Christine Harris - Audreys Big Secret

Audreys Big Secret

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I love your books. I cant get my eyesaway from them!Greta Owen, age 9

Audreys
Big
Secret

Christine Harris

Illustrations by Ann James

www.littleharebooks.com

Little Hare Books
8/21 Mary Street, Surry Hills
NSW 2010 AUSTRALIA

www.littleharebooks.com

Text copyright Christine Harris 2009
Illustrations copyright Ann James 2009
Cover illustration copyright Ann James 2009

First published in 2009

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Harris, Christine, 1955- .

Audreys big secret / Christine Harris ; illustrator, Ann James.

978 1 921272 53 0 (pbk.)

For primary school age.

Country lifeSouth AustraliaJuvenile fiction.
Stolen generations (Australia)Juvenile fiction.
James, Ann.

A823.3

Cover design by Natalie Winter
Set in 13/18pt Stone Informal by Clinton Ellicott
Printed in Australia by Griffin Press, Adelaide

5 4 3 2 1

To my parents, Glenn and Bunty, who showed me that
we are all brothers and sisters in one big familyCH

For Mandy CooperAJ

Contents

Christine Harris has lived in different parts of South Australia, some of them isolated country areas.

The directions to one of her houses went like this: the first fridge on the right, fifteen kilometres after the last pub. Kangaroos jumped past her kitchen window, and she once found a snake skin in the shed.

She spent much of her childhood in the wild places of her imagination, as a princess in a castle, a pirate on the wild seas, an archaeologist. Even her best friend, Jennifer Hobbar, was imaginary. But Christine only realised this when she tried to visit Jennifers house and had no idea where it was.

Christine believes the Outback draws you back to visit, again and again. She also believes that, with a vivid imagination, you can travel anywhere.

www.audreyoftheoutback.net

Her shadow arms flailed on the bedroom wall.

Audrey dragged a cardigan over her nightgown. Her shadow arms flailed on the bedroom wall. The shadow was bigger than Audrey, as though it had grown without her. She didnt like looking at it and turned her back.

She wriggled her toes on the soft kangaroo-skin rug. Outside it would be cold and dark. Wind hissed dust against the wall, and the hessian curtain blew in. Everything would be coated with red dust in the morning. Earlier in the day, Audreys dad reckoned he could smell rain coming. He had a pretty good nose for weather.

Audrey picked up her shoes, tipped them upside down and shook them. Centipedes played hide-and-seek in shoes, and they had too many legs and a nasty bite.

She wished she hadnt thought about centipedes, but now they were in her mind. Once you thought something, you couldnt unthink it. You just had to wait for it to go away. Sometimes it was a long wait.

Audrey looked over at her little brother, Douglas, asleep in the other bed. His mouth hung open but, for once, he wasnt sucking his thumb.

She picked up the hurricane lamp from the chest of drawers. If she was quick, shed soon be back in bed, warm and safe, under her grey blanket.

The logs in the sitting-room fireplace glowed red. Although the flames had died down hours ago, there was still a hint of wood smoke. As Audrey tiptoed past, a log cracked open, spitting red sparks. She jumped and shot into the small kitchen.

Her parents bedroom door was closed. Mum was tired these days with that baby in her tummy. It must be like having a rabbit under her jumper. Dad reckoned Mums tummy would get even bigger. After the baby arrived, where would all that stretched skin go? Audrey couldnt remember what Mums tummy looked like after Douglas was born.

Audrey opened the kitchen door with her free hand. The wind whipped her long fair hair. Her unbuttoned cardigan flapped. She pulled one side over the other and pinned it in place with her left arm.

Holding out the lamp, she stepped outside. Something in the darkness rattled. Probably the chook pen. Dad kept repairing it, but it still shook when the wind blew.

Careful not to tilt the lamp, Audrey closed the door quietly behind her.

The goats and chooks were asleep. Audrey felt as though she was the only person in the whole world who was awake. She beckoned to Stumpy. He didnt like walking about at night, but he came because he was her friend.

Clouds raced past the moon. The moonlight seemed to turn off and on. Then the sky was totally dark.

Audrey hurried towards the long-drop dunny.

I hope there wont be any spiders, she whispered to Stumpy. Price reckoned there was a huge one in there this morning.

A howl rose above the wind.

Audrey shivered. I dont like the sound of dingoes, do you, Stumpy?

Stumpy shook his head.

Then something moved down by the well.

Audrey stood perfectly still. Wh... whats that?

She peered into the darkness. The lamplight didnt go far and the wind made her eyes water. I saw something move. Fair dinkum, I did.

She blinked dust from her eyes. Her heart pitter-pattered an urgent message: go-back,go-back, go-back-inside.

The clouds over the moon thinned. In the strange, weak light, she saw a pale shape hovering above the ground.

Price! Audrey shoved open the door to her older brothers tiny bedroom at the side of the house. Wake up!

A pool of light from the lamp showed Prices eyes were closed, and he was snoring.

Audrey moved closer and shook him.

The snoring stopped.

Price sat up. His hair stuck out like dry grass. Wassa matter?