The Gum Tree Gang and the Mystery at the Old Queenslander

by Marie Seltenrych

  Krystal breathed a sign of relief. "Thanks again Lord!" she whispered.

  She knew she had to get out of the garage, but how, she wondered?

  Slowly, she felt her way around the bales of hay and carefully along the edge of the garage. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness and now she could see shadowy shapes. She touched something cold! Instantly she withdrew her hand, then realised it must be a doorknob. She felt for the cold thing again; sure enough, it was shaped like a knob.

  Krystal held the knob firmly and turned it. It seemed to move, or was she imagining things. Her hand felt slippery with perspiration. She picked up the edge of her shirt under her jacket and placed it over the knob.

  With a creak the door opened as Krystal turned the knob, pushing against the door with all her strength. She took a deep breath and pushed again. The door opened a little more, and soon there was just enough room for her to squeeze through. Carefully, Krystal wriggled through the opening into the brisk night air. She shivered momentarily, and looked around. It seemed almost bright outside after being inside the dark garage.

  To Krystal's right there was a cottage, with three dimly lit windows. She wondered where Matthew was, and quietly asked the Lord to look after him. In front of her and towards her left were some sort of sheds or outhouses. Her ears picked up a sound unfamiliar to suburbia, the sound of a horse neighing! The sound was coming from the sheds. They must be stables, she thought. That meant they were probably in Burbank or Mount Cotton.

  A large patch of light appeared on the verandah of the cottage. A door was opened, and Morrie's shape could be clearly seen.

  Krystal quickly moved across to the shadows of the stables.

  Morrie came hobbling along, a light bobbing in his hand.

  Krystal moved inside the door of one of the stables as he passed by. She was so close to him she could hear him grunting and breathing heavily.

  He stopped a couple of stalls away and she could hear him mumbling as he did some chores. After about ten minutes the light bobbed past again and Krystal relaxed a little.

  It felt nice and warm inside the stable and it had a friendly smell. It reminded Krystal of her Uncle's farm in Taree, New South Wales. They had visited there a few years ago, and she had learned to ride a lovely mare called Nudge.

  Krystal sat down on some soft hay. It felt good to rest for a moment. She wondered if this horse was friendly like Nudge. She wiggled into the hay. It was a bit prickly, but warm. She wondered what Kevin and Tracey were doing. Were they still waiting for her to return, sitting in the attic?

  Krystal realised she was very tired. It was too dark to see where she was exactly. She decided to wait here until daybreak, then find help. She closed her eyes.

  ~~~~Chapter Twenty-four~~~~

  Who's Next

  Kevin and Tracey had waited for a few minutes, staring at each other and then at the trapdoor through which Krystal had disappeared. They didn't dare speak. They heard a car drive off and voices quieten down.

  "I'll go," Kevin decided. He lifted the trapdoor.

  Tracey's heart felt like it fell to her tummy. She would soon be alone. She didn't stop Kevin as he took his torch and dropped through the hole. She closed the trapdoor with trembling hands. This was terrible, more terrible than anything she could have imagined. First Matthew was gone, then Krystal, now Kevin. "Oh, Lord, help!" She bit her lip to stop herself from crying.

  Kevin crouched near the box they used to get up into the attic from this end. He couldn't see anyone. Maybe they had all left, he wondered, as he darted into the shadows of the verandah. No, there was a dark coloured car in the bushes around the front of the house.

  He must get help, he determined, as he moved slowly along, his eyes peeled!

  He wondered if Krystal was locked in the car?

  Kevin's eyes scanned the shiny metal. Suddenly there was a noise behind him. He stopped. A sharp pain ran through his neck and shoulders. He felt like he was falling through a dark tunnel until everything became black and still. Tracey listened carefully, her ear pressed to the opening of the trapdoor. "Oh, Kevin, don't get caught," she whispered. A dog howled in the distance. Everything seemed too quiet, eerie. It was like everyone who went through the trapdoor just dissolved.

  Tracey longed for her soft bed with its pink doona cover. She always felt so safe there. She pulled her back pack over and put her head down on it. Surely help would come soon. What could she do but wait. She closed her eyes and a flood of tears ran over her nose. "Oh, Lord, help," she sobbed softly.

  ~~~~Chapter Twenty five~~~~

  The Clue

  A noise disturbed Tracey's restless slumber. It sounded like a scraping sound, like bricks moving? Maybe the fireplace was falling down. "No, she mumbled," brushing her hair with her hand, as though she could brush the horrible thought away. But where were Matthew, Krystal and Kevin; why hadn't they returned?

  Tracey reached for her torch, and with bated breath, switched it on. She shone it on her wristwatch. The pink face lit up. It was nearly six o'clock. "Oh no," she moaned. She must have slept for hours. What sort of a friend was she? She felt really annoyed with herself for being so weak. It was up to her to do something.

  Tracey leaned forward and cautiously lifted the trapdoor. Her whole body shook. She felt cold, yet perspiration rolled down her temple. The dawn light was gently melting the darkness of the night. That made her feel safer somehow. The scraping noise had stopped too. Maybe that had only been a possum, she wished hopefully.

  Tracey lowered her back pack and waited as it landed with a thud. Nothing happened. Trembling all over, she jumped down next to the back pack. Her legs felt like jelly as she slowly walked along the verandah. She could hear her soft steps as she moved. Her foot struck something! A possum," Tracey mumbled, glancing down. No, the shape was too big to be a possum. Her heart missed a beat as she fell on her knees and looked at the lump on the ground. "Kevin!" She groaned inwardly. "Oh, Lord, help, please," she cried as she very gently shook the motionless figure. "Please Lord, please Lord, let him be all right."

  ~~~~Chapter Twenty six~~~~

  Seeing Red

  Krystal dreamed on.... Her uncle Brian moved towards her in slow motion, holding the reins of the grey mare, Nudge. She could see herself running to them. Lass, her favourite collie dog brushed against her leg as she moved in what seemed like a movie.

  As she came closer to her uncle, he was really Matthew. "Matt," she called, "Matt." Krystal woke up. She realised she had been dreaming. Where was she? Oh, how she wished she really was on Uncle Brian's farm, but here she was, lying in a stack of hay in some strange place. Something touched Krystal's leg. She quickly brushed it away. A soft 'whimper' could be heard in the half-darkness. She had bowled over a tiny possum. Krystal picked up the little possum and stroked its head. It trembled. She held it close to keep it warm. "What are you doing here; you should be with your mum."

  Its nose wiggled.

  Carefully she stood up, stroking the little creature as she moved. "It must have been dropped and fell through one of the holes in the building," Krystal thought. She decided to put the possum back in the nearest gum tree, just in case its mother came looking for it.

  Cautiously Krystal crept through the stable door. She held the little possum inside her jacket as she crawled along, using the bushes as cover. At the back of the stable was a gum tree. Carefully Krystal stood up and then stretched to place the little possum up on a fork of the tree. It just sat and stared at her. Krystal longed to take the little creature with her but she knew this was the best thing to do for now.

  A sight of the house and the memory of her dream reminded Krystal of Matthew. Was he free now? She must find out where he was and get him away from those ugly men. The day dawned and soon the sun would be shining. She had to find Matthew. "Bye Possie," she whispered as she turned away. She dared not look back at its pleading eyes and twitching nose.

  Krystal moved quietly along the verandah at the back of the house
. Her tummy rumbled. A picture of a bowl of nutty cereal came to mind. She blinked to remove the thought.

  Krystal peered into the windows as she went. The first window was so filthy she could not see anything. She moved on. The next window had a blind, so she tried the next. It was dirty, but one pane of glass was broken. She looked through the hole. She could see a cupboard and a bed. She noticed a red tartan rug over a small shape. "It's the one from the car," she exclaimed softly.

  Under the rug was Matthew, fast asleep, with the white handkerchief still tied around his mouth.

  Krystal's heart skipped a beat. "Matt," she called softly.

  He groaned."Matt, it's me, Krystal," she called again.

  Suddenly there was a shuffling noise. The bedroom door opened, and Krystal recognised the figure of Morrie. She moved away from the window. After a few minutes, she heard the bedroom door close.

  Krystal moved quietly towards the broken pane in the window again. She peeped in and could see Matthew, sitting on the bed. The cloth had been removed from his mouth and he was eating something brown and mushy in a dish. Morrie had left the room.

  "Matt," Krystal called out. "It's me, Krystal."

  Matthew looked towards her voice. He put his dish down, but stayed sitting. Krystal noticed his legs were still tied.

  "He's coming back. Get help!" he said softly, just as the door opened and Morrie hobbled in again with a mug in his hand.

  Krystal ducked down below the window.

  After what seemed like ages, she heard the bedroom door go 'click'. She waited a bit longer, then a car started up. Someone was leaving. She quickly dashed to the side of the house to have a look, but couldn't see who was inside the car. Like a silver streak it moved through the bushy driveway and out of view.

  Krystal cautiously crept to the broken window again and peered inside. Matthew's hands and mouth were retied and the tartan rug was partly over his body.

  Krystal felt her anger rising! She jumped off theverandah and picked up a rock. She climbed up again, pulled the sleeve of her jacket over her hand and covered the rock. She hit the broken pane of glass. A splintering sound made Matthew do a half-flip.

  Krystal instantly moved away from the window and waited. "Someone must've heard," she whispered. Her heart bumped loudly. She waited a minute, then, still shaking, but feeling bold, she picked up another rock and hit the broken pane again.

  The sound of splintering glass made Matthew bury his face in the tartan rug.

  For Krystal, it was a successful blow. The break was now large enough for her to put her arm right through and reach the latch on the window. It was stiff, but she felt very strong even without breakfast. In a moment the window flew open, and she climbed through.

  ~~~~Chapter Twenty-seven~~~~

  Riding High

  Matthew mumbled as Krystal took out her camping knife again, and finished cutting the cords around his feet. The cord was still half cut, where she had started last night. It seemed like a long time ago now.

  In a few minutes the ropes dropped to the floor, and Matthew kicked his legs in the air, mumbling happily.

  "Hold your horses," Krystal scolded, then began to cut the ropes on his hands, and finally the tie around his mouth. "Are you very sore?" she asked, staring at the red marks on Matthew's wrists.

  "Just a bit," Matthew replied gallantly. "But I wish you'd taken the thing off my mouth first, 'cause I wanted to say something."

  "I did that because I figured if you had your feet free, you could make a run for it. It's not much use being able to yell and do nothing else, is it?" she reasoned.

  "I guess so," Matthew agreed half-heartedly.

  "We'd better get going before those guys get back," said Krystal, anxiously looking out the window.

  "I think they'll be gone for a long time, that's why I wanted to say something. I heard the fellow called Cad book a flight on an aeroplane. I think they left me here for dead," Matthew lamented.

  "I don't know about that! There's a horse in the stables. They wouldn't just go and leave the poor thing, wouldthey?" Krystal wondered.

  "Yeah, their horse is probably more important to them than me. Morrie will probably come back. What do we do now?" Matthew asked, walking stiffly around the room, getting used to his leg's movements again.

  "I wonder if they have a telephone here?" Krystal looked around the room. "Where did he make the telephone call from?"

  "He used one of those mobile jobs." Matthew scanned the room as he spoke. He turned the knob of the bedroom door. It was locked. "Looks like they definitely left me for dead. It's a good thing you came along," he said as he pushed against the door with his shoulder.

  The door wouldn't move.

  "We'd better leave the same way I came in!" Krystal began to climb through the opened window.

  Matthew followed as she leapt outside onto the verandah. "Now what?" he asked looking around at the lovely bush setting. "It's a nice place, real bushy. I wonder where we are?"

  "I'm not sure, but it's not too far away from home. The drive was about fifteen minutes, so we should be able to find our way back again." Krystal was already climbing up the large mango tree next to the verandah. "I'll have a look from up here," she yelled down.

  In a few minutes she leapt down again. "It's very thick bush. I think we might have to do a little bit of riding. I hope the horse is friendly!" She began to make her way towards the stables.

  "Hey, wait, someone's coming," said Matthew, as he grabbed Krystal's arm.

  The two crouched down behind the nearest bush.

  "Over there!" said Matthew, nodding his head towards some scrub near the house.

  "Must be Morrie," Krystal whispered. Quickly she felt around for a stone. She picked up one as big as the palm of her hands. "This'll do," she said. She half-stood, then flung the stone as far as she could. They heard a rustle in the scrub as it landed about ten metres away on the opposite side to the figure of what they thought was Morrie.

  "Look over there!" Something large was moving through the bush. "It's not Morrie!" said Matthew happily, "it's just a kangaroo!"

  Krystal stood up, relieved.

  "Krysty, I don't get it. Why did you throw that stone over there."

  "To cause a distraction of course," she replied sharply. "If it had been Morrie he would have gone over there while we made it to the stable. Well, we'd better get a move on. Our parents will be getting up, and there'll be terrible trouble when they find out we're missing." She moved faster towards the stable as she spoke.

  Matthew had to jog to keep up with her.

  As they reached the horse she jerked her head and neighed. "Wonder what's its name? Hello Nudge,"Krystal raised her hand to pat the animal. The horse moved away.

  "I heard Cad call her 'Dilly'," said Matthew excitedly. "Sorry Dilly; I'm a bit silly," said Krystal, still holding

  her hand out. They laughed. It felt good to laugh.

  Dilly made a soft neighing sound, and moved towards

  Krystal.

  "It must be her name!" Krystal exclaimed. She patted Dilly's neck. Dilly relaxed. "Would you like to take two children for a ride, Dilly?" Krystal asked the horse.

  "But there's no saddle here," objected Matthew, looking around. How can we stay on?"

  "We'll ride bareback, and just hang on. Well, it's either ride or walk." Krystal had made up her mind. She was already looking forward to the experience.

  "I don't suppose they have a spare bicycle?" Matthew asked, standing back and waiting as Krystal opened the half-door.

  "I don't think so. Come on Dilly," Krystal coaxed. "Stay still," she commanded, as she scrambled up on the horse's back.

  She looked down at Matthew. He looked small. "There's a good view from here. Come on, I'll give you a hand." She stretched her hand towards Matthew.

  In a few moments Matthew was sitting behind Krystal and hanging on with all his might.

  "It feels great being up here. The whole world looks like it's waking up," Matth
ew looked with awe towardsthe rising sun.

  "Okay, let's go for a ride," said Krystal, giving Dilly a gentle kick with her heels.

  Matthew hung on tightly to Krystal as they bounced along.

  Had Tracey and Kevin gotten help? Had they made it home? Krystal wondered, as Dilly cantered along the dusty track.

  ~~~~Chapter Twenty-eight~~~~

  Blue Goo

  Tracey bent over Kevin's still form, listening for his breathing and heartbeat. "Kevin," she whispered, "it's me, Tracey. Are you okay?"

  He groaned.

  Tracey burst out crying with relief.

  "My neck...it hurts," Kevin moaned, opening his eyes and staring at Tracey. "What happened?" he questioned.

  "I was going to ask you that!" she replied, pulling a hankie out of her pocket and blowing her nose. "We'd better get you to a doctor, and try and make it to the police," said Tracey, with a confidence she was far from feeling.

  "Let's go then!" said Kevin, attempting to rise, and crumbling to the ground again.

  "Let me help," insisted Tracey. "My mum's a nurse, you know. I might be a nurse one day too!"

  She put her arm under Kevin's shoulder and he managed to get to his feet.

  Tracey hung her back pack on her left shoulder, and she supported Kevin with her right arm and shoulder. "There's a light on at Mrs. Potter's place. If we can just make it across the road, we'll ask her for help," Tracey said encouragingly.

  Somehow Tracey felt very strong as they hobbled across the road. She hoped Mrs. Potter was up, and had not just left a light on by mistake. In a few minutes they were knocking on Mrs. Potter's door.

  "Who is it?" a voice said from behind the door.

  "It's Kevin and me, Tracey Roberts! We need help," Tracey replied.

  The door opened about ten centimetres. It was held by a short chain. Part of Mrs. Potter's nose, mouth and one eye stared through the opening. She undid the chain and opened the door.

  "What on earth happened?" She dropped the wooden rolling pin in her hand and reached out to help Kevin. She ushered them into the kitchen and sat Kevin down on a wooden chair with a floral cushion. The kitchen light was dim.