The Anatomy of Wings (32 page)

It soared in a large circle above me. I swear it on my whole life. It circled above me three times. It came closer each time. It came so close I could see its eye. Just the way that albatross looked at Nanna all of those years before. And then it beat its wings, one, two, three, and I could feel the wind of it on my face.

Away it went. Over the trees in the park. Over the water tower. Over the mine. Over the lake. Over the desert. Over everything. Away from us.

And I was not so filled with fear.

Inside me something loosened further and before
I even realized it a song was coming through. Standing right there in the park I sang a sudden song. I sang “Gloria in Excelsis.” I sang it so strong and clear the words hung in the air above us. Angela dropped her bag and jumped up and down.

“You're singing, you're singing,” she screamed.

All the way home I sang.

Through the scrub side of Memorial Park I sang
Good King Wenceslas went out on the feast of Stephen, all the snow lay round about deep and crisp and even.
The rain trees crowded over us and shook their rattles with joy. All the way down the hill I sang
By the rivers of Babylon, where we lay down.
Through the turnstile gate I sang
I got a girl called Boney Maroney, she's as skinny as a stick of macaroni.
Angela put in some requests but all I could do was shake my head because the songs just kept coming.

In Dardanelles Court I sang
Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home.
Mr. and Mrs. O'Malley came rushing to their patio and clapped and cheered.

My voice was clear. Clear as a ringing bell.

Frieda Schmidt stood in her front yard and smiled. I saw Philippa Irwin at her window. I sang her
Hosanna, heysanna, sanna sanna ho.
She waved at me. We were running, Angela and I, and Angela was ahead of me shouting through the front gate.

“Mrs. Day, Mrs. Day, her voice is back.”

I stopped at the front gate and I sang
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.
I sang them slowly, ascending and descending, perfectly, like a bird with a double voice box.

I saw Nanna's Datsun Sunny in the driveway and she came quickly to the front door. I was very glad to see her. And behind her was Mum with her arms held out for me.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to acknowledge the Queensland government for their ongoing commitment to and support of writers through the annual Premier's Literary Awards. I would like to thank Madonna Duffy and Rob Cullinan at the University of Queensland Press, Catherine Drayton at InkWell Management, and Erin Clarke at Knopf Books for Young Readers for their belief in this story. And of course more thanks than can be mentioned to my family, especially my mother, who often fed and watered me while I wrote, and my partner, Chris who carefully prized me away from the computer from time to time.