Sister Heart by Sally Morgan Read Free Book Online Page A

nodding
    both looking at Tim
    Tim dreamed about Janey, too
    He told me before breakfast
    she was in his dream bossing him
    and it made him laugh
    Timothy
    says Teacher
    go with Nurse
    Tim shoots out of his chair
    Big grin on his face
    Can Annie visit Janey too?
    No, Timothy
    just you
    Tim weaves his way to my chair
    I’ll say hello for you, Annie!
    He rushes after Nurse
    Some kids grumble
    Tim is getting a treat
    Teacher says
    Quiet!
    It’s time for mathematics
    Annie, eyes front
    away from the door
    What is happening
    is none of your business
    You can only count to five
    so pay attention!
    I am too excited to do sums
    I wriggle in my seat
    Keep twisting round
    looking at the door
    I want to be with Janey and Tim
    I want to go
    I half rise from my seat
    Whack!
    Teacher hits my arm
    Sit down, Annie!
    Ugly glasses
    drop down on their new ribbon
    Ribbon loosens
    Glasses hit the floor
    Janey will laugh
    when I tell her

    After school
    I duck into the bush
    to look for something special
    for Janey
    I hear a crying noise
    Soft at first
    then louder
    Soft and loud
    loud and soft
    Not stopping
    I follow the sobs
    through the bush
    to the crying tree
    Tim is curled inside
    Why isn’t he with Janey?
    Did Nurse make him leave?
    I squeeze in beside him
    put my arm round him
    Tim is hunched up tight
    He won’t look at me
    won’t say my name
    won’t talk
    Tim, you see sister?
    Tim gives a shuddery sob
    squirms around
    opens his fist
    Why
    does he have
    Janey’s laughing stone?
    Tim lifts his wet face to mine
    And I know
    I just know

    Nurse finds me and Tim
    crying in the crying tree
    She kneels
    opens her mouth
    closes it
    shakes her head
    I am sorry
    Janey’s illness
    stole her away
    I wish I had let you see her
    I didn’t want you to get sick
    Her voice is kind
    but her thinking is crooked
    If we could sit with Janey
    if we could make her smile
    we wouldn’t care if we got sick
    Nurse holds out a hand
    I think you’d better
    come with me now
    Tim kicks a leg at Nurse
    yells
    What you do with Janey?
    Nurse pulls her hand back
    Timothy, I already told you …
    Tim screams
    What you do with her?
    Where you put Janey?
    I wanna say goodbye!
    Nurse says
    Isn’t it nicer
    to remember Janey
    how she was
    before she got sick?
    Tim kicks again
    I wanna say goodbye to me sister!
    He looks at me
    You tell her, Annie!
    Tell her I wanna say goodbye!
    I lean forward
    I’m strong for Janey
    Strong for Tim
    Strong for me
    I grab Nurse’s arm
    Dig my fingers in hard
    Yell loud as I can
    TIM WANTS TO SAY GOODBYE!

four

    A government man
    dug a government hole
    in government ground
    and buried Janey
    in a government grave
    1 – 2 – 3 government graves
    Janey in the middle
    A small grave each side
    Little ones coughed
    till they stopped
    just like Janey
    Me and Tim
    stand at Janey’s grave
    Hands shaking
    Legs wobbly
    Tim sobs
    Why didn’t they send her home, Annie?
    Dunno, Tim
    Tim kneels
    pulls Janey’s laughing stone
    from his pocket
    lays it down
    I kneel
    pull my bush doll
    from my pocket
    lay her down
    Tim leans against me
    shivering
    I put my arm round him
    We cry and cry
    and cry
    and cry
    Till Tim whispers
    Bye, sister
    Then we cry lots more

    Me and Tim
    have a big bunch of wildflowers
    for Janey
    Nancy and Emmy and Dot
    cried themselves sick
    helping us pick them
    We spread out the flowers
    and I lay some boronia
    on the little graves
    Tim says
    They baby graves
,
Annie
    I come here as a baby
    They took me from the hospital
    Janey told me
    Tears flood his eyes
    Me heart’s busted
    busted wide open
    Hurts real bad, Annie
    Poor Tim
    I can’t fix him
    I can’t stop him hurting
    I can’t bring Janey back
    But I can be a big sister
    I hug him tight

    Hours are days
    days are weeks
    weeks are months
    without Janey
    Everything is slow
    without Janey
    Everything is dull
    without Janey
    World’s too sad
    without Janey
    I do the same things
    Sleep in