Callie

by Ruth Park

  The man had already heaped many things on Mum’s quilt—the French gilt clock she loved; Dad’s silver trophies; Mum’s turquoise necklace which was the family’s birthday present the year before; a couple of Dad’s shirts. He was now pulling out drawers from the chest and emptying them on the floor.

  Tad let out a shrill growl, and the man turned.

  ‘You hit me!’ he accused, glaring at Gret. ‘Violent little devil!’

  ‘You chased me!’ countered Gret. ‘Pig!’

  ‘Wasn’t going to hurt you. Going to leave tonight,’ muttered the man. A big blue swelling showed under the blood on his head, and he seemed unsteady on his feet. He straightened up and said spitefully, ‘So now I’m going to take what I can. You hit me. Didn’t like that. Violence. Not nice.’

  He hastily gathered the things on the bed into a pillowcase. When Dan saw the silver cup Dad won for the Junior Overland when he was fourteen years old clank into the pillowcase, he boiled with indignation. The Becks had few treasures, but what they had they cherished.

  Dan let loose a remarkable sound. He meant it to be a bellow of rage and defiance, but Callie and Frances, who came in the front door just then, said it was more like an air-raid siren from one of the old war movies. Frances said her eardrums buzzed and her nose felt numb for ages. The man started in alarm.

  Dan surged into the bedroom; so did Tad and so did Gret. It was the first time Tad had bitten anyone. He didn’t care for it, because he was a peaceful dog. Also he felt rather small for biting. He let go the man’s ankle and backed off, looking sheepish.

  It was the first time Dan had put the head of a broom under anyone’s chin, and pushed. The result was remarkable. The intruder flew backwards across the room running on his heels. He collapsed in a corner.

  To her relief, Gret did not have to use the scraper. Still, it was a good thing for waving around menacingly. She felt, however, a few regrets for that big frying pan. It would have been an interesting weapon with which to bail up a burglar.

  The man moaned that he had had enough and only wanted to lie still because of his aching

  head. And indeed, later on it was found that Gret had given him slight concussion with the tin of condensed milk.

  Frances was wonderful. She knew whom to ring and what to do. She was still being wonderful when Mrs Beck panted in.

  ‘I knew Dan wouldn’t ring me at the nursery unless he had something important to say, and I knew he would not run away from a phone and leave the receiver off the hook. So you see, I realised at once that something was wrong. But you’ve all coped very well,’ she said. She did not mention how very worried she had been.

  They watched while their intruder was taken away. He seemed quite pleased to get into the police car.

  ‘Poor young fellow,’ said Heather. ‘Maybe he’s on drugs. Maybe he’s just a lost kind of loner.’

  ‘He was going to pinch Dad’s trophies,’ protested Gret. ‘And your necklace and your clock and…’

  ‘I know,’ sighed Mum. She thought, I hope they won’t be too hard on him.

  ‘I’ll tell you one thing,’ said Frances, who was bossily busying herself around the kitchen, stacking dirty dishes and wiping off the bench and generally being Frances. ‘I’ll tell you one thing, he won’t squat again in a house where there are children.’

  ‘Not children like Gret and Dan, anyway,’ laughed Callie.

  She scruffed up Gret’s short hair. ‘I’m proud of you, you fiend.’

  ‘Wasn’t me,’ growled Gret. ‘It was Dan. He was terrific. He swept that nasty into a corner. It wasn’t me because when I was downstairs I was scared. Real scared.’

  She looked defiantly around as though expecting someone to jeer. Then she added: ‘But when I saw Dan, I stopped being frightened.’

  Dan would have loved to hear Gret say he was a hero, brave as a lion, the best and boldest brother any girl could have. But he knew he would have to make do with what she had said. So he looked as modest as he could.

  ‘Oh,’ sighed Frances, ‘if only Geoff and Roddy and Chris were a bit more like Dan! Why aren’t I lucky like you, Callie?’

  So that was all right.

  Mrs Beck had many questions, but she did not ask them until after Frances had gone home. She knew the answers were family business. First Dan confessed that he hadn’t checked the downstairs windows for weeks. He explained about the dark garden, the shadows, the lurking murderers, even the hairy hand that might have come through the curtains.

  ‘I was afraid,’ he said. When the word was out in the air he felt awful. But Callie cried:

  ‘Who wouldn’t be? I would have dropped dead!’

  ‘I would have gone with you,’ said Gret. ‘You’re such a knucklehead, Dan.’

  ‘We all would have gone with you,’ protested Heather.

  ‘I didn’t think to ask,’ said Dan

  The intruder had levered open the bathroom window. Judging by the mess, he’d been living in the downstairs apartment for days.

  ‘I’d better get someone in to fix that window,’ said Heather.

  ‘No need,’ said Dan. ‘I’ll just nail some boards across the inside, and Dad can fix it when he comes home.’

  He knew he would have some explaining to do, but he wasn’t worried. Dad would understand that a boy sometimes has to grow older before he can be the man of the house. Why hadn’t he realised that before?

  ‘Right,’ said Heather. ‘And now about Gret’s secret!’

  Gret told the story from the beginning, even about the letter to Grandpa. The family listened in silence.

  ‘Dumb,’ murmured Callie.

  Gret fired up. ‘I’m not dumb!’

  ‘I meant me,’ said Callie, rather sadly. ‘Dumb about you.’

  ‘Oh, belt up,’ said Gret, red in the face. But she was pleased all the same.

  They all explored the hidden passage. It was so unexpected, so romantic, that Mrs Beck said they must be the luckiest family in Neutral Bay.

  ‘I can think up so many exciting fancies about it!’ she said.

  ‘And you haven’t even seen the mummified rat yet,’ added Gret proudly.

  ‘Oh, yuk!’ shuddered Callie.

  ‘Never mind your yuk,’ said Gret. ‘I’m going to take it to school at the next Bring and Show.’

  They agreed not to tell Laurens about their adventure until he came home, in case he became anxious and his holiday was spoiled. So Callie couldn’t tell Marius either.

  She sat in her castle writing to him. She couldn’t mention the secret passage between the floors of the old house, in fact she couldn’t mention anything sensational at all, only sports at school, and the way the class loved all the photographs sent from Denmark, and how she longed for summer to come.

  But there was one important thing, important to Callie and perhaps to the rest of the family too.

  You remember my cupola, Marius? I’ve loved it so much. Everyone calls it my castle, and that’s just what it’s been. But since Dad went away I’ve grown up a bit. Everyone has. And now I feel a little old for the castle. I don’t need it any more. But my brother Dan, who’s been the man of the house since Dad went to Denmark—he does need it, I think. So I’m giving it to him from tomorrow.

  All of this is something to do with growing up, though I can’t quite say what it is. But I’ve just been looking at your photo, and I know you’ll understand what I mean.

  About the Author

  RUTH PARK’S award-winning novel, The Harp in the South, was followed by over fifty books for adults and children. Her Muddleheaded Wombat stories were drawn from the characters in her ABC radio serial. She won the Miles Franklin Literary Award for Swords, Crowns and Rings in 1977, and the CBCA Children’s Book of the Year Award in 1981 for Playing Beatie Bow.

  KILMENY NILAND (1950–2009) painted, illustrated and wrote over forty books for children, some of which have become classics. She co-illustrated a number of books with her sister, Deborah Niland, including Mulga Bi
ll’s Bicycle, by Banjo Paterson.

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

  OTHER CHILDREN’S BOOKS BY RUTH PARK

  The Big Brass Key

  Come Danger, Come Darkness

  The Gigantic Balloon

  The Harp in the South

  The Hole in the Hill

  The Muddleheaded Wombat (series)

  My Sister Sif

  Playing Beatie Bow

  Roger Bandy

  The Shaky Island

  The Ship’s Cat

  The Sixpenny Island

  When the Wind Changed

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  Thora is very different from most ten-year old girls. She has a blow hole on top of her head that she hides with a ponytail, scales on her legs, and feet that can appear quite purple. She also has a pet peacock named Cosmo…and a mother who is a mermaid.

  Thora arrives in the town of Grimli, which at first glance looks like many seaside towns the world over. But she soon learns that the sleepy little town is controlled by the devious Frooty de Mare, a fat-cat businessman who hates mermaids.

  Can Thora stop his evil plans? With the help of her new friends Holly, Ricky and Lynne, she’ll certainly give it a go!

  Other books in the series:

  Thora and the Green Sea Unicorn

  Thora and the Incredible Crystals

  The Best-kept Secret by Emily Rodda

  Cecilia says merry-go-rounds are for little kids, but Jo feels there’s something mysterious and not at all childish about the carousel that has appeared overnight in Marley Street. There’s something odd about the beckoning music…something strange about the gleaming horses. And why are certain people able to gain entrance to the carousel while others – try as they will – have to give up and turn away?

  Jo feels she must try to get in. She must buy a ticket – but will she be leading herself and Cecilia into danger?

  Pigs Might Fly by Emily Rodda

  ‘I wish something would happen! said Rachel.

  Afterwards, she would remember what she’d said. And her stomach would give a little jolt and the tips of her fingers would tingle. But at the time she didn’t know what was in store. All she knew was that she was bored. If only something unexpected would happen for a change.

  ‘Maybe it will!’ her father said. ‘And pigs might fly!’

  But he was only teasing. Pigs can’t fly.

  Can they?

  Something Special by Emily Rodda

  Something very strange is going to happen to Sam.

  In the spare room, the room with the stained-glass windows, the second-hand clothes hang in rows, stirring sunlight. Sam walks through the rows, brushing velvety sleeves, touching lace. The clothes are to be sold on Sam’s mother’s stall at the school fete on Saturday. They all carry neat price tags. Everything is ready.

  Sam knows that some of the clothes are Special. Her mother has told her so. But she’s soon to find out just how Special they really are.

  Yes, something very strange is going to happen to Sam this afternoon. Afterwards, she’ll be very tempted to think it’s all been a dream.

  Copyright

  Angus&Robertson

  An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Australia

  Callie’s Castle and Callie’s Family were first published in separate volumes:

  Callie’s Castle by Angus&Robertson in 1974 and

  Callie’s Family by Angus&Robertson in 1988

  This combined edition was first published in Australia in 2010

  This edition published in 2010

  by HarperCollinsPublishers Australia Pty Limited

  ABN 36 009 913 517

  www.harpercollins.com.au

  Copyright © Kemalde Pty Ltd 1974, 1988

  Illustrations © Rafe Champion

  The right of Ruth Park to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.

  This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  HarperCollinsPublishers

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  National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

  Author: Park, Ruth.

  Title: Callie : Callie’s castle and Callie’s family / Ruth Park;

  illustrated by Kilmeny Niland.

  ISBN: 978 0 7322 8921 8 (pbk.)

  ISBN: 978 0 7304 4340 7 (epub)

  Target Audience: For children.

  Subjects: Family – Juvenile fiction.

  Other Authors/Contributors: Niland, Kilmeny.

  Dewey Number: A823.3

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