by Sally Morgan
‘Guess what?’ he said, hanging up the phone. ‘Rosy’s okay and so are all the other camels!’
‘What about your mum and dad and Mason?’ asked Mum.
‘Oh they’re fine, Aunty Shirl,’ said Johnno. ‘Mum’s flu has gone away and Dad will be over this evening to pick me up.’
Mum put out some breakfast for the cats, but she made sure Fluffy was on one side of the kitchen and the tom was on the other. Then she set about making breakfast for the rest of us. Granny Mary came over, just as Mum was putting honey toast on the table. Granny Mary’s curly hair was all messed up by the wind, and it made her look kind of wild.
‘That was only a baby cyclone,’ she said, putting a cardboard box on the table. ‘I’ve seen stronger blows from a nose!’
‘What have you got in the box, Granny?’ I asked.
She grinned. ‘Take a look, Charlie!’
I pulled back the lid of the box. Inside was a miserable-looking duck.
‘You were right all along, Charlie!’ laughed Granny. ‘Paddles came home, just like always. But he’s been blown around a bit, poor thing. He’s got a broken wing.’
Tia and Sharni oohed and aahed over Paddles. Then they gave Granny Mary a hug. Mum bustled around making Granny a mug of tea and some more toast.
When Grandpa dropped by a while later to check on us, he took one look at Granny and headed for the front door.
‘Don’t go, Ted!’ Granny sang out. ‘I need your help fixing my Paddles’ wing.’
Grandpa came back in and looked in the box. ‘He’s alive!’ he said.
Granny smiled. ‘Lucky for you that snake of yours never came near my house,’ she said.
Grandpa pretended not to hear her. ‘Reckon I can help you with that wing, no worries,’ he said.
He grabbed some toast, then took Granny and Paddles back to his place.
‘Mum,’ I said, after they left, ‘there’s something important I want to ask you.’
‘What is it, Charlie?’
‘The tom, can we keep him?’
For once my sisters were on my side.
‘Oh please, Mum!’ said Tia. ‘He’s Fluffy’s boyfriend!’
‘I’ll look after the tom,’ said Sharni.
‘No, you won’t!’ I said. ‘I will!’ It was my idea.
‘I really think we have enough pets,’ said Mum.
‘Then I’ll have him!’ said Johnno.
The girls glared at him.
‘You’re not getting him, Johnno!’ snapped Tia.
‘Shame on you, Johnno,’ said Sharni. ‘Fancy trying to separate Fluffy from her boyfriend!’
Suddenly there was a loud knock at the front door.
‘I’ll get it!’ said Johnno.
I think he wanted to get away from the girls. So did I. I followed him.
Johnno opened the door. It was Frank King.
‘G’day, son,’ said Frank. ‘Just popped by to see if you and Charlie had any luck finding Grabber. I’m worried sick he might’ve blown halfway to Woop Woop by now!’
Poor Frank! Grabber might not have sur vived the cyclone.
‘I’m really sorry——’ I said.
But before I could finish, Frank yelled out, ‘Grabber! You found him!’
‘Prrrrrt,’ said the tom behind me. ‘Prrrrrt! Prrrrrt!’
Grabber was a cat?
Frank picked up the tom. ‘Aw, little mate,’ he said. ‘I’m glad you’re okay!’
Mum came down the hallway with Fluffy in her arms. The girls tagged along behind her.
‘Is that your cat, Frank?’ Mum said.
‘Sure is!’ he said. ‘And I owe your boy here a reward for finding him. I see you got your cat back, too, Shirl.’
Mum nodded. ‘Charlie and Johnno found her, but as they were the ones who lost her in the first place, especially Charlie, they won’t be getting any reward from me.’
Aw! What?
Grabber purred and leaned out of Frank’s arms towards Fluffy. Fluffy shrank back from him and hissed. Grabber purred louder.
‘Not again!’ said Frank. ‘He’s a right one for the ladies, this cat.’
‘It’s true love!’ said Sharni.
‘They’ve been hanging out together in the bush,’ I said.
‘That’s where they met!’ said Tia.
Frank said he knew he should’ve got himself a dog, but he’d found Grabber wandering all alone by the side of the road, so he couldn’t resist picking him up.
‘He’s as fierce as a lion,’ he said, ‘but the biggest sook when it comes to people. And lady cats. This is the third time he’s fallen in love like this since I got him. But he always forgets about it as soon as I get him back. He just loves life on the road. Pretty unusual really, for a cat.’
Johnno and me went with Frank to his truck, which he had parked out the front of our house.
The truckie put the cat in the cab. There was a soft rug thrown over the front seat. Grabber curled up on it straight away and started purring. Frank reached into his pocket and pulled out a small treat for him.
‘Bye, lovely boy,’ said Johnno.
‘Bye, Grabber!’ I said.
‘Prrrrrt!’ said the cat.
Frank King went around to the back of his truck.
‘Your grandpa told me about your mum going through your dad’s shed,’ he said. ‘That’s a sad story. There’s something special about a bloke’s shed.’
‘I want to have a shed one day,’ I said.
‘Me too!’ said Johnno.
Frank flung open the back door of the truck. ‘Anyway, it got me thinking,’ he said. ‘And I figured you could either have the hundred bucks reward for finding Grabber. Or you can have this …’
He reached into the truck and dragged out two boxes. They were full of old tools. And they were worth way more than a hundred bucks if they were bought new.
Real blokes’ stuff! I was so happy, I couldn’t speak.
‘He’ll take the boxes, thanks,’ said Johnno.
I grabbed one box and Johnno took the other.
‘See you next time I’m in town, boys,’ Frank said.
We waved goodbye, then car ted the boxes down the side of the house and stowed them on the back verandah. I felt so happy for Dad. He had some fabulous tools at last. All he needed now was a shed to put them in!
Dad and Spike arrived home late in the afternoon. They burst through the front door like Cyclone Betty was after them.
I grabbed Spike and he licked my face all over. He was wagging his tail so hard, he nearly made me fall over. Dad was so happy to be home, he did a little dance in between hugging Mum and the girls. I wondered if he’d found some gold.
Mum gave Dad a big kiss. Then she burst into tears.
‘Fluffy ran away, Jim!’ she said.
She told him how Fluffy had gone missing in the bush for days and days.
‘Poor old Fluffy,’ Dad said. ‘We’ll get you another pet, Shirl. One that’s less vicious, eh? How about a bird?’
‘I don’t need another pet!’ Mum snapped. ‘Fluffy’s back now. I always knew you didn’t like her!’
‘That’s not true, Shirl!’ Dad said. ‘Fluffy’s … lovely.’
Dad was a hopeless liar. Even I could hear the fake kindness in his voice.
Dad put his arm around Mum. ‘Any more bad news, love?’ he said.
He was trying to be sympathetic.
‘Yes,’ Mum smiled. ‘Your shed blew away!’
At first Dad thought Mum was joking. But when he saw the look on her face, he realised she meant it. He dashed out the back door. Johnno and me followed.
‘No!’ Dad said. He stared at the empty space where the shed used to be. ‘Oh crikey, no! It took me years to collect all that gear!’
Poor Dad. I felt so sorry for him.
‘Look, Dad!’ I said. I pointed to the boxes of tools that Frank King had given me. ‘You’ve still got some stuff.’
‘You managed to save something!’ he said. He
bent down and looked in the boxes. ‘I’d forgotten how good my gear was!’ he said. ‘You little hero, Charlie!’
I figured I’d tell Dad the truth later. Right now, I was enjoying being a hero.
Mum and the girls joined us on the back verandah.
‘I’m sorry about your shed, Jim,’ Mum said. She sounded like she meant it.
Dad laughed. ‘Well, I’m not!’ he said. ‘I’ve got good news for all of us!’
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a gold nugget half the size of his fist. Mum gasped.
‘That must be worth a for tune!’ said Tia.
‘It’s the biggest nugget you’ve ever found, Dad!’ said Sharni.
Dad beamed. ‘Got three more, just a bit smaller than this one. There’s nothing like a good fall of rain to bring out the gold! Reckon I’ve got enough here for an even bigger shed!’
Mum took the nugget. She weighed it in her hand and checked it out from all sides.
‘Three more, just a bit smaller than this beauty?’ she asked.
Dad nodded proudly.
Mum smiled. ‘I think you should build a giant family shed, Jim. Then I can store my things in it, too.’
‘If it’s a family shed, then Sharni and me can use it as well,’ said Tia.
‘We could have beauty days in there,’ suggested Sharni. ‘Charlie still owes me a couple of hours painting my toenails.’
Crumbs, I thought she’d forgotten all about it!
For a minute Dad looked sick. Then he cheered up again. ‘Let’s not mess around,’ he said. ‘I reckon there’s enough gold for two sheds. A men’s one and a women’s one. What do you say?’
Mum and the girls hugged Dad.
Boy, did he look relieved.
Dad turned to me. ‘Charlie,’ he said, ‘I gotta tell you, that dog of yours has a nose for gold.’
Spike nuzzled my ear. He knew Dad was talking about him.
Dad reached into his other pocket and pulled out another gold nugget. This one was much smaller than the first.
‘You won’t believe it, son,’ said Dad, ‘but Spike found Australia!’
He dropped the little nugget into my hand. It was the exact same shape as the Australian continent.
‘Crikey,’ Johnno said. ‘Eat your hear t out, Captain Cook!’
I glanced at my sisters. ‘I’m never selling it!’ I said.
They were always after my money. Now they’d be after my nugget, too.
‘That little nugget is special,’ Dad said. ‘I reckon it’s a gift to you from our country, Charlie.’
Spike nosed the nugget, then gave my cheek a big sloppy slurp with his tongue.
‘Thanks, Dad!’ I said.
‘Take care of it, Charlie,’ Mum said. She linked her arm through Dad’s. ‘Come inside, Jim. I’ll make us both a cuppa. We’ve got a lot to talk about.’
The girls followed. ‘Show us the rest of your gold, Dad!’ they squealed.
I could tell there was going to be a lot of squabbling about what to do with any leftover money from the sale of the nuggets.
Just as Dad closed the back door I heard him yell, ‘No, Shirl, not pink! I don’t care if you saw it in a catalogue. I’m not having a whacking great pink shed sitting in the backyard!’
Yeah! Good onya, Dad!
