like a penguin up the disabled ramp, with one Centrelink worker on either side. She made it as far as the emergency corridor. Caitlin was born on a wheeled trolley.
Two days later, mother and daughter were back on Magnetic.
‘They basically wiped the gunk off and chucked us out of there,’ Ruby said. ‘There was me, worried sick about what they might do to your dad, getting all my stories ready to say he was going to help us so they didn’t even think about taking you away, but oh no, it was in and out, like a production line. And did your father come and see you? No. Not until he needed to borrow some money.’
That’s not exactly an easy story for a little girl to hear, and Caitlin had decided early on to reject her mother’s explanation for how she ended up on Magnetic, in favour of somefiction: she’d been sent to Magnetic to take care of the colony of endangered fairies that lived in a fallen tree at the bottom of her garden; her dad wasn’t her dad because her real dad was a prince in a castle. But she was hardly going to say any of that to the Italian-American sitting in the leather swivel chair in the Blue Moon saloon.
‘I don’t really know how it happened,’ she said. ‘Mum never said how we ended up there.’
‘Just lucky, then?’ replied Robert.
‘Right,’ said Caitlin. ‘Just lucky.’
Chapter 4
‘What time does it get dark?’
It was 4 pm on Grant’s first day on the Blue Moon , and being a redhead he was slathered in sunscreen and wearing a baseball cap and mirrored sunglasses in an effort to keep the sun from blistering his freckled face.
‘It can stay light until seven o’clock,’ said Caitlin.
Grant adjusted his cap. ‘In New York it’s dark around now.’
‘I couldn’t hack that,’ said Trevor. He’d steered the boat out past Horseshoe Bay towards North Molle, but when he’d offered to drop anchor so the guests could swim they’d said no, they were fine just dozing with beers in their deckchairs.
‘Don’t interrupt her,’ Robert told Grant. ‘I want to hear more about growing up on one of the islands out here. It sounds brilliant.’
Caitlin opened three more cans. ‘I guess it’s what you’re used to.’
‘Well, what kind of island is Magnetic?’ asked Robert. ‘Tropical?’
‘It’s all pretty tropical around here,’ said Caitlin. She handed out the beers and put the empties in the plastic garbage bin. Then she stood awkwardly, in her torn shorts and tied shirt, with one tanned foot curled over the other. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do for her guests. She’d offered to make sandwiches. They’d declined, but then when she’d carried a bowl of peanuts and another of salted cashews up from the galley, they’d taken great handfuls and eaten them all. She’d asked them if they wanted her to get any of the equipment out – for jet-skiing or snorkelling – and they’d said no, they were happy just to be on the deck, faces tilted towards the sun.
‘It’s like they’re half-asleep,’ Caitlin had whispered to Trevor.
‘That’s the jet lag. They’ll be different tomorrow. Just sit and talk to them and if they ask for anything, get it.’
Caitlin shrugged. ‘Are you sure?’ It didn’t seem right to be paid to sit on the deck in the sunshine, even if she, personally, wasn’t drinking beer, but Trevor said it was fine.
‘So, your friends, when you say you grew up on an island, they must be jealous, right?’ said Robert. ‘Or does everyone around here do that?’
‘Everyone does not do that,’ said Trevor. ‘Caitlin’s lucky. Magnetic’s beautiful. And they say it’s got magic powers.’
Robert lowered his sunglasses. ‘Magic how?’
‘Well, Captain Cook – he’s the bloke who discovered Australia – used to complain that his compass would go funny when he sailed past Magnetic.’
‘That’s how it got the name,’ Caitlin agreed.
‘Well, did you hear that, Colby?’ said Robert. ‘Our little
Two days later, mother and daughter were back on Magnetic.
‘They basically wiped the gunk off and chucked us out of there,’ Ruby said. ‘There was me, worried sick about what they might do to your dad, getting all my stories ready to say he was going to help us so they didn’t even think about taking you away, but oh no, it was in and out, like a production line. And did your father come and see you? No. Not until he needed to borrow some money.’
That’s not exactly an easy story for a little girl to hear, and Caitlin had decided early on to reject her mother’s explanation for how she ended up on Magnetic, in favour of somefiction: she’d been sent to Magnetic to take care of the colony of endangered fairies that lived in a fallen tree at the bottom of her garden; her dad wasn’t her dad because her real dad was a prince in a castle. But she was hardly going to say any of that to the Italian-American sitting in the leather swivel chair in the Blue Moon saloon.
‘I don’t really know how it happened,’ she said. ‘Mum never said how we ended up there.’
‘Just lucky, then?’ replied Robert.
‘Right,’ said Caitlin. ‘Just lucky.’
Chapter 4
‘What time does it get dark?’
It was 4 pm on Grant’s first day on the Blue Moon , and being a redhead he was slathered in sunscreen and wearing a baseball cap and mirrored sunglasses in an effort to keep the sun from blistering his freckled face.
‘It can stay light until seven o’clock,’ said Caitlin.
Grant adjusted his cap. ‘In New York it’s dark around now.’
‘I couldn’t hack that,’ said Trevor. He’d steered the boat out past Horseshoe Bay towards North Molle, but when he’d offered to drop anchor so the guests could swim they’d said no, they were fine just dozing with beers in their deckchairs.
‘Don’t interrupt her,’ Robert told Grant. ‘I want to hear more about growing up on one of the islands out here. It sounds brilliant.’
Caitlin opened three more cans. ‘I guess it’s what you’re used to.’
‘Well, what kind of island is Magnetic?’ asked Robert. ‘Tropical?’
‘It’s all pretty tropical around here,’ said Caitlin. She handed out the beers and put the empties in the plastic garbage bin. Then she stood awkwardly, in her torn shorts and tied shirt, with one tanned foot curled over the other. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do for her guests. She’d offered to make sandwiches. They’d declined, but then when she’d carried a bowl of peanuts and another of salted cashews up from the galley, they’d taken great handfuls and eaten them all. She’d asked them if they wanted her to get any of the equipment out – for jet-skiing or snorkelling – and they’d said no, they were happy just to be on the deck, faces tilted towards the sun.
‘It’s like they’re half-asleep,’ Caitlin had whispered to Trevor.
‘That’s the jet lag. They’ll be different tomorrow. Just sit and talk to them and if they ask for anything, get it.’
Caitlin shrugged. ‘Are you sure?’ It didn’t seem right to be paid to sit on the deck in the sunshine, even if she, personally, wasn’t drinking beer, but Trevor said it was fine.
‘So, your friends, when you say you grew up on an island, they must be jealous, right?’ said Robert. ‘Or does everyone around here do that?’
‘Everyone does not do that,’ said Trevor. ‘Caitlin’s lucky. Magnetic’s beautiful. And they say it’s got magic powers.’
Robert lowered his sunglasses. ‘Magic how?’
‘Well, Captain Cook – he’s the bloke who discovered Australia – used to complain that his compass would go funny when he sailed past Magnetic.’
‘That’s how it got the name,’ Caitlin agreed.
‘Well, did you hear that, Colby?’ said Robert. ‘Our little
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