replied Brio.
Nick pulled a puzzled face. ‘Why?’
‘So I can get a photo of them leaving in the morning,’ said Brio. ‘I’ve tried other mornings, but they’ve always been too far away. This time I’m determined to get real close to them.’
That sounded reasonable.
Brio looked at Nick as if expecting more questions. There weren’t any, so she asked, ‘What about you? Did you get anything decent with that phone of yours?’
‘Nah, they were too far away.’
‘Those were great shots you took at the chook farm.’
My whole body went rigid. Nick’s eyes opened wide. His mouth gaped, but nothing came out.
Brio and Roost looked at each other and laughed — loud and long.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Brio when she’d recovered, ‘your secret is safe with us.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Roost. ‘We’re very happy that you showed Shreeves up for what he really is.’
I was trying to think of ways to deny it when Nick asked, ‘How did you know?’
‘It was pretty easy, really,’ said Brio. ‘First up, we knew we hadn’t done it, although I wish we had. That didn’t leave many others. Everyone we came across seemed to want to ignore the dead sparrows, hoping they’d go away. You were the only two who showed any interest whatsoever. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to work it out, did it, Roost?’
‘Nah, it was dead easy,’ said Roost. A pause. ‘Hey, did you see the news last night?’
We shook our heads.
‘You should have watched. Your photos have gone global. The whole world now knows what it’s like in a battery farm. This is really going to change things everywhere.’
‘Those photos are pretty horrible,’ said Brio. ‘But what was it like for real?’
Nick shook his head in disgust at the horrors he had seen. ‘It was gruesome,’ he said. ‘Wasn’t it, Danny?’
But I wasn’t admitting anything. Not to these people. Instead, I turned to Brio. ‘I thought you were going to Australia?’
She gave me a knowing smile, recognizing that I was changing the topic. ‘Still are,’ she said. ‘We heard today that we’ve got a booking on Boxing Day. So, one more day and we’re off. It’ll be good to get away from this place and its filthy disease.’
‘What are you doing for Christmas Day?’ I asked, determined to keep the conversation away from anything to do with bird flu.
‘We’re going to have breakfast on the beach, and then we’ve been invited to a barbecue,’ said Roost. ‘Should be good. Never had a barbecue for Christmas before. At home it’s usually so freaking cold that you wouldn’t dare go outside.’
After that we talked about New Zealand Christmases for a while, and never got back to the photos. At the first opportunity, we said our goodbyes and left.
CHAPTER 15
C hristmas Day dawned cold, windy and wet. So cold that it was snowing on the mountains inland. I looked out the window and wondered if Brio and Roost were still planning to have breakfast on the beach.
For our breakfast we made pancakes: I did the mixing, and Nick did the cooking. After smothering them with maple syrup, we delivered them to Mum and Dad, who were still in bed. This was followed with coffee, which I think Dad in particular appreciated, as he had a bit of a sore head after his evening down at the pub.
Gift time was just before dinner in the middle of the day. The gifts that our family exchanged seemed miserable in comparison with what Nick and his parents gave. A big parcel from Aunty Yvonne had come in the post a few days after Nickhad arrived. In it was the latest game console for Nick and a hand-held one for me. I’d never received a Christmas present like it before: a gift that was brand-new and in its original box was almost unheard of in our family.
I could see that Mum was a little put out by the gifts. I’d often heard her say that Nick was spoilt stupid, and I gather she considered these gifts supported that view. I felt a bit embarrassed when I handed Nick the carved
Nick pulled a puzzled face. ‘Why?’
‘So I can get a photo of them leaving in the morning,’ said Brio. ‘I’ve tried other mornings, but they’ve always been too far away. This time I’m determined to get real close to them.’
That sounded reasonable.
Brio looked at Nick as if expecting more questions. There weren’t any, so she asked, ‘What about you? Did you get anything decent with that phone of yours?’
‘Nah, they were too far away.’
‘Those were great shots you took at the chook farm.’
My whole body went rigid. Nick’s eyes opened wide. His mouth gaped, but nothing came out.
Brio and Roost looked at each other and laughed — loud and long.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Brio when she’d recovered, ‘your secret is safe with us.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Roost. ‘We’re very happy that you showed Shreeves up for what he really is.’
I was trying to think of ways to deny it when Nick asked, ‘How did you know?’
‘It was pretty easy, really,’ said Brio. ‘First up, we knew we hadn’t done it, although I wish we had. That didn’t leave many others. Everyone we came across seemed to want to ignore the dead sparrows, hoping they’d go away. You were the only two who showed any interest whatsoever. It didn’t take Sherlock Holmes to work it out, did it, Roost?’
‘Nah, it was dead easy,’ said Roost. A pause. ‘Hey, did you see the news last night?’
We shook our heads.
‘You should have watched. Your photos have gone global. The whole world now knows what it’s like in a battery farm. This is really going to change things everywhere.’
‘Those photos are pretty horrible,’ said Brio. ‘But what was it like for real?’
Nick shook his head in disgust at the horrors he had seen. ‘It was gruesome,’ he said. ‘Wasn’t it, Danny?’
But I wasn’t admitting anything. Not to these people. Instead, I turned to Brio. ‘I thought you were going to Australia?’
She gave me a knowing smile, recognizing that I was changing the topic. ‘Still are,’ she said. ‘We heard today that we’ve got a booking on Boxing Day. So, one more day and we’re off. It’ll be good to get away from this place and its filthy disease.’
‘What are you doing for Christmas Day?’ I asked, determined to keep the conversation away from anything to do with bird flu.
‘We’re going to have breakfast on the beach, and then we’ve been invited to a barbecue,’ said Roost. ‘Should be good. Never had a barbecue for Christmas before. At home it’s usually so freaking cold that you wouldn’t dare go outside.’
After that we talked about New Zealand Christmases for a while, and never got back to the photos. At the first opportunity, we said our goodbyes and left.
CHAPTER 15
C hristmas Day dawned cold, windy and wet. So cold that it was snowing on the mountains inland. I looked out the window and wondered if Brio and Roost were still planning to have breakfast on the beach.
For our breakfast we made pancakes: I did the mixing, and Nick did the cooking. After smothering them with maple syrup, we delivered them to Mum and Dad, who were still in bed. This was followed with coffee, which I think Dad in particular appreciated, as he had a bit of a sore head after his evening down at the pub.
Gift time was just before dinner in the middle of the day. The gifts that our family exchanged seemed miserable in comparison with what Nick and his parents gave. A big parcel from Aunty Yvonne had come in the post a few days after Nickhad arrived. In it was the latest game console for Nick and a hand-held one for me. I’d never received a Christmas present like it before: a gift that was brand-new and in its original box was almost unheard of in our family.
I could see that Mum was a little put out by the gifts. I’d often heard her say that Nick was spoilt stupid, and I gather she considered these gifts supported that view. I felt a bit embarrassed when I handed Nick the carved
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