Zoo. ‘Yes, we have bats.’ He looked around, his brow furrowed, and asked, ‘Where bat?’
Mio groaned. ‘Cable ride,’ she said. Then she pretended to hold onto a handle, with her legs tucked up and said, ‘Wee-ee-ee-ee-ee.’
‘Wee?’
‘Don’t even go there,’ said Clem with a groan. To solve the problem she began to climb the ladder to the platform.
‘Careful, Clem,’ warned Darcy, who was not as good at heights as his twin.
When Clem stepped to the railing and looked down, the ground started to sway. She clung on. ‘Whoa. It’s awful high up here.’ She peered into the distance, marvelling at how far she could see—the train station was a mere speck. Her stomach clenched as she tentatively grasped the flying-fox handle and sat with her legs dangling over the platform.
‘ Ki o tsukete ! [Be careful!]’ Mio squeezed her eyes together but peeped through the lashes saying, ‘I can’t look,’ as Clem launched off.
‘Aaaah-h-h-h-h-h-h!’ hollered Clem…until halfway down, when she began to enjoy herself and stopped. She turned her face into the breeze, her red hair trailing behind, a half-grin, half-grimace as she watched the ground approaching with exponential speed. But just as she thought she’d crash, the pulley ran into a huge knot in the rope, causing her legs to fly up as if to kick the sky, then to jerk earthwards, so that when she let go she fell on her feet. ‘Whoo-hooooo!’ she screamed, her fist raised as though she was knocking on heaven to announce her victory. Answering screams could be heard in the distance. Examining the pulley, Clem saw how you could untie the looped rope and use it to drag the flying-fox back up the platform.
‘My turn,’ called Darcy, dropping his bike to scale the ladder himself. From the top he admired the obstacle course. There were wooden crates all higgledy-piggledy in piles, loose beams and small platforms with planks going from one to another. In some places the plank ended at a small doorway, where the rider would have to duck in order to ride through to the other side. A monstrous underground water pipe lay on its side,providing its own challenges. He walked to the other side of the platform and looked down. On this side the ladder was wider and made of rope, like a giant web eager to trap unsuspecting climbers.
As he watched Clem’s slow progress back up the hill, a movement caught Darcy’s eye. They were not alone. At the far boundary of The Peak, a group of riders were picking their way over a section where the ground looked like a river bed split with cracks and crevices. Darcy watched the intricate steering and balancing that was needed to find the line that would let them cross to the other side.
‘Go, Darcy!’ yelled Tong.
‘Bet you’re too scared,’ teased Clem as she neared the platform.
‘Sh! Sh!’ Darcy was pointing in-between shushes, then covering his mouth, looking like a translator for the deaf who’d forgotten his words.
‘What?’ called Clem, causing Darcy to shake his head in frustration.
‘Riders!’ he hissed. ‘Over there.’
The kids froze. The last thing they were expecting was company. Clem was close enough to tie the rope to the wooden ladder. For the second time she scaled the steps to the top of the platform. She crouched down, then belly-walkedover to Darcy, who was now lying down. In no time at all Tong and Mio had joined them, lying on their stomachs. Bella scampered willy-nilly, absorbing the new smells with glee, oblivious to the heightening drama.
Bryce stepped upwards, one rung at a time, but as soon as his feet were higher than his own height, an electric shock of fear shot through him. He hated the way his legs and arms shook but there was nothing for it: he needed both feet anchored to the ground. ‘I’ll mind Bella,’ he called, stepping down, glad the others were too absorbed to give him a ribbing. As he followed Bella and watched her snuffling along the ground, he wondered if it
Mio groaned. ‘Cable ride,’ she said. Then she pretended to hold onto a handle, with her legs tucked up and said, ‘Wee-ee-ee-ee-ee.’
‘Wee?’
‘Don’t even go there,’ said Clem with a groan. To solve the problem she began to climb the ladder to the platform.
‘Careful, Clem,’ warned Darcy, who was not as good at heights as his twin.
When Clem stepped to the railing and looked down, the ground started to sway. She clung on. ‘Whoa. It’s awful high up here.’ She peered into the distance, marvelling at how far she could see—the train station was a mere speck. Her stomach clenched as she tentatively grasped the flying-fox handle and sat with her legs dangling over the platform.
‘ Ki o tsukete ! [Be careful!]’ Mio squeezed her eyes together but peeped through the lashes saying, ‘I can’t look,’ as Clem launched off.
‘Aaaah-h-h-h-h-h-h!’ hollered Clem…until halfway down, when she began to enjoy herself and stopped. She turned her face into the breeze, her red hair trailing behind, a half-grin, half-grimace as she watched the ground approaching with exponential speed. But just as she thought she’d crash, the pulley ran into a huge knot in the rope, causing her legs to fly up as if to kick the sky, then to jerk earthwards, so that when she let go she fell on her feet. ‘Whoo-hooooo!’ she screamed, her fist raised as though she was knocking on heaven to announce her victory. Answering screams could be heard in the distance. Examining the pulley, Clem saw how you could untie the looped rope and use it to drag the flying-fox back up the platform.
‘My turn,’ called Darcy, dropping his bike to scale the ladder himself. From the top he admired the obstacle course. There were wooden crates all higgledy-piggledy in piles, loose beams and small platforms with planks going from one to another. In some places the plank ended at a small doorway, where the rider would have to duck in order to ride through to the other side. A monstrous underground water pipe lay on its side,providing its own challenges. He walked to the other side of the platform and looked down. On this side the ladder was wider and made of rope, like a giant web eager to trap unsuspecting climbers.
As he watched Clem’s slow progress back up the hill, a movement caught Darcy’s eye. They were not alone. At the far boundary of The Peak, a group of riders were picking their way over a section where the ground looked like a river bed split with cracks and crevices. Darcy watched the intricate steering and balancing that was needed to find the line that would let them cross to the other side.
‘Go, Darcy!’ yelled Tong.
‘Bet you’re too scared,’ teased Clem as she neared the platform.
‘Sh! Sh!’ Darcy was pointing in-between shushes, then covering his mouth, looking like a translator for the deaf who’d forgotten his words.
‘What?’ called Clem, causing Darcy to shake his head in frustration.
‘Riders!’ he hissed. ‘Over there.’
The kids froze. The last thing they were expecting was company. Clem was close enough to tie the rope to the wooden ladder. For the second time she scaled the steps to the top of the platform. She crouched down, then belly-walkedover to Darcy, who was now lying down. In no time at all Tong and Mio had joined them, lying on their stomachs. Bella scampered willy-nilly, absorbing the new smells with glee, oblivious to the heightening drama.
Bryce stepped upwards, one rung at a time, but as soon as his feet were higher than his own height, an electric shock of fear shot through him. He hated the way his legs and arms shook but there was nothing for it: he needed both feet anchored to the ground. ‘I’ll mind Bella,’ he called, stepping down, glad the others were too absorbed to give him a ribbing. As he followed Bella and watched her snuffling along the ground, he wondered if it
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