loved all his adventures with Mattie Kelly, but as he stood on the edge of the rushing creek bed with his bare toes clenched over the rock, just touching the icy water, he wondered if sheâd taken him one step too far. She clapped her hands loudly from behind him, getting his attention, but he couldnât turn. He was too scared. Sometimes his extra chromosome made his knees shaky and his feet unsure.
Mattie clapped again, and Samson shook his head at her. It was the scariest thing theyâd done so far, and he didnât trust her to save him if he tumbled and fell in. Mattie hopped across the stones to join him. He turned his head slightly. His knees wobbled. She tied her long brown hair back in a scrunchie, striped black, fluoro-green and pink. She was in her underwear too and looked like a newborn foal.
Slippery , he signed.
Mattie dipped her foot into the creek water and gave a silent shriek. She never even made noises like screaming or laughter. Freezing , she signed, and the sign for freezing was a hook in each hand coming down like a scorpion and striking from inside her palms.
Careful .
You first .
The water moved quickly, dropping from the height of the falls behind them. It bent around rocks and branches as if nothing could stop it. He was cold standing in his underwear. So cold that even his skin could feel it â not even his Downâs Syndrome could dull the sharp stabs of icy air or melt the water.
The creek wasnât like the ones heâd seen back home in Queensland. Those creeks sat fat and idle in sand that led out to crashing, white-froth oceans, or thin, cool creeks that meandered through hot rainforests.
Samson shook his head again.
Chicken .
Samson scowled.
You first , signed Mattie, and the sign for you first also meant Iâm after you . It looked like a gun with a trigger.
Samson stuck out his tongue. He could already taste the water. It wasnât salty, like at home, but clear and sweet. He closed his eyes, sucked in a breath and jumped. The water closed in around him. His feet touched the bottom. Pebbles moved beneath his feet. The water dragged. It wasnât like the ocean, because the creek wouldnât hold him up. He pushed with his legs, and his head broke the surface. Water sprayed from his body like thousands of tiny gems. He shook his long hair.
Mattie lifted her knees and hugged them into her body with her arms.
Samson pushed his hair back from his forehead, but it wouldnât stay. He pinched his nose and plunged backwards into the water. Only for a second, just long enough to catch every strand of his hair and smooth it over his head. He broke the surface again, but this time his hair stuck to his neck.
âCome in,â he called, but Mattie wasnât looking. He splashed a handful of water towards her. She looked over at him. He beckoned her once more.
Mattie shook her head. Cold .
Though he wasnât cold yet, Samsonâs arms snaked around his chest, and he nodded. He didnât want Mattie to think he was weird, and he didnât want to explain his extra chromosome. With a few large, splashing steps, he was out of the creek and up onto the stones. He almost tripped.
Careful , signed Mattie.
They sat on the rock together, Samson with his feet dangling in the icy water, and Mattie with her knees tucked up. She put her arm around him. Mattie was smaller, and if Samson had wrapped his arms around her, he could easily have reached all the way around her shoulders and overlapped their hands. But he was too nervous to touch her or even look at her properly, so he stared at the water instead.
Rainbows danced through the falling stream. The surrounding trees rolled back and forth, reminding him of the ocean rolling in and out over the sand. The white tree trunks caught the light and pressed it in behind the bark, igniting them from the inside like city streetlights. Across the rocks, green ferns covered with beads of water made a kind
Mattie clapped again, and Samson shook his head at her. It was the scariest thing theyâd done so far, and he didnât trust her to save him if he tumbled and fell in. Mattie hopped across the stones to join him. He turned his head slightly. His knees wobbled. She tied her long brown hair back in a scrunchie, striped black, fluoro-green and pink. She was in her underwear too and looked like a newborn foal.
Slippery , he signed.
Mattie dipped her foot into the creek water and gave a silent shriek. She never even made noises like screaming or laughter. Freezing , she signed, and the sign for freezing was a hook in each hand coming down like a scorpion and striking from inside her palms.
Careful .
You first .
The water moved quickly, dropping from the height of the falls behind them. It bent around rocks and branches as if nothing could stop it. He was cold standing in his underwear. So cold that even his skin could feel it â not even his Downâs Syndrome could dull the sharp stabs of icy air or melt the water.
The creek wasnât like the ones heâd seen back home in Queensland. Those creeks sat fat and idle in sand that led out to crashing, white-froth oceans, or thin, cool creeks that meandered through hot rainforests.
Samson shook his head again.
Chicken .
Samson scowled.
You first , signed Mattie, and the sign for you first also meant Iâm after you . It looked like a gun with a trigger.
Samson stuck out his tongue. He could already taste the water. It wasnât salty, like at home, but clear and sweet. He closed his eyes, sucked in a breath and jumped. The water closed in around him. His feet touched the bottom. Pebbles moved beneath his feet. The water dragged. It wasnât like the ocean, because the creek wouldnât hold him up. He pushed with his legs, and his head broke the surface. Water sprayed from his body like thousands of tiny gems. He shook his long hair.
Mattie lifted her knees and hugged them into her body with her arms.
Samson pushed his hair back from his forehead, but it wouldnât stay. He pinched his nose and plunged backwards into the water. Only for a second, just long enough to catch every strand of his hair and smooth it over his head. He broke the surface again, but this time his hair stuck to his neck.
âCome in,â he called, but Mattie wasnât looking. He splashed a handful of water towards her. She looked over at him. He beckoned her once more.
Mattie shook her head. Cold .
Though he wasnât cold yet, Samsonâs arms snaked around his chest, and he nodded. He didnât want Mattie to think he was weird, and he didnât want to explain his extra chromosome. With a few large, splashing steps, he was out of the creek and up onto the stones. He almost tripped.
Careful , signed Mattie.
They sat on the rock together, Samson with his feet dangling in the icy water, and Mattie with her knees tucked up. She put her arm around him. Mattie was smaller, and if Samson had wrapped his arms around her, he could easily have reached all the way around her shoulders and overlapped their hands. But he was too nervous to touch her or even look at her properly, so he stared at the water instead.
Rainbows danced through the falling stream. The surrounding trees rolled back and forth, reminding him of the ocean rolling in and out over the sand. The white tree trunks caught the light and pressed it in behind the bark, igniting them from the inside like city streetlights. Across the rocks, green ferns covered with beads of water made a kind
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