Zac, Zara and Zombies

Part 4

Minna

I stared at the new light in the sky where it looked like a volcano had blown over the horizon. The plume was huge and orange, with a billowing black dust cloud against the blue sky.

“Look, Dad, an umbrella!” I shouted, pointing through the waves made by our boat as it headed home.

My father gave me his binoculars for his eyesight was poor and said, “Take a closer look and tell me what you see.”

I put my eyes to the glass. “I see an upturned umbrella, dragging a rope…oh, wait…there’s someone in it. It looks like a kid – they’re standing up. The umbrella’s really ragged. It looks like they’ve been at sea for a while. We have to help her!”

Dad raised his eyebrows. “Her?”

I shrugged. “Girls are tougher than boys. I bet it’s a girl.”

Dad laughed and shouted up to the skipper, “Castaway to port! Let’s pick him up!” He looked at me. I was almost as tall as him then, so he didn’t have far to look down. “I’ll take that bet. Dishes duty tonight?”

“Sure.” I smiled. Dad could do the dishes while I read and relaxed.

The boat veered north and I could see the skinny kid in the boat looked worn out. She had ragged shoulder-length hair as she sagged against the umbrella handle. As we approached, I saw the rope towing bottles behind it. For messages? I wondered. Sending out an SOS, a message in a bottle? She must have been desperate.

“Minna! You’re on KP tonight – get down to the galley!” Mum called from below. With one last longing look at the castaway, I headed below decks to the galley, swearing under my breath. Any louder and Mum would kill me.

They brought her down to the cabin. She looked like she was maybe ten years old at most, maybe less. She was laid on a bunk and Dad said, “Minna, you keep an eye on him.”

I stuck my tongue out at Dad. There was no way she was a boy.

She sat up as soon as the adults left. “How far have I travelled?”

“Where are you from?” I asked.

“Pulau Pinang, but that was before the wave came…” she swallowed. “Malaysia.”

“You’re almost in Australia now,” I said kindly. “I never had a sister before. Maybe you can live with us until we can find your parents.”

“My parents drowned. I saw,” she said. “And I am NOT your sister. My name is Anuar and I’m NOT a girl. I’m a boy and I am fourteen years old. Almost a man.” He looked at me angrily. “You should apologise, girl.”

I was really embarrassed, but he was really rude. “My name’s Minna, not girl. And even if you are nearly a man, you’re short and skinny and don’t look like one.” I sniffed and walked out.

Dad was sitting in the kitchen, eating his pasta. “Enjoy your dishes duty,” he mumbled through a mouthful.

I swore again, but Dad just laughed.

“Anuar will be living with us for a while. Be nice to him, Minna. He’s lost his whole family and everyone he knows. He was on board a fishing boat with his family, but they hit rough weather on their way to Australia. He’s lucky to be alive – he was at sea almost a year.”

“I wish he’d stayed at sea and not bothered us,” I muttered as I picked up the tea towel. It was supposed to be Dad’s turn to do the dishes tonight and bloody Anuar had made it mine. I didn’t like him at all.

I’ll be nice to him the day hell freezes over, I promised myself with a smile.