Let it Burn
An old broken house sat on the outskirts of the small regional town of Goondiwindi, Queensland. Pale bushland surrounded the small town, stretching out as far as the eye can see. A dark brown river ran along the edge of the town, connecting with other rivers. It was summer, and the sun sat high up in the sky, the absence of clouds making the day hotter. The air was still, no wind to ease the suffocating heat that enveloped the town. Dirty, cracked roads separated square groups of small houses.
The ramshackle house sat on the outskirts of town, its paint peeling off the wooden weatherboards. Through the filthy windows, sheets hung down, acting as makeshift curtains. It had a small backyard with large patches of dead grass and dug up dirt. The wooden fence that surrounded the house had many panels missing or halfbroken, the paint chipped off. A big tree in the backyard towered over the house which cast shadows across it.
Inside the dirty house, it was silent, incredibly messy, and smelt like dust. Dirty clothes lay around. Linny sat on the couch, watching ABC Kids on the large wooden boxed TV. Her real name is Linda, but everyone called her Linny. Linny had short dark brown hair which curled into rings at the ends. Her big brown eyes were mainly fixed on the television, but occasionally flicked over to the front door. The television was playing a kids show. Linny loved this show. Most days, she had nothing to do except watch television and run around outside. Her mother, Alice, wasn't home most of the time. Linny was alone a lot, but she didn't like it. Alice would always go out, come back with friends hours later, and lock herself in her bedroom with her friends. Curiosity would often drive Linny to try and listen in from outside, but would only be able to hear muffled voices. When Alice left the room, she'd always be very happy. Linny had noticed a pattern. Alice slept for days, be wide awake and happy for a few more days, then go back to sleep. Often, Alice would ignore Linny while she slept, getting mad at her if Linny woke her up. Linny hated it. She wanted her mother's attention, to play games and laugh together like the families on TV.
Linny climbed off the couch. Hungry, she began to walk over to the kitchen and over to the white fridge. Disgustingly, the kitchen had crumbs of food on the floor, as well as dirt tracked in from outside. Sticky messes of unwiped liquids sat on the counter, flies buzzing around the unsanitary kitchen. Linny's mother didn't bother to clean up after herself, often too tired to do so. Linny opened the fridge. However, when she opened it, there was nothing inside except a few rotting pieces of fruit and milk. Her mother had left before the sun had come up, promising Linny that she would bring back fresh food. Rushing over to the window, Linny pushed aside the makeshift curtains and peeked outside hopefully.
Sunlight hit Linny instantly. The sun glared down at her, as if angry and trying to burn her alive. Linny blinked away the harsh glare, looking out to the deserted road and walkways. Still no sign of Alice. Normally when Alice left, she would be back within a few hours, but never this long. Frowning, Linny sulkily walked back to the couch and sat down, looking at the blank TV. The house was silent, as if the lifeless building was waiting on Alice as well. With each second that dragged by, Linny's hunger grew until it became a faint ache. Deciding to distract herself, Linny flicked on the television and laid down, her eyes growing heavy until eventually falling asleep.
When Linny woke up, she slowly sat up and yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Surprised, Linny realised that another day must have passed while she had been sleeping on the couch. Linny explored the house, looking for her mother, only to find an empty and silent house. The faint hunger from yesterday had turned into a painful ache in her stomach. Back in the lounge room, Linny sat down on the soft couch and began to cry loudly. Linny was scared, sad, and extremely hungry. Her soft cries soon turned into loud wails which broke the silence of the house. Suddenly, a loud bang from outside startled her, who stopped crying and looked over at the window. Linny, slightly curious and a bit scared of the noise, began to hesitantly creep over to the window. Gasping, she saw big dark grey clouds had begun to roll in from the distance. Linny grew even more scared, and turned to rush towards Alice's empty bedroom with a cry. Normally when it stormed, she would be able to crawl into the warm bed with her mother. However, this time there would be no one to comfort her. Another loud crash of thunder shook the house, startling Linny, who rushed to Alice's bedroom. Linny crawled under the thick covers of the bed, noticing that the bed was cold despite it usually being warm. Linny wanted her mother back. Peeking out from under the covers, she saw the walls flicker with light from lightning outside. Scared, Linny burrowed deeper under the covers.
The storm eventually came, heavy rain pounding down onto the dehydrated town and bushland. Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway made Linny perk up. Linny wondered if that was her mother, and grew very excited. She got up, rushing over to the window. Outside, the storm was relentless as it pounded against the ground and roofs of houses. The dark grey clouds allowed no light to pass, engulfing the town in darkness. Looking outside made Linny feel scared, but she tried to just focus on the car. The car that was parked in the driveway was definitely not her mothers, as it was a sleek black car. Very different from her mothers tiny, scratched, and old car. After a few minutes, loud knocking from the front door filled the house, quiet at first. She cautiously stepped out to the lounge room, noticing that the knocking grew louder. Hesitantly, Linny approached the door.
When she opened it, Linny saw her grandmother, Grace, who she barely visited. "Nanna?" Linny gasped, staring at her. Grace smiled at her kindly, gesturing to open the door. Once Linny had unlocked the door Grace hugged her tightly, before taking her hand and leading her to the car, holding an umbrella over them. Grace picked Linny up and opened the back door of the car, buckling her in. It was only when Grace had gotten into the driver seat and started driving when she began talking. "Linny, you'll be staying with me while your mother sorts out some stuff." Grace spoke gently. "What about mummy?" Linny asked. Grace stayed silent for a few minutes, focusing on driving, before eventually speaking up again. "Your mother will be away for a while, but she can come and visit us." Linny stared out the window, feeling sad that her mother was gone, but glad that her nanna was here now. "I'm hungry." Linny mumbled. Grace smiled at her through the mirror.
"Okay, bub. We'll go get food."