67 / 164
67
Bushfire
are on fire. There are no new ones.’ He was pointing up to the hilltop.
It was true. I was so busy concentrating on the fire itself that I had
not noticed that its ferocity had diminished. ‘By Jove, I think you
might be right Norm!’ I said excitedly. The girls were starting to
detach their faces from my skirts and lower their hands from their
faces. ‘In fact I think it might be moving along the top of the hill
towards the West.’ I pointed towards the right hand side of the hill.
None of us dared to move or to look away, even briefly, from the
hilltop. We watched the fire creep across the ridge. It was not until
the wireless announced the news that we all relaxed. ‘Our latest
update of the bushfire it that there has been a wind change and it is
believed that the district of Warrandyte is now out of danger.’
I stood with my hands on the window sill watching the last
remaining smouldering trees and the smoke drifting off up into the
sky. I reached up to run my figures through my hair but my hand
found my straw hat instead. I must have forgotten to take it off in all
my rushing about. I left the window and walked slowly over to the
back door taking off my hat.
I hung the hat back on its hook.
‘
10