Free The Audrey of the Outback Collection by Christine Harris Page A

tied to the tank stand. But if he wasn’t tied, he would keep grabbing the ball in his mouth and running off with it. No one wanted to bowl when there was dog saliva all over the ball.
    Audrey stared out to the edge of the scrub. The bushes seemed to blur and bend. She blinked, and the bushes looked straight again.
    Running footsteps sounded behind her.
    ‘Audrey,’ yelled Price. ‘We need a bowler. Want to play?’
    She shook her head and kept staring at the scrubby hills where Stumpy wandered without her.
    ‘I’ll let you have a go at batting, too,’ he promised. ‘Mum’s being the umpire cos she can’t run.’
    Again Audrey shook her head.
    She expected Price to return to the cricket game. But he came to stand beside her. ‘It’s not the same without you.’
    ‘I don’t feel so good without Stumpy.’
    ‘Yeah.’ He swallowed hard, as if he wanted to say something but had to get ready first. ‘Audrey, Stumpy isn’t a real camel. He’s imaginary.’
    ‘No, he’s not. He’s just invisible. You can’t see him.’
    ‘It’s awful when you miss people.’ Price hesitated. ‘Can I tell you a secret?’
    Audrey turned to look at him. Sweat streaked the dust on her brother’s cheeks. His hair was all over the place.
    ‘When Jimmy left to go back to the city,’ he said, ‘I cried.’
    Audrey stared in disbelief. ‘I didn’t see you.’
    ‘’Course not,’ Price said. ‘I cried by myself, when no one was looking.’
    Audrey thought about that for a moment. ‘How come girls are allowed to cry when people are looking, but not boys? Is that sort of like men always knowing what they’re doing?’
    A grin slipped across Price’s face.
    Audrey couldn’t help chuckling.
    ‘You’re always going to remind me about blowing up the dunny, aren’t you?’ said Price. ‘Even when we’re really old and bent like boomerangs.’
    ‘I reckon so.’
    Suddenly there was a gust of wind. Red sand lifted like dry fog. Then the wind spun round and round, whipping the sand into a frenzy.
    ‘Look at that,’ said Price. ‘It’s a ripper.’
    As soon as the words left his mouth, the wind stopped. Grains of red sand drifted back to earth.
    ‘Whoa. That’s odd.’ There was a hint of awe in Price’s voice.
    Goosebumps ran down Audrey’s arms. It was one of those ghost winds. She and Price exchanged startled glances.
    Audrey gripped her brother’s arm. ‘If you let someone go and they come back because they want to, they can stay because you haven’t made them. Right?’
    ‘I guess so.’
    ‘Good.’ Audrey smiled. ‘Because Stumpy’s back. It’s another miroolcool.’
    She gazed towards the spot where the dust devil had vanished. ‘Stumpy’s running pretty fast. He’ll need a drink when he gets home. Fair dinkum.’

Audrey Goes to Town

    Audrey could hardly wait to get to Beltana.

One
    Audrey Barlow bounced as the wheels of the wooden cart hit a pothole. Although the floor was padded with blankets and what was left in the food bags, each bump jarred Audrey and her brothers.
    Douglas fell sideways, giggling. He was only three, so he giggled at nearly everything.
    ‘Sesiting, isn’t it?’ said Audrey.
    ‘ Ex citing.’ Price tried to sit straight and tall, as though he didn’t care about the roughness of the bush track or the town they would reach that afternoon. But his eyes shone.
    Eucalyptus trees grew on the wide plain. Although the sand was not as red as back home, the grey saltbush was familiar. And there were tufts of green grass. Maybe it rained more in the south. A grey rabbit scurried across the track, its tail and ears flashing white.
    Audrey looked up at her parents on the high front seat of the cart. Mum had been unusually quiet for most of the trip. Her face was pale. Audrey wondered if Mum’s leg was hurting. Years earlier, a tank stand had crushed it, so she walked with a limp.
    Dad turned his head to peer at Audrey from beneath the brim of his battered hat. His bushy beard