Driving down the brown dirt road, tall strong eucalyptus trees fly past the windows of the old CJ5. Taking a turn down a long gravel driveway, the cheerful thirty year old man approaches his Australian Dream. A stunning white wooden cottage stands proud, surrounded by bright green grass and varieties of local bottle brush. The hardy shrubs line the country cottage, and their bright yellow and red flower spikes are in full bloom. The exterior of the cottage makes the vivid colours of the bottles even more prominent.
Exiting his car, he walks around to the back of his cottage, a red crisp apple in hand. The two-acre backyard unfolds at his feet. A large, old, rusty pipe runs down the right of his land, providing a formidable barrier between him and his neighbour. Following the pipe his young son accompanies him.
Soon enough the man and his young son are walking through their own little bush track. The earthy scent of fresh eucalyptus lays heavy in the air. In the middle of the backyard stands a strong coolabah, the biggest of all the trees that surround it. Suddenly, the nine meter pipe takes a sharp turn inwards, the barrier now forgetting the ten by twelve meters of land on the other side. The man does not mind, as it leaves Sid, his neighbour to cut the grass on that side. The man hops over the pipe, still landing in his property. His son leans on it, his arms crossed, resting on the pipe. A few small holes lay spread out along the ground, and the now eaten apple is placed into one. As the man covers the hole with dirt, his son looks at him quizzically. The man turns to smile at his son, “One day these will grow and we’ll end up with our own little orchard.”
YOU ARE READING
The Orchard and The Chook
Short StoryThe Australian dream, a nice block of land, Australian bush surrounds, a mischievous puppy, an orchard, a chicken and a neighbour feud? Cute short story, based on a true story, welcome to living in Australia in the 80's/90's.
