CHAPTER 34

Evie’s sleep is fitful and plagued by awful dreams of Rhino calling out to her. Claudette and Florette snuggle in, but for once their purring doesn’t soothe her.

Moving between sleeping and waking, she must have dropped off at some point in the early morning.

Evie wakes late, her eyes red and scratchy. Then she remembers. Rhino! Chained to a tree down at the creek. What was I thinking? She was trying to protect him, but by chaining him up it occurs to her that she’s acted no better than George’s own father. And Evie despises George’s father! She sobs as she dresses, accidentally tipping the sleeping Claudette and Florette from the bed. They meow and complain as she fumbles and hops around before toppling poor Albine off her chair as well. Dressed at last, Evie rushes outside to bring Rhino home.

But the household is already up. In the kitchen, Cook and George are weighing ingredients for whatever culinary delight they’re making for dinner tonight. They don’t even look up as she streaks past them.

“It’s all right, Evie,” says Grandpa, waylaying her at the kitchen door. “Mr Duffer and I have done your chores. There’s no need to worry. But you were right about one thing. Rhino is missing. He didn’t return to the stables last night and there’s no sign of him this morning.”

Evie’s heart sinks. She hops from foot to foot, anxious to take off running down to the creek.

“We should do a reconnoiter of the farm,” says Grandpa.

By now, Evie’s almost teary in her desperation to run.

“Let’s split up, it’ll be quicker,” he adds.

“I’ll go down to the creek,” says Evie.

“I’ll walk the beach. Let’s meet back here in an hour.”

Evie sprints through the house paddock, nearly colliding with Mr Duffer who is coming through the gate in the other direction.

“Whoa. Evie, good mornin’ to yer,” he says, dodging her.

“Good morning, Mr Duffer.”

“No need ter rush, lass. I’ve seen Rhino. He’s wanderin’ up the hill. Reckon he’s been in a bit o’ mischief overnight – he’d got himself all tangled up in chains, the silly bugger. They’ve dropped off now though, somewhere down the paddock.”

“Oh,” says Evie, puffing and so relieved she’s unable to form any words.

Grandpa reappears then, panting. “Mr Duffer, Evie and I are searching for Rhino and—” he stops to take a breath.

“As I was saying to young Evie here, Mr Strahan, Rhino will be along in a jiffy. He’s comin’ up the hill, taking his sweet time with that darn cow. Never in a hurry, those two.”

“Oh, good news,” says Grandpa. “How is Rhino?”

“Fit as a fiddle,” says Mr Duffer. “I’ll tell you what though,” he steps through the gate, “I’ve seen a strange thing. A blackwood tree has come down by the creek. It was healthy last time I saw it. It’d be nigh on ten years old and it’s been clean sawn off at the base.”

“How peculiar.”

“’Tis, but who’s to say it wasn’t rotten at the base, Mr Strahan? We’ve seen that happen after floodin’.”

But Evie knows full well it is not the reason. The tree was fine the last time she saw it too. Rhino must have pulled so hard on the chains trying to free himself that he sawed the tree in half. Evie whistles low and slow. She’s surprised at Rhino’s strength; she should never have chained him to a tree.

Her heart soars when she hears Rhino before she sees him. He and Dominique are mooing and bellowing as they wander up the hill. As they near, Rhino grins and calls out when he sees her. He looks perfectly well and cheerful.

“It’s good to see he’s his happy self, Evie,” says Grandpa before he heads back to the house.

He’s hungry, Evie thinks to herself, knowing well Rhino’s I’m starving, please feed me moo.

In the stables, Evie dotes on Rhino while she feeds him breakfast, and begs him to forgive her. He snuffles her hair and licks her face as if there’s nothing in the world she could do that would ever need forgiving.

Simon and Mini swing down from the hayloft and they too fuss around Rhino.

Rhino slugs down an enormous amount of water from the trough. He gobbles down three buckets of warm bran and molasses and munches through six bales of lucerne.

Evie decides to make one last attempt at concealing him.

Leading Rhino by the horn, and with Simon and Mini double dinking, Evie walks him to their neighbor’s property. The grass is knee-high and swishes around their legs. They walk upon a flock of ibis feeding upon grubs and the birds flap their wings and squawk, before taking off.

Simon and Mini flap their arms, imitating the birds.

Milne’s dairy is as Evie remembers. It’s a large stone building, quite hidden from view, and warm and dry inside. It is here Evie plans to leave Rhino until George goes. There’s plenty of water and hay and straw and, even better, cows for company.

“You’ll be safe here. Please stay, Rhino. Stay.” Evie wags her index finger at him. “I’ll be back to visit you later.” Rhino stares at Evie and lets out a sigh as if to say, Not again. But he stays where he is, sniffing his new quarters and nibbling on hay.

Simon and Mini are reluctant to leave Rhino, but with much coaxing they follow Evie back through the paddocks.

When she appears in the study that afternoon, Evie finds she cannot sit still. She can’t concentrate on reading or drawing. She feels herself trembling inside.

“Evie, what is wrong with you, child?” says Grandpa.

She’s not sure if it’s the warmth of the study or the awful feeling she’s done something wrong, but Evie feels quite unwell.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa. I’ve left something in the stables.”

She dashes outside.

On the kitchen step, Evie’s breathing is fast and shallow. She tries to slow it, tries to keep herself together. And then, who should appear in the yard before her, wearing the silliest of grins? Rhino, with two cheeky little monkeys sitting on top of him.

Evie walks Rhino to the stables, and into the foaling stall with Dominique, and carries Simon and Mini to bed up in the hayloft. As she closes the stable doors, Grandpa appears in the yard.

“Evie, my dear girl, are you feeling all right?” he says opening his arms to her.

She nods, relieved Rhino’s home – and one of Grandpa’s hugs is just what she needs.