Read Red Dirt Heart 03.5 for Free Online Page A

laughed. “Deal.”
    I picked up the tail of the snake and nodded toward the detached head. “You good with that?”
    “Yeah, I’ll go bury it.” He looked at the long, still-wriggling body of the snake. “What you gonna do with that?”
    I shrugged. “Tell Travis we’ll bake it up like some Aussie Christmas delicacy or some shit.”
    He barked out a laugh.
    And then like some Christmas miracle, the wind changed direction. “Feel that?” I asked.
    Bacon grinned. “Yeah. Means cool change.”
    I could feel the sweat on my skin coolin’ in the breeze already. “Halle-freakin-lujah.” I nodded back to his house. “Go inside, enjoy your air conditioning. I’ll tell Trudy it’s all good when she wakes up.”
    I left him to it and walked back up to the house, feeling the already-cooler breeze on my back. I found Travis on the back veranda with little Gracie enjoying the cool change. “How nice is that breeze?” he asked, then did a double take at what I was holding. “Charlie, what the hell is that?”
    I slung the snake over a low-lyin’ branch of the tree in the backyard. “Outback Christmas tinsel.”
    Travis stared at me. “Um, I don’t think tinsel should bleed. Or be headless. Just saying.”
    I climbed the veranda steps and gave Trav a quick kiss. “It was under Gracie’s house, and that just won’t do.” I kissed the little girl on the forehead. “That just won’t do at all.”
    “Did you get the air conditioning working again?”
    “Yep. Just needed a clean out. Is Trudy awake?”
    “Nope. Ma’s in the kitchen and threatened bodily harm to anyone who wakes a new mother.”
    “Fair enough.”
    Trav looked back at the snake. “You just gonna leave that there?”
    “Yep. It’ll wriggle till the sun goes down,” I told him. “Bacon buried the head. The venom can still kill ya, even when the damn thing is cut in two.”
    Just then, Billy came out of the shed and up toward the house. He saw the snake. “Oh, thanks boss. Fresh dinner!”
    Trav’s nostrils flared, and his mouth formed a watery line. “Serious?”
    “Makes real good eating,” Billy said, inspecting the snake.
    Trav looked at me. “Is he serious?”
    I shrugged. “Sure. Aboriginal folk have been eating snakes and lizards for forty thousand years.”
    Trav eyed us both cautiously. “You’re taking the piss, aren’t you? Like with the pine tree?”
    Billy laughed. “No, bein’ serious now. For real, Travis. We eat them.”
    It took a little convincing, but Travis finally shook his head. “How do you cook them? And aren’t they all bone?”
    Just then, Trudy came out the back door. She looked tired still and her hair was all flat on one side, but at least she’d slept a bit. “Here’s my girl,” she said, taking Grace off Trav.
    “Sleep okay?” I asked.
    “Like the dead. Must have needed it more than I realised,” she replied.
    “We’ll babysit any time you like,” Travis said. “Me and Charlie will, that is. She was great company. Uncle Billy was just telling us how he cooks and eats snakes.”
    Trudy nodded slowly and walked down the steps. “Thanks for the offer. I’ll take you guys up on that.” As she got closer to the tree with my dead-snake-tinsel she called out, “Hey Trav?”
    “Yeah?”
    Trudy didn’t turn around. She just kept on walking and replied, “They’re bullshitting you again.”
    Travis looked at me, then at Billy, and Billy cracked up laughing.
    “God, I hate you both.” He put both hands on his hips. “You don’t eat them at all.”
    “Some people do,” Billy said, his usual half-face grin lit up. “But I prefer steak. Or Macca’s.”
    Travis looked at me. “I expect you to be on my side.”
    “What?” I feigned innocence. I’m thinkin’ my smile didn’t help none. “He could totally eat a McSnake burger.”
    “I hate you so much right now.” Trav stomped back inside, the screen door slamin’ behind him. “I’ll never believe another word you