Outside, oblivious to the momentous disclosures taking place in the parlour, Jayhan and Sasha were busy around the back of the stables building a cubby house in a large spotted gum tree on the edge of the front garden. They had gathered planks, old bits of tin and bricks from around the yard and were hauling them up onto a large platform that had been secured with Clive’s help in a high fork of the tree.
Sasha caught Jayhan eyeing her thoughtfully as she dragged a large piece of rusty tin from the scrap heap in the middle of the platform to lean it, rather precariously, against the trunk of the tree. She brushed her hands off, ignoring his look, and said, “Quickly. Get some bricks to put against the bottom of it so that it can’t slide out.”
“Maybe a long solid piece of wood might be bett
