The Dog that Dumped on my Doona by Barry Jonsberg

Author:Barry Jonsberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV000000
ISBN: 9781741766011
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2008-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The whole school, it seemed, was outside the gates. There were hundreds of kids milling around, as well as dozens of parents who’d come to drop their children off and stayed to find out what was happening. No one was going into the school. I could see teachers moving around the yard, surrounded by kids. Most were waving their arms around in a I-haven’t-got-a-clue-what-is-going-on fashion. I joined the crowd.

‘Wassup?’ I asked David, who just happened to be the first person I bumped into.

‘Something’s going on,’ he said, which wasn’t exactly news. You didn’t have to be a genius to work out that something was going on. The big question was what. ‘Hey,’ he continued. ‘One hundred and seventy-five dollars.’

I groaned. The way things were going, he’d be offering me more for that iPod than he’d pay in a shop.

‘David,’ I said. ‘I wish you’d offered me a sensible price in the first place. I’ve sold it, mate. It’s gone.’

‘I was negotiating,’ he replied. ‘You should have been patient.’

I didn’t want to think about it. It would make me too depressed. Then Miss Prentice, our Principal, appeared in the yard and I put everything else out of my mind.

She was carrying one of those electric things that magnify your voice and it was clear she wasn’t afraid to use it.

‘Attention, please,’ she said, which was unnecessary since the volume was cranked up full. There were probably people thirty kilometres away who were raised from deep sleep to full attention. ‘I regret to inform you that school today is cancelled.’

She waited for the cheers to die down. This took some time. ‘There is a problem with the electrics – a problem that is being worked on as we speak. But I have been told it is extremely unlikely the problem will be fixed before close of school today. Given that there is no power anywhere in the building I have no choice but to pass on the Director of Education’s advice that school is closed. Would all students please report to a teacher so that we may ring home and explain the situation. Finally, I have been assured that we will be open tomorrow, so please attend as normal. Thank you.’

This was fantastic. This was just too good to be true.

It was too good to be true.

‘Dylan,’ I whispered. ‘What have you done now?’

I only found him after the crowd had thinned out. He was moving among the kids, collecting money in a big tin. When I got close, he looked up, saw me and smiled.

‘Explanation, please, Dyl,’ I said.

‘In a few,’ he replied. ‘I’ve still got some kids to see. Meet me in the park across the road.’

It didn’t take long. Ten minutes, tops.

‘Explanation, please, Dyl,’ I said again.

‘Hey,’ he said. ‘All in good time. First, we’ve got to count this up.’ He knelt and tipped the tin out onto the grass at my feet. Coins rolled everywhere. Quite a few were gold. I joined him on my knees.

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