by Pam Harvey
But how to get them into the car? It was going to take at least half a dozen trips and he was supposed to be on the roof. And then he had an idea. E.D. bolted outside, only vaguely aware of his mother’s shout from the kitchen.
Antonio was already mowing the long grass along the driveway as E.D. raced to the garage and grabbed the largest of the wheelie bins. Fortunately, it was virtually empty, the recycling truck having been only a few days ago.
‘What the—?’ Mario called, stepping aside as E.D. rushed back into the house. On his way past the kitchen, E.D. caught a glimpse of his parents listening intently to the radio. The bin clattered noisily over the wooden floorboards but neither parent looked up. Had something happened? Had the wind changed? Was the fire heading for them now?
E.D. picked up the albums three at a time, and carefully placed them into the wheelie bin. When all the albums were in, he took the first box. Leaning into the bin as far as he could, he gingerly placed the box on top of the albums.
‘Go and get Tony,’ his father called from the doorway.
‘I just wanted to pack the family albums. For Mum,’ E.D. added. Mr De Lugio looked at his youngest son kindly.
‘For all of us,’ he said, ruffling the boy’s hair. ‘But especially your mother. Now hurry. It looks like the fire front is turning.’
E.D. dragged the now much heavier wheelie bin back outside and loaded its contents into the car. As he finished, he saw Antonio talking to a woman dressed in a bright orange uniform down at the front gate. E.D. raced over to join them.
‘I’m telling everyone in the street to get out,’ the woman said, glancing in E.D.’s direction. ‘Have you got any livestock? Pets?’
‘We’ve got one of these,’ Antonio said, patting E.D. on the shoulder. ‘But he’s not tamed yet.’
‘Is everyone that lives on the property actually here at the moment?’ the young woman asked, ignoring Tony’s attempt at humour. Antonio nodded. ‘Okay.’ She wrote something down on a clipboard. ‘How many?’
‘Um, there’s five of us,’ Antonio replied, shifting his weight onto his good leg.
‘Right, get back inside and tell your parents what I said. One of the trucks will be coming by soon with further announcements.’ The woman made a note then, with a snap of her clipboard, headed back to her vehicle.
‘We’ve got a fire on our doorstep and you’re out here chatting up a woman in an orange uniform,’ E.D. groaned.
‘She was cute,’ Antonio grinned, giving his younger brother a gentle shove. Their banter quickly dissolved as they entered the kitchen.
‘Might be a change of plans, boys,’ Mario said.
‘What?’
‘We’re leaving,’ Mrs De Lugio said, her eyes meeting her husband’s. ‘There’s been a wind change. We just heard it on the radio.’
‘I know,’ Tony interrupted. ‘An SES worker is telling everyone in the street to leave.’
‘We could stay and fight this, Dad,’ Mario said. ‘If we clear that muck out in the back garden there’s nothing for the fire to latch onto. We can save our house. We’ve done the preparation.’
‘No!’ his mother said sharply.
‘Mum. You’ve lived in this house for 30 years. You don’t want it to burn to the ground—everything gone. We can save it! We’ve got water pressure, we’ve got the tanks. Mum and E.D. can take the car and the trailer with the bikes.’
‘No way,’ E.D. said. ‘I’m staying too.’
‘Quiet!’ his parents said together.
‘We should all leave,’ Mrs De Lugio said, glaring at her husband. ‘This is not some fight you can win, Mario, just by saying so. You think our flimsy little hoses and cleared patch of garden there can stop this monster?’
‘People do save their homes, Mum. People have a choice.’
‘It is not your choice, Mario.’
‘Silence!’ Mr De Lugio snapped. Someone outside was speaking through a loud speaker and the family moved to the front door to listen.
‘This is the Country Fire Authority. We urge all residents to make your decision to leave immediately or to stay if you have a well-prepared fire plan. The wind shift has caused the front of the fire to turn in the direction of the western edge of town. Those leaving, please make your way to the Teasdale Community Centre. Attention all residents, this is the Country Fire Authority…’ The voice was lost in a sudden gust of wind.
‘Dad?’ Everyone turned to look at Mr De Lugio.
He was quiet for a moment, looking around at his family. After a long pause, he stood up.
‘Mario, Emilio and I will stay and fight. We have a good plan that we made at the beginning of summer and we will stick with it. I’m not going to leave my house vulnerable to looters.’ Antonio looked up sharply. ‘It happens, you know.’
‘You boys. It’s just a game to you,’ Mrs De Lugio muttered, turning and storming out of the room.
‘It is not a game. It is our home, Mama,’ Mario said, following her out. ‘And you know that we have prepared well.’
‘Antonio, you will go with your mother.’ Mr De Lugio turned to the door. ‘The trailer is hooked up. Ring me when you get to the community centre.’
‘Dad, Emilio should go with Mum. He’s the youngest.’
‘Your leg, Antonio: it’s not up to all that we have to do. Emilio is quite capable.’
‘Come on, Dad,’ Antonio said. ‘Mum can drive herself. I can do heaps of things.’
‘Enough!’ his father roared, slamming his fist down on the table. ‘Leave now!’
E.D. went to say goodbye to his mother. Two bikes would be left behind. Mario would be able to take Dad on the big four-wheeler and E.D. would follow on his own motocross bike if they needed to get away quickly.
‘This time tomorrow, you’ll be back here and we’ll all be celebrating that we still have a home,’ E.D. said to his mother as they embraced.
‘Don’t do anything stupid, Emilio,’ she said, her face red and streaked with tears.
‘I won’t,’ E.D. replied.
The sound of sirens filled the air as he watched his mother and Antonio leave. A sudden fear gripped him—how could anything survive a bushfire?
CHAPTER 5
Hannah tried again to contact her mother. Now the phone went straight to message bank. Before, it had rung at least a few times before dropping out, though never long enough for her mother to answer. She picked up her own mobile phone but it wasn’t registering any service.
Sean looked up at his sister. The gyroscope was finished and he held it so tightly Hannah thought he might break it in two. ‘You can’t get through to Mum?’
‘No. It looks like the mobile phone network’s down. And there’s still no one answering at Gabby’s.’ Hannah smiled at her brother but he didn’t smile back. The smile dropped off her own face. ‘Right. We’ve got some decisions to make.’
‘Like what?’
Hannah eyed the dull skies through the window. ‘The fire is probably heading towards Teasdale. But which part of Teasdale? And will it reach here?’
‘What if it does, Hannah? What if the fire is coming this way?’
Hannah opened her mouth, to point out that fires don’t usually come into suburban sections of towns, when she saw Sean’s face. He was nervous. ‘We have to think what to do, Sean. We’ve talked about bushfires at school; every Grade 4 has had a visit to the fire station. Can you remember what they said? That was only last year for you.’
‘I remember they said you had to get out of your house early or plan to stay. But they talked a lot about farms and houses near the bush. We aren’t near the bush, Hannah.’
‘We aren’t right next to the bush but it’s only about four blocks away. If it’s a big enough fire, I guess it could get here. But listen, Sean—we’ve got time to get out. I don’t think we should plan to stay. I don’t really know how to fight a bushfire and I don’t think it’s a good time to start learning.’
‘Should we go to Angus’?’ Sean stoo
d up.
Hannah shook her head. ‘He’s not home either and, anyway, he’s too far away. I think we should go to the police station. We can explain that Mum and Dad are stuck on the highway.’
‘Okay.’ Sean looked around. ‘What should we take with us?’
Hannah went to the kitchen cupboard and took out two water bottles. ‘We have to keep drinking lots of water—I remember the fire officers saying that dehydration is a real danger in fires. Get your backpack. Oh, and put on some long pants and grab a woollen jumper. I remember them saying to keep covered up.’
‘It’s too hot, Hannah. I’ll need more water if I have to wear a jumper.’
Hannah hesitated. She couldn’t quite remember when you had to wear the jumper. ‘I think it’s only if you’re really near the fire. So carry it in your bag, just in case.’
Sean ran to his room to get a backpack. Hannah grabbed hers from the laundry and stuffed it with drink bottles and muesli bars. She put her phone in and, at the last minute, lifted a photo of her mum and dad from the windowsill and stowed it in a side pocket.
‘I’m ready, Hannah.’
‘What have you got in there?’ Hannah pointed at his bulging bag.
‘A jumper. And some other things I couldn’t leave behind.’
Hannah almost took his bag from him but there was something about the way her brother gripped its handle that stopped her. I wonder what I should be taking? she thought. What if the house does burn down? What if my things are destroyed? What will I wish I’d taken with me? She shook her head. ‘I hope it’s not too heavy. We have to go while we can, Sean. I don’t think we have a lot of time.’
They went out the front door and Hannah stopped. The wind was gritty and hot and there was a strong smell of smoke. She looked up and down the road but couldn’t see anyone. Either the neighbours had already gone or they were taking refuge in their houses. Next door, Mr and Mrs Spurr’s house was closed up: they’d gone on holidays two days ago. Hannah wished they hadn’t. Mrs Spurr would know what to do if she’d been around. ‘Come on, Sean. Let’s go. We’ll have to walk.’
They started down the footpath towards town, heading to the centre where the police station was. It was boiling hot and Hannah felt the sweat trickling down her neck. Her backpack was heavy and sticky and rubbed her back through her T-shirt. She took a swig from her drink bottle. I’ve only gone half a block, she thought, and I’m already thirsty.
It took 20 minutes to get to the centre of town. Several cars passed them but none stopped. The people driving them were anxious—you could tell by the way they hunched over the steering wheel and concentrated on the road without noticing anything else. They didn’t even seem aware of the two kids walking along the footpath in the smoke.
‘What’s happening, Hannah?’ Sean stopped to stare at the crowd of people in front of the library.
Hannah frowned. ‘I’m not sure. It looks like people are leaving the library—and in a hurry. I wonder why there are so many people there.’
‘The Hidden Treasures exhibition. Remember, Han?’ Sean slung his backpack off his shoulder and undid it. ‘See? I brought the gyroscope with me.’
‘Sean! No wonder your bag was so bulky.’
‘It’s not that big and I couldn’t leave it behind. It took us all morning to make!’
‘Attention, please.’
Hannah and Sean looked in the direction of the sound. A man in an orange vest was calling through a loud-hailer. ‘Attention. If you could make your way to the community centre in a calm and orderly fashion. Please move along now.’
‘Come on, Sean. Let’s go and see what’s happening.’
They ran to the crowd of people. People were talking among themselves and Hannah heard snippets as they went past. ‘Biggest fire ever…’, ‘Getting close…’, ‘Evacuate’.
‘They’re getting people to go to the community centre,’ Hannah said after listening closer. ‘I guess we should go with them.’
‘Hannah!’
Hannah turned around. The voice had come from the back of the crowd but Hannah knew it straight away. ‘Ling!’
A small, dark-haired girl pushed her way out of the throng of people and ran to them. ‘Hannah, am I glad to see you. I can’t find Gabby!’
‘What do you mean? Where was she?’
‘She was here with me. We went to the exhibition. She got bored—you know what she’s like—so I think she went outside before the opening was over. Then the emergency services came and told us to leave. Have you seen her?’
Hannah shook her head. ‘Maybe she’s gone home?’
‘She wouldn’t go without me. I don’t know where she could be.’
‘Maybe she’s in the toilet,’ said Sean.
‘They’ve got everyone out of the library. They looked everywhere. If she’s anywhere, she’ll be out here.’
‘She can’t be far away,’ said Hannah firmly. ‘Maybe she’s already at the community centre. If she left the library early they might have made her go there straight away.’
Ling rubbed a hand through her hair anxiously. ‘I hope you’re right.’
A sudden shout made them look up. The crowd had thinned but there was still a little group of people around the entrance.
‘I am not going anywhere,’ a woman was shouting. ‘I need to find the thief who has taken the brooch.’
‘That’s Mrs Hastings,’ said Hannah. ‘The librarian. What’s she talking about?’
‘When they went to unveil the brooch, it was gone. Someone’s stolen it.’
‘Oh, no.’ Hannah stared at Mrs Hastings. ‘It was valuable, wasn’t it?’
‘I’d say priceless would be more accurate. Still, they can’t do anything about it now. At the same moment they discovered the brooch was missing, an SES person came to evacuate us. Looks like we’ve got more problems than a stolen bit of jewellery.’
Even during the time they’d been standing together, the sky had darkened. New plumes of smoke rose from the horizon.
‘Come along, kids,’ said a woman with a radio controller in her hand. ‘Walk down to the centre. Don’t forget to give your names to the people at the front before you go in.’
Hannah put her hand on Sean’s shoulder and directed him down the footpath. It wasn’t far to the community centre but by the time they got there, it looked like it was full. Hannah could see a lot of families she knew from school and some shopkeepers from the Market Square. It seemed that they were among the last to arrive.
They stood in a queue to have their names taken.
‘Where are your parents?’ asked the woman behind the desk.
‘I’m staying with my cousin,’ said Ling. ‘My aunt and uncle have gone out visiting some friends just out of town. But I can’t find my cousin. Do you have her name there? Gabby Hunter.’
The woman studied her list carefully and shook her head. ‘There isn’t a Gabby on my list. Don’t worry,’ she added, looking at Ling, ‘the SES are evacuating everyone to this meeting point. When they find her, they’ll bring her straight here.’
Ling nodded.
They walked inside and tried to find a place to sit. Most people had taken up areas of the floor, and rugs and pillows were stretched out everywhere. Sean found a space against the wall and sat down with his legs crossed.
It wasn’t until Ling and Hannah had slid down beside him that Ling spoke.
‘And what if they don’t find her, Hannah?’
Hannah didn’t know what to say.
CHAPTER 6
At Brookwood Stables, Angus backed the last horse off the truck and led it to the empty paddock next to King. He unclipped the lead rope and the horse turned around and galloped to the fence line, neighing loudly. Angus bit his lip, hoping that the frightened animal wouldn’t go straight through the wooden rails, but it propped to a stop, spun around and galloped back again.
‘She’s okay, Angus,’ said Mr Mac. ‘She’ll settle down in a bit. The others are beginning to.’
&n
bsp; They had the four rescued horses in four separate paddocks. Surprisingly, the black mare settled first, putting her head down to smell the dirt and flopping to her knees before rolling over and rubbing her neck along the ground. Angus smiled. The mare was rubbing the sweat from her neck and body—a sign that she was relaxing. Sure enough, when the horse had finished rolling, she stood up, shook the dust off, and started grazing at wisps of hay in the paddock.
Angus looked at the sky. It was hazy and a dirty yellow colour but the smoke on the horizon wasn’t any closer to them than it had been this morning. ‘Do you think we’re safe here, Dad?’
Mr Mac didn’t answer for a moment. He took his hat off and wiped his forehead before jamming it back on his head. ‘I don’t really know, Angus. The wind’s turned once; the fire would have to travel a long way to get here. We’re okay at the moment and I guess that’s all we can think about right now.’ He turned back to the truck and lifted up the ramp. Angus helped him, bolting the platform tight. ‘I’ll go down to the racecourse again and see if there’s anyone else we need to help.’
‘I’m coming too.’
‘No, Angus. You need to stay here and make sure these horses are alright.’
‘But Harry and George will be here soon. You said they were just getting some horse rugs from George’s house.’
Even before he’d finished his sentence, Harry’s four-wheel drive turned down the driveway. It pulled up beside the truck and Harry and George got out. ‘Everything alright?’ asked George, scanning the horses.
‘They’re fine,’ said Mr Mac. ‘I’ve got some more hay in the shed if you want to throw them some. That might make them feel at home.’
George nodded and went in search of the hay.
‘It’s good of you to take them in, Mac,’ said Harry. ‘Our place looks like it’s right in the path of the fire. We got the rugs and some other gear but we didn’t stay long. The smoke was pretty bad. Dad was coughing a lot.’