Cody woke, aches in every inch of his body. He laughed at the ceiling. Chastity was insatiable. Three times they had fucked in the space of an hour. Cody had used every muscle to do it how she'd wanted after the first time.

He laughed again. The tight space in the cab of his truck had made the things she wanted to do impossible because she'd kept shifting positions, wanting him to lie on the seat and then sit or lean further back or forward.

When it was done, he got out of there as fast as he could, because he had nothing left to give her. Cody didn't think any one man would be able to satisfy Chastity.

It'd been amazing for his first time after his stretch away from any action.

He went for a shower. When he finished, he sat on the front verandah with his toast and tea. Sucking in a huge breath of fresh air, Cody grinned and patted Max on the head. "Life's good, boy. Real... good."

What would he do today? Unload the truck and then buy some chickens.

With Max on the seat beside him, Cody headed along the road. The memory of Fin's large frightened eyes, peering at him through the window, came to mind. He was disappointed she'd witnessed him with Chastity. He should have known better than to satisfy his primal urges in the car park. Anyone could have seen them but he hadn't been thinking straight.

He tried to picture Fin's face. He could only envisage large eyes, no colour, nothing except two pools of darkness staring straight at him for less than a second.

Cody turned left at the sign. The road curved to the right and led straight to an old farmhouse. Four dogs ran out to meet the truck. He parked under a tree and left Max in the cab with the windows down.

The large woman, who had spoken to him the first night at Snakes, met him in the yard. "Can I help you?"

"I want to buy some hens. Laying hens. Have I got the right place?" Cody shouted over the noise of barking dogs and then pointed behind him. "There's a sign out on the road."

"Shut up ya mongrels!" The woman whacked one of the dogs with her cane. The dog yelped and took off. Once more she struck out. The dog she aimed for shied away and ran after the first. The other two followed.

"You've got the right place," she said. "They're around the back. You want white or red? I ain't got no black."

Cody shrugged. He had no idea about hens or the colours they came in. "What's the difference? I just want hens that will lay eggs."

"I prefer reds." The woman laughed. "The eggs don't taste any different. Reds and blacks lay brown eggs. Whites give you white eggs, though I've had a few hens throw the opposite way. Most town people like white eggs." She attempted a shrug. "I'm not sure why because the shit shows on the white ones." She laughed again. "You from in town? Saw you at Snakes, didn't I? You don't talk much."

Cody didn't respond. She didn't seem to want any answers. The place was covered with old machinery, car bodies and sheets of corrugated iron. There were old wood stoves, motorbikes, push bikes and old prams. Instead, he said, "You sell any of this?"

"Nah, we just collect it for fun." She yanked her head and gave him a smirk.

Cody grinned.

"Of course, we sell it!' she said. "What are you after?"

"I need a chimney stack for my wood stove."

"You'll find all that stuff in the pile over by the shed. My son's gone into town so, if you don't mind having a look for yourself, go for it." Her stomach jiggled as she chuckled. "And, you'll have to catch your friggin' hens. If you leave it to me, we'll be here all day."

"I'll look at the hens first." Cody glanced at the piles again and added, "Then I'll look around for a stack."

"Me name's Maude, by the way. Maude Peterson. We're demolition specialists, in case you hadn't noticed." She gave him another grin.

Cody laughed. "No... hadn't noticed."

Maude chuckled.

He added, "Cody Compton. I'm living at Mac Jorgensen's place."

"Old Mac's hey? Poor old bastard. He loved that place," she said. "Wouldn't leave it. Even when his kids tried to get him into a home." Maude shook her head in sorrow. "Had a heart attack on the shitter, wasn't found for a week. Did you know that?"

"Nope. But, thanks." Cody tweaked his eyebrows and couldn't help but smile as he shook his head. "Now I'll think of it every time I go for a crap."

Maude burst into laughter. She had to stop walking and leaned forward on her cane until she caught her breath. She straightened and wiped the moisture from her eyes. "Christ. I haven't had a good laugh for donkeys. Shit. I'm sorry. I didn't think about that fact when I told you."

Cody shrugged and grinned. "At least I know the place has got some history. The real estate said he died in the hospital."

"Well, yeah, they'd say that." Maude lifted the corner of her mouth in distaste. "Otherwise, the place would still be for sale." She gave him a side-eye look. "Did you buy it, did you?"

"No. Renting." Cody jerked his head and held out his palms. "I don't know who owns it. I pay the rent to a place in Cairns."

"Right..." Maude pushed out her bottom lip in thought, as they rounded the corner to see the hen house. "Here you go. Take your pick."

A large chook pen took up a huge portion of the backyard. It was full of white and brownish-red hens. To Cody's surprise, the coop was very clean. He'd expected it to be full of junk. The hens looked healthy and happy. "The red ones look like bigger birds," he said. "Do they lay bigger eggs?"

Maude nodded. "Most times. I like their nature. The whites are scattier, in my mind."

"Alright. I'll take four reds and two whites. How much you want for them?"

"They're all layers. It's ten for the whites and eleven for the reds. Extra dollar is because they're prettier." She grinned and gave him a wink.

Cody chuckled and dug for his wallet.

She held up her hand. "You gotta catch them first, and if you're looking for a stack, we'll work it out when you're done."

"I'll go and get my boxes. Will three birds be alright in each one?" Cody asked.

"Make sure you can close the lid, or you'll lose them on the way home."

The image of birds and feathers, flapping and tumbling from the back of his truck, as dust billowed behind him, made Cody laugh.

Max stood on the seat and barked when he saw Cody coming towards him.

"Shush, won't be long. Sorry, mate. I can't let you out." He patted the dog through the open window and then grabbed the boxes from under the tarp of the four-wheel drive.

Max barked in protest at being left behind.

Maude was gone when Cody made his way back to the pen. He put the boxes on the ground and then headed for the heap of scrap metal near the shed. He studied the piles as he moved through the yard. Each had been sorted into categories, engine components, building supplies, steel pipes and beams, copper in another pile, plumbing fixtures, toilet bowls, sinks and electrical.

Whoever ran this place knew what they were doing. Cody found what he was looking for. He carried the stack, put it near his boxes, and then made short work of catching six hens. Because there were so many, it made the job easy. He dived as they scattered past him, and wham.

When he finished, Maude sat on a seat by the back stairs with a ledger on her lap. "Does the stack have a number on it?"

Cody turned it around. "Nine hundred and eighty-two."

Maude turned a few pages. "He's got forty bucks on it. We're open for barter."

"Okay." Cody gave it some thought, and then said, "Since I'm a bulk buyer, I'll give you forty for the stack but, you give me one of the hens for free. You got enough of the bastards to let one go for nothing, I reckon."

She grinned. "You can have the stack and hens for eighty bucks. I like your face, and next time I'm in at Snakes, you can buy me a shot."

"You got yourself a deal, Maude." Cody shook her hand and gave her eighty dollars. He carried the stack and a box of hens to the truck and then went back for the other.

Maude had disappeared again. As he rounded the house, she was on the front verandah and waved.

"I expect we'll see you again, Cody Compton."

"Thanks, Maude."

"Hey!" she called. "You might find the hens won't lay eggs for a few days. They'll need to settle so, don't come back telling me you got duds, okay!"

"Okay!" Cody called back, raising his hand in farewell.

Max got excited when Cody climbed in behind the wheel. "Yeah. Alright, alright. Sit down, come on, sit down."

The dog licked his face and then settled on the seat. By the time they hit the main road, Max stood with his head out of the window. His ears and lips blew in the breeze.

The Labrador went crazy when Cody let the hens loose in the pen. He scolded the dog and then hit him to stop him running along the fence barking.

Cody wondered if getting them had been a bad idea.

Cody seems to have made a friend :)

Max better leave those chooks alone, or there'll be no eggs for dinner. :(

Thanks for continuing to read Bell Ringer. Let me know you're there by commenting or voting. ♥♥

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