Free Stay:The Last Dog in Antarctica by Jesse Blackadder

‘Let’s go.’
    Kaboom started putting on a grey coat. ‘Stay, you can watch from here. I’ll be filling the big white weather balloon up with hydrogen and then letting it off just down there. It goes up into the atmosphere and takes readings on air pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed.’
    ‘Enough with the weather lesson and get going!’ Shine said. ‘You’ll be late.’
    ‘Give me a little wave when you see me, OK, girl?’ Kaboom said.
    ‘Kaboom, you’re talking to the animals again,’ Hail said. ‘I’m getting worried about you.’
    They all laughed as Kaboom put up the hood of her coat and went out the door, followed by Shine and Hail. While Stay waited for Kaboom to appear, she looked out at the bay. It really was very beautiful in front of the station. She knew that the two rocky islands rising up from the sea ice were Gardner Island and Anchorage Island. Out in the far distance she could see tiny black shapes moving in funny, uneven lines — penguins making their way out to the navy stripe of the open sea.
    Kaboom came out of the Met building holding a white balloon about fifty times bigger than any balloon Stay had ever seen. She walked down away from the building to a clear space in the snow and looked up to see if Stay was watching. Stay felt a little thrill.
    ‘Ah, there she is,’ a voice said behind her. ‘All nicely fixed up.’
    Stay ignored the voice as Kaboom released the balloon and it sprang into the air, floating quickly upwards into the sky. It was amazing how fast it rose.
    ‘Hi, Dux,’ she heard Rain say. ‘What brings you to Met today?’
    ‘A certain dog,’ he said.
    The balloon had nearly disappeared. Kaboom was waving up at her and Stay wished she could wag her tail to show her that she’d seen it.
    Then a big pair of hands took hold of her and lifted her up, away from the observation window.
    ‘She’s coming back up to the Last Husky,’ Dux said, ‘so everyone can enjoy her.’
    ‘But Kaboom is looking after her!’ Rain said. ‘She belongs to Chills.’
    ‘She belongs to the Royal Guide Dogs, I believe,’ Dux said. ‘I want her where I can keep an eye on her.’
    Stay sent out a thought to Kaboom to hurry back upstairs. She liked the Met office and she’d be happy to stay there with Rain, Hail, Shine and Kaboom. The bar was too loud and too unpredictable. Everyone who wanted to dognap her could find her there. But she was too late.
    ‘You’re coming with me, old girl,’ Dux said.
    He tucked Stay under his arm, clomped down the stairs and headed outside before Kaboom reappeared. Like it or not, Stay was going back to the Last Husky.

Chapter 17
    The wind whirled around the station and Stay could hear the sound of sleet hitting the windows like little stones. The sea ice was breaking up, and the strong wind was blowing it from the bay out to sea, revealing the water underneath. The miserable view from the LQ windows made her glad she was inside.
    She didn’t have that much else to be glad about. When Dux had brought her back to the LQ and put her up on the bar, he’d borrowed the big chain and padlock from Bear and locked her down tightly. No one could move her.
    He patted her on the head. ‘Stay there and make some money for the Royal Guide Dogs. No more mischief!’
    It wasn’t me who got into mischief! Stay thought, but he didn’t seem to hear her thought the way Chills or Kaboom would have.
    And so she stayed. Every evening after work was finished, most expeditioners gathered at the Last Husky to talk about their day over a couple of drinks. The Brewmaster was a popular person, Stay could see, and she learnt a lot about station life by listening in on the conversations.
    At first she was very popular. Almost every day someone would stand next to her, take a photo, give her a pat, or talk about where they wanted to take her. One wanted her to come to a place called Platcha Hut for the weekend, a little orange field hut next to a fjord where a