She shakes her head, and then stops and winces. She has two bulges of pink flesh where her eyes used to be.
They’re at the bottom of The Tall. It’s smooth-barked, stretching far up into the dazzling sky, and he can see that she cannot climb it again.
From over in the next territory, Strong grunts in their direction. Youngster’s mother doesn’t bother to grunt back. She sits perfectly still, her back against the trunk as though it still somehow provides safety. Strong’s grunts fill their whole territory, but he won’t come down to the ground to find them.
The Bright is disappearing; soon it will be dark and then his mother will be able to see, will take them into the safety of tree and branch, away from this dangerous flat land from which any creature can pounce upon them. They cannot see what is coming, cannot get away from anything that approaches them.
Youngster looks around him and scents the air. The Safe is far lower than The Tall, with rough bark that’s easier to grip. If he can get his mother to go there, perhaps she will be able to climb it. But it’s not close to them.
Come?
She ignores him, holding herself still. He doesn’t know what to do, but every strand of fur on his body vibrates, telling him they cannot stay here.
I’m going. He clambers off her back and onto the ground, shuddering as he meets cold, wet mud. He gambols forwards, hating the feel of the earth squelching under his paws.
Come back!
He ignores her order and bounds another few steps towards The Safe. Maybe she will come if he keeps going.
He hears her stir, sniff, move her head around to try to find him. Where are you?
He doesn’t answer, but stops and sits on his bottom, waiting for her to come. Their trees rise up around them, eight rising trunks that make up their world. The rain falls, scattering through the leaves and landing on his head.
She uncurls herself and lurches forwards onto all fours and he breathes encouragement in her direction. She takes a few slouching steps, then another few.
Then, out of nowhere, a terrible growl rips through the air and he hears the crashing of something large coming towards them.
Run, Youngster! Climb!
It’s not Strong; it’s something much worse. There’s no time to reach The Safe but The Hidden is only a few steps away and he scampers for it in terror, hearing his mother coming behind him, hearing whatever is chasing her just a few steps behind. It gives another guttural snarl as Youngster reaches The Hidden and begins to scramble. He is so slow; he will never climb out of its reach in time. He can smell its hot breath and its hunger and its teeth, and his claws scrabble on the smooth, slippery bark.
Then the creature yelps and suddenly his mother is alongside him and he jumps to her back. She bounds up the smooth trunk in great leaps, faster than he ever could, and the creature below howls its fury at having lost them.
They reach the first fork and stop. The thick branches and leaves of The Hidden hang protectively around them. The creature is circling the tree below them, jumping and barking, but they are out of its reach and now it cannot see them. Youngster is trembling and he can feel his mother shaking too.
He clings to her. What did you do?
Clawed him.
She is so brave! He holds her even tighter, buries her face into his fur. She winces again and he raises his head. A dark red blotch stains the fur on her arm, but she clambers up higher. By feel she finds them a fork and wedges herself into it.
Are you hurt? he asks her.
I felt its teeth.
Youngster shudders.
Sleep now. Soon the Bright will be gone.
He closes his eyes and holds on to her, waiting for the soft darkness. When it comes, she’ll take him higher to feast on new leaf tips, and everything will be right with their world again.
Chapter 7
‘So what does it do, actually?’ Ashley stared at the ball of fur.
Micky had let her inside the enclosure and for a moment Ashley had felt a rush of excitement about seeing her first koala. But the koala was rolled up, eyes shut tight, paws tucked into its chest.
‘Do?’ Micky considered the sleeping koala. ‘I don’t know, Ashley. What do you do, actually?’
Ashley had the feeling she was going to find her aunt really annoying. ‘I mean, does it just sleep?’
‘During the day she sleeps a lot, yes. Koalas are nocturnal. So at night they get more active. But they’re not high-energy creatures. All they eat are gum leaves, which don’t have that much nutrition. So they’re very laid-back. Could probably teach us humans a thing or two.’
‘Can I hold it?’
Micky shook her head. ‘She’s not a pet. She’s a wild animal.’
Ashley looked again at the koala and wanted to laugh. A wild animal! It looked like the most placid creature she’d ever seen. Not to mention boring.
The koala stirred, lifted her head and blinked sleepy eyes in their direction. She raised a claw and reached it around to her back. Micky walked over and gave her a little scratch in the spot she was trying to reach. ‘This is Jemima. She’s a drop bear from three months ago. She’s been treated for disease and she’s due for release back into the colony on the other side of the ridge. I brought her home last week, just before I heard about the cyclone coming, so I’m hanging on to her until the weather gets better.’
‘I thought she was a wild animal. You’re patting her.’
Micky grinned. ‘OK, smarty-pants. Come over slowly so she can hear you, and give her a little scratch on the back like I just did.’
Ashley crossed the enclosure, reached out her fingers and touched the koala’s fur. It was warm and soft, but not as soft as Puppy’s would have been. Jemima seemed to like being scratched, but it was hard to tell for sure. She wasn’t very responsive.
‘I can see how impressed you are,’ Micky said. ‘Now, we need to collect some leaf.’
The wind blew against Ashley’s cheek and she shivered. It was still cold, and she’d only just changed into dry clothes. Surely her aunt didn’t expect her to get wet again?
‘Don’t worry, kid, I’ve got plenty of good rain gear,’ Micky said. ‘But we’d better hurry. The weather’s only going to get worse.’
Ashley followed Micky back to the house and put on the heavy oilskin raincoat her aunt offered her. It hung down below her knees and she felt idiotic. Micky picked up a pair of clippers and a roll of rope and Ashley turned expectantly towards the Argo.
Micky laughed. ‘Sorry, kid. We’re walking. Come on.’
She led the way through a ramshackle garden. Ashley glimpsed vegetables growing higgledy-piggledy in the beds, mixed up with flowers and other plants. They wound their way between heavily laden fruit trees, where bedraggled chickens pecked at the ground, and then out through a gate onto a path.
‘There’s a low-growing swamp mahogany just down the hill where we can collect leaf for Jemima,’ Micky said. ‘Now the road’s cut off, it’s hard for the usual volunteers to get through with the leaf.’
‘Leaf’, Ashley had figured out, meant thin branches and leaves from gum trees for the koala to eat. She’d seen lots of branches and leaves tied to the stump where Jemima was sleeping.
‘How much leaf do you need?’ she asked Micky’s retreating back. ‘She still had plenty, didn’t she?’
‘Koalas are very fussy eaters and need fresh leaf every day,’ Micky said. ‘I’ll be chucking all that leaf out when we get back and giving her the new stuff. We’ve got volunteers who do nothing except collect food for them.’
‘We?’
‘Friends of the Koala. We take sick and injured koalas from the whole district and care for them until they’re ready for release.’
Ashley decided not to ask any more questions. She really wasn’t that interested in koalas and every time she did ask something, Micky took the opportunity to give her a little lecture. She was going to keep quiet and hope that they’d be home soon.
They came out of the p
ath onto a dirt road, where the trees were thinner. Micky pointed. ‘There’s the sea.’
Below them and out beyond a coast several kilometres away, heavy grey sky met a steely grey ocean, which was tipped with white waves right to the horizon. Ashley smelt salt on the wind.
Micky frowned and pointed again. Ashley could only see a grey blur.
‘That’s Byron Bay, hiding in that cloud,’ her aunt said. ‘More weather on the way. Let’s get moving.’
They walked down the road with the wind behind them and turned onto a muddy bush track.
‘Watch out for leeches,’ Micky said. ‘Try not to get one in your eye.’
Ashley shuddered. A leech anywhere would be bad enough, but in her eye? Surely Micky was just trying to freak her out.
She wasn’t going to give her aunt the satisfaction, she decided suddenly. Micky clearly thought that Ashley was just some soft kid from the city who couldn’t live without her mobile phone. Perhaps she could give Micky a surprise or two.
A huge gum tree had fallen right over, blocking the path. Ashley halted. There were plenty of leaves for her to reach and cut.
‘Sorry, kid,’ Micky said. ‘Can’t take leaf from a fallen tree. It’s got to be fresh.’
Ashley rolled her eyes and followed her aunt, scrambling around the branches of the fallen tree.
‘Here we go.’ Micky stopped before a large tree with low-hanging branches and handed Ashley a pair of secateurs. ‘Careful, they’re sharp. Pick the nice new shoots at the ends of the branches. We want several big armfuls — as much as we can carry. And don’t put them down on the ground! I’m just going to look around while you get them, OK?’
As Micky disappeared around the tree, Ashley reached up and pulled a low branch towards her. At the tips there were bunches of pale yellow blossoms, looking ragged and blown about. The sharp smell of gum filled her nostrils as she snipped, tucking the branches into the crook of her arm.
She’d gathered as much as she could hold when the wind smacked against her cheek and she looked up. The massed grey cloud from earlier must have been moving fast — it was nearly upon her. It blotted out the landscape and she was pretty sure that once it reached her, it would be carrying plenty of rain.
She looked around for Micky, but couldn’t see her anywhere. She stood still for a moment, wondering what to do. Should she take the leaf back to the cottage? Or wait, and risk getting caught in the storm?
She heard a faint cry from the far side of the fallen tree. ‘Is that you, Micky?’ she called back. She thought she could hear an answer, but she couldn’t make out any words.
Thunder rolled overhead, a threatening grumble, and a few raindrops spattered on her face. Ashley clambered around the edge of the tree, and then called her aunt again.
‘Here!’ she heard Micky’s reply.
Her aunt was on the ground, clutching her foot, her face pale. ‘Ash! Cripes, I’ve been calling and calling. Couldn’t you hear me?’
‘The wind’s too loud.’ Ashley hurried towards Micky. ‘Are you hurt?’
‘I’ve just gone over on my silly ankle,’ Micky said. ‘I was too busy looking up for koalas and tripped over a branch. What an idiot.’
Ashley hoped Micky hadn’t broken her ankle. How on earth could she help her, stuck out there in the middle of nowhere, with a storm coming, and the road underwater? ‘Do you think you can walk?’
Micky looked grim. ‘I’ll have to. Help me up.’
Ashley went to put down the leaf, but Micky shook her head. ‘We need to take some back. Just give me your hand.’
Ashley transferred the bulky branches into one arm and stuck out her other hand, glad that Micky was slender. Even so, it was hard work getting her aunt standing, and then keeping her balance with Micky’s arm across her shoulder. Ashley staggered and nearly fell over herself — it was incredibly slippery on the wet gum leaves — but at last she managed to balance Micky and the branches.
‘Get me over to the trunk where I can hold something,’ Micky said. Her face had gone even paler. She hobbled next to Ashley for a few steps, then reached out and took hold of one of the branches of the fallen gum. She stood still, breathing heavily.
Raindrops spattered on Ashley’s cheek. ‘Come on!’ she said impatiently.
‘Give me a second,’ her aunt said. ‘If I faint, you’ll just have to get me up all over again. Go find me a stick I can lean on.’
Ashley walked away from her aunt, scanning the ground. The rain was beginning to come down heavily and she felt a trail of water trickle into the neck of her oilskin. The branches of the fallen tree were tossing in the wind and thunder rumbled overhead.
‘Hurry!’ she heard Micky shout.
Ashley found a solid stick that she thought would do and hurried back to Micky. The wind was picking up and she started to feel scared.
Micky put her weight on the stick and then took a step. She winced and bit her lip, then took another step. ‘Right,’ she said. ‘Use the rope to tie up the bundles of leaf. I can sling one over my back and you’ll have to carry the others.’
Ashley could hardly believe what she was hearing. ‘But you can hardly walk.’
Micky wiped her face and tried to smile. ‘No choice, kid. The koala needs it. Now let’s get moving.’
Ashley clumsily knotted the rope around the bundles of leaf. She gave the smallest one to Micky and hung the rest over her back. Slowly, one small step at a time, they skirted the fallen tree and made their way along the track. When they came out on the road, the wind was so strong that Ashley staggered. Rain spattered in her face and she had to squint to keep it out of her eyes.
She turned to look at Micky. Her aunt had stopped and her head was hanging down. Ashley lifted Micky’s bundle from her back and put her aunt’s arm over her shoulder. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘I’ll help you.’
It seemed to take forever to get her aunt close to the house, but at last they limped through the garden gate, wound through the beds and reached the front door. Ashley tramped inside with her muddy boots and dumped the leaf on the table. She went back and peeled off Micky’s oilskin. They wove through the doorway and across the room and Micky collapsed onto the sofa. She lay still, her eyes closed, her face deathly white.
Ashley remembered what her mother had taught her about injuries like this. There was an acronym to remind you what to do — what was it? RICE. That was it. Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. She felt a rush of thankfulness that her mother was a nurse and had thought to tell her such things. She ran over to the small fridge and threw it open. The freezer compartment was tiny, but stuffed inside were several cold packs. She pulled one out, found a tea towel to wrap it in and ran back to her aunt.
‘I’m going to take your boot off,’ she said to Micky.
Micky just nodded. Ashley took a firm grip on the boot. There wasn’t really a way to get it off without hurting, and Micky winced when she twisted it a little, but she finally managed to remove it. She peeled back the sock. The ankle was already starting to swell. Ashley lifted the foot up and put a cushion under it, then laid the cold pack over it.
‘Have you got bandages?’
‘Yes, but go and give Jemima the leaf first, kid,’ Micky said without opening her eyes. ‘I’ll be right for a while. Chuck the old stuff outside the cage. Remember, don’t let the fresh leaf touch the ground. Tie it up where the old stuff was.’
Ashley picked up the bundles of leaf, went back to the door and looked out. The wind seemed even stronger, blowing the rain sideways. She wished she didn’t have to go out in it again — especially not on her own. Surely Jemima could stand one night without food?
Then she looked back at her aunt. She’d vowed to show Micky what she was made of.
Ashley took a deep breath and stepped out into the rain.
Chapter 8
‘Ex-tropical Cyclone Jasper is delivering destructive winds, rains, flooding and tidal surges. Residents of the Northern Rivers are advised to stay indoors, away
from windows, and keep the number of the State Emergency Service handy. Keep your radios on and we will bring you further updates as they come to hand.’
Micky turned the radio down and rested it on the arm of the couch where she was lying. ‘Better hurry up with those windows,’ she said. ‘Sounds bad.’
Ashley ripped the masking tape from the roll with her teeth. She’d tangled up the first few strips, but she had the hang of it now. She spread the tape across the window, making a diagonal line from corner to corner. She tore off another strip and placed it on the opposite corners, making an X-shaped cross.
She peered out into the darkness. There was nothing at all to see — it was pitch black. The only things visible were the raindrops flying close to the house, reflecting the light. The wind howled and whistled, somehow finding its way in through invisible cracks and openings, and Ashley shivered. She could hear the trees roaring all around them. She’d seen the size of the one that came down — it had been huge. What if another one fell on the house?
‘Pull the curtains,’ Micky said. ‘And come away from those windows. They can still shatter, even with the tape.’
Ashley drew the curtains and stepped back as another gust of wind whistled past. It wasn’t only her and Micky in trouble — as night fell and the weather got worse, the whole district was preparing for disaster.
‘I think that soup must be ready,’ Micky said.
Ashley headed to the kitchen bench, ladled out the soup and buttered the toast. She loaded it all onto a tray and carried it over to the sofa.
Micky wriggled aside so there was room for Ashley to sit down, and gave her a smile. ‘You’ve done pretty well, kid,’ she said.
Ashley couldn’t help feeling quite proud of herself, actually. She’d put the leaf out for Jemima, who was waking up for the night. By the time she got back into the house, it was almost dark and the weather was even worse. She’d found the first-aid kit and bandaged her aunt’s ankle, and swapped over the cold packs. Then she’d followed Micky’s instructions and made them some vegetable soup. While the soup was cooking, she’d taped up the windows. She’d wanted to call her mum, but Micky had refused and made her pull the phone out of the wall. Too dangerous during a thunderstorm, she said.
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