Month: April 2024

(a striking or amusing remark)

Chapter 26

When Step finally made an appearance downstairs it was Sunday morning.  The others were all seated around the breakfast table, Dr Goodheart, Nurse Smiley, Peter, Tom, Wattle and Rose.  Even Woof was allowed in the kitchen for some strange reason.

“Welcome home,” they all chorused at once.

Step wondered what all the fuss was about but it seemed he was a hero.  All the newspapers had his picture on the front page.  Headlines like “Boy Catches Escapee” and “Step the Superhero” had made him famous, if only for a few days.

Nurse Smiley later explained what had happened to Phineas and his mate.  Of course, Phineas was in big trouble for escaping from gaol, but he was able to prove that he was not the one who shot Sad’s aunt and uncle.  His “mate” was sentenced to 30 years gaol and Phineas was retried and sentenced to five years for armed robbery.  Sad had been hidden under witness protection and could now rejoin his parents.

“And now,” said Nurse Smiley, “We are all going to lead peaceful, boring lives.  I couldn’t stand any more excitement.  I’ve had enough to last a lifetime.”

The last thread still had to be tied.  One day there was a knock at the door.  Dr Goodheart answered and was surprised to be given a flat piece of board by a tall thin policeman.  Following Step’s instructions the police had found their missing car and retrieved Step’s piece of wood.  There was no excuse not to get started on his Explorers of NSW project.

Nurse Smiley found Step in the back garden staring pensively at nothing.

“Anything wrong,” she asked. “You seem very quiet lately.”

“Well,” said Step, “it’s just that Sad has found his parents and Tear has her mother and a new family.  My dad said he would be back when his ship came in but I don’t even know what that means.”

“It means that when the situation is right for him to take you back he will come for you.  Maybe he is travelling and establishing a new life. If he is still with your stepmother he may think you are better off without her. I’m sure he is doing what he thinks is best for you.”

“What worries me is that he won’t know how to find me.  We have moved so many times since he left me on the steps of the Opera Orphanage for Unwanted Children he couldn’t contact me even if he wanted to.”  Step looked sadly at Woof and stroked his head.

“I’m sure he could find you if he really wanted to,” said Nurse Smiley, “and remember, until that time comes we will always be here for you.”

On a dark, wet and windy night two figures walked hand in hand, illuminated by the street lights.  One was tall, with a long overcoat and a hat pulled low over his head.  The other was very small, a young boy dressed in an ill-fitting jacket and long baggy shorts which reached well below his knees.

Step thought back to that fateful night.  He wondered what his father was doing now.  Was he still with that awful stepmother?  Was he able to get a job and move out of the grinding poverty that kept the three of them in perpetual squalor?

Spring arrived.  The trees were in blossom, leaves appeared on the deciduous trees and the days were warm, in the sun at least.  Step was leaving his school when he saw a tall figure he recognised loitering outside the gate.

“Dad….. you’ve come back!”

His dad wore a short-sleeved shirt and no hat.  He stood up straight and looked tanned and healthy.

“Hello, son,” he said.  “I’ve been searching for you for a long time and now I’ve found you. Things have changed since I saw you last.”

Step felt his heart harden.  Where had his father been while he was living in an orphanage?  As far as his father was concerned he could have been dead and he wouldn’t have known anything about it.

“I’m very happy where I am, thanks Dad. I live in a house with loving foster parents and brothers and sisters.  I like my school and my teacher and have lots of friends.  I don’t want anything to change.”

As he said those words Step realised they were true.  He didn’t want to change anything about his life.  He waited to hear what his dad’s response would be.

“I read about you in the paper.  That’s how I found where you live, or at least where you go to school, so I waited outside the gate hoping I might see you. I’m not with your stepmother any more.  She was bad news.  I’ve joined the Navy and will be away at sea for much of the time.  However, I would like to support you as much as I can.  Maybe you can take me to your foster parents and we can work something out? I’d like to see you when I can but if you’re happy with them then that is where you should stay.”

With that, the two figures walked hand in hand towards the terrace house where Step knew he would live until he grew up.  A sudden thought crossed his mind and he turned to his father, grinning.

“Hey, Dad,” he said. “Now I know what it means.  I may not see you all the time, but I will see you ….  when your ship comes in.”

THE END

Chapter 25

“Clutch, always depress the clutch”.  Memories of Peter’s driving lessons came back to Step as the ute gave a feeble shudder.  He stretched his left leg down to the clutch and pushed it in. He checked the gear stick.  It was in neutral. Then turning the key again he heard the engine catch and roar.  Moving the gear lever into first he slowly raised the clutch while pressing the accelerator and breathed a sigh of relief as the car moved forward.  He crept in first gear to the gate where, instead of getting out and opening it he kept driving, pushing it over.  Now to move into second gear and finally third.  He was moving quickly along the dark road, relying on moonlight as he didn’t want to be seen by his pursuers.  For surely they were after him by now.

The car began to hiccup.  Looking at the petrol gauge Step saw with horror that it was on empty.  If only he could find someone else on this lonely road before the ute stopped altogether!

A car came towards him flashing its lights and sounding its horn.  He realised his own lights were turned off, making driving in the dark quite dangerous.  However, the car swished past him and he was alone again on an empty road.

The ute finally came to a standstill in the middle of the road.  Should he run into the bush and hide?  Phineas and his mate were sure to come up behind him at any time.

Step left the ute where it was and began walking along the edge of the road.  Almost immediately he heard a car so jumped behind a thick bush, holding his breath.  The car stopped and he heard two men talking.  It was Phineas and his mate!  Someone tried to start the ute but it was obvious that it was out of petrol.

“I’ll siphon some out of my car,” said the burly man.  “You go look for the kid.”

Step was unsure whether to run or remain hidden. Phineas came closer.  Step could see his big boots.

“Got ya!”  Phineas grabbed hold of Step and pulled him towards the road.

Just then another car arrived.  There were no lights flashing or sirens blaring but to Step’s immense relief it was a police car. Phineas dropped Step like a hot potato but it was too late, both men were handcuffed and pushed into the back of the police car.  Step rode in the front, squeezed between two policemen.  Never had he felt so happy.

It took a while to sort out the mess, as Nurse Smiley called it.  Step was interrogated by the police who found his story incredible but they had no choice but to believe him.  He didn’t know what happened to Phineas and his mate but about an hour after arriving at the police station he was pleased to see Dr Goodheart coming through the door.  Soon he was asleep in the back of the doctor’s car, heading back to Sydney.  He had a vague memory of seeing Nurse Smiley and Tom and Woof before he was carried to his own bed where he sank into oblivion.

When he woke up late on Saturday morning his first thought was for his piece of wood.  Where had he last seen it? Aha! It would be in the police car locked in a shed somewhere in the bush.  He wondered if the police had found it and if he would ever get it back.  Then he fell asleep again.

END OF CHAPTER 25

Chapter 24

Step hoped that the man would stop somewhere and leave the car behind.  After all, a police car was going to be easy to find.  However, the man drove furiously out of the city until Step could see gum trees flashing by the windows when he looked up.

Finally the police car came to a standstill and Phineas opened the door.  A swirl of dust entered the cabin causing Step to sneeze violently.  Phineas looked over to the back and swore loudly.

“Where on earth did you come from?  You’ll have to come with me or you’ll be be lettin’ the cops know my location.”

Fearing for his life at the hands of a convicted criminal, Step half ran and was half dragged into a shed where he was bundled into an old ute which smelt of cigarettes and dog.  Phineas turned the key but the ute only gave a low moan.

“Battery!” he muttered.  Back in the police car he drove close to the ute and then attached some jumper leads to the batteries in both cars.  Diving into the ute he tried the ignition and the engine roared into life.  Removing the jumper leads he drove out of the shed, parked and then drove the police car into the shed, closing the door.

“That should keep them searching for a while,” he exclaimed and leapt back into the ute, which had been running all this time.

Step was frozen with fear but eventually plucked up the courage to ask, “What are you going to do with me?”

“You think I’m going to hurt you, don’t you?  I’m not a killer.  I didn’t shoot that husband and wife although the judge gave me 25 years for a crime I didn’t commit.”

“But Sad saw you.  He testified in court.  He saw your hand and your tattoos.”

“Yes, I was there, but only after the attack took place.  We were only going to rob the place.  My partner got scared and shot two people.  He’s the one who should be in gaol.  That’s why I escaped.  I’ve got to find him and bring him to court.  He’s sitting somewhere nice and comfy while I get 25 years.”

Step didn’t know whether to believe the man as this mysterious missing person had not been mentioned before.

“Why didn’t you tell the judge what happened?”

“My legal counsel said not to.  I realise now he was being paid by my partner to keep him out of it.  I was dudded.”

“I don’t see how you are going to get him to tell the truth.  After all, you are the one the police are after.  When they catch you, your partner will go free.” Step was trying to understand what Phineas planned to do.

“Look, we used to be mates.  A mate doesn’t let his friend go to prison for something he hasn’t done.  I’ve got to talk to him and make him see reason.”

All the while they had been travelling upwards.  The road wound around the cliffs, zig zagging its way to the top.  It was a moonlit night and Phineas kept on only the  parking lights.  Phineas seemed to know where he was going.  Reaching a metal gate, he turned off the lights and opened it wide enough to drive the car through.

“Close the gate, will you,” said Phineas.

Step leapt out of the ute.  Now was his chance to escape but where would he go?  He was curious to see what would happen when Phineas confronted his mate but decided to keep well out of sight when that happened.  After all, if Phineas was correct, the other man had attempted a murder.  What he would do to Phineas was anyone’s guess.

So he closed the gate and went to get back in the ute.

‘Climb in the back,” said Phineas.  “Get under the tarp.  Safer.”

Step did as he was told.  The car drove slowly up a rough driveway.  Peeping out from the tarpaulin he could see a dim light coming from what appeared to be a farmhouse.  As the car stopped the front door opened wide and a burly figure was silhouetted against the light.

“Thought I’d see you sooner or later,” said the burly man.

“We’ve got some talking to do,” said Phineas.

The men disappeared into the house and closed the front door.  Step had to know what was happening so he quietly dropped off the back of the ute and crept up to a window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the men.  Moving around the house he finally heard voices and peered through a chink in the curtain.  To his surprise he saw the two men stretched out on lounge chairs drinking what looked to be bottles of beer.  They appeared to be two mates having a quiet yarn, not two criminals intent on killing each other.

Making his way back to the ute, Step noticed the keys were still in the ignition.  A thought crossed his mind.  If he could start the car and drive it to a town he could get help from the police and direct them to the farmhouse.  He had never driven a car but had watched other people do it heaps of times. Of course he would have to stop at the gate and undo it and then he would have no idea where he was going.  The man in the house would surely have a car and he would follow him.  What would happen if he caught him?

Step saw that he had no option but to try.  He climbed in the driver’s seat and turned the key.

END OF CHAPTER 24

Chapter 23

Weeks went by and no more news about Sad was heard.  Step worried about his friend and hoped that he was just in hiding, maybe with a new identity.

Step’s roommate was Tom, who was in second year at the local high school.  Tom was now a different boy to the one Step was forced to share a room with at the Zipporah Magillacuddy Home.  When Step, Tear and Sad were in trouble for hiding a girl in the attic, Step had to share with the most unpopular boy in the home.  Although he didn’t know it, Step had turned Tom’s life around and despite their age difference, they were now the best of friends.

It was several months into the year and the cool winds of Autumn were blowing leaves along the street as Step walked home from school one Friday afternoon.  He was deep in thought about a project he was working on. He had already been to the local public library to find a book on Australian explorers.  He was planning a relief map of NSW using papier-mache, showing the Great Dividing Range and the major rivers and then painting the path of various explorers in different colours.  It would be about the size of a small table and he was wondering where he could obtain the wood.  He caught sight of Tom at the front gate and discussed his problem. Tom suggested going to the local joinery to look for offcuts and taking the dog for a walk at the same time.

Nurse Smiley and Dr Goodheart had a large, friendly dog called Woof who wasn’t allowed in the house except when going for walks.  Then he would patter along the corridor from the small back yard to the front door, have his lead clipped on and off he would go with one of his owners.  Sometimes Tom was allowed to take him for walks but Step was considered too young to control such a big dog.  He still like to play with him in the garden and was teaching him to shake hands and roll over.

Woof was very excited to be going out, so after letting Nurse Smiley know where they were going, the two boys and dog set off for the timber yard.  The owner was friendly and let them look through the scrap timber for something suitable.  Tom pulled out a piece of three ply that was exactly the right size.

“Now all you need is newspaper, glue and paint,” said Tom.  “I’ll bet Nurse Smiley knows how to make the glue.”

Woof was pulling hard to keep moving.  Tom was holding the wood in his other hand and lost his grip on the lead.  The dog leapt over the piles of timber and ran out the gate of the timber yard.  Tom thrust the wood into Step’s hands and began to chase after the dog.  Not wanting to lose his precious timber Step couldn’t keep up and was soon totally lost in a maze of unfamiliar streets.  How could he find his way home and what would Nurse Smiley say when he told them he had lost both Tom and Woof ?

He thought back to his experience in Tumbarumba after escaping from a farm where he was being held captive.  A policeman had found him sheltering in a doorway and taken him for a night in the police cells.  It was dry and warm in the cell and next day another policeman had driven him back to the orphanage.  All he had to do was find a policeman and he would end up home again.

There was no one around in the narrow lane where he found himself.  In the distance street lights were coming on as darkness fell.  He must find a busy road.  Clutching his wood he made his way towards the lights, searching in vain for a police car.  Finally, pulled up at the traffic lights, was what Step had been looking for.  Lights flashing, with the sign POLICE on the roof, it was a welcome sight.

Step tapped on the window, which opened up in front of him.  Two police, one male and one female, were in the front seats.

“I’m lost,” said Step. “Please could you take me home?”

“Hop in,” said the lady.  “We’ll take you to the station.”

As the lights changed and the car moved forward, a message came over the car radio.

“All units report to 16 Collins Street.  I repeat, all units to report to 16 Collins Street immediately.  This is high priority.”

“We just have to make a detour,” said the male policeman. “Just crouch down in the back seat so no one can see you and you will be all right.”

The two police leapt out of the car after arriving and dashed into a building.  Sirens were wailing all around them.  Step noticed the keys were still in the ignition but the engine was turned off.  A minute later a man jumped into the car and began driving at great speed away from the area.  Peering between the front seats Step saw with horror that the man had a short little finger on his left hand.  The left arm also had a tattoo of a dragon.  Step couldn’t see anything else but surely this was Phineas Crowe, the escaped prisoner!

END OF CHAPTER 23

Chapter 22

It was several weeks into the school term when Byron raced up to Step in a state of great excitement.

“Dad says you can come over and stay for the weekend.  That is, if you want to.  He’s also arranged for Tear to come as well, to keep my sister company. Will you come?  Please, please.”

Step thought back to his last visit.  Byron had behaved in an immature and selfish manner and really spoilt the visit for the others but he seemed to have changed, so Step nodded enthusiastically and said he would check with Nurse Smiley and Dr Goodheart.

On Saturday morning the blue and white Ford Fairlane pulled up outside the terrace house where Step lived.  He scrambled into the back seat while Byron’s dad put his bag in the boot. Bethany and Byron were already there but they still had to go to Tear’s house to pick her up.

Step wondered where Tear lived now and how she was settling in with her new family.  He found out fifteen minutes later as the car pulled up outside a small semi-detached house.  On the front veranda Tear stood beside her mother, who was holding the new baby.  They exchanged hugs and farewells before Tear climbed into the front seat next to Byron’s dad.  She turned to look at the three children in the back seat.

“I can’t believe this is happening.  Lovely to see you again, Bethany and…..Byron.  Oh Step, are you OK? Is everything all right with Nurse Smiley and Dr Goodheart? How is your new school?  How did you find Byron and Bethany?”

“OK, slow down,” said Step. “Everything is fine and Byron goes to my school so we are friends. What about you?  How is your new dad?  Does he treat you well?”

“Oh yes! I have to help a lot with the baby but I enjoy doing that and it gives my mum a break as she is always tired.  My new dad is away at work a lot so I don’t see much of him. He’s promised to be home all weekend to help mum while I’m away.”

The four children chatted constantly on the way to Byron and Bethany’s  house.  They had to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge and drive along windy and hilly roads until they reached the semi-circular driveway in front of the imposing villa.

Step waved to Tear as she disappeared with Bethany.  He wished he could talk to her some more but resigned himself to a weekend with Byron.  He was fearful that it would turn out like last time, with Byron losing his temper when things didn’t go his way.

Byron seemed genuinely different.  He asked Step what he would like to do and didn’t complain even when he lost at some game or other.

Byron turned on the TV.  “I watch the news now so that I can keep up with what is happening in the world.”

The TV screen showed a newsreader talking.  A headline flashed across the screen.    CONVICTED CRIMINAL ESCAPES GAOL

“Quick, turn the sound up,” said Step. “That face looks familiar.”

Sure enough, it was the man who had attacked Sad’s aunt and uncle.  Sad had just testified in court with the result that the man had been sentenced to 25 years gaol.  Apparently the man had hidden in a dirty clothes basket and been carried out to freedom in a laundry truck.

Step quickly told Byron the whole story.  He was worried that Sad might be in danger as the escaped prisoner could be seeking revenge on the boy who put him away.

“He would be too busy trying to escape recapture to hurt Sad, surely,” said Byron. “I wonder if there is anything we can do to help?”

“We can tell Tear and Bethany.  After all, Tear is Sad’s friend, so she might know what we can do.”

Tear was shocked when she heard the news but couldn’t think of any way to help except to warn Sad.

“Maybe we can ask Byron’s dad or mum if we can use the phone?  We need to get Sad’s phone number but only Nurse Smiley would know that.  I say we ring Nurse Smiley.”

Byron’s mum was resting in her room but they found Byron’s dad in his study.  He listened carefully to the story told by Step, with occasional interruptions from Tear and agreed to ring the house where Step lived.

Asking the children to wait outside the glass French doors, he dialled the phone and could be seen talking to someone.  

Ushering them back in the room, he sat down and ran his hands through his hair.

“Nurse Smiley is going to contact Sad’s parents although I’m sure they are aware of the situation.  I think it best if you just try to continue enjoying your weekend as there is nothing you can do.  I’m sure Sad will be protected if necessary.”

Step had to admit he enjoyed his stay with Byron and Bethany.  He realised how much he had missed Tear and was able to spend some time catching up on her news.  However, an uneasy feeling lurked in the back of his mind as he thought of Sad and the danger he might be in.

That feeling became stronger when he arrived back at the terrace house.  The TV was on and Nurse Smiley, Dr Goodheart, Peter, Tom, Rose and Wattle were clustered around it.

“Step,” Nurse Smiley stood between him and the TV screen. “Come into the kitchen with me please.”

She sat him down and held both his hands.

“It seems that Sad has disappeared.  The police think he may have been kidnapped by Phineas Crowe, the man who attacked his aunt and uncle.  Believe me, they are doing everything they can to get him back.”

END OF CHAPTER 22

Chapter 21

As Step walked to his new school with Rose and Wattle chatting just in front if him, he felt the loss of his two friends keenly.  They would be starting school today as well but in another part of the city, making new friends and going home to their parents each afternoon. He hadn’t felt so alone since his father bid a hasty goodbye at the front door of the Opera Orphanage for Unwanted Children all those years ago.  How could he bear the future without his closest friends?  He considered slipping into one of the narrow alleyways and spending the day roaming the area but common sense took over and he resigned himself to what lay ahead.  After all, Miss Smiley had trusted them to get to school on their own and he couldn’t let her down.

Step and the girls would be starting Fourth class. Their new school was much larger than the one at Clifton Beach, so their arrival was not as disruptive and they were spread out across three classes.  Scanning the room for friendly faces, Step was amazed to see a very familiar one glowering in the back row.

It was Byron.  Why would he be going to this school?  He lived in one of the leafy suburbs on the North Shore.  It was a puzzle he intended to solve as he sat down next to the obviously unhappy boy.

Byron looked at him with a snarl on his face but his expression changed to one of surprise when he saw who it was.

“Step!  I’m so pleased to see you!  Mate, you don’t how good it is to see a familiar face.”

Encouraged by Byron’s warm reception Step was about to ask what had happened to him when the teacher demanded silence and began speaking.

“Welcome to 4W at Underbury Public School.  My name is Mr Ward and I am a kind and considerate teacher IF you are a kind and considerate pupil. HOWEVER, don’t think you can try any silly business with me or you will find I have turned into someone who will make your life unbearable.  He caught the eyes of each and every student.  UNDERSTOOD?

“Yes, sir, “ they answered in unison.

Mr Ward handed out exercise books and the morning was spent labelling them and designing title pages.  There was no opportunity to talk as the teacher demanded absolute silence when he wasn’t talking about the year ahead.  He mentioned a school camp and an excursion to the museum.  Maybe, thought Step, this might be a better year than he had expected.  Now that Byron was here, at least he knew someone.

It wasn’t until playtime that he was able to ask Byron the burning question.  What was he doing at Underbury?

Byron looked sheepish.  “I was expelled from my last school so Dad had to find another school that would take me.  He works in the city, not far from here, so he thought he could keep an eye on me.  If I step out of line, he will be here like a shot.”

“What did you do to get expelled?” Step asked breathlessly.  It seemed like a terrible thing to be so bad that you were forcibly ejected from your school.

“I threw a chair across the room and the stupid teacher stood in front of it and broke her hand.  I had no intention of hurting anyone.  I was just really angry because she always blamed me for everything and this time it wasn’t my fault.  She said I stole her purse because I was in the classroom at lunchtime.  I mean, who leaves their money in an unlocked classroom?”

“Did you steal it?” Step asked quietly.

“No, of course not.  And I know who did, but I don’t tell tales, so I got the blame.”

“So were you expelled for hurting the teacher or stealing the purse?

“Both, I s’pose.  I’ve got a short fuse, as you know.”  He grinned at Step. “It wasn’t the first time I was in trouble, so the school said, ‘Enough is enough’ and I was out on my ear.  If I get into trouble at this school Dad is sending me to a strict boarding school where I can only go home for Christmas.”

“Well, its good to have a fresh start and I hope you’ll be my friend because I don’t know anyone here, except Rose and Wattle, and they don’t count because I don’t like them much anyway.”

“We are mates,” Byron put both hands on Step’s shoulders. “You are the only person who ever understood me. Together we will show this school who’s in charge.”

Step wasn’t sure what Byron meant by that but at least he no longer felt alone. Nevertheless he would have to do his best to keep Byron on the straight and narrow. The year ahead was promising to be much more interesting than he had imagined.

END OF CHAPTER 21

Chapter 20

Step was very troubled.  He knew he should be happy for his friends but he felt his whole world was turning upside down.  Sad had visited the orphanage for one day to say he had testified in court and put the bad man back in gaol. Not only that but he was back home with his parents and would be starting a new school next year.  Tear went out for the day with her mother and it looked as though she too might be leaving the orphanage.  To top all that off the Zipporah Magillacuddy Childrens’ Home was to be sold and all remaining orphans were to go to Foster Parents or Group Homes.

Step held little hope that his father’s ship would come in, whatever that meant.  His Step Mother had not wanted him and said that they didn’t have enough money to look after three people so he had to go.  He didn’t want to live in the same house as her anyway as she was cruel to him behind his father’s back.

At least Tom was now friendly and was doing so well at school he was moved out of the class of rowdy children into a much quieter one where he was able to concentrate on his work.

Tear came back from her second outing with her mother bearing some exciting news.

“My mother is having a baby and wants me to come and live with her to help look after it.  Her new husband only just found out about me and said he would never have turned me away if he had known I existed.  I’m moving out next week, as soon as they have my room ready.”

Step forced a smile and wished Tear all the best.  With Sad gone and now Tear about to leave he felt unsure and insecure.  All too soon the school term ended and the remaining orphans stood in the hallway of the Zipporah Magillacuddy Childrens’ Home, small suitcases in hands, ready for the great unknown.  Matron and Nurse Smiley, usually so informative, had told them only that they were going to a Group House.  Maybe even they didn’t know what lay ahead for their young charges.

There were only five orphans left.  All the others had gone to Foster Homes or, in the case of Tear and Sad, to live with their parents. Step and Tom, Rose and Wattle and 15 year old Peter were the children nobody wanted.

Nurse Smiley called them outside to board a minibus.  They travelled away from the sunny coast, past outer suburban blocks until they reached narrow inner-city streets where the houses were joined together in uniform rows.  Each had an upstairs balcony of fancy lacework and a tiny garden in front of an equally tiny verandah.  The minibus stopped outside one of the houses and Nurse Smiley indicated they were to go inside along a dark corridor until they reached a large, brightly lit kitchen with a long dining table in the centre.  Here they all sat down around the table with Nurse Smiley and a strange man.

“May I introduce Doctor Goodheart,” Nurse Smiley began.  “As you know, I was recently married and this is my husband.  He works at the big hospital near here so that is why we have bought a house in this area.  It had to be a big house because…”. She paused and looked around at the orphans with a smile. “While I wanted to keep working as a nurse, we know that married women are expected to be at home.  I certainly didn’t want to just do housework and cook meals every day so we thought if we fostered the remaining orphans it would give me something worthwhile to do and solve the problem of where you will live.  We have three bedrooms upstairs and will turn the downstairs dining room into a bedroom for Peter.  The girls will share and so will Step and Tom.  What do you all think?”

The relief felt by all the orphans was so great that some started crying.  It looked as though everything was going to be all right.

END OF CHAPTER 20

Chapter 19

I suppose you have been wondering what happened to Sad when he went away with the Police Foster Parents?

As you can imagine, he was very, very scared.  As he looked out the window in the speeding car he examined every man walking by who looked like a criminal.  He recalled the attacker was quite short, with greasy long black hair and a scruffy, badly trimmed beard.  On his arms were tattoos of dragons, a heart with an arrow through it and several grisly skulls.

Sad was sure he would know him again because on his left hand his little finger was partly missing at the knuckle. That and a damaged nose with a bend to the right made him quite memorable.

Forcing himself to think back to that dreadful day when his life changed, he remembered visiting his Aunt Gladys and Uncle Ted.  His parents were going on a holiday and his aunt and uncle had enthusiastically offered to babysit Sad for a whole week while they were away.  He liked his aunt and uncle.  They had no children of their own and loved to spoil him, giving him lots of ice-cream and lollies to eat and taking him to parks and beaches whenever he wanted to go.

They were eating lunch one day and Sad was looking forward to his ice-cream, when there was a knock at the door.

“See who that is, will you?” said Aunt Gladys to Uncle Ted.  He lumbered to the door and the next thing Sad heard was a Bang! and a Thud!

“Goodness, what was that?” cried Aunt Gladys.  She raced into the hallway and Sad heard another Bang! and a Thud!

Sad knew that if he ventured into the hallway there would be another Bang! followed by the sound of himself hitting the floor so he quickly hid under the table, which had an oversized cloth reaching almost to the floor. 

He could hear heavy boots approaching the kitchen.  He could see them stop just short of his face.  They were old and brown with loose laces.  He held his breath.  The boots moved away to another room so he made the most of the opportunity to run to the back door.

“Hey!” called a rough voice.  Sad turned and saw the man front on, with his long greasy black hair, his funny bent nose, the tattoos on his arms, and the hand with the short little finger pointing towards him.  In the other hand was a gun, but Sad didn’t wait to see if it had any bullets in it.  He scampered out the back door and ran through the yard, squeezing through a hole in the fence.  On the other side was a bushy hillside where he knew he could hide and not be found. 

Crouched in a burnt-out tree trunk he waited until dark.  Carefully creeping back towards the house he saw there were no lights.  Too scared to go inside he decided to get as far away as possible.  Walking toward the town he kept in the shadows until he reached the railway station.  A train puffed into the station and several people climbed on board.  He followed a family of two grown-ups and two children, pretending to be the little brother.  As soon as they were on the train, he hid in the toilet for at least an hour until he felt safe.  A few people banged on the door but he kept it locked.  Eventually he opened the door and saw that they were pulling into Central Railway Station.  Again, he attached himself to the back of a family and the man at the gate didn’t seem to notice he didn’t have a ticket.

Wandering aimlessly along city streets in the middle of the night, Sad was unsure of what to do except he knew he must stay hidden.  Thoughts of contacting his mother and father were put to one side.  The awful man might shoot them as well.  He just had to become someone else for as long as it took.

That is when he chanced upon the Opera Orphanage for Unwanted Children.  What a perfect place to hide!  If he couldn’t speak, they couldn’t find out who his parents were and so they would be safe.

His plan had worked well until the fire.  As the only person who knew of the danger all the children were in, Sad had to warn them and speak.  However, he still refused to tell Matron or Nurse Smiley anything about his past.

Until now, that is.  He didn’t know the man had been picked up near the crime scene and put in gaol after a court case based on circumstantial evidence.  Then two years later his sister, who lived nearby, said he had been at her house all day and night and only went outside to take out the garbage. Why she didn’t say anything during the court case the police couldn’t determine but the judge decided the prisoner deserved the benefit of the doubt and should be freed.

Sad was a great asset to the police as a witness.  The man was picked up the same day and put back into prison pending a court case.  Sad should have felt safe but he didn’t.  What if the man escaped and came after him?  

The thing that cheered Sad up immensely was the reunion with his parents.  They had kept hoping all this time that he was still alive and their joy was overwhelming.  They kept looking at his face and exclaiming how much he’d grown and then hugging him so tightly he could hardly breathe.  He was allowed to go with them to his old home as the gunman was safely locked up. The other good news was that his aunt and uncle were alive and had made a remarkable recovery from their wounds.

The day of the court case arrived.  Sad was nervous but glad that the time had come to keep this man in jail for a long time.  He hoped he wouldn’t have to look at him but the first thing he was shown was a police lineup of six men.  He was asked to identify the gunman and had no hesitation in naming him, even though his hair was now short and his facial hair removed. He was 100% certain this was the man who shot his aunt and uncle and threatened him with a gun in their home.

The defence counsel tried to say that Sad didn’t actually see the shooting take place and that someone else could have done it.  The man with the gun may have been an accomplice and not been involved in the attack.

However the Crown Prosecutor argued that the bullets found at the crime scene belonged to the gun found in his hand when he was apprehended by police that afternoon so the judge thought that was a good enough reason to lock him up.  

Sad’s life was back to normal but he longed to see Step and Tear.  It was almost the end of the school year, so Sad didn’t have to start at his new school until after the holidays. At last his parents agreed to take him back to the orphanage for one day to see his friends and to inform Matron of all that had happened.  He would have so much to tell them.

END OF CHAPTER 19

Chapter 18

Step and Tear missed Sad very much and hoped he was happy with his police foster parents.  They soon had other worries as men in suits arrived carrying briefcases and marching around with important looking folders.  None of the orphans knew what was going on and most were not too worried but Step and Tear felt an ominous dread creeping over them  as the days went by.  When a group meeting was called by Matron and Nurse Smiley they knew that the news would not be good.

“First I wish to tell you all that you have no need to worry about the news I am about to give you.”  Matron looked around the room with an uncharacteristic smile which had them all worried straight away.

“It seems the State Government has a new policy regarding orphanages.  The feeling is that they are too expensive to run and it is better for children to be with a foster care family.”

“But, but, but, we are all here because the foster families don’t want us,” stammered Tear. “How is that going to change?”

“If the government sells all the orphanages they can use the money to pay foster carers so they will have more incentive to take on a child,” answered Matron patiently.

Step spoke up angrily. “This house was left to us, not the government.  How can they take it away from us?”

“The government is responsible for the repairs and employing the cook , the cleaners and the gardener.  The cost of maintaining an old house like this is just unimaginable.  The experts also feel you would all be happier in a smaller home living like a real family.” Matron paused.

“I also have to tell you that at the end of this year I am retiring and going to live with my sister in the city.”   She looked at Nurse Smiley who blushed self-consciously.

“And Nurse Smiley is going to be married and so will stop working for a living and instead look after her home and husband.”

Step and Tear looked at each other with concern.  The solid sense of security which had enveloped them since their arrival at the Zipporah Magillicuddy Childrens’ Home was gone in an instant.  Visions of mean and nasty foster parents grasping at bank notes filled their heads.

“We must do something,” Tear announced to those around her. “I’m not going without a fight.”

“It’s all hopeless,” Step moaned.  “Matron and Nurse Smiley are leaving anyway. Even if we could save the orphanage who would run it?  Things would never be the same with someone else.”

Tear, however, was determined to do everything she could.  She made flyers to put in letterboxes, borrowing the gestetner machine at the orphanage to run off her eye-catching signs.  She organised petitions in all the local shops so that people could read about their dilemma and sign if they wanted to help.  When Matron called her to her office she wondered if she was in trouble for all the fuss she was causing, but she soon found it was about a different matter entirely.

Matron looked at her thoughtfully before speaking. “This may come as a shock to you, Tear, but I have a letter from your mother.”

Tear sat up suddenly, recalling the day her mother took her out without telling her who she was until she dropped her off at the orphanage late in the evening.  It had been a wonderful day with lots of delicious food, a visit to Luna Park and the pictures.  Her mother had told her she would probably never see her again because her new husband didn’t know of her existence and likely wouldn’t approve.  She wondered what caused her mother to contact Matron.

“Your mother says that she wants to take you out on Saturday.  She says circumstances have changed and she wants to tell you more when she sees you.”  Matron frowned. “I didn’t know you had made contact with your mother?”

Tear looked up guiltily.  “She told me not to say anything.  Her new husband didn’t know about me so she wanted to keep it a secret from everyone.”

“Maybe things have changed for your mother,” said Matron carefully. “Just don’t get your hopes up too much.”

Tear was bursting with excitement all week but she didn’t tell Step because he would feel abandoned if she was planning to leave.  It also dampened her enthusiasm for saving the orphanage because if she was leaving what was the point of saving it?

Tear decided that one of two things had happened.  One possibility was that her mother was no longer with the new husband and was free to claim her daughter back.  The other was that the new husband found out about her and wanted her to be part of the family. That would be nice, she thought.  A happy family of three and maybe later, some brothers or sisters.

Saturday morning arrived bright and sparkling, the blue sea glittering outside Tear’s bedroom window while she dressed. She realised how much she loved this house and how sorry she would be to see it empty and deserted or maybe even demolished to make way for blocks of flats.

No longer did the children line up in rows waiting for the foster parents to examine them.  That belonged to the dark ages of the old orphanage which perished in the fire.  Instead, Nurse Smiley quietly approached Tear in the Rec Room and said there was someone to see her.  Step looked at her quizzically but she just shrugged and smiled as she walked away.

Her mother stood up from her seat, looking much larger than the last time Tear saw her.  She realised her mother must be pregnant and hoped this meant her dream of a proper family might come true.

“Come with me, Tear.  I have so much to tell you, but not here!”  She wrinkled her nose and looked around at the dilapidated house.

Tear walked outside and climbed into a comfortable car.  As she drove, her mother concentrated hard on the traffic and murmured, “Soon all will be explained.”

END OF CHAPTER 18

Chapter 17

Schooldays became more pleasant for the orphans as Miss Apple proved to be a kind and considerate teacher and Sad even mastered Folk Dancing in Kindergarten.

Step and Tear were in class one day when Miss Apple turned on the wireless for the broadcast of “Tales of Many Lands”.  Someone had moved the dial and they caught the start of a news broadcast on another station.

“A man who attacked a husband and wife was released from prison today on appeal after serving two years for attempted murder.  His sentence was overturned on a technicality as there were no witnesses to the attacks and he was able to establish an alibi after the trial.”

Miss Apple quickly changed the station and the familiar music drew the children’s attention to life in India as they listened and studied their worksheets.

On the way home Step casually remarked on the news item.  Sad suddenly froze, rooted to the spot.

“What was his name?”

“I don’t know,” said Step.  “It just said he attacked a husband and wife.  It must have been more than two years ago.  They let him go because nobody saw it happen and now someone can vouch that he was somewhere else at the time of the murder.”

Sad was silent the rest of the way home.  He went straight to his room and lay face down on the bed.  Step looked in on him and asked if he was all right but there was no answer.  He had a sneaking suspicion that it was something to do with the released prisoner but felt unable to help.

“Let’s get hold of a newspaper in the morning,” suggested Tear.  “We might be able to find out more information. I know that Fred the gardener brings the Daily Telegraph with him in the mornings and leaves it on the back step while he works.  He comes back for it when he has his smoko.”

Step and Tear were up very early the next morning.  They met at the back step where the newspaper lay folded neatly on the cement.  The front page screamed loud headlines.

“ Prisoner Let Loose. Missing Witness in Danger”

The article went on to say that the only witness to the attack was a small boy who disappeared shortly after the event.  Police had not been able to trace him but now the suspected attacker was released, the boy’s life was in danger if he was found.

Step and Tear looked at each other. “It must be Sad!” said Step.  “He must have run away from the crime scene and then turned up at the orphanage refusing to speak until the fire caused him to start speaking again.”

“He should be safe here,” said Tear thoughtfully.  “Surely the prisoner wouldn’t suspect he was in an orphanage.”

“I think it’s an obvious place for him to be.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he was checking them all out now.”  Step looked scared.

“We need to make sure this is the person Sad is afraid of,” said Tear, pointing at the black and white photo of a man on the front page of the newspaper.

“What will Fred think if the front page is missing off his newspaper? said Step.

“Maybe the wind blew it away,” suggested Tear mischievously as she tore the picture out of the page.  “Let’s get out of here.”

Five minutes later Sad was staring at the photo with an anguished look on his face but refusing to speak.

“Just nod if you know this man,” said Step.

Sad nodded slowly.

“We have two choices,” said Step.  “One is we hide you in the attic if we see any strange men hanging around or two, we go to the police and they protect you until you testify in court and have him locked up behind bars again.

Tear commented that unless Sad could talk again there wasn’t much point going to the police.

“What do you want us to do?” she asked, looking into his face earnestly.

“Police,” His voice croaked like a rusty gate but at least he was talking again. “I can’t hide any more.”

The three children marched to Matron’s office and Step knocked loudly on the door.

Matron’s deep voice called them to come in.

Step placed the photo on her desk and poured out the whole story.  Tear added anything she thought he had left out but Sad remained silent and withdrawn, huddled in his own misery.

Matron looked at Sad and said in a kind voice, “If you want to testify we will do everything we can to keep you safe.  Is that what you want to do?”

Sad nodded glumly so Matron picked up the big black telephone receiver and dialled the number of the city police.

There were no police cars with sirens or men in uniform. About an hour after Matron’s phone call a green Holden sedan pulled up in front of the house and a man and a woman dressed in ordinary clothes climbed the steps to the front door.  Nurse Smiley ushered them inside and only then did they produce their police identification.  For about an hour they talked to Sad in Matron’s office before reappearing in the hallway.  Step and Tear had been watching from the landing of the staircase but had to move when they saw Nurse Smiley bringing Sad upstairs.

“Sad is going to live with some Foster Parents,” said Nurse Smiley brightly. “We’ll have to pack a suitcase.”

“Best of luck, Sad.  I know everything will be all right,” said Tear.

Step gave him a hug. “Look after yourself, mate.  We’ll be thinking of you.”

Step and Tear watched as their small friend left the orphanage with the two plain clothes police officers.  Would they ever see Sad again?

END OF CHAPTER 17