He carried an officious-looking list several pages long that was crisscrossed with pencil marks. Honey barked loudly in warning, her hackles raised. ‘Is your mother home, Poppy?’ asked the warden. ‘I’ll just fetch her,’ she replied, feeling a sudden headache coming on. ‘She’s in the kitchen.’ Honey stood guard over the warden until Poppy and her mother returned. The dog ran to Poppy, her tail wagging enthusiastically now that her job protecting the family was done. Poppy leant against the verandah post, anxious to know what the man had to say. ‘Good morning, Mr Anderson,’ Cecilia said. ‘What can I do for you?’ ‘G’day, Mrs Trehearne,’ the warden replied, tipping his helmet at her. ‘As you know, we’ve begun evacuating the women and children. Two hundred odd left yesterday on the Koolinda. Tomorrow, more than five hundred leave on the Zealandia, and you and your daughters are on the list.’ Poppy breathed in deeply.
What do You think about The Forgotten Pearl (2012)?
