Stay:The Last Dog in Antarctica by Jesse Blackadder Read Free Book Online Page B

noise came from the deck of the ship and Stay saw something fly up in the air. A moment later it popped like a firecracker and a glowing orange light started to drift slowly down towards the sea ice.
    ‘That’s the goodbye flare,’ Chills said. ‘They’re not coming back now.’
    He unlashed Stay from the back of the quad bike, raised her in the air above his head and started jumping up and down. ‘There you go, Boss!’ he yelled. ‘We got her after all. She’s staying here!’
    Stay heard a deep, loud blast from the ship’s horn. She could see tiny figures on the Bridge and one of them came out on the deck to stare.
    ‘Aha!’ Chills said. ‘They’ve seen us. Give the Boss a wave, Stay.’
    Stay remembered suddenly that the Boss had looked after her and promised to return her to the Royal Guide Dogs, while Chills had stolen her money and dognapped her twice. Once the ship left, she was stuck in Antarctica for months and she didn’t know what had happened to the money she’d raised. She looked at the ship as it manoeuvred slowly around in a circle and felt a rush of homesickness. She didn’t want to stay in Antarctica at all. She wanted to be sitting up on the Bridge with the Boss, full of money, on her way back to Hobart.
    Stay looked around. Antarctica was huge. Ice and snow spread out all around them. The sky looked absolutely enormous, perhaps because she could see the horizon in every direction. Two rocky islands stood up out of the sea ice, one of them covered with thousands of penguins. A big brown bird flew over their heads and let out a hoarse cry before heading in the direction of the ship. It felt like a desolate place.
    ‘He should have found the ransom note by now,’ Chills said, lowering Stay to the ground.
    Stay wondered what he meant.
    ‘ Deliver the takings to the Royal Guide Dogs or you’ll never see Stay again, ’ Chills said, patting her head. ‘You raised six hundred and thirty-three dollars and forty-five cents on the voyage down, Stay. It’s on the way backto Hobart in the ship. Let’s see how much more you can raise over summer, hey?’
    Stay stared up at him. He hadn’t stolen the money after all. A warm feeling of relief started to spread through her. Six hundred and thirty-three dollars and forty-five cents on the way back to Hobart! She still had the whole summer in front of her. And Chills hadn’t betrayed her.
    Chills lifted Stay onto the back of the quad bike and started to tie her in place again. ‘You’ll have a fantastic time here. Lots of animals to meet, weird people to hang out with, places to see, things to do. It’s the best place in the world.’
    Stay looked out across the sea ice. The ship had turned completely around and was starting to move away from the station. For some reason the scene didn’t look desolate any more. In fact, it was beautiful. Huge blue icebergs were scattered around the bay as if they’d been thrown there by some Antarctic giant and then frozen into place by the sea ice. The sun sparkled on the ice and in the distance Stay could see a line of black-and-white penguins marching along like toy soldiers.
    ‘Party time,’ Chills said, throwing his leg over the bike and starting the engine. ‘Everyone will be thrilled that we outwitted the Boss and kidnapped you. You’ll be the star of the show, Stay.’
    He pressed his thumb to the throttle and the quad bike started to move across the ice. ‘You’re in for the adventure of your life,’ he called over his shoulder.
    Stay would have grinned if her mouth could move.

Chapter 13
    A roar of voices rushed out when Chills opened the door to the LQ. A cold breeze had sprung up and it seemed everyone was inside. Chills hoisted Stay on his shoulder and carried her in.
    Stay saw a confusing mob of faces, most of them with beards, turned towards her. Cheering broke out. ‘Let her stay! Let her stay!’ someone started chanting, and they all joined in, raising their glasses towards Stay and