The Gum Tree Gang and the Mystery at the Old Queenslander

by Marie Seltenrych

  "I'll come." Kevin swallowed the last of his piece of bar.

  "Mm...me too!" Matthew licked his fingers.

  "You're disgusting!" Tracey glared at her brother. "Well, why didn't you bring a face cloth?" Matthew retorted.

  "She did! Here." Krystal threw the torn sheet to Matthew.

  Matthew hesitated as he stared at the sheet. He realised Krystal was trying to get him to dirty the sheet, then he would have to take it home. He took the torn crumpled sheet and wiped his hands and then his mouth. "Now, can you give it a wash too?" He smirked as he handed the grubby sheet to Krystal.

  Krystal felt annoyed inside. She felt like throwing the sheet back at him, but restrained herself, breathing deeply. A Scripture verse came to mind: A meek and gentle spirit is of great worth in the sight of God.

  "It's okay. I'll wash it, and mend it, and give it back as soon as I can." She gritted her teeth as she spoke as sweetly as possible.

  "Hey! it's okay Krystal. I was just kidding. It's an old sheet anyway. You can throw it away if you want. It's yours now." Matthew suddenly felt big-hearted.

  "If you're sure. That'd be great. I hate sewing, andwashing. Thanks Matt," said Krystal, feeling relieved. "Thanks Lord," she whispered.

  "Well, if you two are finished sorting things out, may I ask a question? Are we coming here tomorrow or not?" Tracey asked, standing with her bag at her feet, patiently waiting.

  "I forgot, we've got soccer practice," Matthew whined. "Me too! We've got footie practice, unless it rains," said Kevin.

  "Oh well, Tracey and I will come and bring you a bar if we find one." Krystal lifted her school bag on her shoulders and headed for the door. Tracey heaved her bag with two arms and followed.

  "See ya later." The girls left the two boys behind still licking their lips.

  ~~~~Chapter Twelve~~~~

  Discovery

  Krystal jumped out of bed early next morning and opened the window blinds. The sky looked heavy and grey. It had rained, which meant Kevin and Matthew would be free to come to the old Queenslander.

  She pulled the torn sheet out of her bag and tried to squash it into her little bedside tidy bin. She pushed it down with her foot which almost got stuck. She felt annoyed. They should never have allowed the boys to get involved. It would be nice to have just Tracey and herself again, in their own private adventure.

  She sighed and reached under her bed. She yanked out three socks and a shirt with sticky stuff on it. That reminded her of the yummy bar. She would have loved some but it was almost like stealing. Maybe it was stolen. How could she and Tracey find out if the bars were stolen? Thoughts raced in her head. Maybe having the boys in the 'gang' was not such a bad idea. They were in the same grade as Nathan and Davo. They could help find out if the boys were stealing or not. "That's it," she said aloud. She and Tracey should start up a 'gang' with Kevin and Matthew!

  She stopped cleaning up and raced towards Kevin's room. She knocked quietly on the door, then quietly pushed the door open. He was still sleeping! She crept over to the bed and gently shook his shoulder which was-Whaaa!" Kevin looked startled for a moment. "Go away. It's too early. I'm still asleep." He pulled the doona over his shoulder.

  "Key, I just had a thought. Kevin," Krystal called softly as Kevin shut his eyes again.

  "You ate a stolen bar. A stolen bar," she repeated close to Kevin's ear. Kevin opened his eyes.

  "What do you mean, stolen!" Kevin's eyes were now wide open.

  "Well, why else did they meet in secret. I bet ya the bar was stolen. Bet ya!" She waited for his reaction.

  "You don't know for sure. Well, too bad, it's gone now," he replied sleepily, pulling his doona over his ears and shutting his eyes tightly.

  "Kevin, listen to me." Krystal shook her brother through the soft doona. "You boys can be detectives. You have more chance of tracking those boys than us girls. Find out if they are really pinching chocolate bars. It's up to you and Matthew," Krystal persuaded Kevin. "You can join our 'gang' if you want," she added.

  Kevin lay still for a moment, then turned his head, his eyes opened. "What gang?" he asked, a trifle interested.

  "Our gang. Tracey, you, Matthew and me. We could have codes and missions and all that. We might even stop Nathan and Davo's lives being messed up," she added.

  "It sounds like fun. Yeah, maybe the Lord wants us tohelp Nathan and Davo. I'll talk to Matt after practice." Kevin yawned.

  "It rained! That means footy and soccer are off, so you can get all your jobs done and we can talk about this later at the old Queenslander. Tracey and I are meeting at the ghost gum at two, so can you ring Matt and see if he can come. Well, I'd better get my chores done, and my Bible read, and have brekkie. See ya." Krystal clicked his bedroom door shut.

  ~~~~Chapter Thirteen~~~~

  Meeting at the Gum Tree

  It seemed like five minutes before it was a quarter to two. Mr. and Mrs. Cormack were sitting down relaxing after lunch.

  "It's nice to have a day to relax together," Steve Cormack remarked.

  Krystal and Kevin finished rinsing the lunch dishes.

  "We've done the dishes. May I go and see Tracey now?" Krystal wiped her hands on the little hand towel near the sink.

  The two children had made an extra-special effort to be helpful to their parents today. They could hardly wait to meet at the gum tree.

  "Sure. You've been terrific today, helping with all the jobs around the place. You've earned a break!" Mrs. Cormack smiled approvingly at her two children..

  "MM...I think I'd better give you two a bit more pocket money this week!" Mr. Cormack reached in his back pocket for his wallet. "I'm impressed with my two lovely children." He handed a shiny coin to each of the children.

  "Me, me!" a small voice sounded from the centre of the family room floor. Little Kathy stopped playing with a puzzle when she saw the coins being given out.

  "Oh, and one for Kathy for helping Mummy and Daddy," said Mr. Cormack, handing a silver coin to his littlest daughter.

  "Put that in your money-box for later," Mrs. Cormack suggested.

  "Lata," Kathy repeated as she ran towards her bedroom with the cherished coin.

  "Dad, can I go with Krystal as well - to see Matthew?" Kevin asked.

  "I don't see why not, Son. Off you go." Mr. Cormack looked at his wife for confirmation.

  Mrs. Cormack nodded in agreement. "Enjoy

  yourselves. Just make sure to be back by tea-time," she said, smiling at the two children as they headed for their bedrooms to get their gear.

  Krystal and Kevin arrived at the gum tree just after two o'clock. They had brought their back packs which had a torch, pencil and paper, some biscuits and a drink in them.

  Kevin wore his watch, and brought a hammer and nails - just in case!

  Krystal had brought her pocket radio and earphones. She also had her camping knife tucked away in her back pocket.

  The two hid their bikes and stack hats behind the old water tank stand.

  It was a lovely fine afternoon after the morning rain. The ground was a bit muddy, so Krystal put her bag on an exposed tree root.

  "I'd love to climb this tree right to the top." She squinted into the speckled sunlight coming through theshaded leaves.

  "You'd have to fight the birds off." Kevin stared at two birds sitting high in the tree. "The kookaburras live there, and I've seen some magpies around too."

  "Mm, we should've kept our stack hats on. I wish those two would hurry up." Krystal put her hand on her head, just in case a magpie came swooping down.

  "Matt said he was helpin' his dad fix a fence for their dog. Maybe he's still helpin'." Kevin pulled a piece of bark off the tree. A large black spider scampered from under it. Kevin stepped back quickly!

  "What time is it?" Krystal asked.

  "Nearly half-past. Maybe we should go over their place and see what's going on. I don't want to stay under a gum tree all day, bird watching..." Kevin was interrupted by Krystal's excited voice.<
br />
  "Looks like they're coming." Krystal eyed two cyclists coming in their direction. "Yup, it's them." She recognised Matthew's green BMX and Tracey's bright pink bicycle with its little carry basket on the front.

  Within moments they reached the gum tree.

  "Hi," they said, greeting each other.

  "Where've you been? We thought you weren't coming." Krystal glared at Tracey.

  "Mum had the day off and asked me to go shopping at Garden City, and we took too long!" Tracey hid her bicycle behind a bush, and put her pink stack hat in the basket. She ran her hand over her hair. "Sorry.""I was helping Dad and we forgot the time. We've fixed the fence. Dad said I did a good job," Matthew added proudly, throwing his bicycle and stack hat into the middle of some bushes.

  ~~~~ Chatper Fourteen~~~~

  Adventures Inside the Old Queenslander

  "Well, we're all here now; let's go inside one at a time. I'll go first." Krystal looked around to make sure nobody was watching. The two kookaburras laughed loudly. "Shh!" Krystal shook her finger at them.

  In a few moments all four were inside the house. It seemed very dark inside at first, but their eyes quickly adjusted to the poorly lit house.

  "Let's check the place out for another exit," Krystal suggested.

  "Yeah. We need to be able to get out quickly. That cupboard was a bit like a prison. I read in books where old houses have secret doors and things. Maybe there's one here. We've got to have another way out." Tracey took out a pencil and paper. She was keen to map the place out.

  "Let's split and start lookin'," said Kevin, as he beckoned to Matthew.

  "Us girls will go into the 'cupboard' room then." Krystal headed that way, followed by Tracey.

  "And we'll check this one." Matthew and Kevin headed towards the room with the fireplace on the left of the entrance hall.

  Tracey walked around the cupboard room, feeling the timbered walls. "There might be a secret passage around here.""Maybe. I'll check out this cupboard again." Krystal studied the way the cupboard was set into a ledge with the ceiling above. She leapt inside, and after a moment peered out at Tracey. "We could try to remove the piece at the top of the cupboard. I think it might lead to the attic. Did Matthew bring a screwdriver I wonder?"

  "He did, actually. I think there's a gap here." Tracey kept her finger in the gap as she spoke. "If you really want me to I'll go and get it for you." She sounded reluctant to leave her find.

  "No, I'll go." Krystal jumped down and headed for the fireplace room where she could hear the boys.

  They were standing near the fireplace, looking up into the chimney hole.

  "Matt, Tracey said you brought a screwdriver; may I borrow it please." Krystal held her hand out.

  Matthew searched in the bottom of his tool box. "Here." He handed it to Krystal. "What're you doin' with it?" he asked.

  "I'm gonna try to get into the attic through the roof of the cupboard. Thanks!" Krystal took the screwdriver and headed back to the cupboard room. She began to unscrew the cupboard ceiling. "Matt, Kevin," she called out. "Please come here. I need help."

  The two boys sauntered in.

  "What's up?" Matthew asked.

  "I've nearly broken my wrist trying to get these screws undone. They're rusted." She handed the screwdriver toMatthew. "Can you please try?"

  "Okay," said Matthew, leaping up into the cupboard, and almost knocking Krystal over in his enthusiasm.

  "I can't see. I need a torch." He glanced towards Kevin, who immediately leaped into the cupboard and shone his torch on the screws.

  Krystal quickly moved aside. "I could've done that." Krystal waved her torch.

  Matthew leaned on the screwdriver and turned it with all his might. "It moved," he said after a moment. "Got it!" A large cloud of dust fell on the three heads, followed by a screw.

  "Got me!" said Krystal, rubbing her forehead where the screw had landed.

  Three faces looked upwards. A Corner of the timber was lower than the others.

  "I did it!" Matthew exclaimed.

  "I helped," said Kevin, shining his torch on the corner.

  "All right.eep helping then," said Krystal encouragingly. "Shine the light."

  Matthew tugged at the edge of the timber.

  Another screw clinked on Kevin's torch.

  Kevin and Krystal put their heads down.

  Krystal put her hands on her head. She didn't want a screw falling into her eyes.

  Suddenly the whole piece of timber crackled and, amidst a cloud of dust, ended up in Matthew's hands.

  The three children covered their faces as another largecloud of dust fell towards them.

  After a minute they looked up. Krystal and Kevin shone their torches. All they could see was black.

  "It's a hole!" Matthew exclaimed.

  "Where?" Tracey's excited voice came close to the edge of the cupboard. She stared up through the cupboard with an open mouth.

  "You missed the fun. We discovered the Black Hole," Matthew gloated.

  "Don't worry Tracey, you only missed a lot of dust. I'll

  go first; I'm the eldest, and tallest," Krystal announced. She was really keen to get into the attic and see what

  was up there.

  "You can go. But watch out for spiders," Kevin teased. "I love spiders," Krystal retorted.

  "There's probably no spiders, just an odd snake." Matthew stirred Krystal.

  "That does it!" Krystal exclaimed. She leapt up, grabbed the edges of the hole, and pulled herself up. She was not going to be put off by scare tactics.

  Soon she was looking down. She took her mini torch from her pocket and shone it around the new area. As she shone, she started moving along on her hands and knees, and soon only her feet could be seen by the other three.

  "Looks cool," Krystal called out.

  Matthew immediately started climbing into the hole, followed by Kevin.

  Tracey clambered into the cupboard and stood lookingup at the three for a few moments, then hesitantly climbed up. The four were in a row with Tracey next to the hole, her feet dangling into the cupboard.

  "We'll have to be careful to walk on the beams, 'cause we might go through the ceiling. Follow me," Krystal yelled out as she continued her crawl across the rafters.

  The three followed.

  "There's a trapdoor here." They could hear her voice from up the far end of the attic. "It's stuck!"

  Soon the four were sitting around the 'trapdoor'.

  "Let me have a go." Matthew leaned forward and pulled the edge of the door. "It's stuck," he added.

  "That's what I just said. It needs to be pushed to get it free," Krystal repeated.

  "Wonder where it leads to?" Kevin murmured, trying to work out how far they had come. "Why don't Matt and I go and see where it is?" Kevin turned back towards the cupboard.

  Krystal and Tracey agreed and the two boys crawled back along the rafters.

  Krystal turned her torch off and the girls waited while the boys climbed down. They could see faintly without their torches on. Some light seemed to be filtering through the tin roof.

  "Did you find anything in the walls?" Krystal askedTracey as they waited.

  "No, only a few cracks in the timber. I would like to check out the bricks in the fireplace. But this is really cool. Imagine, our secret hideout in the attic," she added in a 'suspense tone'.

  ~~~~Chapter fifteen~~~~

  Party Time

  After a few minutes, they heard the familiar voices say, "We're here!"

  "Where is it?" Krystal yelled out, thumping her foot on the trapdoor.

  "Here," a voice replied.

  "Where's 'here'? At the back of the house?" Krystal yelled, restraining herself from saying something nasty.

  "Oh! On the back verandah. We can't reach. Be back in a minute." Krystal and Tracey heard the boyish voices trail off.

  After a moment the girls could hear excited voices, footsteps and some hammering going on.

  The two boys had g
one to find something to stand on. They found an old wooden crate in the yard and after hammering a few nails in it to make it secure, stood on it. They could now reach the trapdoor quite easily.

  Matthew pushed for a few moments, then he jumped down off the box and Kevin had a go.

  Krystal and Tracey pulled from inside.

  "Use the hammer," Krystal yelled down at the boys.

  "Hammer," Matthew said, handing Kevin the hammer. Kevin thumped at the door, and suddenly they could hear a cracking noise.

  "Is it busted?" Matthew asked as he held the box securely for Kevin."I don't know. It's coming unstuck. Wanna have a go again?" Kevin leapt down from the box. He didn't want to get into trouble for breaking something.

  Matthew climbed onto the box and took the hammer from Kevin. He gave the trapdoor a few gentle taps with the handle of the hammer. The trapdoor creaked again. Dust blew down on Kevin as the trapdoor opened.

  "Got it." Krystal's voice could be heard in the attic.

  Tracey shouted "Hurray".

  Suddenly two heads were looking down through another black hole. Two faces looked upwards. The four grinned. They did it!

  "Let's celebrate," said Tracey happily. "I brought something special. They're in my bag in the room with the cupboard. I'll go back and get them." She started making her way back along the beams.

  "Trace, please bring my bag too. I've got some biscuits, and my radio. We can have some music for the party," Krystal suggested.

  Matthew and Kevin decided to try the trapdoor hole for size. In a moment they were sitting in the attic, legs dangling through the trapdoor.

  "This is like a real adventure," said Matthew happily.

  ~~~~Chapter Sixteen~~~~

  Shopping Plans

  They could hear Tracey dragging something along the beams.

  Krystal quickly switched on her torch and shone along the beams until she lit up a hand and a face.

  "I put the rest of our things in the bottom of the cupboard, just in case anyone comes, and I have here...," Tracey said as she undid the straps of her bag, "some mixed lollies, and a can of `koula'. It's really nice; Mum bought me one when we went shopping; we can share it. I brought four straws," she exclaimed as she produced four coloured drinking straws from her bag.