Conrad Cooper's Last Stand ePub Read Online Free PDF Page B

myself up, pushing with my feet until I scramble onto the next branch.
    ‘How about this one?’
    Jasper strokes his chin and I get the impression he’s copying someone. ‘No, that’s more like a bruise-your-knee kind of height.’
    ‘Seriously?’
    ‘If you’re lucky you might pull a muscle.’
    ‘Very funny.’
    Wobbling slightly, I wrap my arms around the trunk and stare at the pink bark … wait, pink? Moving my head back, it grows clearer – a bright line painted on to the tree with two letters on either side. The council men must’ve left a mark, probably to help them slice our pohutukawa into even pieces.
    I’d forgotten about that.
    I glance down. Wow. Jasper and Ravi look small. For a second I just stand there, hugging the tree, staring at my mates.
    Ravi calls out, ‘Are you going to be sick?’
    ‘No, why?’
    ‘I’m standing right under you.’ He turns to Jasper and I hear him explaining, ‘Mum gets funny about stains on my uniform.’
    I might fall and become a human pancake and he’s worried about his mum doing extra laundry? Mind you, Tane, it
is
a long way down. Will biscuits and an apple cover this? Maybe this is what Mrs O’Leary meant by faith: I just have to believe you’ll save me.
    Man, I hope this works.
    Jasper shouts, ‘One more branch!’
    Turning my head, I come face to face with another set of spray marks. It’s like the tree’s leaking pink blood. Poor old tree, it doesn’t deserve … hang on.
    That’s it.
    Tane, I know what’ll make you really happy! Another good deed, only it’s not your average follow-the-star-chart-and-say-please kind of goodness. In fact, you’ll probably solve my family problems and throw in a free trip to Disneyland. Funny thing is, I should’ve thought of it earlier. This deed’s been staring me in the face, every day.
    I shout down, ‘I don’t think this is a good idea.’
    Jasper starts making chicken noises and clawing at the ground with his feet. Well, I’m not taking that.
    ‘Cut it out, Jasper! I’m not scared! I just haven’t done anything good enough for Tane to save me from falling. Not yet!’
    Lowering myself carefully onto one knee, I crawl along the branch, giving me a clear view of the playground. There’s silence from the bottom of the tree and then Jasper’s voice climbs up through the leaves. ‘Well, what’re you doing, then?’
    It’s so far down. I grab a smaller branch for balance. ‘I’m making a protest.’
    ‘A
what
?’
    He’s far away so I take a deep breath and shout, ‘I won’t come down until the principal promises NOT to kill our pohutukawa! I’m SAVING the tree!’
    Okay, that was a bit loud. The whole playground probably heard, but I don’t look down to check. I can’t, not when I’m this high up. It makes the world wobbly. Underneath, I hear Jasper calling me an egg, and possibly a scrambled one if I fall too far. He’s got a point, I’d better not look down.
    I keep my eyes fixed on blue patches of sky, dancing between the leaves. It’s like the ocean and I wonder … Tane? If I was at sea, and couldn’t see any land, would I get confused and not know the difference? Would I start trying to swim in the air? Interesting.
    Tane, I know the sky’s your father. How do you get on? I mean does he ever take you out for fish ’n’ chips, or –
    ‘Brilliant.’
    Who said that? The voice seems to be coming from the tree and it sounds familiar, but I don’t see anyone. Unless, could it be? Hardly daring to breathe, I whisper, ‘Tane, is that you?’
    ‘Don’t be stupid.’
    I look down and see a face full of freckles, sticking up through the branches. ‘
Jasper
? What are you doing here? Are you trying to prove Tane’s real, too?’
    ‘Uh, not exactly. We’ve got a spelling test after lunch and I haven’t studied.’
    ‘Oh.’
    ‘Ravi’s right behind me. He’s not great with spelling either, science is more his thing.’ He grins. ‘Whoa, nice view!’
    I’ve never noticed how