Angel Creek by Sally Rippin

Author:Sally Rippin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: JUV039140, JUV000000
ISBN: 9781921834288
Publisher: The Text Publishing Company
Published: 2011-02-27T23:00:00+00:00

The house was still quiet when they got back, but even so Jelly tiptoed upstairs to see who was home. Her dad was in the study, eyes glued to the computer screen and his bird thesis spread out all around him. Sophia was sleeping in a cot next to him. Jelly tugged one of her sunhats off the back of the door, shoved it under her T-shirt, then tiptoed out of the room.

‘Jelly?’ her dad whispered, as she reached the landing.

Jelly froze. Did her dad know they were up to something? She turned around slowly.

‘I almost forgot. Stef called.’

Jelly’s heart soared.

‘She wanted to wish you a happy Christmas. I said I’d get you to call back.’

Jelly was torn. She desperately wanted to talk to her best friend. She had so much to tell her. And it felt like days since they’d spoken. But Pik and Gino were waiting downstairs and the angel was baking in the shed.

‘I’ll call her tonight.’

‘Really?’ her dad said. ‘You’re always complaining that you can’t get onto her.’

‘Gino and Pik are waiting for me. I have to go.’

Jelly’s dad shrugged. ‘I’m glad you kids are getting along so well. I thought you’d gone off Gino a bit.’

‘Nah,’ said Jelly. ‘He’s okay.’ She scooted back downstairs.

Gino had already brought Sophia’s pram around the back and Pik was almost wetting himself with excitement.

‘Shh, Pik, you’ll get us busted.’ Jelly tossed the sunhat into the pram. ‘We’ll have to go the long way round. There’s no way we’d get the pram over the back fence.’

The old lady from across the road was sitting in the shade of her front porch as they passed. She was fanning herself with junk mail. ‘Buon Natale!’ she called out, waving so that the pale flesh underneath her fat arms jiggled.

‘Merry Christmas,’ Jelly called back, without slowing down.

‘You taking your baby sister for a walk?’

‘Yep.’

‘Good children.’

Jelly giggled. Even Gino couldn’t hide a grin.

At the hole in the fence, Jelly told Gino and Pik to wait with the pram while she fetched the angel.

‘Hurry,’ said Gino. ‘I don’t want those boys catching me here. Especially with a pram.’

Inside the shed it smelled even worse than before. Jelly breathed through her mouth. The air was hot and dry. ‘Hey, little angel,’ she cooed, approaching slowly. It didn’t stir.

Jelly had brought one of Sophia’s blankets with her. She tucked one side under the angel’s limp body and rolled it onto the blanket, folding in its good wing first. Gently she lifted the injured wing. It dangled loosely in her hand. The angel didn’t even flinch. Jelly leaned in close to its face, her heart beating fast. Then she heard them. Little raspy puffs like the swish of a skirt on dry grass. The angel was still breathing. She exhaled and picked it up carefully, holding it close to her chest. One of the angel’s eyelids floated open and its pale eye rolled back. It let out a tiny sigh.

‘I’m so sorry, little one,’ she said, tears pricking at her eyes.

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