kce

I ducked back into the bedroom and finished getting dressed.
Through the door, I could hear the kids running around, chattering, and
then a crash.
I stuck my head past the door. ‘What was that?’ I called out.
James raced around the corner. ‘Brian hit his foot on the coffee table
and knocked over a pile of books.’
‘And what else?’ I demanded.
‘Nothing.’
I frowned. ‘You kids clean up whatever mess you’ve made and then
go outside!’
James took off like a shot.
I came out of the bedroom and went into the lounge, where all was in
order. Wendy was seated on the sofa.
‘How are you this morning?’ I asked dully.
‘Good! I got back to town alright, but it was tricky. I had trouble with
the headlights on my rental car.’
I nodded and proceeded to prepare the morning heart-starter. I
brought the coffee plunger into the lounge room with me this time.
Yesterday we’d each had half a dozen cups of coffee, and I didn’t feel like
running back and forth again all day.
‘Have you eaten?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘I don’t eat breakfast. You go ahead.’
I made myself some toast while Wendy set her recorder up. By the
time I’d finished, she was ready and eager to start.
‘Picking up from last night . . .’ she said.
‘Where did I leave off?’ I mumbled.
‘The drive home from Eva’s. You’re just about to run into the UFO.’
‘That’s right. Let me see . . .’
The location was about 15 kilometres from where I’d seen the strange
object on the way into town. The land was covered in inky darkness
outside the cone of the car headlights, and I don’t recall seeing the moon
out.
Unlike during the drive up to Monbulk, I didn’t allow myself to drift
off or lose concentration, because there’s always a danger at night that a
kangaroo or a wombat might come from the side of the road. Suddenly, I