an incredible sight overwhelmed him: his big sister pouring first one, then two, three – he stopped counting after that – huge spoons of sugar into his bowl without Mum noticing. He was struck dumb with delight. Lucy seized her chance.
‘Is Grandma coming today?’ she asked. ‘Can I ring her and ask her to bring the brass-cleaning stuff?’
It worked. Mum remembered she had to ask Grandma to bring something else, so she rushed off to tell her how creative and cute and imaginative Ricardo was these days. Lucy stayed right where she was to tell Ricardo what a dork and a big mouth he was these days. He was too busy stuffing his face with sugar sprinkled with Cocoa Puffs to care.
By the time Mum got off the phone, they had almost finished the whole box. Ricardo had eaten twice as much as Lucy.
‘What is going on with you pair? Look at you!’ said Mum, exasperated. ‘You’re filthy, covered in coal-dust, and Lucy, you’ve torn your T-shirt. And neither of you can stop eating. What did you do up there?’
‘Just climbed trees and stuff, swung on the rope, looked for enemy bases . . .’
Mum looked relieved. Lucy knew what she was thinking. Good old-fashioned make-believe was better than TV, even if they were filthy.
‘Be careful. You can play as much as you like up in the bush but stay away from that hole. The edges will be unstable. We can move the rope to another tree.’
‘But Mum . . .’
But Mum wasn’t listening, she was shooing Ricardo towards the shower and muttering about how late she was.
Lucy cracked six eggs into the frypan.
‘Six!’ said Mum, horrified. ‘After all that cereal?’
‘But they’re . . . we’re starving,’ stumbled Lucy, and was glad to hide her face in the fridge while she looked for the bacon.
‘Well, I’ll do some more shopping this morning. We might have to be like Grandma and get some chickens of our own. That chook run in the back yard looks all right, it should keep out dogs and foxes.’
‘Would it keep out tigers?’ asked Ricardo, walking into the kitchen dripping and completely naked. ‘Can I have bacon and eggs?’
‘What is this, the naked café? Kurrawong’s bottomless restaurant?’ protested Mum. ‘Get some clothes on!’ But they were all laughing as Ricardo’s bare bum disappeared out the door.
When he returned, dressed, Lucy said they would clean up the kitchen and Mum looked at her as though she had grown the wings of an angel. Ricardo looked at her as though she had gone completely nuts. Then Mum ran out the front door, yelling over her shoulder that Grandma would be over later to check on them. Lucy listened to the Mazda’s dodgy engine drive up the street and . . .
‘Now!’
She grabbed the bacon and eggs on Ricardo’s plate before he could eat them, scraped it with her own into a lunchbox, and hunted in the huge old fridge for apples and oranges. Ricardo grabbed another packet of Cocoa Puffs, bowls and spoons. A carton of milk was next.
What else did they need? Torch batteries. Lucy looked in the second drawer near the kitchen sink. Bingo! How come everyone always kept useful things like batteries and birthday-cake candles and bits of string in the second drawer near the sink? But there was no time for trivia. Lucy darted off to get her school backpack, candles and matches from their bedroom.
Walking between the dragon vases, she saw something was different: the tiger rug. Even with Ricardo’s undies and a T-shirt lying on top of it, Lucy knew something had changed. The tiger corner looked brand-new . The tiger’s stripes were clear and strong and its golden eyes burned out at her. The monkey was still faded and dull, just like before. One more weirdo event to think about. Lucy looked for T-Tongue’s lead instead.
Back in the kitchen, Ricardo had packed a bottle of juice and some two-minute noodles.
‘How are we going to cook them, goofball?’
‘I eat them like that!’
It would have to do. They took off up the path to
‘Is Grandma coming today?’ she asked. ‘Can I ring her and ask her to bring the brass-cleaning stuff?’
It worked. Mum remembered she had to ask Grandma to bring something else, so she rushed off to tell her how creative and cute and imaginative Ricardo was these days. Lucy stayed right where she was to tell Ricardo what a dork and a big mouth he was these days. He was too busy stuffing his face with sugar sprinkled with Cocoa Puffs to care.
By the time Mum got off the phone, they had almost finished the whole box. Ricardo had eaten twice as much as Lucy.
‘What is going on with you pair? Look at you!’ said Mum, exasperated. ‘You’re filthy, covered in coal-dust, and Lucy, you’ve torn your T-shirt. And neither of you can stop eating. What did you do up there?’
‘Just climbed trees and stuff, swung on the rope, looked for enemy bases . . .’
Mum looked relieved. Lucy knew what she was thinking. Good old-fashioned make-believe was better than TV, even if they were filthy.
‘Be careful. You can play as much as you like up in the bush but stay away from that hole. The edges will be unstable. We can move the rope to another tree.’
‘But Mum . . .’
But Mum wasn’t listening, she was shooing Ricardo towards the shower and muttering about how late she was.
Lucy cracked six eggs into the frypan.
‘Six!’ said Mum, horrified. ‘After all that cereal?’
‘But they’re . . . we’re starving,’ stumbled Lucy, and was glad to hide her face in the fridge while she looked for the bacon.
‘Well, I’ll do some more shopping this morning. We might have to be like Grandma and get some chickens of our own. That chook run in the back yard looks all right, it should keep out dogs and foxes.’
‘Would it keep out tigers?’ asked Ricardo, walking into the kitchen dripping and completely naked. ‘Can I have bacon and eggs?’
‘What is this, the naked café? Kurrawong’s bottomless restaurant?’ protested Mum. ‘Get some clothes on!’ But they were all laughing as Ricardo’s bare bum disappeared out the door.
When he returned, dressed, Lucy said they would clean up the kitchen and Mum looked at her as though she had grown the wings of an angel. Ricardo looked at her as though she had gone completely nuts. Then Mum ran out the front door, yelling over her shoulder that Grandma would be over later to check on them. Lucy listened to the Mazda’s dodgy engine drive up the street and . . .
‘Now!’
She grabbed the bacon and eggs on Ricardo’s plate before he could eat them, scraped it with her own into a lunchbox, and hunted in the huge old fridge for apples and oranges. Ricardo grabbed another packet of Cocoa Puffs, bowls and spoons. A carton of milk was next.
What else did they need? Torch batteries. Lucy looked in the second drawer near the kitchen sink. Bingo! How come everyone always kept useful things like batteries and birthday-cake candles and bits of string in the second drawer near the sink? But there was no time for trivia. Lucy darted off to get her school backpack, candles and matches from their bedroom.
Walking between the dragon vases, she saw something was different: the tiger rug. Even with Ricardo’s undies and a T-shirt lying on top of it, Lucy knew something had changed. The tiger corner looked brand-new . The tiger’s stripes were clear and strong and its golden eyes burned out at her. The monkey was still faded and dull, just like before. One more weirdo event to think about. Lucy looked for T-Tongue’s lead instead.
Back in the kitchen, Ricardo had packed a bottle of juice and some two-minute noodles.
‘How are we going to cook them, goofball?’
‘I eat them like that!’
It would have to do. They took off up the path to
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