Mike Dixon

CHAPTER 40
Homestead
avid threw aside the mosquito netting that hung
D from a frame above his antique bed. The room was
clean and equipped with a washbasin and towel. He cleaned
the sleep from his eyes then inserted his contact lenses.
Somewhere in the rambling dilapidated building a shower
craved his attention. He opened the door to the veranda.
It was a couple of hours past daybreak and the sun cut
through the wooden blinds, assaulting his eyes with a criss-
cross pattern of blinding glare and dark shadow. He put on
his sunglasses and pulled on a hat. The house was perched
on wooden stumps and steps from the veranda led to the
undercroft below.
The undercroft was a common feature in old buildings in
northern Australia. David had heard his grandfather talking
about it. The stumps gave ample headroom and created a
space where things could be stored. David had seen a laun-
dry there when he arrived and suspected the shower was