Danny Allen Was Here Read Free Page B

didn’t . . .’
    His mother shook him. She didn’t mean to do it hard but she did. ‘Where is Vicki?’ she cried.
    Sam looked as though he might be sick when he finally said, ‘We left her at the dam, Mum.’
    The kitchen wasn’t warm any more and the boys stood like statues as their mother flung her apron onto the mountain of delicately balanced dishes on the sink.
    Into the throat of the passage she ran, her desperate feet thumping the floorboards. The boys followed. There was a loud creaking thud as the front door was thrown open.
    From the verandah they leapt wildly into the rain and Danny saw his mum kick off her shoes as they crossed the road. They were her best shoes – the shiny black ones with the ribbons at the front.
    Running barefoot in mud was usually good fun, but this time it wasn’t. His mother was swift. Danny pumped his arms and legs as fast as they would go. I’m sorry, Vicki! I’m sorry, Vicki! he kept saying inside his head.
    Along the track they ran. They scrambled through the tangle of the old fence.
    Danny slipped and struggled up the hill. He was the last one to run up the bank of the dam. With every step he took all he could think of was that he was going to see his little sister floating on top of the water like an angel flying.
    He stood at the top of the bank, puffing hard and searching desperately. The dam was riddled with never-ending circles. Danny swallowed. The tadpole tin had gone and so had Vicki.
    Sam was standing, saying nothing, just staring at the water. Danny looked at his mother running along the edge of the dam, searching and yelling.
    ‘Vicki! Vicki!’
    Her head was flicking back and forth, back and forth.
    ‘Vicki! Vickiiiiii!’
    Danny wanted to call but couldn’t find his voice. If only he could call her name she might hear him. She might come and be all right. Inside his head his voice was loud, screeching. Vicki! Vicki! But he couldn’t say it out loud. He tried and he tried. His jaw quivered, he made soft squealing noises, but he had no voice.
    He felt hot and sweaty then cold and shivery. A pain came to his chest. He found it hard to breathe. The louder his mother screamed the more Danny felt like crying. Images of Vicki spinning around the verandah post flashed rapidly in front of him. Time and time again they danced behind his eyes like instant replays. All he wanted was to see Vicki. All he wanted was to hear her annoying singing. All he wanted was to say sorry.
    The world suddenly changed as the clouds began to break apart. The rain eased and Danny shivered all over.Still his mother screamed. Light came peeking through and sunbeams spot lit the world. Danny looked across the dam through glistening threads of silver rain. He hung his head, then licked his lips and tasted the salt of tears.
    Sam suddenly hollered, ‘ Mum! Look! ’
    Danny spun to see Sam pointing toward the reeds of the small creek.
    Tippy was at the reeds before any of them. He was jumping and bounding, his tail spinning like a helicopter blade. He danced on his hind legs and the reeds moved.
    A hand appeared and pulled the reeds apart. Vicki pushed her face through the reeds as if peeking out from behind a curtain. Then up out of the creek she scrambled, covered in mud from head to toe.

    Vicki’s white dress was clinging to her skin and thick mud gelled her hair into rat-tail strands. She was very surprised to see everyone there to meet her, especially her mum.
    Her muddy face lit up and her white teeth shone brilliantly. ‘Hey Mum!’ She grinned cheerily. ‘Hey boys!’
    Their mother ran, fell to her knees and cuddled Vicki, but Vicki pushed her away. ‘Don’t, Mum,’ she frowned. ‘You’ll spill them again!’
    Her mother sniffed away tears. ‘Spill what?’

    ‘The surprise,’ Vicki smiled proudly.
    The mud all over Vicki’s face made her blue eyes sparkle more than ever before.
    ‘Tah dah!’ she cried, as she pulled the big tin from the reeds and walked toward her