sideboard.
âSnap!â called Gus.
âGo Fish,â said Rosie.
âRissole,â said Lulu.
âWe can play them all,â said Mum. âIt could be hours until the electricity comes back.â
The whole family sat at the kitchen table and played cards. Mum found some more candles and popped them into jam jars. They cast a flickering warm light. It was fun to play cards by candlelight.
At dinnertime there was still no electricity to use to cook. Instead, Mum prepared a picnic of cheese, tomato, avocado and ham on crackers.
âNearly time for bed,â said Mum, when dinner was finished.
âIâll clean up,â said Dad.
Lulu, Rosie and Gus sat at the table and listened. Outside, the wind howled around the house. Rain pelted against the windows and doors. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. The storm sounded much louder with all the lights off.
âIâm fwightened ,â said Gus. âItâs so loud.â
Lulu threw one golden plait overher shoulder. âThereâs nothing to be frightened of, Gus,â she said. âItâs just a storm.â Lulu tried to sound much braver than she felt.
âCan we sleep with you, Mum?â asked Rosie.
Mum smiled. âWhy donât you all get into your pyjamas and clean your teeth? Then Iâll tuck you all up in my bed. We can read stories together until you fall asleep.â
Chapter 3
Destruction
Monday morning dawned sunny and hot once more. The sun sparkled on the ocean. Rosie and Lulu raced down the footpath on their way to school. Asha and Jessie ran along beside them. Mum followed, pushing Gus in the pram. People whizzed by on bicycles, skateboards and scooters, dodging the fallen twigs on the ground.
The Bell family arrived early at Shelly Beach School. Lulu tied the dogs to thefence outside the school grounds. The girls charged through the gate. Rosie ran straight to her favourite part of the playground, which was near the back fence. This was where she usually met her friends in the morning. Lulu followed.
Both girls stopped and stared.
âMum!â cried Lulu. âLook at the garden. Itâs ruined .â
Gus jumped out of the pram. Mum and Gus came over.
âBig mess,â said Gus. He stuck his thumb in his mouth.
âOh, what a shame,â said Mum. âIt must have been the storm last night.â
Last week, in this corner of the playground there had been a small garden. Low beds had held herbs and flowers. It had been a place where Rosie, Lulu and their friends loved to play.
Now it was a jumble of dirt, stones and fallen branches. Several plants had been blown over and the pots they had been nestled in were smashed. The heavy rain had washed away most of the soil.
âIt looks terrible,â said Lulu.
Rosie prodded a crushed daisy stem with her toe. âAll the flowers are gone,â she said.
Mum put her arm around Rosieâs shoulder.
âDonât worry,â said Mum. âIâm sure the garden will be fixed so that it will look beautiful again.â
Luluâs best friend Molly soon arrived, with her brother Sam and their mother Tien. More and more families gathered to look at the damage.
The principal came over. Mrs Fisher was a grey-haired woman with a veryimposing presence. She had a delightful smile, but when she wanted to, she could silence a group of several hundred children and adults with a single glance. Right now, she looked concerned.
âPlease be careful, children,â called Mrs Fisher. âEveryone needs to stay out of this area. We have some workmen on their way to clean up the mess.â
âWill they be replanting the garden soon, Mrs Fisher?â asked Mum.
Mrs Fisher shook her head. âNo. We wonât be able to replant for quite some time. Unfortunately itâs very expensive to build a new garden.â
Rosie looked upset. âBut we have to fix it. This is the best place to play. Itâs