Sailmaker by Rosanne Hawke Page B

foothold. There isn’t one, of course. This is an iron-cast lighthouse, no bricks with spaces between them. At least I’m out of the worst of the wind on this side. I look down. Bad move. I can see white water; even in the dark it looks angry. And hungry – waiting for me. Twenty-five metres? Would I survive the fall? Barber hasn’t noticed. Would he even care? Most likely thump on my hands to make me let go.
    The railing’s wet, my grip is slipping. I try for a better hold. I have to get myself up. I try Dev’s way. Talking in my head. You can do it, Joel. You’re not a loser. Hang on. You can do it. I start thinking of all the great times Dev and I have had. That time when he slipped off the rocks at Rogue’s Point. When I helped him out of the water he gave me this hug. I’ve connected to him ever since. Who cares he’s not my biological dad, he’s just the best.
    Then I hear a scream. Not Mei? The wind? I hope Mei can’t see me. At least the wind seems to be dying down. I pretend I’m a little kid, on the monkey bars at school. I used to be able to pull myself up just by my arms. I don’t know where the strength comes from but I’m doing it! Up! C’mon, Joel. You are not a loser, Joel Billings. You can do this. I feel the muscles pull in my shoulders with the effort. Something rips inside. Just a little further. The rail is against my chest now. My arms kill, but I’m nearly there. Up, up. Over.
    I fall onto the landing, and that’s when I see the shadow of Barber Smith in front of the light. He’s in the lamp room, looking for a switch. That won’t last long – he’ll bash it for sure. When he moves, the light flashes out; it’s so bright – how can he stand it? Then it’s off for another ten seconds.
    For a second it makes me hide my eyes and I can hear the clanging. Louder than it’s ever been. There’s nothing more I can do; maybe the ghost is finally coming. It must be midnight. The head keeper will never let Barber Smith smash his light. Then I get up, weary now. I’ll have to help. How will a wispy ghost get the better of Barber Smith? But just as I’m almost to the door, a guy in a wet yellow coat and helmet rushes past. With both hands on a gun. A gun ? Then another guy bursts through the doorway with a light, held in the same way.
    â€˜Police. Hold it right there, Barber Smith.’ Barber tries everything but those guys are trained. They know all his tricks. He’s fighting mad and all of a sudden he looks above the head of the guy who’s tackling him. His face goes weird, his mouth opens but no sound comes out that I can hear. Barber goes suddenly limp. I look too but there’s nothing there. What did he see?
    Barber’s being taken down the steps as quiet as a kitten when another guy sees me standing there. ‘Joel? Are you okay?’ He’s from Sea Rescue; I recognise the uniform. Then I see who it is – Mr Pengelly. My legs fold up like a paper fan and he catches me – must have been quite an effort getting back over that railing. That’s what I tell myself. When I get down to the bottom of the stairs Dev’s there in Sea Rescue volunteer gear. He just opens his arms and I stagger straight in.

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    â€˜We would have come sooner,’ Dev says after a while. ‘Had to wait for the wind to drop a bit.’ Apparently a patrol car on the peninsula had picked up my call but didn’t have a strong enough radio to get a reply back to me. They’d heard, after all. It was them who contacted the local police. Everything started to roll after that.
    The ambulance guys have come too. They’re putting Vern on a stretcher to take him to the peninsula hospital. Mei’s here and gives me this grin, kind of relieved. Though I’m sure that one word doesn’t say what she’s feeling. We both know what could have happened if no one came. She