The Bendler Stories

Chapter. 1. Bendler's house.

Bendler bought his block of land in summer. He also bought a horse and cart that he loaded with all sorts of bits and pieces he thought a farmer might need. Ha I’m better setup than Robinson Crusoe! he thought and began to whistle a tuneless dirge. The horse had quickly learnt to hate it when Bendler whistled. It made his ears twitch and something deep inside his head felt as if it was trying madly to escape.

They were just turning into the gateway to Bendler’s land when a truck roared past tooting as it went. ICE was painted in big blue letters on the side. A hand waved out the window as the truck disappeared in a cloud of dust that settled over Bendler and the horse. Welcome to Turradunda Bendler muttered under his breath as he went to open the gate. The horse snorted.

Bendler unloaded the heavy cart and gave the horse a good rub down by way of saying thanks. Then he put up a large tent and moved in all his things. The sun was just setting when he finally lit the stove and made a cup of tea. He sat down and looked around.

There were a few trees along the creek but otherwise the land was very flat and dry. He was pleased to see the huge corrugated water tank he had ordered had come complete with a lid to keep leaves and dirt out.

That night Bendler slept under the wagon again because the tent was full of all his things.

The next day he began to build a mud brick house. The horse hated the work. First he had to pull the heavy water cart. He did not mind that it was heavy but the water sloshed around and made the harness chafe in the strangest places. Then Bendler had him walking back and forth in a trench of mud and straw. The horse thought that this was a great waste of good straw. Still the mud was cool.

After two months of sunny weather the outside walls were up, the windows were in and the front door was hung. He was ready to put the roof on. The Iceman, who came once a week with ice for the icebox, kept asking questions.

‘When are you going to put the roof on?’ And; ’If you don’t have a roof what will happen when it rains?’ And a lot of other more personal questions like, have you got a girlfriend? Bendler thought he was beyond nosey.

Then it did rain. Not just ordinary rain but wet-to-your-jocks-fit-to take-a-shower-in, falling over in the mud type rain. And it did not stop. Bendler sat in his tent and was miserable, miserable, and miserable as you could imagine. He watched the rain melt his beautiful house. Bendler was not looking forward to what the Iceman would say about that.

The wind came that night and blew his tent away. Bendler sat in bed with his hat on in the rain and wept. Then he got angry. He crouched in the mud under his bed. The only sheltered place he could find in a hurry and lit the hurricane lantern. Its happy yellow glow made him feel a little better. His eye caught sight of the water tank, the still standing front door of the melted house and the axe.

He grabbed the lantern and the axe and ran to the door. He measured the door using the axe handle. Two and a half handles high and one and a bit wide. He ran to the water tank. Putting down the lantern and taking a strong grip of the axe he let out a wild yell and swung at the tank.

Being very careful not to cut himself on the sharp edges of the doorway Bendler moved his things into the tank. His bed, mostly wet, books mostly dry, stove and some wood and spare clothes. He stuck the chimney of the stove out the hole where water would come in from a roof and lit the stove. After a cup of tea and a change of clothes he felt much better. Even if it was a bit noisy with the rain drumming on the roof. At least he was snug, warm, and dry.

When the Iceman came in the morning he saw that Bendler's watertank had three windows, a door, and a chimney. The house and the tent were both gone. ‘Hope a flood doesn't come.’ He said, looking very serious. ’You might just float away’. Bendler gave him a very dirty look indeed.