(And sometimes I like him better than I like Jack.) Rarnald has been on the run in our house for years. No matter what Mum does, she cannot catch him. He is Indestructo-Rat, with a heart as big as a horse. Tonight, though, she has had it up to here with him (about halfway up her forehead). She sa...
‘I’m going to have a limousine,’ I tell him. ‘I’m going to have a convertible limousine.’ ‘Yeah, well, I’m going to have a convertible limousine with a cinema and a spa and a bowling alley in it,’ I say. ‘I’m going to have a bowling alley with nine cinemas and a 13-hole golf course.’ ‘Minigolf?’ ...
Mum asked, offering Ben an open can of fruit with a spoon in it. Ben shook his head. “Whipped cream?” Dad said. Ben looked at his father and took the can of whipped cream, spraying some into the middle of a paper plate. They sat and ate quietly to the sound of Olive sleep-breathing and the wild n...
Morning light. Litter everywhere. Fences to the right and a wide concrete drain to the left. He slowed, looked both ways, took a deep breath and shoved through Nan’s squealing back gate into the long grass of her yard. Golden, their three-legged dog, barked angrily and ran at them. &n...
Vomit Comet ‘Hold on!’ Palatnik screams. The plane charges down the runway. My palms are slick with sweat and my forehead is dripping. I close my eyes and send out a prayer. I don’t mind going up in a plane. I love it. I’m not scared of heights. I just don’t like falling. ...