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Jumping up, she grabbed the paper, her bag and Daisy’s lead and walked in the opposite direction.
Behind her Sheila shouted her name, asked what was wrong. She needed to find Ish. Head down she weaved her way in between the chairs and tables, knocking over furniture in her haste.
‘Hey!’ someone scolded but she didn’t pause. Where the hell was the Ferris wheel? She passed the dodgem cars and an old timber roller coaster and moved past a dress up stall.
Finally at the base of the large, round wheel she screamed his name. People stopped, stared and clutched children by the shoulders to move them away from the crazy lady. She didn’t care, wouldn’t stop until she found her son.
Shoving her way through the line, he wasn’t there. At the entry to the ride, she scanned the cages for disembarking passengers; he wasn’t there either. She demanded the ride assistant circle each cage so she could scour the occupants. He wasn’t anywhere.
Running back out, she rushed through the crowds, saying his name repeatedly.
A hand touched her shoulder. ‘Ava, what’s wrong?’
She shrugged off the hand but turned to face Noah. ‘I can’t find Ish. Have you seen him?’
‘Ish? Do you mean Duke?’
She nodded, frantically, wildly.
‘Why are you calling him that?’
‘Because that’s his name,’ she screamed into his face and Noah retreated. ‘That’s his real name,’ she said it softly this time, the words coming out as a sob.
‘Okay. Okay, he can’t be far. I’ll search with you.’
Then she saw Samuel and Jack. Dropping Daisy’s lead, she ran. Arriving at the boys, she gripped Jack on each arm and swivelled him to face her. The child recoiled, and Sam stepped back out of reach. ‘Where is … Duke? Where is he?’
‘Ava,’ Bec touched her arm, drawing both boys into her body for protection. ‘What’s wrong? We thought Duke had returned to you. After the Ferris wheel the boys had a turn on the cars and then he ran off. I assumed he’d gone to find you.’
Bec? No! No one could keep her son safe except her.
Ish was here alone. She needed to keep searching but her legs collapsed beneath her and she fell to the ground. Noah supported her by the arms and dragged her onto a haybale. The straw scratched her bare legs through the summer dress she wore.
She heard Noah speaking but the words were muffled. Something was shoved under her nose, astringent, foul-smelling and the world around her became clearer. Bridie clutched one arm. ‘Ava, honey. It’ll be okay, he must be here. Everyone will look, everyone will help. You stay here, I’ll stay with you. Caleb and Noah will get people to help.’
Ava willed her body to move, her feet to run, to assist, but like a lead weight, she stayed seated. The trio of men in suits approached and she grabbed Bridie’s arm, her knuckles turning white. Bridie followed her gaze, but the men walked straight past them.
‘Who are they?’ she whispered.
‘Them? They’re the Blues Brothers. A musical act appearing this afternoon, you know from the eighties?’
The air left Ava’s lungs and her body sagged. Then there was Caleb yelling, they’d found him, they’d found him. Something clicked, and Ava was up, running, Bridie in her wake. Outside the showgrounds, she crossed a road, passed a creek. She saw him. Uncontrollable sobs released, her lungs heaved with the effort but she ran and did not stop. Flinging her arms around him, she crushed him. The boy cried, wet tears landing on her, rolling down her front. She wouldn’t let go, ever let go, never wanted to. But as her heart rate slowed, she pulled him out in front of her, examined him. She ran her hands up and down his arms and legs, across his chest.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked at last. He only nodded and then she noticed something in his hands, a bundle he was protecting.
‘A puppy,’ her voice croaked. ‘What’s a puppy doing here?’ Daisy appeared, nuzzled the bundle too and then howled, a loud, agonising wail that pierced her ear. Ish held the puppy, it was limp and lifeless.
‘No, Ish, no,’ she said which caused him to cry harder.
‘It’s my fault. I put Jasper in my rucksack. I wanted to show Sam and Jack how cute he is. And then —’ he hiccupped in succession— ‘and then, I forgot about him, and we went on a couple of rides and when I remembered, I pulled him out and he wasn’t breathing.’ He held the furry bundle up against his cheek, rubbing the fur.
‘I brought him over here, thinking he needed a drink, a play and he’d be okay. Will he be okay?’
Together they bent over, embraced each other and sobbed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Driving home was a blur. Wiping away her own tears, she focused on the road while Ish nursed the lifeless puppy, petting Daisy beside him who was also inconsolable. Since finding a sad and lonely Daisy under their eaves, she’d been nothing but a loyal and caring dog; a companion who’d helped both mother and son settle into life at Bellethorpe. Ava had let her down.
