Margo Lanagan - Yellowcake

MARGO LANAGAN is an internationally acclaimed writer of novels and short stories. Her collections of short stories have won or been shortlisted for many awards. Black Juice was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, won two World Fantasy Awards and the Victorian Premiers Award for Young Adult Fiction. Red Spikes won the CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, was a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Horn Book Fanfare title, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and longlisted for the Frank OConnor International Short Story Award.

Margos novel Tender Morsels won the 2009 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and her novella Sea-Hearts won the 2010 World Fantasy award for Best Novella.

Margo lives in Sydney. She maintains a blog at

www.amongamidwhile.blogspot.com

and can be found on Twitter as @margolanagan

Also by Margo Lanagan

FOR TEENAGERS AND ADULTS

Short Story Collections

Red Spikes
Black Juice
White Time

Novels

Tender Morsels
Touching Earth Lightly
The Best Thing

FOR YOUNGER READERS

Walking Through Albert
The Tankerman
Wildgame

mARGO

LANAgAN

yellowcake

This collection first published in 2011
Copyright Margo Lanagan 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100
Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218
Email: info@allenandunwin.com
Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available from the National Library of
Australia www.librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au

ISBN 978 1 74237 478 9

Teachers notes available from www.allenandunwin.com

Design by Zo Sadokierski
Set in 11pt Cochin by Zo Sadokierski
Printed in Australia by McPhersons Printing Group

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

For Finn Lanagan-Jonas,
owner and namer of the original Pumfter

Billy flew into the kitchen. The screen door clapped closed after him.

Youre back, said Nance.

Corin looked up from the dishes, to the world reflected in the window. The boy was wild and clammy-looking from running, his clothes every which way and filthy, his chest going with his panting. Nance admired him as he passed.

Just for a minute, he said. Ive got to fetch some stuff.

What stuff? For what? barked Corin automatically.

Just stuff. Any old thing. Three things. This last was tossed back from halfway down the hall.

The boy rummaged in his room, and rattled. Then he was back in the doorway.

You need a haircut, said Corin to the boys reflection.

What are you wild lads up to? said Nance.

Shais brothers got psychic powers. Were doing experiments.

Psychic powers! Well, well, said Nance.

Maybe he can tell you where you dropped that shed key, said Corin.

Not that kind of power, said Billy scornfully.

Of course, not anything useful.

There was a skilful summoning whistle outside.

Ive got to go, said Billy, starting for the door.

Kiss! Nance commanded.

He darted back, kissed her cheek quickly and was gone.

Corin was up to his elbows in suds. Nance, at the table in her glasses, went slowly on through the newspaper. She would suck up all the news, but she would never speak to him about it, as if he didnt have ears or something. As if he didnt have a brain to hear with. As if he might not like to hear, because reading it himself was such a labour.

Whats the boy got there? said Corin, putting his forehead to the window. He brought sudsy hands up to block out the other reflections.

Hes got... Nance looked up and dredged the picture of Billy out of her memory. Hes got Pumfter von Schnitzel, and that ashtray. The one on a stick.

Ah yes, from the old days, when Corin had pleased himself where he smoked. And hes pinched one of those blessed roses on the way out, Corin said. The Zephyr ones. Or whatever silly name theyve got.

Nance licked her fingertip and caught up a corner of the paper. Hmm, she said, reading.

Corin looked over his shoulder at her. Youre not bothered?

Bothered by the rose? He can have a rose. As long as hes not tearing the petals off every bloom.

By any of those things. What if he loses that dog thing?

She looked up at him, dragging her mind back from wherever to hear him. He doesnt need it as much as he used to.

You said youd never find another with quite such a look on its face. You said in the whole basket there were no others with that look. Its an accident, the way his eyes were sewn on.

What a memory. That was years ago. Nance looked properly at him now. You just dont want him playing with those Traveller kids.

My eye, I dont.

Youre not really so bothered about Pumfter.

Maybe not.

Nance went back to the paper.

Corin sudsed on; plates clanked in the sink and then clacked into the rack. He heard his breath adjusting itself to every shift of his anxiety.

Its nearly dark, he said.

Its summer, said Nance in that patient tone he hated.

Its long evenings. You go out there and let your eyes adjust and see how dark it is.

Maybe I should. Maybe I should follow the little bugger and see what theyre up to.

Maybe. There she went again. What she meant was, Of course you shouldnt! Leave the boy to his adventures, you clumsy great berk.

Corin heaved a sigh. He sneaked a look at Nances reflection. Was she smiling? He wouldnt put it past her, to have a smile at his expense. Smug cow.

Where is he, then? asked Billy.

Up on the hill in the reserve, said Shai. Well go up and signal when were near.