I’m on the bank bouncing with the news, then run out onto the mud of the beach and let Jag’s da grab my arm and swing me aboard without even stopping.
‘They’s hiding something, for sure!’ I say, all puffed and breathing heavy from the downhill run. ‘The siblings was on top of the hill, coz there’s post holes been covered over and logs been cut and cleaned.’
If I tell the rest about meeting croc-boy and what he said … I’ll have to tell how I asked the question I was told not to ask, and Uncle Sorren won’t trust me to go off alone and do stuff ever again.
Uncle Sorren shakes his head. ‘Now we know,’ he says and sighs, and we head for home, throwing a couple of lines out to replace our giveaway fish as we go.
When Cottage Hill’s in sight, Uncle Sorren jumps up and shades his eyes. I see it too. The red light is flashing again. I dunno how. I pulled those wires good. But he ain’t looking at that, coz he says, ‘I thought I hid that boat good.’
The Valley of the Sun boat is docked at our jetty again, gold sun glinting on the prow.
‘Did it float loose?’ I ask.
‘Not the way I dragged it out of the water and tied it,’ he says.
There’s no one down on the jetty when we tie off. The other fishing boats is not back yet.
There’s shouting up at Marta’s cottage and little round faces peeping out from trees and out from under Rusty Bus. The littlies is hiding. There’s strangers in the village!
The Valley of the Sun boat is full of provisions, and different coloured tarps to what I was specting. ‘This isn’t the same boat!’ I yell to Uncle Sorren.
‘You kids take Licorice Stix up creek and hide!’ he says, and takes off running up the hill to Marta’s cottage.
Me and Jag look at each other, loose off the ropes, push Licorice off from the jetty, get her little solar motor whirring to back up and swing the boom to catch the wind. We tie her up jus’ out of sight up the creek mouth and take off back towards the village. No way we’re gonna hide as well. We’re gonna find out what’s happening.
