Home to Echidna Lane by Eva Scott

Author:Eva Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Published: 2023-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

Shane sat at his desk with his laptop open. Matilda had been tucked into bed an hour ago, leaving him to navigate the rest of the evening alone. He had a finger of whisky by his side and had logged on to the Aurora Australis Facebook page, scrolling through the posts about the current outlook for the phenomenon. The Aurora Chaser’s Handbook lay on the desk for reference.

He leaned back in his chair, whisky in hand, and listened to the sound of the old house settling around him. These hours used to be the hardest for him and he expected that down the hill Lacey was lying awake, going through the same thoughts he used to roll through at this hour. He didn’t envy her one bit.

Which was why he picked up the hobby of aurora chasing. A man needed something to occupy his mind that was not television. Not only had he learned about the science of the sun, he’d also learned a lot about photography and astronomy. These subjects populated his evening hours and kept his mind off his loneliness.

‘Daddy.’ Matilda stood at the doorway, rubbing her eyes.

‘You okay, honey?’ He put his glass down and turned to his daughter. Her hair had escaped its confines and stood like a fine blonde halo around her head. She wore her favourite unicorn pyjamas and had a cat plushie tucked under her arm.

‘I can’t sleep.’

‘Come here, then.’ Shane held out his arms and Matilda filled them. ‘What’s stopping you from sleeping?’

She shrugged. ‘I dunno.’

‘Do you think you might be excited about Ollie and Harry starting school with you?’

The afternoon had delivered many interesting developments, all of which needed careful processing. The fact Lacey had agreed to send the boys to Whitton District State School meant she wasn’t planning on going anywhere for a little while at least. This was good news. The fact she was hiring a divorce lawyer and was looking for work was also good news, although you wouldn’t catch him saying that out loud. Poor form.

‘I am excited,’ said Matilda. She snuggled into him and stayed silent for a moment. ‘You know Harry is going to be in my class, don’t you?’ she said at last, her voice muffled against his chest.

‘I sure do. Is that something that worries you?’

She tipped her face up to his, her clear grey eyes fringed with the longest of lashes. ‘Why is Harry so angry all the time? He never quits.’

‘Well,’ Shane’s thoughts ramped up to warp speed, ‘I guess it might be because he’s grieving for his dad.’

Matilda frowned and scrunched up her face. ‘But his dad isn’t dead. Isn’t grieving about dead people?’

‘You’re right, Harry’s dad isn’t dead, but he’s not part of their immediate family anymore. He’s not living with them and he’s not nearby. The life Harry used to have is gone now, and even if he went back to Sydney, things would never be the same. I guess that makes him sad.’

‘Yeah, I get that,’ she said.

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