email address too, but rockorocks@ freemail.com was an easy one to remember. She typed it in, repeated her message and hit Send. But before she could log out, a new message pinged at her. Its subject line read Returned mail – email address not found .
On Christmas morning, Jess shuffled out of her bedroom wearily. She’d had an awful night’s sleep.
Craig sat in his favourite armchair, fully dressed, drinking coffee. ‘Oh, finally!’ he said, when Jess walked into the lounge room in her pyjamas, yawning. ‘We’ve been waiting for hours. Come on, I want a prezzie.’
‘Can’t I get a drink first?’ said Jess, rubbing her eyes.
‘Here’s some fresh wheatgrass juice, darling.’ Caroline came out of the kitchen with a glass of green frothy stuff.
Jess grimaced. ‘It’s Christmas morning, Mum.’
‘No? I thought you liked it.’
Jess gave her a pained look.
‘What would you like, then?’
‘Coke.’
‘Stop tormenting your mother, Jess,’ said Craig.
Jess chuckled as she reached under the tree and grabbed two presents wrapped in homemade paper with horses drawn all over them. ‘Created by my own fair hand,’ she said with pride, as she passed one to her father and the other to her mum.
Craig tore at the wrapping and pulled out a pair of huge socks that Jess had knitted in craft classes at school. ‘Surfboard covers!’ he exclaimed, holding them up.
She laughed. ‘You’re not supposed to wear them under your shoes. They’re more like slippers.’
Her mum picked piously at the wrapping, admiring the drawings before unveiling two pairs of tie-dyed undies that Jess had also made in craft class. ‘A beautiful hat!’ exclaimed Caroline, pulling one pair onto her head.
‘You guys are so childish,’ said Jess.
Next, her father leaned over and passed Jess a large flat parcel. ‘This is from both of us.’
Jess felt it all over. ‘A soccer ball, right?’
‘Very funny,’ said Craig.
Jess began unwrapping and saw a familiar pair of horse’s ears. She stopped with her hand inside the paper.
Caroline shrugged. ‘You begged me for it, remember.’
I didn’t know how much things would change.
Jess pulled back the wrapper and revealed a large professional photo of herself and Shara at the state championship, on their horses, grinning madly as they held their second-place trophy in the air.
It had been the best and happiest moment of her life. Jess had begged her parents to get her a huge framed copy of it for Christmas. She knew it would have cost them a fortune. She looked at Shara’s goofy face and could almost hear the shrieking and laughing the pair of them had gone on with.
How could you betray me like this? We were besties.
Jess wiped at the tears that were sliding uncontrollably down her face.
Caroline shifted around next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
‘I miss her so much,’ Jess whispered.
‘Shara or Diamond?’ asked Caroline.
‘Both.’ Jess let a few more tears escape and then pulled herself together. She wasn’t going to let the past spoil this day for her. It was history. She wiped at her face. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to spoil it for you. Thanks, guys.’
‘It’s okay, we knew you’d find it difficult to open.’ Her mum reached under the tree again. ‘Have some more prezzies.’ She passed over two bulky parcels wrapped in red paper. Inside one was a new pair of riding boots, and the other contained an Akubra hat.
‘Cool! It’s just like Gracie’s,’ said Jess, pulling it onto her head. It was a perfect fit too.
‘Not as stylish as mine,’ winked Caroline, who still had the tie-dyed undies on her head.
‘And there’s an envelope for you from Margaret and Paul,’ said her dad, passing it to her.
Please let it be money!
Jess pulled out the card and held it in front of her, ready for wads of cash to rain into her lap.
A folded piece of paper fell out, which she read aloud.
Dear Jess,
We were so very sorry to hear about you losing
On Christmas morning, Jess shuffled out of her bedroom wearily. She’d had an awful night’s sleep.
Craig sat in his favourite armchair, fully dressed, drinking coffee. ‘Oh, finally!’ he said, when Jess walked into the lounge room in her pyjamas, yawning. ‘We’ve been waiting for hours. Come on, I want a prezzie.’
‘Can’t I get a drink first?’ said Jess, rubbing her eyes.
‘Here’s some fresh wheatgrass juice, darling.’ Caroline came out of the kitchen with a glass of green frothy stuff.
Jess grimaced. ‘It’s Christmas morning, Mum.’
‘No? I thought you liked it.’
Jess gave her a pained look.
‘What would you like, then?’
‘Coke.’
‘Stop tormenting your mother, Jess,’ said Craig.
Jess chuckled as she reached under the tree and grabbed two presents wrapped in homemade paper with horses drawn all over them. ‘Created by my own fair hand,’ she said with pride, as she passed one to her father and the other to her mum.
Craig tore at the wrapping and pulled out a pair of huge socks that Jess had knitted in craft classes at school. ‘Surfboard covers!’ he exclaimed, holding them up.
She laughed. ‘You’re not supposed to wear them under your shoes. They’re more like slippers.’
Her mum picked piously at the wrapping, admiring the drawings before unveiling two pairs of tie-dyed undies that Jess had also made in craft class. ‘A beautiful hat!’ exclaimed Caroline, pulling one pair onto her head.
‘You guys are so childish,’ said Jess.
Next, her father leaned over and passed Jess a large flat parcel. ‘This is from both of us.’
Jess felt it all over. ‘A soccer ball, right?’
‘Very funny,’ said Craig.
Jess began unwrapping and saw a familiar pair of horse’s ears. She stopped with her hand inside the paper.
Caroline shrugged. ‘You begged me for it, remember.’
I didn’t know how much things would change.
Jess pulled back the wrapper and revealed a large professional photo of herself and Shara at the state championship, on their horses, grinning madly as they held their second-place trophy in the air.
It had been the best and happiest moment of her life. Jess had begged her parents to get her a huge framed copy of it for Christmas. She knew it would have cost them a fortune. She looked at Shara’s goofy face and could almost hear the shrieking and laughing the pair of them had gone on with.
How could you betray me like this? We were besties.
Jess wiped at the tears that were sliding uncontrollably down her face.
Caroline shifted around next to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
‘I miss her so much,’ Jess whispered.
‘Shara or Diamond?’ asked Caroline.
‘Both.’ Jess let a few more tears escape and then pulled herself together. She wasn’t going to let the past spoil this day for her. It was history. She wiped at her face. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to spoil it for you. Thanks, guys.’
‘It’s okay, we knew you’d find it difficult to open.’ Her mum reached under the tree again. ‘Have some more prezzies.’ She passed over two bulky parcels wrapped in red paper. Inside one was a new pair of riding boots, and the other contained an Akubra hat.
‘Cool! It’s just like Gracie’s,’ said Jess, pulling it onto her head. It was a perfect fit too.
‘Not as stylish as mine,’ winked Caroline, who still had the tie-dyed undies on her head.
‘And there’s an envelope for you from Margaret and Paul,’ said her dad, passing it to her.
Please let it be money!
Jess pulled out the card and held it in front of her, ready for wads of cash to rain into her lap.
A folded piece of paper fell out, which she read aloud.
Dear Jess,
We were so very sorry to hear about you losing
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