I nod.
She sniffs. ‘He witnessed something unthinkable and never recovered. Jack, your daddy, always blamed the army. He took it out on that soldier. He was only a child and he was so angry.’
Dad never spoke about his father. I’d seen photos but heard little about him. ‘What did Granda Frank see?’
She looks towards the city. I wait for her to say more but she turns back with a sigh. ‘That’s a story for another time. I’m getting quite the headache now. I’m sorry, son.’
A crow calls out and a shard of pain twists in the back of my neck.
‘But what about Dad? You said we could work out what this might mean for him.’
‘I can’t do any more today.’ She sags back in the chair and suddenly looks very old, very tired. Lost in grief.
‘Can we speak tomorrow?’
‘Of course. Now, son, before you go, make me another cup of coffee and grab me two paracetamol.’
‘Don’t you want water?’
‘Pfft.’
I laugh and she winks at me.
While the kettle boils, I search for the tablets and try to process what she’s told me. I’m not alone in this. I have my nan to help, and together we can find Dad.
With the coffee in one hand and a glass in the other, I head back out to the garden. ‘I poured you a glass of water too. It’ll be better for your stomach. I—’
I freeze. Nanny Bet is holding my photos.
‘You went through my stuff?’
She thrusts the picture of the young girl in dungarees at me. ‘You lied to me.’
Angry caws shake the tree as more crows arrive.
‘I’m sorry. I just—’
‘You just wanted to keep secrets from me.’ Her eyes soften. ‘I’m trying to protect you, Michael. I want you to be safe.’ She has torn-out pages from her notebook in her hand too. The ones containing what I told her about the visions.
I take a careful step forward. ‘I know. I know that. I do.’
‘I’d do anything for you,’ she says.
As I take a step closer, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a lighter. There’s another stab of pain in the small of my back.
She’s going to destroy them.
The screech of a crow makes me close my eyes, and then I see her. Days ago. When I was first here. I told her everything. She wrote what I said and she burned the words. My camera…
She made me forget.
I open my eyes, breathing hard. ‘You destroyed my camera and the memory card. You took my memories.’
Her eyes widen. ‘How did you remember?’ She waits for me to speak but I take a step closer. She did this all before. Wiping my mind. Making me forget.
Heat flushes through me. ‘You had no right.’
‘I had no choice.’ With an elegant flick of her finger, a flame leaps from the lighter.
