the other room.
‘Where are you?’ he said.
I was a goner. I turned off the camera and backed into the corner of the kitchen nearest the fireplace. I wished the wall would swallow me up.
‘Come out! I know you’re here,’ Mr Black said.
How could he know I was here? Had he caught Tearley outside?
He tripped on something and his torch fell to the ground and went out. He swore and groped around for the torch.
Once he found it, he banged it a couple of times, and it flickered on.
‘I can hear you, yeah. Come to Papa,’ he said.
I didn’t make a sound. I was holding my breath. I wished that my heart wasn’t beating so loudly.
He flashed his torch across the floor until the light landed on the hessian bag. The bag was still creeping across the floor by itself.
‘There you are, yeah. You okay?’ His voice softened. ‘You come with me.’
Mr Black had been talking to whatever was in the bag. He didn’t know I was there.
He picked up the bag and lowered himself into the hole. I waited as long as I could … it felt like hours but was probably only a few seconds. Then I crept past the hole as quietly as possible, and up the hallway and out into the night.
I was halfway up the pathway to View Street when I saw the silhouette of someone standing in the middle of the track just ahead of me. Mr Black had brought someone with him. I was surrounded.
I was going to turn back to the house and take my chances that Mr Black wouldn’t find me, when the person turned around and said, ‘Hurry up, Digs.’
It was Tearley. She was waiting for me.
‘Where’s Wrigs?’ I said.
‘That’s him at the top of the street,’ she pointed.
We bolted back to my place. I kept thinking I could hear Mr Black running after us. But I didn’t look back.
CHAPTER 28
DAY 26: Wednesday
My skims: 13
Wriggler’s skims: 0
Tearley’s skims: 9
Another disaster, but at least we got more rocks from the police station.
Money made for tinnie: $0
Might as well give up now.
When we got back to the tents we looked at the video. Because it was shot in night vision, the film was green and white.
The picture was all shaky as we ran into the house. You couldn’t make much out, but you could hear our footsteps and how hard we were breathing. I was pointing the camera at the floor when Tearley tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped about a metre and the camera stopped. Then the camera turned back on for a millisecond and you could see Mr Black outside the window.
Then it didn’t come back on until I pointed it into the hole. It took a moment for the camera to focus as it adjusted to the lack of light, and then you could see all these beady things blinking back at it. They were eyes.
Animal eyes.
Stacked up in the hole were piles of cages, all holding snakes and lizards and geckos and bearded dragons.
‘It’s like a zoo,’ said Wrigs.
‘Why would he have so many animals under there?’ said Tearley.
Suddenly the truth hit me like a tennis racquet to the face. ‘He must be an animal trafficker,’ I said.
‘A what?’ said Wriggler.
‘Y’know, someone who smuggles lizards and snakes to Japan or wherever.’
‘Then what was Mr Black doing in the States?’ Wrigs said.
‘He probably sells there, too,’ I said. ‘We’ve got to show this to the cops.’
‘It’s one o’clock in the morning,’ said Tearley.
‘I reckon Ms Burke is behind it,’ said Wrigs.
‘What do you mean?’ I said.
‘I don’t trust that woman at all,’ he said.
‘She did have that photo of him in her house, which is really strange,’ said Tearley.
‘I bet she’s the mastermind behind the smuggling,’ Wrigs said. ‘Look how rich she is. Mr Black just does her dirty business.’
‘I thought you said he was a ghost?’ I said.
‘How could he be?’ said Wrigs. ‘You’re weird.’
We decided to try and get some sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I dreamt I was back in the deserted house and Mr Black was running down the corridor.
‘Where are you?’ he said.
I was a goner. I turned off the camera and backed into the corner of the kitchen nearest the fireplace. I wished the wall would swallow me up.
‘Come out! I know you’re here,’ Mr Black said.
How could he know I was here? Had he caught Tearley outside?
He tripped on something and his torch fell to the ground and went out. He swore and groped around for the torch.
Once he found it, he banged it a couple of times, and it flickered on.
‘I can hear you, yeah. Come to Papa,’ he said.
I didn’t make a sound. I was holding my breath. I wished that my heart wasn’t beating so loudly.
He flashed his torch across the floor until the light landed on the hessian bag. The bag was still creeping across the floor by itself.
‘There you are, yeah. You okay?’ His voice softened. ‘You come with me.’
Mr Black had been talking to whatever was in the bag. He didn’t know I was there.
He picked up the bag and lowered himself into the hole. I waited as long as I could … it felt like hours but was probably only a few seconds. Then I crept past the hole as quietly as possible, and up the hallway and out into the night.
I was halfway up the pathway to View Street when I saw the silhouette of someone standing in the middle of the track just ahead of me. Mr Black had brought someone with him. I was surrounded.
I was going to turn back to the house and take my chances that Mr Black wouldn’t find me, when the person turned around and said, ‘Hurry up, Digs.’
It was Tearley. She was waiting for me.
‘Where’s Wrigs?’ I said.
‘That’s him at the top of the street,’ she pointed.
We bolted back to my place. I kept thinking I could hear Mr Black running after us. But I didn’t look back.
CHAPTER 28
DAY 26: Wednesday
My skims: 13
Wriggler’s skims: 0
Tearley’s skims: 9
Another disaster, but at least we got more rocks from the police station.
Money made for tinnie: $0
Might as well give up now.
When we got back to the tents we looked at the video. Because it was shot in night vision, the film was green and white.
The picture was all shaky as we ran into the house. You couldn’t make much out, but you could hear our footsteps and how hard we were breathing. I was pointing the camera at the floor when Tearley tapped me on the shoulder. I jumped about a metre and the camera stopped. Then the camera turned back on for a millisecond and you could see Mr Black outside the window.
Then it didn’t come back on until I pointed it into the hole. It took a moment for the camera to focus as it adjusted to the lack of light, and then you could see all these beady things blinking back at it. They were eyes.
Animal eyes.
Stacked up in the hole were piles of cages, all holding snakes and lizards and geckos and bearded dragons.
‘It’s like a zoo,’ said Wrigs.
‘Why would he have so many animals under there?’ said Tearley.
Suddenly the truth hit me like a tennis racquet to the face. ‘He must be an animal trafficker,’ I said.
‘A what?’ said Wriggler.
‘Y’know, someone who smuggles lizards and snakes to Japan or wherever.’
‘Then what was Mr Black doing in the States?’ Wrigs said.
‘He probably sells there, too,’ I said. ‘We’ve got to show this to the cops.’
‘It’s one o’clock in the morning,’ said Tearley.
‘I reckon Ms Burke is behind it,’ said Wrigs.
‘What do you mean?’ I said.
‘I don’t trust that woman at all,’ he said.
‘She did have that photo of him in her house, which is really strange,’ said Tearley.
‘I bet she’s the mastermind behind the smuggling,’ Wrigs said. ‘Look how rich she is. Mr Black just does her dirty business.’
‘I thought you said he was a ghost?’ I said.
‘How could he be?’ said Wrigs. ‘You’re weird.’
We decided to try and get some sleep. Every time I closed my eyes I dreamt I was back in the deserted house and Mr Black was running down the corridor.
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