SOMEDAY SOON by David Crookes Read Free Book Online Page A

that’s all.’ Joe was standing with his arm around
Faith and he noticed the American’s eyes were on her. ‘Oh, Faith,’
he said quickly. ‘This is Captain Rivers, his plane was shot down
yesterday. We brought him over from Bathhurst. Captain, this is my
sister, Faith.’
    The captain took her hand and shook it
gently.
    She smiled. ‘Captain Rivers.’
    ‘My pleasure, Faith.’ He looked intently into
her pale blue eyes. ‘Please call me Dan.’
    Faith smiled again, then she and Joe turned
to go into the house.
    Dan climbed back into the jeep. ‘Let’s go,
Sergeant.’ He spoke without taking his eyes off Faith. As the jeep
pulled away he remained watching her until she disappeared inside
the house.
    *
    ‘You’ll stay with Uncle Richard and Aunt
Helen when you get to Brisbane, of course.’ Joe was concerned for
his sister..
    ‘Yes, if they’ve got the room,’ Faith
replied. She reached across the table and took her brother’s hand.
‘Oh, Joe, say you’ll come with me on the train tomorrow.’
    It was almost midnight and Faith and Joe were
talking in hushed tones in the glow of a candle at their kitchen
table. The mission children, well fed at the Maxwell’s earlier in
the evening, were now all fast asleep in beds or on mattresses
scattered around the floor of the Brodie house.
    ‘I just can’t go that soon,’ Joe said. ‘I
can’t leave the boat and the house and everything. I’ll need a few
days and I want to see if there’s anything that I can do for
Koko.’
    ‘I don’t think there’s anything anyone
can do for Koko. It’s just awful, I know. But at least he’ll be
safe, Joe. As for everything else, why do you need to stay? The
house and the boat will probably be destroyed if the Japs come
back. Even if there’s no more bombing, or they’ve got no intention
of landing, there’s no trade left for a small private vessel
anyway. It’s just too dangerous. Besides, you told me Faraway will probably be
commandeered.’
    Joe shrugged. ‘Perhaps she won’t. They may
think she’s too old or too small to be of any use.’
    ‘Well, if they don’t, the bank will take her
if she can’t pay for herself.’
    ‘George Maxwell told me all the banks are
closed. Apparently the Territory Administrator made special
arrangements for the staff, cash and negotiable securities to be
taken south last night.’
    Faith sighed. ‘They’ll still get your boat,
Joe.’
    ‘Not if I volunteer or get called up. There’s
a government-enforced debt moratorium on anyone who enlists in the
services.’
    ‘What good is a debt moratorium if you’re
dead?’
    Joe shrugged again. ‘Not much, I suppose. But
I’m going to enlist. And I’d better do that as soon as I can.’
    ‘You can’t join up here. You have to go to
Adelaide River or Katherine.’
    ‘ Then I’ll see if I can get on that
train tomorrow. I’ll have to go down to the boat first thing though
and tell Sunday and Monday to go bush. And I want to see Koko
before George Maxwell goes over to Myilly Point in the morning to
pick him and Aki up.’ Joe stood up and stretched. ‘But now, I think
we’d both better try and get a bit of sleep.’
    Faith got up, went to the sink and began
filling the kettle. ‘I’m going to make some tea, Joe. You go and
put your head down on the settee. I don’t need any sleep now, I
slept most of the day. I’ll wake you at dawn.’
    *
    Around 2 a.m. the candle on the kitchen table
had burnt itself out. Faith was just nodding off, still sitting
upright in her chair, when she thought she heard a noise outside.
She got up quickly, moved to the kitchen door and stood listening
in the darkness. After a moment she heard soft footsteps on the
porch outside, then a sharp rap on the door.
    Faith crept silently back to the table, took
her father’s Walther from the drawer and held it up in front of her
with both hands.
    ‘Who’s there?’
    ‘Faith, it’s me, Koko. Let me in. I must
speak with Joe.’
    Somehow, Koko’s