Free Our Australian Girl by Lucia Masciullo

danger now; it’s Phar Lap. Phar Lap has won the Melbourne Cup of nineteen hundred and thirty.’
    The crowd erupted in cheers. Daisy reached over and hugged Harry and Edith.
    â€˜What did I tell you?’ Harry said, glowing. ‘Didn’t I tell you he was a wonder horse?’
    â€˜I’m so pleased we stayed to see that,’ Daisy said. ‘But now I have to get to Flora.’
    â€˜Of course,’ Harry said. ‘And I’d better get over to the stables before that strapper changes his mind about me.’
    â€˜Wait,’ said Daisy. ‘We had some good luck, too.’ She handed him four pence. ‘Take this. It’s your share of the money that we found.’
    â€˜Wow, that’s brilliant!’ Harry blushed.
    â€˜Good luck, Harry,’ Edith said. ‘You’re a good egg.’
    â€˜Bye Edith, bye Daisy,’ Harry said. ‘Good luck to the both of you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see my name in the paper one day, riding a Melbourne Cup winner past the post.’
    â€˜I hope so,’ Daisy said with a smile. What a perfectly delicious day, she thought, feeling drowsy and content. And soon I’ll be with Flora.
    As Harry disappeared into the crowd, Daisy looked around to work out how to get back onto the street. ‘That’s where we came in,’ she said, and pointed to metal gates behind them. ‘We’ll just hop another tram, a fifty-seven I think we need, and that will take us almost all the way to Gertrude Street.’
    As they headed toward the gates, Daisy saw something in the crowd that made her stop suddenly. It was a familiar face . . .  or was it? Could it possibly be him?
    â€˜What? What is it?’ Edith asked.
    â€˜I think . . .  But I’m not sure . . . ’ Daisy stared hard, but the man had disappeared in the crowd.
    â€˜Dad?’ she yelled, jostling her way desperately toward the spot where she’d seen him. Was that his hat – over there by the railing? ‘DAD!’ she screamed desperately, not caring that people were looking.
    â€˜Daisy!’ Edith cried behind her. ‘Wait!’
    But Daisy couldn’t wait. Where had he gone? Was it even him?
    She couldn’t be sure, but there was no way she’d risk losing him – not after everything that’d happened. ‘Stay here,’ she panted over her shoulder at Edith. ‘Wait for me – I’ll be back.’
    â€˜You’ll never find me!’ cried Edith, and followed as Daisy plunged back into the crowd, dodging and sprinting and dodging again. She ducked under the arm of a lady holding a parasol, almost slamming into a man with a top hat who was peering through some binoculars. ‘I say – watch it!’ he called, but Daisy could barely hear anything above her rasping breath and Edith’s footsteps, which were still behind her. ‘Dad!’ she shouted hoarsely. ‘Daddy?’
    There! Over there by the bookie’s table. Was that him? Come on – faster, she willed her legs, which were trembling with the effort.
    â€˜Careful there, girly,’ a man cried as she ran straight into him.
    â€˜
Daisy?
’
    Daisy looked up in shock as Edith banged into the back of her.
    â€˜Aren’t you the girl I took to the orphanage not two months ago?’ It was Bluey, the policeman who had found her at Dudley Flats.
    â€˜Run!’ Daisy yelled back to Edith. She tried to bolt but Bluey grabbed her by the shoulder. Another policeman took hold of Edith.
    â€˜Looks like we’ve found us some escaped orphans,’ the policeman said.
    â€˜Let go,’ Edith cried, struggling to break free.
    â€˜We’re not doing anything wrong,’ Daisy implored. ‘We’re just trying to find our families.’
    Bluey shook his head. ‘Nothing I can do about that, I’m afraid. I have to follow the rules.’ He led the way