Dog Gone Read Free Page A

I’d been fishing at all.
    â€˜Molly! Come and see what your brother’s caught,’ Gran cried.
    My arm was aching so much it felt like it was going to fall off. Two enormous redfin were trying to jump out of my bucket. I put the bucket down on the veranda and looked at my hand. It was so cramped and cold it looked like a chook’s claw. Lucky put his head in the bucket and I had to push him away.
    Gran waved her arms in excitement. ‘What the devil have you got there, Ish? Redfin? Where on earth did you get those? They’re humungous! What a pity your Mum’s at the shops.’
    Molly sauntered out onto the veranda with this’d better be good , written all over her face. She was determined to get through the fifteen books she’d brought with her to read while we stayed here at Gran’s, one for each year of her life. Anyone who interrupted her, did so at their own risk.
    Gran started to hop from one foot to the other. Her eyes were nearly popping out of her head.
    Molly just rolled hers.
    Seeing Gran excited is an experience. When she laughs or gets worked up about something, she looks like a slinky. A wave action starts at the bottom roll of Gran’s tummy, and works its way up and down for the whole time she’s excited. She has a habit of flapping her arms at the same time, like she’s about to take off.
    â€˜Bet no one’s seen a redfin this big come out of the Murray before. Old Henry Ironclad’s jaw’ll drop off when he sees the size of these beauties!’ Gran was nearly in a frenzy by now. ‘I wish your Grandfather were alive to see this. They’re whoppers!’
    I tried to get a word in, but Gran was on a roll. There’s no stopping her when she gets started.
    â€˜Tell us how you did it, love. Were they hard to land? Look at them – they’re three times the normal size!’
    I stood there like a stunned mullet – or redfin, like the ones that weren’t very stunned in the bucket. I felt silly. I had absolutely no memory of catching the fish at all. I thought back to the ghost in the graveyard. None of it seemed real anymore, except for the redfin. ‘Um, well …’
    Fortunately, just at that moment, there was a loud crash. Lucky had knocked the bucket over and one of the redfin had wriggled down the veranda steps. The other one, still in the bucket, was rolling down the path and heading for the drain in front of the letter box. Gran let out a screech.
    I dived for the bucket, but it was too late. It hit the letter box and the redfin lobbed into the drain with an enormous splash. We watched helplessly as it disappeared from view into the underground pipe.
    We all stood with our mouths open, and stared down at the empty bucket. I ran to the veranda steps to catch the other redfin, but it wasn’t anywhere in sight.
    â€˜Darned thing must’ve wriggled under the steps,’ puffed Gran, wheezing now from all the excitement. ‘Molly, you’re the skinniest – try to crawl under and see if it’s there. Ish, get the bucket. She can pass it out to you. Quick!’
    â€˜Eee-yeew! I’m not touching a fish,’ squealed Molly. ‘And I’m not crawling under there. No way. There might be spiders.’
    â€˜Oh, come on, don’t be like that. You’d be out of there in a jiffy.’
    â€˜I’d be out of there in a body bag if I got bitten by a redback!’
    â€˜Don’t exaggerate, Molly. Go on, love.’ Gran gave her a little pat on the shoulder.
    Molly pushed her hand away, glaring. ‘No way! Ish can. He’s so thick-skinned, a spider wouldn’t have a hope of biting him.’
    I was just about to have a go at my sister when Mr Ironclad from next door came out onto his porch. At that moment, Lucky appeared from under the steps. As soon as he heard Mr Ironclad’s door, he was off – with the fish in his mouth.
    â€˜Quick, after him,’