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Uncle Mike.’
    The man smiled again and tipped the brim of his fedora.
    No one had ever said anything about an uncle.
    The man nodded as though he could see into David’s head. ‘No one’s mentioned me, eh,’ said the man, gathering up more cricket balls. ‘I’m one of the black sheep kind of brothers, and as I recollect, your grandfather never did like me too much, so the feathers might fly a bit tonight, or perhaps some wool, me being a black sheep. Wool flying doesn’t quite have the same feel to it as feathers. Not quite so much stuff floating in the air, or squawking either, come to think of it. Think quick, live grenade!’
    At that, David’s Uncle Mike tossed up one of the cricket balls. David woke from all the news and all the words with a cricket ball nearly on him. He grabbed his hands at it, butonly succeeded in knocking it away.
    â€˜Not much good at the return catches then, are you Davey?’ Then he laughed. It was a big open laugh, laughing at David.
    David grabbed up the ball, and hugged it to his chest.
    Uncle Mike kept laughing.
    Only David didn’t mind this man laughing because he wasn’t laughing meanly. It was like he was joining in. Joining in at David’s surprise and panic and confusion and enjoying it with him. It made David laugh too. A little bit embarrassed at first, but then they laughed together.
    The laughter brought Grandad.
    â€˜Look, Grandad,’ said David, ‘It’s my Uncle Mike.’
    His grandfather stood still, his face hard, his eyes harder still.
    David stopped laughing.
    â€˜Gidday George,’ said his uncle, looking sly.
    David looked from his grandfather to his uncle and back. They weren’t friends, he knew straight away.
    â€˜I thought it was time. Time I came and had a talk to you about the boy.’
    David’s grandfather looked a little afraid, then angry, then nothing. David had seen the second two looks on his grandfather, but never the first.

CHAPTER FOUR
    David woke again. It was still night, with just a little light coming from the kitchen lamp. Someone was at his wardrobe.
    The men had talked late. David had strained to hear but couldn’t make much of the urgent murmur. He could half remember waking to shouts. ‘You have no right. No right at all.’ His grandfather. He was sure he’d heard his uncle yell too. ‘A promise to a dying man.’
    David watched the person stealing his clothes. He turned and saw David watching. He smiled his electric smile and David saw it was his Uncle Mike taking clothes from the cupboard and putting them in a bag.
    â€˜Gidday Davey. We’re going on a trip.’
    David got out of bed dragging half his blankets with him. He pulled his pants on as he went into the kitchen. His grandfather was sitting at the kitchen table still in the clothes of the day before.
    â€˜What trip?’
    His grandfather turned with dark, sleepless eyes.
    â€˜What’s wrong?’ David asked.
    â€˜Nothing’s wrong at all,’ said his uncle, coming from behind carrying the bag of clothes. ‘David, how would you like to go down to Perth and bowl for the WesternAustralian team?’
    David couldn’t think of anything for a moment. He had trouble focusing on what was said.
    â€˜Sure hope you don’t freeze like that in front of a batsman, matey. You know that’s what rabbits and roos do on the road when a motor car comes along at night. It’s the headlamps. They’re halfway across the road and they look up and see this light. They’re so confused that such a thing as the sun or moon could be coming at them, they just sit there. Mighty easy way to get rabbit for dinner. Come on, lad. We got a train to catch.’
    David looked back to his grandfather. ‘What trip?’
    â€˜I’ll take your rig,’ his uncle said, ‘if that’s all right. Leave it for you at the station.’
    David watched his