heart, terror flooding me at the concept of going to the humans. They were vile
creatures.
“To the humans? No! Death is the only acceptable punishment for this tyrant!” Bilby shouted.
Protests rose from other Elders, and the Great Elder simply observed. Fox ignored what Bilby
had said and addressed the Great Elder. I felt forgotten even though they were talking about
me.
“Vie will be banished. Execution is too cruel, even for her, Bilby. Those days are past. Vie
will be banished to the humans, and become a human herself. She will be given
accommodation and will then be left to her own devices. We are not to communicate with her
once she enters the human world, unless she proves herself worthy enough to re-enter the
world of Orlea” the Great one said in a solemn tone. “The Council of Elders is dismissed.”
***
Vicky snapped back to reality when her garbage truck began making the most peculiar noises.
Something was wrong.
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CHAPTER 2
“Beep, beep, beep!” The error light on the dashboard of Vicky’s garbage truck blinked
furiously, transporting her back to reality with a jolt. Suddenly aware of the situation, Vicky
shook her head, erasing any remaining memories of her previous life from her mind.
Running her fingers through her short orange hair to calm herself, she felt her furry fox ears
sticking out through the top of her hair, a constant reminder of what she sacrificed when she
committed her crime against animal-kind. She picked up her hat from the passenger seat next
to her and pulled it over her head, flattening her keen fox ears.
Pushing open the truck door, she observed to see what the problem was, and saw that the arm
of the garbage truck had malfunctioned, and was stuck in the half extended position. Used to
this sort of problem by now, Vicky jumped down from the truck and landed with surprising
grace. Peering through the early morning gloom, she grabbed her spanner from her belt and
adjusted the bolts of the garbage truck claw. After a few more minutes of tinkering, the arm
of her garbage truck began to spring to life, purring like a sleeping lion, yet still silent enough
so that people were not awoken by the disturbance in their street.
However, as the arm neared the bin, it malfunctioned again and retracted into the body of the
truck. Exasperated, Vicky rolled up the sleeves of her jacket, exposing her thin, pale arms.
Sniffing the air with her acute sense of smell, she emptied the garbage bin into the truck with
a graceful ease that would have surprised any onlooker, a trait left over from her days as a
vixen in the animal kingdom of Orlea. Just as the sun was beginning to peek over the bushy
horizon, Vicky heard a curious snapping of twigs coming from behind the house whose bins
she was emptying. She paid careful attention, using her extraordinarily adept senses to listen
to who was approaching.
As she was listening, a young man and his dog appeared from behind the house. The man had
a good natured face, and almond shaped blue eyes which were bright like shining opals. He
was holding something in his left hand, although I couldn’t see what it was. His dog ran over
the damp grass to greet me, and then started climbing over me with paws that were wet with
dew.
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“Cappuccino! Down boy!” The man called out from across the yard to his dog.
“It is okay, I do not mind,” Vicky told him, while patting his dog. It was true. She found
herself more at peace with members of the animal kingdom than she did with humans.
“I’m Richard, by the way, but everyone calls me Ricky,” The man said, extending his hand
out to Vicky. He felt slightly dwarfed by the woman’s tall, slender frame.
She stared at his hand, and then remembered that she should shake it. She shook his hand,
and noticed a warm sticky substance coating it. Vicky tried to see what it was, but it was still
too dark to discern anything.
“I- I was just doing the garbage,” she stammered. “There was a malfunction with the truck, so
I had to do it manually.”
“Would you like to, y’know, come inside for a cuppa, or something?” The man, Richard,
asked.
“Umm, no, sorry, I have a strict schedule to stick to I’ve still got to do the rest of Dural and
Arcadia and Galston. I’m Vie- I mean, Vicky, by the way,” she told him. She cursed herself
for almost using her old name. She had to stop doing that. Every time she said it was a
constant reminder of the perfect life that she had thrown away.
“What were you doing, by the way, at this time of the morning; no-one else is up?” she asked
curiously. It had always eluded her as to what other humans did with their spare time.
“Just huntin’ foxes,” Richard said casually, like it was no big deal. “They’re terrorising the
nearby chicken farms, so I thought I would do my bit to help.”
Vicky felt the blood drain away from her face, and her hands clenched instinctively into fists.
She now realised what the object in his left hand was. Her blood froze to ice, and dread ran
through her veins instead. Her breathing intensified, and her brain started running wild.
The man standing in front of her was a murderer. A killer of her own species. A cold,
heartless executioner, intent on slaying her brothers and sisters, for his own mere pleasure.
She had to flee, like she had been taught to do by the Elders of Orlea.
“Are… are you okay?” Richard questioned quietly, seeing horror etched into every detail of
her face. The bright orange freckles that had only moments ago added warmth to her pale
face had now gone stone cold.
“I… I have to go. I’m late for… I don’t know, I just have to leave. Nice meeting you…
Richard,” Vicky said, a fairly friendly sentence laced with venom.
Vicky turned on her heel and scarpered back to the safety of her truck. She climbed in and
locked the door behind her, panting heavily. She wished she could leave this human life, and
return to the peaceful animal utopia of Orlea. Humans were such horrible creatures, feeding
off the death and destruction of others.
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She put the truck into gear and drove into darkness.
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CHAPTER 3
ONE WEEK LATER
Vicky scratched her short red hair with the base of her long nails, trying to figure out which
eggs to buy.
‘Organic, free range, cage, home-brand, barn-laid, field? What type of eggs are these?
I thought chickens only laid one type of egg,’ she thought to herself. Scanning her eyes
through the aisle she looked at all the different choices in front of her. The harsh fluorescent
lights from dairy aisle temporarily blinded her eye sight as she tried to decipher the different
words and numbers that confused her. Twitching her nose, she used her natural senses to try
and find the best produce.
Extending her hand Vicky grasped four cartons of the free range eggs and clutched them
close to her chest.
“They’re green so they’ll have to do,” she whispered aloud, referring to the carton.
“Do you usually speak to yourself out loud?” a familiar voice called out to her. Turning
around slowly, Vicky faced the person behind her.
“Richard,” she gasped out.
“Hey Vicky, how are you?” Richard greeted. Walking over to her, he noticed Vicky running
her sharp and agile green eyes over his body, as if she was trying to analyse him like he was a
threat.
“Why would you care?” she sniped out quickly, trying to hurriedly escape his
presence. Rushing past him she tried to prove a point of not furthering any contact with this
strange man. As she was walking to the checkout, one of the egg cartons fell out of her grasp
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and almost hit the floor, but a saviour extended their hand and caught them before they ended
up as a runny mess.
“You’re welcome,” Richard smirked. Sighing inwardly, Vicky adjusted her bandanna and
turned around to face her almost-fallen-egg’s hero.
“Please try and hear me out, I’m just trying to have a bit of a friendly conversation. Really,”
he pleaded with her. Silently she scrutinized him.
“You’re a foxhunter for god sake, my own kind. How could I want to talk to you!” she
exclaimed inwardly.
Noticing that Vicky wasn’t going to talk, he began to speak.
“Okay, I’ll just do all the talking them,” he began. “I obviously know that you’re a garbage
collector, right?” I slowly nodded, keeping my face passive.
“Well, I’m a bricklayer. I basically do work with construction, but this year I’m going to be
part of a major project that expands this suburb’s area,” he said passionately. “But there’s a
bit of a downside since we’ll be scraping a bit of forest area for the job.”
This perked up Vicky’s interest, causing the furry ears under her bandanna to involuntary jerk
up. Turning around she faced Richard’s 5’5” frame.
“So… Which area are you taking down?” Vicky asked curiously.
“I’m not really sure, I’m not meant to disclose that information yet. Y’know, ‘council
decisions’ they say,” he stuttered out quickly.
Suspiciously Vicky rose her thinly shaped eyebrow up in disbelief. Her animal instincts
kicked in at this point, obviously seeing the tell-tale signs that he was trying to avoid saying
something.
Both of them stood there awkwardly. Richard was obviously trying to bring up a new topic of
conversation but Vicky wanted to prevent that. She snatched the carton of eggs out of
Richard’s hands while digging in her pocket, looking for the human money.
“It was nice talking to you again, Ricardo, really it was.”
“My name’s Ricky.”
Nodding nonchalantly, she dismissed him.
“That’s nice but I’ve got to pay for my eggs and get home quickly and take care of things,”
she shifted around and took her things to the checkout, leaving Richard by himself staring
after her and being curious about her unusual behaviour.
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CHAPTER 4
Later that night Vicky was able to revel in her freedom as her true self, a vixen. Every night
she was able to run freely through the bush in her true form. As a vixen she was quite a small
fox with a triangular face, pointed ears, a long, narrow sharp muzzle, bushy tail and was
covered in a sleek red fur coat. She ran swiftly across the bush, away from the confines of
her home as a human. She was quite hungry now as she had earlier lost her appetite at the
sight of the strange man that apparently enjoyed hunting her kind and treating them as pests
that must be exterminated.
The bush was quite beautiful at night, in her opinion. She preferred the haunting isolated
beauty of nature compared to the chaotic mess of human society. There was a full moon
looming high above the trees, the silvery light illuminating the eucalyptus trees, creating
sinister shadows. It was almost completely silent in the dead of night, other than the slight
rustling from the movements of other nocturnal animals and the cold winds blowing softly
past the trees.
All of a sudden she heard a loud bark. Regardless of the fact that her instincts were telling her
to flee, she decided to investigate the source of the noise. She carefully made her way through
the bush towards the noise. There the young vixen saw Richard urging his dog to kill a young
kit that had just been innocently foraging for food. Ricky was obviously enjoying the fact that
he had murdered the young fox, believing that he had managed to rid the world of another
pest.
Vicky carefully kept to the shadows, hoping that he would not be able to catch sight of her.
Judging by the way he had managed to heartlessly kill the kit, he would not have any second
thoughts killing her. Another vixen emerged from the thick foliage of the bush, obviously
enraged at the man that had killed her young kit. Vicky desperately wanted to warn her to get
away from the man, but could not in fear of giving away her own position. She could only
watch as Ricky ordered his hound to attack the vixen, killing her instantly.
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She then ran away as fast as she could, ignoring the thud of the corpse falling down behind
her. Her only thought was to get away from the madman that was killing those of her kind.
She ran as far as her paws could take her, never stopping for fear that the hunter that she had
just escaped from would be able to catch up with her. Vicky looked up at the horizon, turning
yellow, and saw that it would soon be morning. She would need to return to her house
quickly so that she could rest before she had to get up and return to her boring life as a human.
Vicky lived in a secluded cabin in the bush on a hill. Far away so that she would not be
bothered by humans and no one would be able to figure out her secret. She was sure by now
that Ricky had not seen her or followed her, and for that she was thankful. Quickly and
quietly she made her way back to her small cabin on the hill. Her cabin, regardless of the fact
that she barely lived in it, was quite a cosy place to live. A simple cabin that the fairies had
given her when they banished her to this godforsaken place. As always, at night when she left
the cabin, she left the door slightly open, as she has no hands in her fox form to open the door.
She never had to worry about being robbed because she had nothing that was worth any
significance to humans.
Inside the cabin she gently shut the door behind her. It was nice and warm compared to the
cold night time air outside. The cabin was sparsely furnished as she had no need for anything
other than the bare necessities, to create the illusion that she was just an ordinary human
being. She decided that she had had enough excitement that night and made the decision to
go to bed.
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CHAPTER 5
The next afternoon, the warm, summer sun set as Richard walked out of his front door, along
the tiled pathway lined with the dwarf hedges that smiled up at him as he passed, and toward
his old wooden mailbox. Seeing the little white letter poking out of the opening, he sighed,
knowing that it was the contract job, and positive that there was no chance that it could be
from anyone else; there was no one else. As he pulled it out, he glanced at the front cover and
his name which was displayed formally in the window of the envelope, before turning it over
and ripping open the seal. What he saw was as expected, the information for the destructionconstruction job that would take up so much hard work and labour. It was for a place close to
his house, the bushland area around Galston Gorge.
His eyes glanced across the page for the rest of the information, flipping the sheet over and
over as he tried to find the dates, frustrated at how hard they make it to find the most
important details. And then he found them, at the very bottom of the first page, and in plain
sight, was the time period that he would be working, and they glared up at him with a
vengeance. The job was going to start straight after the Christmas break, two days after New
Year’s. His feet slugged the rest of his body back into his house, the light reflecting off the
Colour bond roof and blinding him with warmth, making him exhausted. With the annoyance
of having to work so closely after the holidays and face the struggle of getting all the
equipment to the site and through the hectic roads filled with people returning from their
Christmas holidays, Ricky just wanted to go to sleep. All motivation for working ran away
from him as he wallowed in his grief and he did not want to go to work anymore.
The sun continued to follow him through the hallway and into his lounge room, as he flopped
onto his leather couch and relieved his aching feet. It was not fair that he had to work directly
after the Christmas holidays. He did not understand how they could just throw a job onto
them like that and only give a bit more than a month’s notice, still expecting them to turn up
when they could have been on holidays and it wasn’t fair.
***
Dusk slowly fell over her hill as she strolled up its side, revelling in the sunlight and the
warmth that blessed her being. The wind rustled her hair from under the bandana covering
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her ears and flowed through the trees surrounding her cabin, but it also rustled something else
that danced at her door. A small white piece of something was flitting around with the wind.
Afraid that it was going to blow away and curious to find out what it was, hoping that it was
not just a piece of rubbish trying to damage her beautiful home, she ran up the rest of the hill.
Her fingers reached hesitantly for what she could now see was an envelope, and as she tried
to grasp it through her long fingernails, she became afraid of what information may be
contained within. She had never received mail before, maybe because she did not have a
letter box, or an address, or because she didn’t know anybody who could send her letters, so
this was an entirely new and exciting, yet scary experience. Mixed feelings ran around her
body as her fumbling fingers and hands shook, a smile slowly gripping the corners of her
mouth. She finally ripped off the envelope and glanced over what she saw. A notice of
eviction, a notice that her house was going to be destroyed along with all the surrounding
bushland that she was so blessed with enjoying. She quickly read over the plans that they
were going to put into progress and realised she had just over a month to remain in her house
before it was taken from her and before she would have nowhere else to go, nowhere else to
live, and be stranded in a world still strange to her.
What would she do? Where would she go? She had been banished here and knew nobody
other than Richard. Devastation covered her like a shadow and she sank onto her knees.
Hopelessness came after as the storm she was thrust into released its hail and rain. As the
water flowed down her cheeks there was nothing she could do to save it. Struggling to pull
herself up from the doorstep, she clung on tight to the frame, trying to be hopeful that this
may be an opportunity for her to prove herself to the Elders. But how could she hope to
survive in the human world without a place of sanctuary, where she could escape the ugly
polluted city and her stinky truck to the beautiful and clean world of the bushland.
She glanced up at the gumtrees, their branches rustling against each other in their hopeful
communication, the sunlight flittering between them, appearing as mirages against the white
trunks. She stood up, inspired by this beautiful display of nature and dumped her
cantankerous spirit for the few minutes that she began to hope that there was a solution, to
believe that she could do something to save this precious gift. She could hold up against the
government, she could be the person to save what meant everything to her. Her shoulders
were squared, chin held high in hope, until her true spirit came crashing back down and she
realised that she would need help. Her head began to flood with questions and stress caressed
every moment of her afternoon and she knew that she could not hope for soundless sleep that
night.
16 | P a g e
CHAPTER 6
The first light of dawn shone through the glass windows and warmed a twisted mass of
blankets, but the dancing sunlight had not yet reached the lonely figure sitting on the edge of
the bed. Vicky had woken up several times throughout the night, thinking about yesterday’s
letter, stressing over it and thinking how there was no-one there to help her – she was all on
her own. She held the letter in her slim hands and continued thinking but her silent reverie
was then disturbed by a loud growling sound inside her body. Vicky was hungry. She opened
the fridge which she considered as a ‘fascinating white box’ and realised she had eaten all
remaining eggs out of anger last night. Vicky decided to buy more eggs from Woolies.
Walking lethargically along the dairy aisle, Vicky chose carefully the best eggs to buy and
accidentally bumped into a small man in front of her.
“Hi Vicky, how’s it going? You look tired,” said Richard.
No answer. Vicky did not fully trust him and still regarded humans as cruel creatures,
especially after he hunted the poor foxes in the bushland. She ignored him and walked passed
quickly.
“Hey Vicky!” Richard called out. “I didn’t mean to scare you or anything.” But it already was
too late. Vicky was already at the end of the aisle, a slight smudge in his view.
Richard led out a deep sigh and decided to pick up his basket and continue shopping. As he
bent down, he noticed a folded piece of paper on the ground. He picked it up and read it.
Richard dropped the letter two minutes later. He was devastated. The government had
planned to evict Vicky from her house to act the ‘Destruction Construction’ plan. Why did the
government have to pick Vicky’s house? Where would she go? Does she know anyone else?
were thoughts that flashed constantly in his head.
“No, that can’t be. I have to do something.” whispered Richard.
17 | P a g e
And with that, he picked up the letter and ran to catch up to Vicky. When he finally caught up
to Vicky, they both stopped in their tracks. Out of breath and puffing, Richard looked into her
bright hazel green eyes with a sorrowful look, but said nothing. He was too overwhelmed and
didn’t know how to reveal his pity. Richard could only hand back the letter to Vicky. The
supermarket suddenly fell quiet, like everyone was waiting for him to say something but he
couldn’t, it would be too heartless. With a sense of confusion, Vicky snatched the letter and
left.
18 | P a g e
CHAPTER 7
Richard set the development letter upon his dining table and started pacing. His company
never mentioned that someone lived in the area. Vicky had not completely warmed up to him
yet, how will he be able to break the bad news to her? He would be part of the development
group, and telling her wouldn’t be an easy task. Richard still paced around his kitchen in
frustration. ‘I need to pay her a visit, as soon as possible,’ he thought. That would be
interesting.
“Hello Vicky, listen I’m part of the group who helps make you homeless, just thought you
should know that”. Cappuccino pawed at the back door, barking. Ricky sighed, ignoring the
poor dog, grabbed his car keys and left the house. “I’ll think of something better on the way
there,” he said aloud. It was a long drive to Galston Gorge
Ricky pulled up in front of Vicky’s cabin, took a deep breath and walked up to the front door.
He rang the doorbell and could hear her muffled footsteps before she opened the door. Vicky
looked at him curiously.
“Richard, what are you doing here?” she asked.
“Could I come in for a minute? I need to talk to you about something.” he said.
Vicky stepped aside to allow Richard through the dimly lit hallway. As they reached the
lounge room, Vicky signalled that he could take a seat anywhere.
“Vicky, about your house I’m very sorry,” She frowned and tucked some stray hair behind
her bandana.
“It’s insensitive, no one seems to care that I live here! Not only do the people who made this
decision bug me, but also the people constructing the buildings, the whole lot of them!”
Richard looked around anxiously. He was pretty sure that if he told Vicky that he was helping
with the construction he was sure going to get an earful, or a punch in the face, though either
one would make him feel worse than he already did.
19 | P a g e
“Listen, Vicky, when I tell you this, don’t get all cantankerous,” Vicky gave Richard a
puzzled look.
“Excuse me?” she said.
“Vicky I’ve been informed that I’m part of the development group tearing down your house.
I’m terribly sorry.” Vicky stood up in disbelief and towered over Richard in anger.
“Are you being serious? You’re tearing down my home!” Ricky stood up to and tried to
choose his words carefully.
“I’m not technically the one tearing down the house, per say,” he said slowly. Vicky started
to pace around her plain wooden table, fuming, shaking with pure outrage.
“Vicky I’m sorry, I feel so guilty, I need to head home soon, but I want to discuss this further,
let’s go on a bushwalk tomorrow, what do you think?”
She turned to face him, her eyes blazing with anger.
“No violence allowed on the bushwalk” Ricky said quickly, just in case. Vicky sighed
“Well that’s a shame, I was just starting to warm up to the idea,” she said sarcastically.
“Vicky, what I want out of this walk is your forgiveness, friendship, and to hopefully come
out alive. What do you think?”
“I can’t go tomorrow I’m working, what about Friday?” Vicky pursed her lips, mulling over
her decision.
“That’s fine, I’ll meet you here,” Rick smiled warmly. Vicky gave a nod and showed Rick
out of her cabin without another word.
20 | P a g e
CHAPTER 8
Vicky had felt a strange sensation on her calf, it was cold and smooth. The feeling did not
really go away, but had slowly risen onto her upper leg. The moment she looked down to her
thigh, she immediately regretted it.
“It’s a snake!” Vicky screamed, her face engraved with fear and panic.
As soon as Richard heard Vicky’s scream, he immediately ran back. He began thinking of all
the possible situations that could happen to her. It had only made him run faster. When he
had arrived to where Vicky was, he was caught by surprise.
She was using a long, thin stick to remove a snake from her thigh. Ricky watched her
struggle while she tried to get rid of the snake. All he could do was laugh. His sudden
outburst had stunned Vicky. All he had done was stand on the side lines in this hectic chaos,
Vicky thought, angrily. I am about to die here! When Ricky had laughed harder, her anger
escalated. The feeling did not help at all, it had just made it worse.
Now, the snake was wrapped around her abdomen.
“Hey!” Vicky screeched in fury. “Would you please stop laughing and help me get this
creature off of me?! I could die.”
“Sorry,” Ricky slowly said, in between laughs. “I couldn’t help it...but you do know that
panicking wouldn’t be of service in a situation like this.”
21 | P a g e
“Well then, why don’t you do it, Mr Know-It-All.”
“Don’t move, just relax and stay still.”
Ricky took the snake by its neck and slowly separated it from Vicky. He put it on the ground
and let it slither away. He looked towards her. She looked scared and frantic.
“Are you okay?” Ricky said, worriedly. “Are you afraid of snakes?”
“Where is the food?” Vicky asked, avoiding his questions. “I’m starving.”
“It’s on top of the mountain.”
Vicky groaned.
Once they reached the top of the mountain, they immediately began eating. Vicky was
enjoying her egg sandwich. She had forgotten everything bad that had occurred to her. She
could smell the freshness of the trees and leaves. She could smell the mustiness of the rocks.
Everything felt right. Ricky looked at Vicky as she closed her eyes, who were taking in the
fascinating thing called nature.
“Why?” She suddenly asked.
Ricky looked at her confused. “What?”
She opened her eyes, staring straight at Ricky’s captivating blue eyes. “Why are you helping
me? You could have not do anything and left me.”
“I don’t know. Why do you think I helped you?” He smiled at her.
Both remained silent, not knowing what to say. They took in the astonishing view of nature,
feeling content with the world. At that moment, Vicky had felt that for once in her life, she
could trust a human. It was a great feeling. After a while of silence, they had started to open
up to each other. Ricky had learnt that Vicky was a lot like him. She did not have family and
loved nature and animals. A thought had suddenly occurred. If she has nobody, who will she
spend Christmas with? Ricky asked himself.
“I know this is a bit sudden but are you doing anything this Christmas?” He asked her.
“What is Christmas?” Vicky looked confused.
Ricky looked at her curiously, “You do not know what Christmas is?”
Vicky nods. It was peculiar that she did not know what Christmas was, but Ricky didn’t
question her further.
Instead he had said, “Well then, it would be my greatest pleasure to invite you to your very
first Christmas dinner. Will you accept it?”
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CHAPTER 9
Vicky, for the hundredth time, readjusted the bandana over her fox ears. It was ridiculously
itchy as she tried to restrain herself from scratching it. The black tipped, furry ears were
folded underneath the red fabric and muffled her hearing, ruining her heightened senses. I
become more and more human every day, she thought, rolling her eyes. Even though she was
frustrated that she had to ditch her trusty baseball hat for something more suitable, she
couldn’t contain the mixed fluttery feelings of the dinner that consuming most of her mind.
She was close to his house and the woods have never looked more inviting than the closing
moments. It was only a week ago in which Ricky and Vicky established the friendship but it
didn’t stop the fact that he still hunted. Whenever the thought crossed her, it highlighted the
fact that she was a possible target in becoming a head on a wall. Eventually, I have to tell him,
Vicky noted as she battled with her own morals. How would he react when I tell him? Would
he be angry and go ahead with the developing house plans, she questioned as the idea of him
gaining satisfaction in destroying her home planted the feelings of disgust.
Only a couple meters from Richard’s house, Vicky stopped walking. Her gaze traced his
weatherboard house. It was a very common structure in this community area but that night,
was also dressed up like the others. It was decorated with lights and flashed sequenced
‘Christmas’ colours. From a window, a side of tinsel covered Christmas tree peeked out. Her
nose twitched at his absurd attempt on evoking ‘merry’ feelings from a fox.
Slowly, she walked up the path towards the front door. Before she was able to knock, the
door flew open and in her sight was beaming Richard and his slobbering greyhound,
Cappuccino.
“Hey, Vick, Merry Christmas!” Richard greeted which followed an affectionate nudge from
Cap.
“Hi, Rick,” she smiled and then knelt to the dog, “Hey, buddy”.
“Guess what’s for dinner!” Richard asked as Vicky walked into his house. “I cooked rabbit
stew!”
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“Rabbit! I love rabbit!” Vicky gleefully exclaimed.
“Really? How original? Usually people say pork or beef or something, but, rabbits are cool,”
Richard commented as redness spread on Vicky’s cheeks.
She was seated in his kitchen as the smell of dinner wafted in. It smelt delicious as both
Richard and Vicky’s stomachs growled, bringing an uncomfortable quietness with it. Smirks
appeared as they tried to ignore the awkward silence but failed as they burst out laughing. It
was in that moment, gasping for their breaths and being close to tears, Vicky felt the true
blessings of being human.
“So, um, this rabbit, did you hunt it?” she asked as she recovered.
“Yes, I did. I also hunt other animals like foxes,” he said carelessly.
“NO!” Vicky jumped up right. “If we’re friends, you need to promise me that you will never
hunt foxes,” she assertively told him as fury unfolded in her stance.
Richard was taken aback by her outburst as Vicky was breathing heavily. She was standing
tensely with her fists clenched by her side. Her eyes were dark as she gazed back at him. He
saw her bandana loosening and noticed something that caused him to still. Unfurling against
the red fabric were two ears – auburn in colour and tipped black.
“Is that?” Richard’s voice cracked.
“Yes,” She whispered back. “I want you to promise me not to hunt foxes. It kills me to think
that as my friend, you shoot those who are just like me.”
“You’re a fox?”
“Yes, I’m a fox,” in which that time, Vicky spoke loudly with confidence – proud of her true
self.
Richard began to chuckle softly.
“That’s funny because, it goes with my Christmas plans,” he said as he walked away to grab
something - calmly. “I bought this for you all based on the fact that you remind me of a fox.
Appearance, personality, behaviour and the likes of it,”
He returned with a small box in his hand with a red bow, he placed it in Vicky’s hands. His
positive reaction surprised Vicky as she was so sure that he was going to explode in a fiery
inferno of fear and anger.
“Open it,” he gave a smile. “And I promise to never hunt foxes or wildlife in general. I will
also do my very best to help you protect your home, and the habitat around it. Now, while
you open and cherish my gift, I will prepare dinner,” once again, Richard walked away,
leaving her to stare at the gift captivated in curiosity.
24 | P a g e
Realising that she was able to take off her bandana, she did just that, freeing her perked ears
from the suffocating fabric. She felt a rush of happiness as she finally to fall back into her
fox-like habits and freely be herself with Ricky. Vicky slowly opened her present. She
gasped as she saw nestled in the box, a beautifully woven craft that resembled a fox.
It was a knitted coffee cup holder, she was told after. It was in a bright ginger colour in which
stood out while it hugged Vicky’s cup of tea. Richard and her was settled in his living room
ready to talk about the plans for bringing down the development but she couldn’t keep her
eyes off the wonderful gift she received.
“Let’s get started in saving your home,” Richard stated as he poured his own drink. “I have
an idea.”
25 | P a g e
CHAPTER 10
Countless sheets of paper were scattered throughout the room creating a fortress around
Vicky. Her hectic night reading through every letter and sorting all the signatures for the
petitions took a toll on her. Looking at the mess before her, she decided to venture outside to
her usual spot. Short breaths escaped from her mouth and her chest tightened as she made her
way up the hill. Fog brushed the tips of the gumtrees shadowing the paved roads underneath.
Morning birds sung its melody while they glided above waking up the neighbourhood. An
iconic laugh echoed through the mountains ridiculing the slow morning start. The lulling
effect of the warm cappuccino running down her throat filled her with a feeling content. The
soothing summer breeze relaxed her as she laid her ginger hair against the contrasting
luscious grass. Warm rays kissed her face as she watched the swirling clouds dancing around
the blue background.
Her ears perked up the familiar soft steps advancing towards the opening. A fox appeared
through the short shrubs. Its fur was slightly faded from age and its eyes drooped as if it was
controlled by guilt. With slow but steady steps it made its way towards her. His movements
were replied with a small bow from Vicky.
“Greetings, Elder. What bring you here?” Vicky questioned.
The Fox Elder seated himself down before transforming into human form. With a straight
back and an analysing stare, the Elder kept his noble figure.
“Vie, we have been watching your progress. The council has decided. You can come back to
Orlea, you have worked hard,” the Elder formally stated.
A beam of happiness flashed onto Vicky’s face as she tried to compress her emotions in front
of the Elder. Furry ears and a bushy, wagging tail appeared as she was unable to contain her
26 | P a g e
happiness. Her massive grin slipped out as she jumped and hugged the Elder surprising him.
In the frantic outburst, she accidently knocked over her cup. Her hands fumbled trying to
save the last of her drink. Being struck by reality, her hands grasped the coffee cup sleeve and
she blushed as remembered her promised. She felt guilty that she nearly forgot about the
promise.
“Sorry, Elder,” Vicky said hesitantly. “I can’t go.”
With a distraught look the Elder tried to convince Vicky to change her mind. However, her
stubborn personality resisted the temptation to leave and forget everything that happened in
this ordeal.
Loud puffing came from the bottom of the hill as it grew louder. Glancing over her shoulder
she recognised the bright blue orbs and radiant grin. The booming voice repeatedly called her
name in excitement. Distressingly she cast her view towards the Elder.
“Farewell,” he whispered with a fatherly smile.
She looked down at the coffee sleeve and knew she did not regret it.
THE END
27 | P a g e
Banished from her home,
Vicky’s life continues to tumble
downhill when she receives
a letter before Christmas telling
her that her home is going
to be destroyed.
What can she do?
Who will help her?
The garbage collector?
The bricklayer?
Or the fox?
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