The summer my father burned our house down

Jenny says Hey look over there, fire, and I say no way just throw it and she says no, Jack, there’s a fire and she’s off running like a scared dog, so what can I do, I go after her too.

She goes the long way through the fences and gates but I go straight up goat’s head rock and through The Gap and then down under the hay shed she never goes there coz she’s scared of rats but I never saw one there.

So I get there before her and man oh man you never saw such a hullaballoo as there was that day.

First I have to tell you, there was tons of cops. I don’t know why we never heard them but we never did. Should have heard them, all those sirens or maybe they was trying to sneak up on dad. We should have known they'd try to sneak up on him but old Mr Warn he said he’d keep an eye out on his road, they had to go past there, and he’d ring dad if he saw any cops but I guess he never did or he was asleep or something.

Oh holy moly, Jenny says. He’s burning the house.

No way, I say.

Lookit you idiot, she points. It is. It’s burning.