Spotlighting

• Archie Sudholz, Grade 5, Natimuk Primary School -
• Short Story
• 2018

Excellence Award in the 'Write Along 2018' competition

My father, without a doubt, is the most marvellous and exciting father any boy ever had. We live just out of Natimuk. Dad is taking me out spotlighting tonight.
Dad is taking me out spotlighting for the first time. I am excited. Dad and I go out to one of our paddocks.
When we get there, we turn the spotlight on and start driving. Dad spots a fox in the crop, so he stops and turns the ute off and he gets the gun. He puts the gun out the window and lines the fox up then, BOOM! Dad shoots the fox in the head.
We slowly start driving around again. Then I find five kangaroos lying in the crop near the edge of the paddock, so Dad lines the ute up and turns the ute off. Dad lines one of the kangaroos up in the scope and then all I hear is BOOM! The kangaroo’s head goes flying off, the other four kangaroos run away. Dad reloads the gun and lines up another big kangaroo on the run. BOOM! The kangaroo drops dead. We drive over there to see where Dad shot the kangaroo. He shot it in the body.
We are driving around when we hear a THUD under the ute, so Dad and I get out. We have a look under the ute and see a leaking oil pipe. I find an old rag in the ute that we wrap around the hole. Then we try to drive home. We get half way home then we run out of oil, so Dad rings Pa, but he does not pick up because it is too late. Dad rings mum, but mum does not pick up the phone either. Dad tells me that we are stranded for the night.
Dad and I get in the ute and make ourselves comfortable for the night. I cannot sleep because it is too cold to sleep. I finally fall asleep.
The next morning, I am very tired. Dad calls Pa again. This time he picks up the phone. Dad asks Pa if he can bring out two litres of oil, so we can get back to the farm to fix the oil leak.
We make it back to the farm safely. Dad drives the ute onto the concrete. We go up to the house and have some food and a drink of water. Then we go back down to the shed and start fixing it. It turns out that we do not have all the parts we need so Dad orders them.
The parts take two weeks to arrive in the mail. Dad and I start fixing the oil pipe again. We have to pull the oil pipe out and put the new in. It is a hard job, but we get it done. While the ute is being fixed Dad has to drive Pa’s old ute.
I have a great time with Dad and a good fun experience.