Sometimes, thought Keith, as his feet pounded the dark pavement and his lungs burned, it can be a real pain having a best friend who can run faster than you.
He didn’t catch up with Tracy till they were almost at Mum’s block of flats.
She was standing under a street light looking lost and tearful.
‘It’s OK,’ he gasped, collapsing against the light pole, ‘you can eat as much of that stuff as you like. Mr Kristos doesn’t mind.’
She didn’t seem to hear.
She was glaring up at the tower blocks looming all around them.
‘I’ve forgotten which one’s your mum’s,’ she said angrily, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. ‘Pretty dumb, eh?’
Keith was shocked.
Tracy’s sense of direction was legendary in Orchid Cove. Mr Gambaso in the milk bar reckoned you could blindfold her anywhere in North Queensland and she’d find her way to his hamburger counter without help.
‘Come on,’ said Keith gently, ‘this way.’
On the way over to Mum’s block Keith composed a letter to the airlines suggesting they put a notice in their inflight magazines warning that jet lag could play greater havoc with people’s bedtimes and sense of direction than was generally believed.
As they climbed the stairs to Mum’s floor, Keith took Tracy’s hand to show her he understood.
After a few seconds she pulled her hand away.
‘I’m alright,’ she said quietly.
While he let her into the flat, he tried to think of something else he could do to help.
‘Would you like a sandwich?’ he asked. ‘I’ve got some Vegemite and tinned beetroot.’
‘No thanks,’ she said. ‘I just want to go to bed.’
She went into the bedroom and closed the door.
Keith sighed.
Poor old Tracy, he thought. She’s probably homesick as well.
He decided to make the Vegemite and beetroot sandwich anyway. Even if she didn’t feel like eating it, just looking at it would probably make her feel better.
He was on his way to the kitchen when someone came out of the bathroom.
Keith blinked.
For a fleeting second he thought they were being burgled by someone with attractive hair and good posture.
Then he realised it was Mum.
She was wearing a lilac tracksuit that hugged her body.
Her hair was curly and bounced as she walked.
Her face was smooth and her eyelashes were thick and her lips were red.
Keith knew, heart pounding with excitement, that it wasn’t because she’d been eating beetroot sandwiches.
‘Mum,’ he said, ‘you look great.’
‘Bev needed a guinea pig to try out some new beauty products on,’ she said with an embarrassed grin. ‘And to say thank you she insisted I borrow this outfit. I can only just squeeze into it.’
Keith could see what she meant.
Think positive, he told himself. It’s meant to be skintight. Mum’s just got a bit more skin than Aunty Bev, that’s all. At least she’s holding her tummy in and keeping her shoulders back.
‘It’s a knockout,’ he said happily.
‘I’m glad you’re home early,’ said Mum. ‘I was about to ring you at the cafe to let you know I’ve just been invited away for the weekend.’
Keith stared at her in delight.
‘It’s only for two nights,’ she said quickly, ‘with some people from work. They’ve got a caravan at Bognor.’
Keith wanted to throw his arms round her and give her a hug, but was afraid she’d smudge.
You’re a wonder Aunty Bev, he thought joyfully, a blinking marvel.
It was working.
Everything was going to be OK.
‘They’re picking me up in half an hour,’ said Mum. ‘I know it’s very short notice, what with Tracy and Bev being here . . .’
‘Mum,’ said Keith, struggling to keep his voice from wobbling, ‘I want you to go.’
Keith crept into the bedroom.
As his eyes got used to the gloom he saw Tracy lying on the bed, eyes closed.
Carefully he put the Vegemite and beetroot sandwich on the chest of drawers next to her.
He sent her a quiet message.
When you wake up, I hope the jet lag’s gone and I hope seeing something familiar makes being in a strange country a bit less stressful.
Tracy opened her eyes.
‘Keith,’ she said, ‘I reckon what you’re doing to your mum and dad sucks.’
Keith opened his mouth but nothing came out.
‘You’re trying to make them into something they’re not,’ she said, ‘and I reckon that’s crook.’
Keith tried to stay calm.
She can’t help it, he reminded himself, she’s just having a relapse.
It was no good.
He felt his face getting hot.
‘I’m trying to save them from being alone,’ he said.
Tracy sat up.
‘Perhaps they want to be alone,’ she said.
Sometimes, thought Keith with an exasperated sigh, best mates can be really thick.
‘Nobody wants to be alone,’ he said. ‘Look at Mr Mellish. Being alone killed him.’
‘How do you know?’ said Tracy.
Keith decided that all long-distance planes should have a health warning printed on them.
FLYING CAN INJURE YOUR BRAIN.
‘Because,’ said Keith, ‘he told me. And he told me it could happen to Mum and Dad. He came back from the dead to tell me.’
Tracy swung her legs off the bed and pulled her shoes on.
‘Prove it,’ she said.
Keith crouched by Mr Mellish’s back steps, his heart thumping, partly from the sprint across the garden, partly because he was worried the neighbours had heard and were at that moment rummaging around for torches and kitchen knives, but mostly because he couldn’t hear a single mournful wail.
He strained his ears.
Nothing.
‘Well,’ said Tracy, ‘what now?’
Keith thought frantically.
He needed something to keep her occupied while he tried to make contact with Mr Mellish.
Keith turned to her dark shape crouched next to him.
‘See if you can find a key,’ he whispered. ‘Mind out for glass, I broke a milk bottle last time.’
While Tracy shone her torch around the steps, Keith sent an urgent message to Mr Mellish.
Sorry about this, I know it’s rude disturbing you this late, but if you could explain the situation to Tracy it would be a huge help. Thanks.
He strained his ears again.
There it was.
Very faint.
Almost drowned out by the distant hum of traffic.
But definitely a wail.
‘Ow!’ said Tracy.
‘Shhh,’ whispered Keith, ‘I can hear him.’
‘I’ve just cut myself,’ said Tracy.
Keith sighed.
It was his fault for allowing a jet-lagged person near broken glass.
‘But I’ve found the key,’ she whispered. ‘It must have been in the milk bottle.’
Keith took the torch and had a look at the cut. It was on one of Tracy’s fingers and even though it was small it was bleeding quite a lot.
Keith offered her his hanky, but she said no.
He turned his attention back to listening.
The wail was still there.
Just.
‘Hear it?’ he whispered.
‘No,’ said Tracy.
‘Don’t suck so loud,’ said Keith.
Tracy stopped sucking her finger and listened.
‘I still can’t hear it,’ she said.
Keith took a deep breath and licked his dry lips.
He had hoped they wouldn’t have to do this, but now he realised they had no choice.
‘Come on,’ he whispered, his heart thumping even louder than before, ‘you’ll hear better inside.’
Inside the dark house Keith sent an urgent message to the fish and chips in his stomach.
Don’t panic.
Stay where you are.
This is just the normal musty smell of a house that’s been shut up for a bit.
It is not, repeat not, the smell of rotting flesh hanging off the putrid and decomposing body of a ghost.
‘I still can’t hear anything,’ said Tracy.
Keith listened.
She was right.
The wailing had stopped.
‘He’s probably just having a rest: whispered Keith. ‘You probably get out of breath easily when you’re dead.’
Tracy took the torch and shone it around.
A ghostly white shape loomed over them.
Keith flinched.
But it wasn’t Mr Mellish, it was the water heater above the kitchen sink.
‘Look,’ whispered Keith as the torchlight shone on a pile of mould-covered plates. ‘Vegetable scraps. Meat scraps. Bread scraps. He obviously didn’t die of a bad diet.’
Keith took the torch and shone it into the cupboards.
‘No empty bottles,’ he added, ‘so it couldn’t have been drink.’
He shone the torch around the kitchen.
‘And no microwave,’ he concluded, ‘so it wasn’t a radiation leak.’
He shone the torch on Tracy.
‘Looks like it was loneliness alright,’ he said sadly.
‘Or his heart going bung,’ said Tracy. ‘Or cancer. Or him choking on a vegie. Or . . .’
Tracy stopped.
She listened intently.
Keith could hear it too.
The mournful wail.
‘See,’ whispered Keith, heart pounding, ‘he’s telling us it was loneliness and we’ve got to save Mum and Dad from the same fate. Satisfied? OK, let’s go home now.’
He tried to steer Tracy towards the back door, but she took the torch and pulled away from him.
‘Let’s have a squiz,’ she said and moved off into the darkness towards the wail.
‘Wait,’ said Keith, following her down a narrow hallway, ‘he might not want to meet us in person.’
A stairway loomed up to his left.
‘It’s coming from upstairs,’ said Tracy. ‘Come on.’
Keith felt sick.
Nice one, he thought as he went after her up the stairs, forty million best mates in the world and I get the maniac cane-toad hunter with the guts of steel.
Still, he told himself as they crept along the landing towards the open door the wail was coming through, that’s probably just as well. Because when we see what’s in that bedroom I’ve only got fish and chips to keep down, but she’s got corned beef, apricot halves and baked beans.
As they slowly poked their heads round the door, Tracy gripped his arm.
She was shaking just as much as him.
He hoped that when they’d finished screaming she wouldn’t be too exhausted to run for it.
The torch lit up the room.
Keith opened his mouth to yell.
But he didn’t.
Because in the neat little bedroom with its neat little bed there wasn’t a ghost to be seen.
Just a small thin shivering wailing black and grey dog.