Out of Time by John Marsden Read Free Book Online Page A

vertical was soon to be horizontal was final proof that the world was being re-organized. If vertical and horizontal could be as one, then three dimensional could become two, or one, or four, and life could become death. But before the great mass of masonry could reach her she was struck by an absurdly small piece, a lump of brick, a mere harbinger of the building itself. She dropped to the ground, still holding the lighter bag, unconscious before she fell, knowing nothing of the crash as the two planes at last met. She did not feel her body being picked up by the bang of air, nor did she feel the tonnes of rubble cover her, nor was she aware of the awful airless silence that followed.
    She was aware of very little for the next three and a half days.
    *
    TWO TEENAGERS NAMED Max and Sybil had arrived to take James out. They did this occasionally. He was not sure who they were or where they came from or why they did it, but he liked their good-humoured chatter and their breezy confidence. On this particular day they walked a couple of kilometres to Rymill Park. Max and Sybil talked across his head but also tried to include him in the conversation. Sybil was a girl who moved gracefully and spoke with a light and lively voice; Max was clumsier but good-natured. He often surprised, with comments of real originality.
    They were talking about one of their teachers. They went to the same school, a senior high about five kilometres away.
    â€˜He’s got no sense of humour,’ Max complained. ‘Were you there the other day? He told us to choose something in the room and paint it. Those were his exact words. So Andrew Reeve chose the back of the door and started painting it blue. Mr Angus was so busy cutting up bits of paper that he didn’t notice for ten minutes. When he did he went sick at Andrew. Absolutely and completely el sicko. He tried to chuck Andrew out of the class but when he opened the door he got blue paint all over his hands. It was so funny. I had to put my face under the tap to stop myself laughing. But he didn’t see the joke at all.’
    â€˜Strange, that,’ said Sybil drily, while James choked back his own laughter. Impassivity, one of his most reliable defences, was threatening to abandon him.
    In the park they played cricket, not very successfullywith only three players. But after a while some kids at a barbecue with their parents joined them. That made for a better game but intimidated James, who retreated to the outfield and shook his head shyly when invited to bat or bowl.
    They’d been playing for half an hour when Max came to the wicket to bat for the third time. He only had twelve runs from his first two innings, which put him well behind the others. The first ball he got sent him falling back over the rubbish-tin they were using as a wicket, causing much laughter among the kids who had joined them. On the principle of ‘not out first ball’ Max was allowed to keep batting. He played the second ball uneventfully without scoring a run. When the third ball hit a bump in the ground and bounced awkwardly Max tried to hook. In doing so he put his left foot in the rubbish-tin. The shock caused him to lose his grip on the bat, which flew into the fire, while the ball popped up in the air to land in a dish of coleslaw that was sitting on a picnic table. Max overbalanced backwards landing with his foot still in the bin and its contents strewn around him.
    This was too much for James. He collapsed in helpless laughter, losing control completely. For several minutes he lay on the ground, giggling convulsively. When he finally recovered he lay on his back, gazing at the sky. A ragged mass of cloud was rapidly filling it, from horizon to horizon. His feeling of elation was giving way to fear and embarrassment at his abandonment. At last, however, he forced himself to situp and look across doubtfully at the others.
    They were ignoring him. To his amazement it appeared that they had