Chapter Sixteen

 

Lucy's phone alarm pipped. She opened her eyes, thinking of toast and tea before the dreaded remembrance came back. It was the day of the competition.

She sat up. Taking several slow breaths, she reviewed the important details, the outfit laid out, the little livestock trailer hitched to her car, the competition entry badge. After a few minutes, the tight feeling in her chest began to subside.

The dairy's van was circling through the yard, driving away, as she put on her t-shirt and her two-strap denim dungarees. Kenny flew up on the corral fence, keeping clear of its path as the milkman beeped the horn. "Top o' the morning, Kenny," he called out the window.

In front of the mirror, Lucy made two braids. She fastened an elastic band around the last one finished, then looked in the mirror. Her face looked pale. She tried to put on the confidence she had been practicing, and it did not look very convincing to her.

On the mantel, Lucy had propped a card from Hannah, a 'wishing you luck' card sent to Llarry. 'We know you'll do absolutely splendidly,' Nancy had written at the bottom of Hannah's note. 'It's such a lovely idea, and the children will all be so proud of Llarry for being brave.'

Of course, it was not Llarry who was being brave. Lucy wondered if Nancy meant that it was herself, or meant that the children would be impressed in general, inspired to try goals of their own. Maybe it was the same either way. After all, she was doing something that no one who knew her would expect. It shouldn't make her feel small just because it was a small thing by comparison.

Hannah and Nancy couldn't come, because Hannah had dance rehearsal for a recital; Fran was working on the law firm's books, and didn't have time to spare.

She had messaged Lucy a couple of days ago to tell her this, and also that Simon would not be there. Patrick said the news about Simon's treatment options isn't good. He says he'll message me with an update soon.

Lucy was disappointed. She would have to make it up to him, since he inspired the idea. If only he had been able to lead Llarry through the ring, this would all feel much easier and more important to everyone.

Llarry's things were already packed. Brush, comb, costume. He was nibbling at some straw near the gate, as if expecting her to come and fetch him. She snapped on the lead before opening the corral gate.

Doctor Elliot had loaned her a small livestock trailer. Clement had helped her put a special hitch on the back of her car. An online tutorial showed her how to hook the box's lights into the car's electronics to signal turns. It took two tries, but it was working.

Llarry peered out through the little window in the trailer. Lucy started the car. In her rearview mirror, the farm's house grew smaller, as did the three geese gathered by the front door.

The fun fair was set up in a meadow outside the village. Lucy could spot the tea tent and the stalls with colored party flags, and three bigger marquees that were probably for the big produce and flower competitions.

Someone at the entrance to the designated car park showed her where to drive, and told her where to park near the livestock arena. A cordoned-off competition circle surrounded by scaffold seating was located farther away from the noisy rides and games, near an old stable. Prize cows had ribbons pinned to their stalls; someone was leading a sheep with a number attached.

The section for the pest supplies company's 'Best of Show' was much further down, with stalls that were more like cordoned-off boxes. A volunteer showed Lucy to the one for Llarry, which had his name on a little sign.

On one side was a half-grown lamb, wearing a pink collar. On the other, a pig that was going to wear a big sunflower bonnet, judging by the costume hanging nearby.

Lucy's stomach was in tight knots. It might be for the best that no one she knew was watching.

In the stall, Llarry looked around with interest, sniffing the air. He was very interested — probably glad to be out of the box, Lucy thought, after the bumpy ride.

"It's going to be okay," she said to him. She stroked his wool. It was going to be over in a couple of hours, and there would be some kind of ribbon or certificate to prove she had come.

Other contestants walked their animals around. Some were chatting with each other. The woman with the chinchilla fed it treats through the rails of its playpen. A man lifted an iguana from its carrier, and Lucy wondered again what the reptiles and birds were doing for the obstacle course portion. Something with hoops and tunnels?

She combed Llarry's wool, making certain no bits of straw or hay remained. One patch had a burr stuck in it, and she trimmed it with some scissors from the old grooming kit. A means of passing the time, more than anything, since she had given him a thorough brushing the day before.

She opened the package with the costume. Inside was a blue and white Mexican blanket which matched the colors on the leash. It came with a tiny sombrero on an elastic cord.

Llarry stood still as she slipped them on. She adjusted the hat, and then fed the llama a little treat from a packet of carrot cubes she had tucked in the bag. "It's going to be fun," she said to him, stroking his nose. "We're only going for a very quick walk around the ring."

It was not Llarry who needed reassuring, of course. It made her feel better to pretend, and to have something else to comfort. It distracted her from the slight chatter in her teeth when standing still, and the clammy feeling in her skin.

A volunteer with a clipboard was giving each person a square of paper. She stopped at Llarry's stall. "We look a treat, don't we?" she said to the llama, with a smile. To Lucy, she handed a number. "Just pin that on his collar or his costume for the judges, love."

"Okay," said Lucy.

The volunteer handed out one to the owner of the pig, and to all the others. She looked at her clipboard, then announced that it was going to begin soon.

"When the signal sounds, everyone move to the ring's entrance gate over there, and form a single file, please. That gentleman at the gate will help you space yourselves apart as you go into the ring. Walk around twice for the judges, then stop."

Lucy put the number on Llarry's blanket. It was difficult to pin it.

"After you circle twice, you'll form a line for the judges to inspect, then we'll call you off by number to go through the obstacle course. Smaller pets will use the one on the table, please. As you finish, return to the line and wait for the judges to announce the winner."

Everyone was putting leashes on their pets. Lucy could see a man in a nice shirt and tie despite his wellies, wearing a jacket with the pet grooming service's logo. He was talking to a person recording the conversation on a phone, perhaps a journalist of some kind. The table behind them had different kinds of pet pictures on it, and a big sign with some ribbons pinned on it.

Lucy petted the llama's nose, but her hands were numb. She fell gradually into the single file which was shuffling together to the entrance, between a man leading a shaggy dog, and a goat in a bandanna. The goat's owner, a young girl, smiled.

"Love the llama," she said. "He's so pretty."

"Thank you." Lucy ducked her head, forgetting momentarily to be brave.

"Does he bite?"

"No. He likes people." She remembered to look and to smile. She held onto the leash more tightly. "You can pet him." This came to her as something else to say.

The girl stroked the llama's nose. "He's so soft," she said.

Lucy's mind kept falling into blankness. She tried to think of a polite question to ask about the goat in the bandanna, but the signal came — a little electronic chime.

The line began moving again. Lucy clutched onto the leash, and tried to walk at the same pace as everyone else. Llarry followed along.

"Good luck," said the girl to Lucy.

"You, too," Lucy answered. Her tight throat made this very difficult to manage. The girl gave her goat's bandanna one last tug.

"Everyone forward, please. That's it. Into the ring." The volunteer's voice was encouraging. "Just walk around the ring, and remember to go to the middle the second time you reach this gate."

In single file, they went around the ring of posts and netting, which formed a circle. People were sitting on the other side of the barrier, on some scaffold-style seats.

Llarry walked with ease, almost as if he was gliding along. He made it seem easy, being in front of people. He almost looked majestic, despite the silly little costume.

She heard some people in the front row saying something about the cute and clever llama, catching a snatch of it. People were cheering and clapping; some were chuckling. It was friendly-sounding laughter.

Automatically, Lucy had looked down as she entered, then remembered. She made herself lift her chin. Head up, shoulders back. Like Llarry, who walked with confidence, looking at everyone as if there was nothing to be afraid of.

They went around the ring twice. She followed the shaggy dog, whose owner turned aside when they reached the gate for the second time, and joined a line forming not far from the obstacle courses in the middle. Lucy came next, with Llarry naturally falling in beside her.

Three people walked by, carrying clipboards like the volunteers. These must be the judges. Lucy tried to look brave, putting on a smile. When they asked her a question about Llarry, she answered, although she was not quite sure what she said afterwards. One of them patted Llarry and called him a nice animal; the llama tossed his head a little bit, as if tossing off the compliment.

They were impressed by the goat's beard, and made a note of it. The girl with the goat was chatty, and told them all about its breed, a mix of two types, one with tiny horns. It sounded special, even without a real pedigree.

A volunteer began calling the numbers aloud. The shaggy dog went through the obstacle course, made of random blocks of straw and a couple of barrels. It had an easy time. The half-grown lamb in pink went next, and its owner had to pull it between two of the barrels, to the finish.

The goat went next. Lucy felt herself clutching the leash too hard. Llarry stomped one foot, as if getting impatient. It made some people who were watching chuckle. Lucy could hear the ones behind her.

Llarry's number was called. She gave the leash a gentle tug, and he followed her to the obstacle course. It was easy to lead him between all the objects to the end, because he was used to being led around.

She led him back to his original place. The next competitor led a rooster around the ring, which managed to slip out of its harness and had to be chased down again. The audience laughed.

A cockatoo, a gerbil, and the iguana went through the table obstacle course, then that part of the competition was over. All the contestants were lined up again. Lucy could hear the pig grunting at the line's end.

The judges walked past one more time. Llarry held his head up, but bowed it just as the judges reached him, as if nodding. People laughed again. Llarry's head ducked lower, as if taking a little bow, and the sombrero tipped slightly, which made people laugh harder.

It wasn't so hard to smile at that, Lucy thought. She rubbed the llama's nose. She smiled at the man with the shaggy dog, who was trying to fix its sequined collar. She looked at the crowd which was watching, all the people in the tiered seats. She realized she was still smiling. Llarry was excited by the crowd's noise, his ears pricking underneath the sombrero's brim.

After speaking amongst themselves, the judges made some notes, then nodded. They spoke with one of the volunteers, who brought them a megaphone.

"Everyone, thank you for being patient. After a quick consultation, we're ready to announce the winner of this year's Love My Paws 'Best of Show' champion."

One of the dogs barked, and people laughed again. Lucy pretended to steady Llarry, but she was steadying herself. Her heart was beating very fast with anxiety, almost fast enough to frighten her.

The judge announced the winner. Llarry the llama.

She heard the llama's name, and she heard his number. She did not believe it. She heard people cheering and clapping, and the judge shook her hand and said something she couldn't hear. She was too amazed.

"Let's have a hand for all our lovely contestants, please, they are among the very best themselves. And congratulations to Llarry the llama for making such a wonderful impression."

One of the judges came forward with a bright blue ribbon with pleats and a long tail, and a big gold '#1' embroidered in the middle. She petted Llarry's neck, and shook hands with Lucy. "Congratulations," she said. "He's a very fine animal, he was perfect in the ring."

"Thank you," said Lucy.

The judge pinned the ribbon on Llarry's collar and stepped aside. The crowd clapped and cheered. Llarry pricked his ears again, and ducked his head momentarily, like a bobbing little bow. Lucy waved her hand. At this moment, she felt less shy, even though everyone was looking at her.

The man in the grooming company's jacket shook hands with her, and said that Llarry had made a fine show. The man who had been recording their conversation earlier was from the local press. He was going to write an announcement about the contest for the village paper, if she had a moment to talk to him.

"How do you feel?" he asked. "Do you feel excited?"

"Yes," she answered. She really did. She was glad that she had come here. Even if the blue ribbon had not been possible to win, but it had. She had been brave, and it had worked.

"Let's get one for the paper, shall we?" asked the reporter.

"Yes," said Lucy.

He took a photograph of her and Llarry with the ribbon.