by Scott Prince
Up ahead, I can see a group of men wearing maroon shirts. No prizes for guessing who they are.
CHAPTER 22
QUEENSLANDER!
The entire Queensland State of Origin team claps as we arrive. We are speechless as these legends applaud the kids from Flatwater State School. Justice plays it cool and walks straight up to the Broncos players in the team, giving them high fives. They know him but they don’t know me. Well, they’ve played footy with Deadly D but they’ve never met Dylan. Justice introduces me to the players, knowing that I’m dying of shame. I keep thinking that they’ll recognise me but they don’t. I just smile at them and keep my head down. I’ve gone red in the face.
Suddenly, a man appears on the stage with a microphone.
“Jingeri, Jingeri, Team Queensland and 6B, my name is Al and I am your host. Welcome to Dreamworld!” he says happily. Al is wearing the same khaki green uniform as the lady with the carpet snake.
“Good morning, Al!” everyone says together.
“Congratulations on being the attendance champions,” he says into the microphone. “For all of your hard work, you will explore Dreamworld with the Queensland team.” Mr Barwick raises his hand and jumps up and down, trying to get Al’s attention. “Yes, sir?” asks Al.
“Can we get the players’ autographs today?” asks our teacher.
“Of course you can,” smiles Al.
“Can we actually talk to them as well?” asks Mr Barwick seriously.
“Yes you can,” replies Al.
“What about photos?” says Mr Barwick. He’s so embarrassing.
“I’m sure that will be fine,” he says.
“What about touching them?” Al looks at Mr Barwick strangely. So does the Queensland team. So does the class. “I mean, like, can we put our arm around them in a photo?” The Queenslanders murmur between themselves and take a few steps back from our teacher. Al pulls a walkie-talkie from his belt.
“Al to security, Al to security, do you copy?”
“This is security Al, we copy you loud and clear,” responds a voice on the other end.
“Please keep an eye on the teacher today. Make sure he doesn’t harass the players,” instructs Al.
“Copy that, 10-4. Rattlesnake out,” says the voice.
CHAPTER 23
THE WEDGIE
Justice and I are having bad luck. At school we got stuck with Taylor in our project group, and today we have Mr Barwick in our group. It’s not all bad, though. We also have Billy Slater, Sammy Thaiday and my favourite player of all time, Jonathan Thurston. It’s getting hot, so we head over to WhiteWater World, Dreamworld’s very own waterpark. Justice and I are wearing our boardshorts and T-shirts, to protect us from the sun. Mr Barwick’s face is covered in white zinc-cream and he is wearing a full wetsuit, as though he is about to go surfing.
When Billy Slater and Jonathan Thurston come out of the changerooms, they are wearing their Queensland training shorts. Then Sammy Thaiday emerges, and Slater and Thurston crack up laughing. Thaiday is wearing tiny fluoro yellow togs that say “NIKE” on the back. With his head of curly black hair, his big muscly body and his minuscule yellow swimmers, he does look pretty funny. Thurston puts his hand on my shoulder.
“Which slide will we go on first, Dylan?” he asks. I’m not sure what to say. My favourite player is actually asking me a question. He’s not asking me my name, which school I go to or anything dumb like that; he’s really asking me which waterslide I want to go on with him.
“That one up there, please, JT,” I reply. I point to a large yellow pipe that spirals around and around before landing in a shallow pool of water. It’s called the Wedgie. JT smiles at me and gives the thumbs up.
“Race you to the top!” he says.
CHAPTER 24
THE WEDGIE PART 2
After running up nearly a hundred steps, we’re at the top of the Wedgie. Well, all of us except for Sam Thaiday. He’s dragging himself up the stairs, hanging on tight to the handrail. I never thought someone as big and tough as him would be scared of heights.
“Hey, Sammy, want me to help you?” yells Mr Barwick from the top platform. Thaiday doesn’t answer. He’s got about ten stairs to go. While we wait, we see other members of our class scream with excitement as they fly down the yellow tube, plunging into the pool below. It looks like fun. Finally, Thaiday has reached the top. Billy Slater is getting restless; he wants to go first.
“OK, guys, watch and learn,” smiles Slater. “Woohooo!” he screams as he launches himself into the pipe. Mr Barwick follows him, speeding along in his wetsuit. Justice gives me a nudge and a wink. He’s planning something, I know it.
“Hey, Sammy,” says Justice. “Want to go next?” Thaiday looks over the platform nervously, watching Mr Barwick shoot out of the pipe and into the pool.
“N-nah, I’m good thanks, mate,” Thaiday stutters.
“Rock, scissors, paper?” smiles Justice. “Whoever wins goes first.” Thurston claps his hands together. He knows what Justice is trying to do.
“OK then,” replies Thaiday, trying to sound brave. Justice and Thaiday put out their fists, ready for action. I start it off.
“1, 2, 3,” I call. Thaiday’s hands opens and he makes the scissors sign with his fingers. Justice’s hand is flat like paper.
“Best out of three,” says Thaiday. I count to three again. Thaiday’s fist is the shape of a rock. Justice has gone with scissors. Sammy Thaiday has won two out of three in the rock-paper-scissors battle. There’s no need for the third attempt. It’s his turn to go down the slide and there’s nothing he can do about it. Thaiday’s knuckles are white with fear. He is gripping the handles at the top of the slide. He looks at the ominous dark bends of the tube ahead of him. Water gushes from the pipes behind him.
“I don’t think I can do this,” he says to no one in particular.
“Come on, Sammy, there are people waiting!” Thurston encourages. Thaiday tightens his grip. Thurston comes up behind him and starts tickling his armpits. “Cootchie-cootchie-coo!” Thurston giggles.
“Stop it!” screams Thaiday.
“You want me to stop this?” asks Thurston, continuing to tickle him. Suddenly, Thaiday lets go of the handles and the jets of water push him forward. He rolls over onto his stomach and tries to catch hold of something, anything, but he is sucked into the pipe.
“I want my mummy!” he yells, terror written all over his face. The rest of us watch as he shoots through the pipe at an incredible speed. We track his shadow from the outside as it spirals down towards the pool. He spins and turns, screaming all the way. With a huge splash, he is finally dunked in the pool at the end of the slide. He hops up, wiping the water from his eyes. Billy Slater and Mr Barwick are laughing like a pair of kookaburras. Everyone is pointing at Thaiday. On the back of his swimmers, the word “NIKE” has changed. Now it only says ‘NE’. I can’t tell you where the “I” and the “K” went, but I guess that’s why they call this waterslide the Wedgie. Bombs away!
CHAPTER 25
THE MYSTERY BEGINS
After Sammy Thaiday and his swimmers recover, Mr Barwick chooses a ride. This one is called the Blue Ringed Octopus. It has eight pipes, so that eight different riders can race one another. On the way up the staircase, Mr Barwick is up to his usual tricks, asking Slater a thousand different questions: Best try? Hardest opponent? Favourite coach? Nicest sports drink? Scrunch or fold? The list goes on. Luckily we reach the top of the stairs and the questions stop.
There is a short wait for our turn. Justice and I look over the railing at the people and rides below. The view is amazing – we can see nearly the whole of Dreamworld from here.
“Hey, look down there, bro!” says Justice, jumping up and down and pointing into the distance.
“Look at what?” I say. Justice grabs me by the head and points my face in the right direction.
“Down there, man!” he yells. He points to a path leading back towards the Australian wildlife sec
tion. I instantly recognise the person he is pointing at. It’s Taylor Neila, all alone. She walks past a “staff only” sign and looks around to see if anyone’s watching. The only people who see her are Justice and me but she doesn’t think to look up. Taylor jumps the fence of the dingo enclosure and walks towards a rusty old ute that the dingos use as a shelter. The dingos walk over to her and begin to howl; there’s probably ten of them, ears pointing up and eyes staring intensely. Taylor doesn’t look fazed, though. She sticks out her palm and says something to them. The wild dogs immediately fall to the ground and go to sleep. Justice and I can’t believe it.
“What on earth is she doing down there?” says Justice, straining forward so that he nearly falls over the railing. Then Taylor opens the bonnet of the ute and hops in! She closes the bonnet above her and she’s gone. This is way too crazy. Justice and I know exactly what we have to do. We need to investigate.
“Next racers!” calls the lifeguard at the end of the platform. He’s sitting on a tall chair and is wearing a yellow shirt and red shorts. He tells us the rules. “Lie belly-down on the mat, head first, no stopping, and only one racer per slide, please.” But Mr Barwick has other ideas.
CHAPTER 26
MR BARWICK’S LAST RIDE
At the top of the Blue Ringed Octopus, Justice and I stand at the openings of the first two slides. Down the other end, at slide eight, Billy Slater is preparing for the race. He is super-competitive. Slater and JT have been talking about this race all morning and by the way Slater is looking at the finish line, you’d think he was in the Olympic Games. Mr Barwick is at the slide next to Slater, also ready to race. The lifeguard is about to let us start.
“OK, racers, take off when I say go!” he yells. We brace ourselves as the lifeguard starts his countdown: “Three, two, one, GO!” he shouts. We launch ourselves down the slides. Billy Slater is a body’s length in front of Mr Barwick and when I look over; I can’t believe what I’m seeing. Mr Barwick has jumped across to Billy Slater’s slide and is holding on to his ankles. The lifeguard is yelling into his walkie-talkie as Mr Barwick screams with excitement, “We’re winning, Billy, we’re winning!” He’s right. The combined weight of Mr Barwick and Billy Slater has given them a speed advantage. In fact, they’re going so fast that they reach the finish line before the rest of us are halfway down. As they splash into the finishing pool, their time flashes up on the screen below:
“5.3 seconds – New World Record!” Mr Barwick is ecstatic, jumping up and down and pumping his fists in the air.
Unfortunately, Mr Barwick’s time to shine is short-lived. Three large security guards approach him.
“Excuse me, sir, step this way, please,” says the biggest.
“What did I do wrong?” asks Mr Barwick. “That’s my best mate, Billy Slater,” he says, pointing to him. “We were only having some fun!”
“You put yourself and your friend’s safety at risk,” replies the security guard.
“He’s not really my friend,” whispers Billy Slater, trying not to hurt Mr Barwick’s feelings. The security guards start to lead Mr Barwick away.
“Give me one more chance, pleeease?” pleads Mr Barwick.
“Sorry, sir, you’ve broken park rules,” says security.
“I wasn’t talking to you!” answers Mr Barwick, sounding annoyed. “Give me one more chance, Billy! Please? Mate? We’ve got a connection – we could be best friends!” Security takes him around a corner and he’s gone.
Justice and I watch on with Thaiday and JT. No one knows what to say.
CHAPTER 27
FREE LOLLIES
The dingo enclosure is just around the corner from the the Blue Ringed Octopus ride. As soon as we get a chance, Justice and I run as fast as our legs will take us. We dodge kids with balloons, mums and dads with prams and even kids from our class.
“Hey, where are you guys going?” yells a girl we know.
“To the lolly shop,” I say, running past her. “They’re giving away lollies – for free!” The girl stops dead in her tracks.
“LOLLIES GIVE-AWAY!” she screams. Our entire class hears and comes running. They try to follow us but we are too far ahead. I grab Justice and duck behind the entrance to the wildlife section.
“Sshh! Stay here and wait until they’re gone,” I whisper. The class runs past, ready to raid the poor unsuspecting lolly seller. When the coast is clear, Justice and I emerge from our hiding spot, sniffing for danger like cautious bilbies. Fortunately, there is no one to be seen. When we reach the dingo enclosure, the animals have woken from their slumber. Some have found shade under a gum tree, some are play-fighting, and two down the back are sniffing their own butts. Nice – good ways!
“How do we get in?” asks Justice. He is staring at the two-metre gap between the wire fence and the rusty old ute. It doesn’t seem like far – but once we jump the fence, those dingos are going to think that we are their chew toys.
“On three, we climb, jump, and run like crazy to the ute. Got it?” I ask. Justice looks slightly confused.
“So do we climb when you say three, or do we climb AFTER you say three?” he asks.
“It doesn’t matter – just do what I do,” I say. I place one foot on the wire chain of the fence and hoist my other leg over. I jump and land on the red dirt of the enclosure. Justice does the same. There’s no turning back now; we’re going to find out what Taylor Neila is up to.
Unfortunately, there is one problem – the dingos have come to play. Din squeeze!
“RUN AND JUMP!” I yell. Justice overtakes me with a look of deathly fear on his face. He springs over the two-metre gap like a champion long-jumper. He’s not used to dealing with Australian wildlife but he knows that dingos aren’t cute and cuddly like koalas. He gets to the ute before I do.
“Now what?” he panics. I’m right behind him and the dingos are right behind me – all ten of them.
“Open the bonnet!” I say. Justice jumps onto the bumper bar. He sticks his hand out towards the dingos like Taylor did and starts chanting.
“Stop and sleep, friend-ly dingos … stop and sleep, friend-ly dingos … stop and sleep, stop and sleep …” he chants. I’m not sure where he got the “friendly” part from because I can hear them growling behind me, stalking me like their prey. The more he chants, the angrier they become. “It’s not working, bro!” he finally cries. “They’re supposed to fall asleep!”
I make a lunge for the bumper bar and grab on. Holding tight, I pull my top half up to the bonnet, pry it open and peer inside. There is a ladder leading down a deep, dark pipe. Just as I lift my legs to climb in, I feel something clamp onto my ankle and drag me backwards. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not today.
CHAPTER 28
DON’T FEED THE DINGOS
Justice is still on the bumper bar, watching helplessly. One of the larger dingos has his mouth around my ankle and is pulling me from the ute. As he drags me along the ground, I can feel my back getting scratched on the red, rocky surface of the enclosure. Justice works up the courage to help me and jumps down, grabbing my arms. As Justice and the dingo play tug-of-war, a larger dingo pounces on Justice and pins him to the ground. Justice can’t move. The rest of the dingos circle us, knowing that their dinner has been served early today. I kick, struggle and try to shake free but I am stuck. When I hear Justice’s cries getting louder, my instincts kick in – my Deadly instincts.
“Hang on, mate!” I yell, feeling my hands and chest shake. My voice has started to change already. “Give me ten seconds. This dingo has really ticked me off,” I growl. I love animals but if this dingo is sensible, it should probably let go now. My arms and chest explode painfully with muscles. “Aaaarghhh!” I yell. I see my quadriceps and calf muscles erupt as hair shoots past my ears and down my back. My clothes are ripped but I don’t care. I pull my leg out of the dingo’s mouth and stand up. Instantly, the dingo knows that I am the dominant one and surrenders by rolling onto its back. I run over to the dingo that ha
s Justice pinned to the ground. I pick it up by the scruff of its neck and growl. It gets such a fright that it pees itself and runs away. The other dingos scatter.
“You OK?” I ask Justice in my deep voice, as I kneel down beside him.
“Of course I’m not OK, bro!” Justice’s eyes are wet; he looks emotional. I scan his body for bite marks or scratches but can’t find any.
“Well, what’s the matter, then?”
“That dingo peed on me, man! Right in the eyeball!”
I help him up and tell him not to take it personally. After all, they are only wild animals.
CHAPTER 29
THE LADDER
The ladder runs down the inside of a tunnel that leads deep underground. From the outside, you wouldn’t even know that it was there. Justice and I check once more to see if anyone is watching. When we close the bonnet, darkness surrounds us. We feel our way down, holding on tight to the metal rungs of the ladder. I go first. It’s a tight squeeze as Deadly D. My large shoulders scrape against the cold concrete walls – but it’s OK; I feel braver than usual. The same can’t be said for Justice. I can hear him breathing nervously above me.
“Just climb down one step at a time, brah,” I whisper. He doesn’t answer. I stop for a moment and wait for him to catch up. Looking down, I can see a dim green glow coming from the bottom of the tunnel. I estimate that there are twenty metres to go.
“You still there?” whispers Justice. Before I can reply, he steps on my hand, which is clinging to one of the ladder rungs.
“Ouch!” I hiss, losing my grip. I hold on with one hand and reach back up with the other. Unfortunately, it is pitch black and I can’t see what I’m doing. I mistake Justice’s shoe for part of the ladder and grab on to it instead. The weight of my body pulls Justice away from the ladder, causing him to tumble down on top of me. I lose my grip completely and before I know it, Justice and I are both falling. I brace myself for impact, knowing that I’ll hit the ground first.