Welcome to the World, my Darling

==Meta==
Timing: April 16th, 1996
Setting: Darling station outside Mount Isa. 
==Text==
Red steps out onto the veranda with their sixth pitcher of lemonade. 
Another uneasy ripple shivers through the flock. 
The hands can hear it now, too—muffled yelling from upstairs. 
Daisy drains his glass. 
Mike worries her scarf. 
Johnstone remains. calm. 
A string of curses from inside. 
Tilda shrieks, puffs up into a giant, two-legged featherduster, unleashes hell upon one of the denser males. 
Mike reties her hair, heads off to sort them out. 
Red wipes his hands on his trousers. 
The boards creak. 
They look—
Johnstone and Daisy scramble to their feet; Red straightens. 
The rider hums, dismisses them, looks towards the upstairs. 
"Lemonade, sir?" asks Johnstone. 
The rider waves, gazes out over the flock, leaves. 
They sit back down. 
Mike clears up four more fights, Red makes two more pitchers of lemonade, and they see the rider, once, watering his mount from a far trough. 
The wind changes; Johnstone, Daisy, and Mike set out to feed the flock their supper, and Red goes inside to do something about human food.
The ingredients for a soup in the ice box, so Red puts them to boiling in the big pot, takes down the bowls and gathers spoons and arranges them next to the stove.
Something /thumps a wall.
Red neatens the kitchen.
[Mr Darling] pads past on the way to the laundry room, arms full of linens.
Red wipes his hands on his trousers.
Water runs in the laundry.
[Mr Darling] pads past, arms empty.
The washing machine whirs; the soup boils.
Muffled yelling from upstairs.
Red swallows, tests slices of carrot and potato for done-ness.
[Mr Darling] pads past on the way to the laundry room, arms full of towels.
Red fills the first bowl with soup, arranges it on a tray with a glass of water, a napkin, and a spoon.
[Mr Darling] pads past, arms empty. 
Red wipes his hands on his trousers, picks up the tray. Swallows. Takes a deep breath. Swallows again, heads upstairs.
Raised voices behind Boss's door; Red squares up and knocks with his forehead. 
[Mr Darling] opens the door.
A yell, stifled, frustrated, and pained.
Red swallows. Offers the tray, croaks, "Food?"
"Thanks." [Mr Darling] takes it from Red's hands, closes the door.
Red swallows again, heads downstairs. He steps out onto the veranda, announces, "Dinnie."
Johnstone, Mike, and Daisy stand, shuffle in.
They take their meal outside.
Daisy gathers the empty dishware and dirty cutlery, heads inside.
Two of the more paternal males shriek and flap at each other.
Chicks scatter, cheeping.
Mike reties her hair, heads off to sort them out.
Daisy steps out onto the veranda with their ninth pitcher of lemonade.
The rider returns.
Johnstone, Mike, and Red scramble to their feet; Daisy straightens.
The rider hums, dismisses them, looks toward the upstairs.
"Lemonade, sir?" asks Johnstone.
The rider waves, goes inside.
They sit back down.
Tilda shrieks, puffs up into a giant, two-legged featherduster, unleashes hell upon that same dense male. 
Mike reties her hair, heads off to sort them out.
Curses, clear as day, from upstairs.
A reedy /scream bursts out the window. 
Daisy drains his glass.
Mike exhales.
Johnstone lets his shoulders drop.
Tilda attends the upper story, ruffles her feathers. With a decisive /wonk, she settles to the floor of the paddock.
The flock follows suit.
Red wipes his hands on his trousers.
The boards creak.
They look—
Johnstone, Mike, and Red scramble to their feet; Daisy straightens.
The rider hums, dismisses them.
"Congratulations, sir," says Johnstone.
The rider waves, gazes out over the flock.
"Well," says Boss, arms full of baby blanket. "That was a fun day and a half." Beams at the rider. "Hi, Kaja." 
Johnstone croaks, "Congrats, ma'am." 
Mike nods, "Yea, that." Tugs Daisy's sleeve. "We'll just—excuse us." And the three of them flee for the bunkhouse. 
Boss smiles, "Thanks for the soup."
Red mumbles something like 'you're welcome', bows to the rider, mumbles an at attempt 'goodnight', disappears into the barn. 
Rider says, «Congratulations, Daughter.»
«Thanks.» Offers—?
Rider nods, swallows around the lump in his throat, steps forward—
Kardu eases the baby blanket into his arms and Rider looks into the grumpiest, tiniest, most beautiful face glowering right back at him.
«Hello, Granddaughter,» he says softly, eyes pricking. 
She frowns mightily. 
Kardu wrings her hands. «So we're naming her 'Charlotte' for Husband's side of the family, and I know you never really got the chance to name me ....» 
A drop appears on Granddaughter's cheek. 
She scowls, her puffy eyes darkening—but not dark brown, something else ....
Rider strokes her flat nose, her bruised cheek, wiping the tear away. 
«Would you do us the honour of picking a name for her?»
Rider blinks back tears, nods. 
Granddaughter wrinkles.
Rider adjusts his arms, touches her chin, her cheek, her forehead, shifts his arms again and blinks up at the sky because he's a /grandfather: he's holding his tiny, perfect granddaughter with his daughter. 
The first stars peek out into the evening for the first time in his granddaughter's life, her very first evening of her life, the very first day of his granddaughter's life. 
Granddaughter grumps. 
Rider cradles her closer, coos. 
Dark eyes remain unimpressed; not dark brown—
Rider runs a thumb across her eyebrow, says, «Kirra.» Smiles at Daughter. «Like your mother.» Smiles at Granddaughter. «She has her eyes.»
«Mom had green eyes?»
Rider nods, gently bouncing Kirra. «Green like new leaves.» Apologizes to Daughter, «You look like me.»
Kirra wrinkles. 
Daughter puts an arm around his waist. «I like looking like you.» Smiles at Granddaughter. «Hello, Kirra.» 
Granddaughter /wails. 
==Different Day==
Johnstone, Daisy, and Mike set out for the bunkhouse; Red pauses at the fence-line, fidgets with a loose strand.
The wind picks up; stray leaves flitter across the paddock.
""Would you like to hold her?"" asks the Boss.
The rider grunts.
Red pushes a wobbly clip deeper into the wood with his thumb.
A baby squawks.
Tilda lifts her head, /wheeks.
The baby squawks more forcefully.
Tilda /wonks, puts her chin on the ground.
""She'll be Kirra,"" declares the rider.
Category:Ficlet
Category:Tilda
Category:Tilda (ficlet)
Category:Darling Station (setting)
Category:Red
Category:Red (ficlet)
Category:Daisy
Category:Daisy (ficlet)
Category:Big Mike
Category:Big Mike (ficlet)
Category:Johnstone
Category:Johnstone (ficlet)
Category:Chuck D's dad
Category:Chuck D's dad (ficlet)
Category:Ficlets with images
Category:Kirra
Category:Kirra (ficlet)