Mike Dixon

onto every available tree root to stay in one place. The two
women collapsed gasping for breath. Noelene was the first to
speak.
„Jesus! That was exhausting.‟
She emptied her pockets of mud and turned to Janet.
„We‟re lucky it‟s not a big one.‟
„What do you mean?‟
„I mean like Cyclone Tracy. When I was a kid, in Darwin,
we were hit by Tracy. If this one was like Tracy, we wouldn‟t
stand a chance. We‟d have been blown away by now. Our
house blew apart around us. We only came out of it because
we crammed into the laundry that my dad built. He‟d made it
out of reinforced concrete like it was a bomb shelter.‟
„What about the farmhouse?‟
„That‟s gone,‟ Noelene laughed. „It‟s only the termites and
cockroaches that‟s holding the place together. Everything
else rusted away years ago.‟
„Dave and Humph have gone there,‟ Janet reminded her.
„Shit!‟ Noelene pulled a face. „We‟d better get back as
soon as we can. This wind won‟t keep up forever.‟
avid carried Anne on his back and Humphrey
D trudged behind, shining his torch and doing his best
to protect the child from the wind and rain. She clasped her
arms round his neck and shouted in his ear.
„When will we be there, Uncle David?‟
„Not long now.‟
„Will mummy be there?‟
„No. First we‟re going to see an old man who lives in a
cave. We‟ll be safe with him. The wind won‟t blow his house
down.‟
„You mean like the little piggy? When the big bad wolf
huffed and puffed he couldn‟t blow his house down.‟
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