Purple Threads by Jeanine Leane

Author:Jeanine Leane
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: University of Queensland Press
Published: 2011-08-24T21:00:00+00:00

Marching with Hannibal

We used to lose our Aunty Bubby sometimes. Aunty Boo would say, ‘She’s prob’ly up on the hill with that bloody book.’

That bloody book was Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Aunty Bubby loved books. And she passed on that passion to me.

Our favourite games were playing scenes from the books she read. Star and I spent hours running across the hill being Heathcliff and Cathy. We liked the bit when they were kids and ran wild on the windy moors. After a while, though, we decided that there was only so much you could do with the soul mates. We had a whole winter ahead of us – one short biting afternoon after another of roaming the hill.

We had a good time with Jane Eyre and the mad woman in the attic who tries to burn the house down. But even Jane got too soppy for us and, like Aunty Boo said, that bloody Mr Rochester was shameful. He’d drive anyone mad.

One cold afternoon the rain set in and kept us all off the hill.

‘I got a good story for youse kids,’ Aunty Boo said. ‘That rich ol’ girl that I use ta work fer, she was goin’ blind an’ use ta get me ta read to ’er. Loved all that ancient history she did. Ya know, the Greek an’ Roman stuff.’

We all gathered round the kitchen stove. The roof on our old house creaked and sagged with the rain. Nan snored by the fire. Aunty Bubby made us big mugs of tea with toast and jam.

‘This one’s called the Punic Wars,’ Aunty Boo said. ‘’Bout two warrin’ giants. Big countries that owned a lotta other countries. One’s called Rome an’ the other one’s Carthage.’

We kept a battered Britannica atlas on the shelf above the stove. Aunty Boo got it down and pointed out the empires then ran her gnarled finger across the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and North Africa. ‘That’s the part they was warrin’ about!’

‘Why didn’t they jus’ share?’ I asked when I saw the vastness of the empires.

Aunty Boo threw her head back and laughed. ‘Share? Lor’, child, you seen them farmers standin’ round arguin’ ’bout boundary fences an’ strayin’ stock. No, child! Sharin’ jus’ ain’t in the nature of things when ya talkin’ men an’ land.’

‘Anyways . . .’ Aunty Boo began again as she settled back in her old chair with cats and dogs curled across her lap, ‘there was no guns back then. Men had big spears an’ swords an’ shields an’ all sorts o’ headgear. Some of ’em rode horses but most of ’em walked. So these fellas from Carthage, that’s in Spain, ’ad some big boats – warships with big purple sails, so they say. The Romans ’ad boats too but they wasn’t much good. So the Romans picked a big fight with the ones from Carthage. Carthage got their arse kicked an’ their pride hurt. Lost one of their best men too, bloke called Hamilcar.’

She could tell a good

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