back any
minute? Shelby's heart started beating fast again at the
thought. But Ida didn't sound like an evil name. It
sounded like someone's nanna.
Could Lindsey's grandmother live down here? she
wondered. Nannas don't wear flannelette shirts with
the sleeves ripped off – but then, they don't live by
themselves in the scrub either. It didn't make any
sense.
Shelby inhaled deeply. That's weird. With all the
thoughts of food, she actually could smell bread
baking. The flames were waning a little and so she
stopped swinging the torch around long enough to
throw a few more logs on. She could see the camp
oven still half buried in the fire. As she stood over it
she thought the bread smells were coming from inside.
Shelby picked up a long stick and hooked it under
the handle. She was just about to lift it out when she
heard a voice – a man's voice.
'Don't touch it!'
'Ahh!' she shouted in surprise. Shelby let go of the
stick she'd been using and it clattered to the ground.
She swung the torch around. She saw a figure in the
gloom behind the water tank.
'Get back!' she shouted. 'I have a . . . a weapon!'
'Nonsense!' he shouted back. 'You've got a belly
ache and a case of the heebie-jeebies!'
He stepped out from behind the water tank. Shelby
saw an old man wearing a faded red tracksuit that
zipped up at the front and a black beanie. He had a
short white beard.
'Santa!' she whispered, and then felt embarrassed.
He started to walk towards the fire. Shelby backed
away, shining the torch on his face. She stood protectively
over Lindsey. 'Don't come any closer. I know
kung fu.'
The man held his hand up, blocking the glare from
his eyes. 'Kung fu schmu. Get that thing out of my
face.' He kept walking. Shelby's hands were shaking.
She would clock him on the head with the torch if she
had to.
He squatted down over the campfire and moved
the coals about with the stick Shelby had been using.
'I should've waited until the coals were thick and
hot. I kept waiting for you to go and you never left, so
I put this together in a hurry. It will be all burnt and
ruined and horrible on the outside, but the inside
should be all right.'
'My friend is hurt,' she said. 'I need to get her to
the hospital.'
'All in good time,' he replied.
'Who are you?' she asked.
'Never mind that. I know who you are. Another
busybody come down here interfering. This young
lady promised me you'd be in and out of here in ten
minutes.' He nodded towards Lindsey. 'It's been the
longest ten minutes of my life!'
The man had wild scraggly eyebrows, knitted
together over bright blue eyes rimmed with red.
Shelby had been taught about Stranger Danger at
school, but none of that had really prepared her for
being stuck in a ravine with a scruffy Santa look-alike.
Lindsey shifted. She wheezed.
'It moves!' he said, shuffling around the fire to
where Lindsey was lying.
'This is my friend,' Shelby said. 'She fell.'
'I think I've broken something,' Lindsey whispered.
He hunkered down over Lindsey and gently pulled
the neck of her tee-shirt down, exposing her shoulder.
Shelby gripped the torch tightly, ready to whack him
over the head with it, but Lindsey didn't seem to be
afraid.
'Yep. You've broke your collarbone, silly twit,' he
said. 'It hurts, doesn't it?'
Lindsey nodded. 'And my ankle.'
He shifted his weight backwards and gently took
her foot in his hand. He manipulated the joint for a
moment. 'That's just a sprain. You'll be up and about
in a couple of days. The collarbone, though – that's
going to be long and painful.'
'Great,' Lindsey huffed.
'You two know each other!' Shelby said.
'No,' they said in unison.
'Don't want to either, he's a grump,' Lindsey
added.
'Only when you're annoying,' he retorted.
'What are you doing down here?' Shelby asked.
'That's not your business,' the man snapped. 'She
always asks silly questions,' he said to Lindsey.
Shelby wasn't sure what to do. She felt like an
outsider, as though she had walked into a church in
the
minute? Shelby's heart started beating fast again at the
thought. But Ida didn't sound like an evil name. It
sounded like someone's nanna.
Could Lindsey's grandmother live down here? she
wondered. Nannas don't wear flannelette shirts with
the sleeves ripped off – but then, they don't live by
themselves in the scrub either. It didn't make any
sense.
Shelby inhaled deeply. That's weird. With all the
thoughts of food, she actually could smell bread
baking. The flames were waning a little and so she
stopped swinging the torch around long enough to
throw a few more logs on. She could see the camp
oven still half buried in the fire. As she stood over it
she thought the bread smells were coming from inside.
Shelby picked up a long stick and hooked it under
the handle. She was just about to lift it out when she
heard a voice – a man's voice.
'Don't touch it!'
'Ahh!' she shouted in surprise. Shelby let go of the
stick she'd been using and it clattered to the ground.
She swung the torch around. She saw a figure in the
gloom behind the water tank.
'Get back!' she shouted. 'I have a . . . a weapon!'
'Nonsense!' he shouted back. 'You've got a belly
ache and a case of the heebie-jeebies!'
He stepped out from behind the water tank. Shelby
saw an old man wearing a faded red tracksuit that
zipped up at the front and a black beanie. He had a
short white beard.
'Santa!' she whispered, and then felt embarrassed.
He started to walk towards the fire. Shelby backed
away, shining the torch on his face. She stood protectively
over Lindsey. 'Don't come any closer. I know
kung fu.'
The man held his hand up, blocking the glare from
his eyes. 'Kung fu schmu. Get that thing out of my
face.' He kept walking. Shelby's hands were shaking.
She would clock him on the head with the torch if she
had to.
He squatted down over the campfire and moved
the coals about with the stick Shelby had been using.
'I should've waited until the coals were thick and
hot. I kept waiting for you to go and you never left, so
I put this together in a hurry. It will be all burnt and
ruined and horrible on the outside, but the inside
should be all right.'
'My friend is hurt,' she said. 'I need to get her to
the hospital.'
'All in good time,' he replied.
'Who are you?' she asked.
'Never mind that. I know who you are. Another
busybody come down here interfering. This young
lady promised me you'd be in and out of here in ten
minutes.' He nodded towards Lindsey. 'It's been the
longest ten minutes of my life!'
The man had wild scraggly eyebrows, knitted
together over bright blue eyes rimmed with red.
Shelby had been taught about Stranger Danger at
school, but none of that had really prepared her for
being stuck in a ravine with a scruffy Santa look-alike.
Lindsey shifted. She wheezed.
'It moves!' he said, shuffling around the fire to
where Lindsey was lying.
'This is my friend,' Shelby said. 'She fell.'
'I think I've broken something,' Lindsey whispered.
He hunkered down over Lindsey and gently pulled
the neck of her tee-shirt down, exposing her shoulder.
Shelby gripped the torch tightly, ready to whack him
over the head with it, but Lindsey didn't seem to be
afraid.
'Yep. You've broke your collarbone, silly twit,' he
said. 'It hurts, doesn't it?'
Lindsey nodded. 'And my ankle.'
He shifted his weight backwards and gently took
her foot in his hand. He manipulated the joint for a
moment. 'That's just a sprain. You'll be up and about
in a couple of days. The collarbone, though – that's
going to be long and painful.'
'Great,' Lindsey huffed.
'You two know each other!' Shelby said.
'No,' they said in unison.
'Don't want to either, he's a grump,' Lindsey
added.
'Only when you're annoying,' he retorted.
'What are you doing down here?' Shelby asked.
'That's not your business,' the man snapped. 'She
always asks silly questions,' he said to Lindsey.
Shelby wasn't sure what to do. She felt like an
outsider, as though she had walked into a church in
the
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