[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] funny. There s Joel s name next to Robyn s, growing out of the left-hand fork in one of the trees. And now here I am, living on the same branch. 239 eighteen uddenly, he bounds into the caravan. S  Hey, guess what I ve just found? I wave the family tree at him.  Get up on the bed.  What?  Just hop up on the bed, Alice, quickly, and look at the wall. Don t look down. I step up onto the caravan bed and, despite his instruc- tions, immediately look at the ground, following his eyeline. And then I see it. A long, skinny black snake slithering from the doorway towards the kitchen cupboards.  Aaargh!  Shhh. It s fine, Alice. The snake won t hurt you. I just need you to stay up there on the bed, that s all. And don t look. I turn my head to face the wall. Please, please, Saint- Martin-in-the-Fields and Saint Vincent de Paul, make the black snake go away. I m not sure how long I can remain standing on this wobbly mattress. Joel pounds the floor in his boots, and I try not to whimper. Has he just stamped on the snake s head? What happens if you do that? Does the head explode? 240  There you go. I ve got him. No worries, Joel mutters, reassuring himself as much as me. I finally feel brave enough to turn my head, and see him holding a hessian sack at arm s length from his body.  Take it away! I yelp.  One red-bellied black snake to go, Joel jokes, and takes a huge jump off the caravan step, swinging the sack as he goes.  Stay here, Alice. I ll be back. My legs feel as if something is crawling all over them  probably of a reptilian nature  and I am momentarily paralysed. Should I run out of the van or stay where I am? What if the snake has a wife? What if there s another one in here, right now? Or a whole family of them, slithering around under this bed looking for my legs? Joel wouldn t have left me if it wasn t safe. I have to trust him. But maybe I should close the caravan door to be extra safe. Cringing, I step down from the bed, trying to avoid the few feet of lino where the snake was only a few minutes ago. I slam the door, whimper, and get back on the bed. I try not to worry about the fact that Joel seems to have disappeared. What if he s been bitten? Where s my G day Australia handbook? I ve already forgotten what you re meant to do about a snake bite. Do you pee on it, or not pee on it? Suddenly, the handle of the caravan door turns and Joel bolts in, panting.  Smoke! he yells.  That s why the snakes are all out. We have to get out of here.  What?  There s a fire coming. He takes my hand and pulls me out of the van.  I can see smoke down near Wiz s place. 241 On the other side too, which means the fire s already jumped the road. A fire coming? I am about to correct him when I remember where I am living now. It must be a bushfire.  See that cloud? Joel squeezes my hand and makes me look east.  It s bushfire smoke. It s a long way off, but I m worried about the wind changing. I suddenly remember the snake and ask him about it.  I let him go. He s a long way off. Don t worry. But we need to get out of here.  Will all the snakes be trying to escape now? I suddenly feel terrified.  They won t hurt you if you don t hurt them, Joel tries to reassure me, but I ve heard that one before, and all I can think about is a whole army of them slinking down the hill. Joel says Chang has detected the bushfire too, because he s shivering and won t leave my side. Then I blink  there s something in my eye.  Ash. Joel looks worried as he holds out a finger to catch more of it  tiny black specks blowing around in the air.  It s coming from everywhere. Alice  pack a case. We re going to have to bike it, so don t overload yourself. I ll take Chang if you can get him in a rucksack. We ll have to leave Henry and the chickens. I think they ll be okay  but we have to get out.  What about all my stuff from England?  Leave it.  Oh God, Joel. Helena s trunk. My sewing machine. It s everything I have! I feel like crying. 242  We have to go, Alice. Leave the sewing machine  I ll get you another one. Bring your passport, papers, photos, some clothes. I m giving you three minutes.  What? Suddenly I feel like killing him.  Two minutes, now, he says. We run to the vans, puffing in the heat, with Chang following us. For the second time in a few months I find myself grabbing as much as I can of everything that is precious to me. I cram my passport into a plastic bag and stuff in everything else I can see  all the while conscious of Joel yelling at me from his caravan. There. One minute left  and I ve done everything I can. Maybe the bushfire won t get us. Maybe the Mary Quant dress will be okay. Maybe Joel s over-reacting.  Come on. He pulls me out of my van and bundles Chang into the rucksack. He swings him on his back, squashing his head down, but Chang s head pops straight [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl blacksoulman.xlx.pl