Carly and Arthur glanced at each other.
Ms Carrigan put her hands on her hips. Her hair was wild and frizzy and her crazy dark eyes flashed a warning. She was the sort of teacher you didn’t want to mess with.
‘Okay,’ said Arthur, holding out a hand to Simone. She reached up with her right hand and he snapped, ‘Not that hand! You’ve just wiped your nose with it.’
Simone blushed, grabbed his wrist with her left hand and yanked herself to her feet. ‘I’m not crying,’ she hissed. ‘The pain is just making my eyes leak.’
‘Whatever,’ said Arthur.
Carly and Arthur stood on each side of her and she wrapped her arms around their shoulders. They hobbled to the bus stop in silence.
When the bus dropped the class back at school, Arthur and Carly helped Simone down the step onto the road, and along the driveway to the boarding house. Simone grumbled all the way.
They heard barking, and Carly saw Ellie the corgi galloping out to greet them. Her tongue flapped and her tail wagged and her big ears stood up so tall they looked like a pair of party hats.
Carly laughed. ‘Well, someone’ glad to see us!’
She wriggled out from under Simone’s arm and bent down to pat Ellie, who was springing up as high as her stumpy little legs would let her.
‘And there’s someone else here who’s glad to see you too.’
Carly jumped. She looked up and saw a small, freckled girl with red pigtails, a gap-toothed smile, red-rimmed glasses and a bright floral sundress.
‘Dora!’
‘I’m feeling much better,’ Dora said. ‘Mum wanted me to wait a few more days but I didn’t want to miss the first day of school.’ Then she gave Carly a gentle nudge. ‘And I didn’t want you to have all the fun without me.’
Carly squeezed Dora’s hand. They were sitting on Carly’s bed in the room that they were to share. Ellie was asleep on Carly’s lap; all her tail-wagging had worn her out.
‘I missed you,’ Carly said.
‘Tell me all about Kenny College,’ Dora said.
‘What’s Ms Carrigan like? She looks scary.’
Carly patted Ellie and thought for a moment. She hadn’t liked it when Ms Carrigan made her
take care of Simone, but she had to admit that the teacher had been acting out of kindness. People can be tough and kind at the same time, Carly decided.
‘She’s OK, I think,’ she said.
‘And what about the kids? Looks like you’ve already made friends. I saw you arm-in-arm with that spiky-haired girl.’
Carly rolled her eyes. ‘I wouldn’t exactly call her a friend,’ she said. ‘But Arthur’s nice. I’m glad you’re better.’
‘Me too. Want to see my appendix scar?’
‘No! Wait - you had your appendix out?’ Carly shuddered. ‘I bet you didn’t have the operation on your dining table!’
‘Are you crazy?’ Dora asked, and Carly told her all about Dr Cooper.
‘Wow, she sounds awesome,’ said Dora. Carly agreed.
‘Hey,’ Dora went on. She leaned in to whisper in Carly’s ear. Her eyes sparkled behind her big red-rimmed glasses. ‘Before school ... starts do you want to have an adventure?’
Carly grinned and nodded. The two girls reached into their bags and pulled out their matching shawls.
‘Ready?’ said Dora, as she and Carly prepared to wrap the shawls around their shoulders. ‘One, two, three!’
The world went dark.
Next thing she knew, Carly was standing by the roadside and Ellie was romping around her ankles. For a moment, she was confused. She felt certain that she was still in Brisbane, but it seemed somehow different. It was not the Brisbane she had seen on the river cruise, but it was not the Brisbane of 1891 either. There were more buildings and more people.
She knew she was back in the past. She could tell by the fashions: there were ladies in long dresses and big hats and men in suits walking about. And there were horses trotting along the dirt roads - some of them pulling carriages.
But there was one big change. It was the noises that were strange. Carly closed her eyes and listened. That was it! A rumble of engines. She opened her eyes again and looked around. Sure enough, in amongst the horses and carriages, here and there a motor car trundled along the road. The cars had big wheels with spokes, like bicycle wheels. Most of them had no roofs.
Carly looked at Dora and giggled. She would never get used to seeing her friend in a long dress and bonnet and little wire-framed granny glasses.
‘You don’t look so cool yourself!’ Dora said with a laugh.
Ellie barked and ran in circles. ‘Poor Ellie,’ Dora said. ‘She’s confused.’
‘ELLIE!’ Carly shouted. The little dog had run out onto the road! Carly sprinted after her.
‘CARLY!’ Dora screamed. A horn blared and tyres screeched. Clouds of dust and gravel erupted. Something THUMPED into Carly’s back. She lurched upward like a cannon ball. She sailed high into the air and landed with a thud on the road.
Carly lay on the gravel, stunned. She heard a woman swearing. She blinked and shook her head. A tall woman with a long face was bending over her, peering at her with worried eyes.
‘Dr Cooper!’ Carly cried. She sat up and put a hand to her head. It seemed to be in one piece.
‘You’re alive!’ Dr Cooper shouted. ‘What were you thinking, jumping out in front of my car like that?’
‘Calm down, Lilian,’ said another voice. ‘Look, it’s Carly!’
Dr Cooper’s friend, Jo Bedford, squatted beside her and smiled kindly at Carly.
‘Are you OK?’ Dora squeezed between the women and knelt beside Carly. Ellie was yapping madly in her arms. A crowd had gathered.
Carly wiggled her fingers and toes. Her hips felt a bit bruised but nothing seemed broken. For the first time, she was glad of all the layers of petticoat under her long skirt. They had cushioned her fall.
‘I’m
