Meet Pearlie Read online

  He gently dabbed her toe with the corner of his shirt. ‘You know, in one of them cases I saw something that looked mighty like a camera,’ he said.

  ‘I’ve never seen a camera so small,’ she said.

  ‘I read about spy cameras in a magazine. They can fit on the palm of your hand.’

  Pearlie looked at Reddy, shocked. There’d been rumours lately of a spy who was passing secrets to the Japanese, but nobody had been able to catch him. Along with Germany, Japan was their enemy in the war. ‘Do you think Mr Beake might be a spy? What do spies do, anyway?’ she asked.

  ‘Sneak round taking photos of things, like how many big guns and warships and fighter planes there are and where to find ’em. Then they tell the enemy so that they know which places to drop bombs on.’

  ‘Do you really think the Japanese are going to bomb Darwin?’ Pearlie asked. ‘My dad says it’s possible because he reads the papers from Singapore. And everyone’s starting to leave.’

  ‘I dunno. Still, we oughta keep an eye on that Mr Beake, don’t you think?’

  Pearlie nodded. But really, she wanted to stay as far away from Mr Beake and his sword as possible.

  Mum was setting the dinner table when Pearlie walked in, still feeling shaky.

  ‘Bring in some water from the well, Pearlie,’ she said. ‘And don’t forget to lock the Girls up for the night.’

  Joey smiled from his high chair and Pearlie took her little brother’s face in her hands and gave him a kiss on his little snub of a nose. He giggled and grabbed her hair.

  ‘Ow, Joey, stop that,’ she scolded gently, pulling his hand away and giving it a squeeze. She picked up an enamel bowl from under the kitchen trough and went out to the yard.

  Pearlie loved their garden. The well was surrounded by mango, paw paw and nanny-goat plum trees. There was the chook pen and next to that was the outhouse – a shed with the lavatory by the laneway that ran along the back of the shops.

  The hens came clucking towards Pearlie. ‘It’s time to take yourselves off to bed now,’ she said as she led the Girls to the hen house and locked them in. They clucked and muttered as they settled for the night.

  As Pearlie took the wooden lid off the well, she thought about Mr Beake. The image of him standing over her with those piercing blue eyes still haunted her. Only now did she remember that he’d spoken like an American. What could he be doing here? Were the Tompkins really letting him stay in their house? Was he really a spy?

  ‘Pssst . . .’ came a voice from the shadows.

  The bucket full of water Pearlie had wound up went tumbling back into the well.

  ‘It’s only me, Pearlie,’ Naoko said, jumping down from the corrugated iron fence.

  ‘You gave me such a scare. What are you doing here?’

  Naoko sighed. ‘You know how there’s that rumour about the Japanese spy in Darwin? Well, I just found out that people are saying it’s my dad . . .’

  ‘What? That’s stupid.’ Pearlie loved Naoko’s father, who was patient and gentle – nothing like a spy!

  ‘I know, but Dad’s really upset. So is Mum. Dad says that rumours grow inside people’s heads and become so big they begin to believe them.’ Naoko looked as if she was about to cry. Pearlie had never seen Naoko cry before.

  Japan’s armies were coming south towards Australia – everyone knew that. So Japan was their enemy, but did that mean that Naoko’s family were enemies, too, just because they were Japanese? Pearlie wondered. She and Naoko never talked about it. They knew they’d love each other no matter what.

  A little head with big eyes popped out from inside Naoko’s jumper.

  ‘Tinto,’ Pearlie cried.

  Tinto was Naoko’s pet pygmy marmoset monkey. He was only six inches tall. Naoko’s dad found him in the sea, floating on a palm leaf. Mrs Ito said he must have fallen off a boat because he was so tame. The tiny monkey crawled onto Naoko’s shoulder then jumped onto Pearlie’s front.

  Pearlie cooed at the tiny little fellow. And as she tickled Tinto gently under the chin, she remembered something that now seemed very important. ‘Wait a minute – I almost forgot! I made a delivery to the Tompkins’ place today, and Reddy and me –’

  Naoko’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Reddy?’

  ‘I met him in the street and he came along, too. Anyway, listen! I was delivering a package to this man called Mr Beake, and it split apart when I fell down the stairs, and –’

  ‘You fell down the steps?’

  ‘Yes, because Beake charged me with his sword.’

  ‘What! I think I should get a job delivering parcels,’ said Naoko. ‘It sounds kinda exciting.’

  Pearlie was relieved to see Naoko acting like her old self again. ‘Well, it wasn’t exciting at all. It was really, really scary. But then listen to this, Nao. Inside the package was a spy camera. At least, that’s what Reddy said it was because it was so small.’

  Naoko’s face grew serious. She scratched her ear thoughtfully. ‘That does sound curious,’ she said. ‘If he’s not a spy, what would he be doing with a spy camera?’

  ‘That’s what we thought.’

  ‘Pearlie!’ Naoko’s face lit up into a smile. ‘If we can prove this Beake man is the spy, then everyone will leave my dad alone!’

  Pearlie screwed up her face. ‘There’s only one problem, Nao. Beake’s not Japanese. He’s an American. Why would an American be spying for the Japanese? They’re our enemies in the war!’

  Naoko fell silent a moment. ‘I still think he’s worth investigating,’ she said finally, holding out her hand. ‘Come on, Tinto.’

  As Naoko took her monkey and climbed back over the fence, Pearlie wished she hadn’t mentioned Beake. But it was too late now. ‘Nao,’ she called. ‘Promise me you won’t do anything stupid. Beake has a big sword and mean eyes and . . . you don’t know what he’s like.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Pearlie,’ Naoko said. ‘Thanks for cheering me up. I feel much better now.’

  Noises from the house carried into the backyard – the clinking of dishes, Mum talking to Joey and Dad banging something with a hammer. They were such ordinary noises, and yet Pearlie knew that something had changed today. An invisible wall she’d always felt safe behind had come down, leaving her feeling more afraid than ever.

  THE next morning, as Pearlie reached the school gate, she was surprised to find all the kids coming out instead of going in.

  Naoko was waiting for her. ‘Guess what? Mr Plumber found a dead rat in the water tank, so there’s no school today! Hooray!’

  ‘Oh yuck,’ said Pearlie. ‘How long had it been there?’

  ‘A while ’cos it was kind of soggy and its eyes had sunken into its head.’

  Pearlie wrinkled up her nose.

  ‘Anyway, Pearlie, this is lucky for us because we’re going cave exploring.’

  ‘What! Now? But we’re not prepared.’

  Naoko patted her knapsack. ‘You know I’m always prepared. I got everything we need right here: torch, snacks and water.’

  Pearlie sighed. At least while Naoko is busy exploring caves she’s not doing anything dangerous with that Mr Beake, she thought.

  They took the shortcut down Daly Street to Mindil Beach and along a dirt track that wound past the Botanical Gardens and the cemetery. Out in the sea, box jellyfish dotted the water like ghosts with long trailing hair. Naoko had been stung last year and they’d had to rub the sting with sand to get rid of the tentacles, then pour methylated spirits over it. Pearlie could remember Naoko’s screams from the pain and she still had long marks on her legs.

  At one point they had to pass the hut where Old Man Lizard lived. It was made from bits of tin, hessian and planks of wood. All the children were terrified of Old Man Lizard. Not that he’d ever harmed anyone, but he looked scary with skin like a reptile’s, all dry and cracked and scaly. He never came to town but grew vegetables in a wild patch of garden guarded by a brindle dog named Titch, who was as big as a pony. Titch ran to t
he end of his chain, barking at Pearlie and Naoko until he was out of earshot.

  They walked along the sand following the curve of the bay. The tide was in, which meant that in some places they had to climb up onto the cliff and pick their way through the scrub.

  ‘Careful of snakes,’ Pearlie called out to Naoko, who was crashing fearlessly through the bushes. It wasn’t the large carpet pythons they had to worry about, but the smaller mulga snakes, the Western Browns and death adders. When crossing creeks they were also on the lookout for saltwater crocodiles.

  They seemed to have been walking for hours and Pearlie was completely exhausted, her clothes damp with perspiration, when Naoko stopped.

  To their left was the sea, on the right a large mound of dirt. Pearlie could see the barrel of a gun sticking out.

  ‘This is the spot!’ Naoko said. She looked over the cliff and, without a word to Pearlie, disappeared over the edge.

  ‘Wait,’ Pearlie called. ‘The spot for what?’

  ‘It’s all right! There’s a ledge. Come on, Pearlie. I’ll guide you down.’

  It was easy for Naoko to say, but Pearlie was afraid of heights. Her tummy went fluttery as she got down on her hands and knees and peered at Naoko. She saw the top of Naoko’s head and below that, the beach and a pile of rocks. She felt dizzy just looking at it.

  ‘Come on!’ Naoko said impatiently.

  Pearlie put her foot over the side and Naoko grabbed it. It tickled so much that Pearlie drew it quickly away.

  ‘How am I going to help if you wriggle like that?’ Naoko said. ‘Think about something bad to take your mind off being so ticklish.’

  Pearlie sat back and thought about Beake towering over her. It worked. This time she let Naoko take her foot and bring it down to rest on the ledge.

  They sidled along until Naoko found a place in the cliff where the rocks had been pushed up and out. Using these as stepping stones they made their way down to the sandy cove.

  ‘See, easy as pie,’ Naoko said.

  ‘It’s all right when you’re with me, Nao. But I wouldn’t dare do anything like this by myself.’

  ‘If I wasn’t your friend you wouldn’t see a thing except what’s inside a book!’ Naoko laughed. ‘Come on, I can’t wait to explore.’

  The entrance to the new cave was like the opening of a gigantic seashell – tall, thin and curving inwards.

  When Pearlie stepped inside there was a hush as if all the sound in the world had been turned off. She couldn’t hear the waves or wind or the cry of gulls. For a moment she felt scared. Then she heard Naoko’s voice and saw the beam of a torch skim the cave wall.

  ‘It’s like a human heart,’ Naoko said, as they walked from chamber to chamber. There was one large cave with smaller caves branching off it. ‘Oh, golly! Look, Pearlie!’

  Pearlie’s mouth fell open when she saw the diamond pattern of tree trunks on one of the walls. It was like a forest, a forest made out of stone. She went up to touch one of the stone trunks, tracing the diamond pattern with her finger. ‘Fossils. They must be millions of years old,’ she whispered. ‘That’s what we’ll call it, Nao . . . Diamond Cave.’

  After they’d explored all the chambers, they sat down on a flat bed of rock. Naoko took off her knapsack, undid the buckles and opened the flap. She pulled out a brown paper bag and handed Pearlie an apricot-jam sandwich. After they’d finished they sucked on dried salty plums and lay back on the rock.

  ‘I wonder if cavemen lived here once,’ Naoko said, shining torch circles up on the ceiling. ‘They could have used this rock as a bed.’

  Pearlie thought about it and wondered too. She imagined herself as a cave girl. There wouldn’t be school or books or – ‘Hey, what was that?’ Hearing the sound of pebbles sliding down the wall, she sat up.

  Naoko flashed her torch in the direction of the noise.

  ‘Maybe it’s another cave-in,’ Pearlie said, standing up, her heart racing.

  ‘Yeah, we’d better head back now anyway.’

  Pearlie was glad to leave. The darkness and the silence inside the cave were beginning to scare her.

  As they made their way to the entrance, Pearlie stepped on something round and hard. She lifted her foot. ‘Give me your torch, Nao.’ Pearlie shone the beam onto the cave floor.

  ‘It’s a battery,’ Naoko said in a shivery whisper. ‘Someone’s already been here.’

  They stared at each other, then looked around.

  ‘I don’t like it here anymore,’ Pearlie said, feeling a chilly breath down the back of her neck.

  ‘Neither do I,’ replied Naoko, bending down to pick up the battery. ‘Let’s go, Pearlie.’

  Pearlie was glad to be out on the safety of the beach. The wind had whipped up the usually calm waters of Darwin Harbour into little white caps. A tropical storm was brewing. Steely grey clouds spun like ringlets across the sky.

  They walked back to town in silence. Diamond Cave was not just their secret after all. But who else knew about it?

  AT lunch the next day, the playground buzzed with excitement. It was the day of the auditions for the school play. Each year, Grade Six did a play based on the novel they read in class, We of the Never Never.

  ‘Good luck!’ said Pearlie to Naoko, who was trying out for the part of the heroine, Jeannie. She really hoped Naoko would get it. The rumours about her dad were everywhere now, and Pearlie felt terrible for her. ‘You’ll be great, I know it.’ She headed up the stairs to the classroom to fetch a book to read while Naoko was auditioning, but stopped on the landing when she saw Reddy chatting to Dulcie McBride down below. It looked like she was handing him a birthday party invitation. Pearlie felt a sudden pang of jealousy as Reddy laughed at something Dulcie said. Pearlie knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping but she couldn’t help herself.

  ‘Are you trying out for the part of Aeneas?’ Pearlie heard Dulcie say. Dulcie’s blonde hair was almost white. Sometimes she wore it loose, other times in a ponytail and she had all kinds of ribbons and bows. Dulcie twirled a blonde strand around her finger and looked at Reddy.

  ‘Haven’t decided,’ he replied. ‘Not sure if I wanna be in the play. It takes up so much time.’

  ‘Aww . . . go on. I’m going to be Jeannie.’ Dulcie smiled.

  ‘Dja know already?’ he asked.

  ‘No . . . but I’ll get the part for sure because none of the other girls can act.’ Dulcie put her hands behind her back, swinging her body from side to side.

  At that moment Dulcie glanced up and caught Pearlie watching them. ‘You know,’ she said in a loud voice. ‘I think Miss Lyon will pick Pearlie to be Bett Bett ’cos she’s so short.’

  Pearlie tightened her hands into fists. Stupid, horrid Dulcie! The movement must have caught Reddy’s eye and he looked up too. Pearlie flushed a deep red, coughed and quickly walked away.

  After school, Pearlie and Naoko headed down Cavenagh Street.

  ‘It’s not that bad, Nao,’ said Pearlie. ‘At least you got a part.’

  ‘As Sam Lee, the Chinese cook! It’s so humiliating. Why didn’t Miss Lyon give that to one of the boys?’

  ‘Because um . . . you’re a better actor?’ Pearlie was trying to think of comforting words to say.

  ‘You should have seen how Dulcie smirked when the names were read out. She’s been calling me Sammy all day. “Why don’t you cook us up a bit of your famous pig trotter soup, Sam Lee?” she says.’ Naoko laughed out loud. ‘But I told her she’d have a hard time walking around if I did.’

  Pearlie grinned. ‘I suppose she got the part of Jeannie then?’

  ‘Of course! She’s Miss Lyon’s favourite. Although you might be her favourite now after you gave her your handkerchief. Funny thing was, Dulcie mentioned your name, said you should play Bett Bett –’

  Pearlie interrupted. ‘Is Reddy Aeneas?’

  ‘That was a sure thing. He’s natural for the lead role,’ Naoko said.

  They stopped at Mr Hiyogu’s shop to buy a cold d
rink. His lemon squash could cool you down on the hottest of days. Mr Hiyogu sang as he shaved the ice into glasses and poured in fresh lemon juice then sugar syrup. Pearlie and Naoko sat and drank through long straws.

  As they strolled back out into the street and along the Esplanade, Pearlie stopped.

  Naoko looked at her. ‘What’s the matter?’

  ‘It’s that man Beake! Quick – walk the other way. Oh no,’ Pearlie groaned. ‘He’s seen us.’

  Beake beckoned the girls over with a smile.

  ‘What am I going to do now?’ Pearlie said through gritted teeth.

  Naoko smiled and waved back. ‘You’re going to talk to him. Don’t you see, Pearlie? This is our chance to find out more about him being a spy.’

  ‘Hello, girls,’ Beake said in a strangely friendly manner as he approached.

  He mustn’t recognise me after all, Pearlie thought, and breathed a sigh of relief.

  ‘Can I take a photograph of the both of you . . . to send to my folks back home?’

  ‘It would be our pleasure,’ Naoko replied. ‘You’re new to Darwin, aren’t you? Where do you come from?’

  ‘San Francisco in the United States of America,’ Beake replied. ‘Now, girls, what are your names?’

  ‘We’re Naoko and Pearlie,’ said Naoko.

  ‘That’s great. I want you to stand right there. I got the town at your backs. Perfect.’ He brought the camera up to his eye. It was a normal-sized camera, not a miniature one. ‘Smile,’ he said and pressed the shutter.

  ‘And one more, girls. I wanna see those lovely big ships in the harbour. Oh boy, will my nephew love this photograph. He’s never seen warships before.’

  ‘Do you work for the army or navy?’ said Naoko.

  ‘Neither. I’m just visiting here,’ he replied. ‘Okay . . . now smile . . . great!’ Beake clipped the cover back onto the camera.

  ‘Funny time to be just visiting,’ Naoko said.

  Pearlie pinched her arm.

  ‘I was travelling the world and thought I’d take a look at Australia. I’ve never been this far south before. Well, I’m off, then. So long, girls.’