‘Great logo.’ He admired the sketch of a microphone.
‘Do you think that card is from the sender, or where it’s supposed to go?’
‘When we get to Sydney, let’s check at the post office. They have telephone directories for everywhere. Or we can Google it.’
.If we’ve got time. Aunty Viv will probably be late.’
‘As usual.’
Then Christopher had another idea.
‘Got any change? Thanks. I’ll only be a minute! Keep our place in the ticket queue.’
Big Ben and the arguers had gone by now. A burly man with a big suitcase joined the queue. He looked a little nervous, especially when he heard Fifi complaining.
Christopher fed money into the available scanner. He lifted the lid and put the 3 DISC card on the glass for copying. It would be useful to have a second copy if the twins were both trying to check where it came from. He pressed the button.
A map slid out.
‘Hey!’ Christopher grabbed the black and white copy. He bent over the marked map. Australian parks with crosses on certain areas.
Why would Big Ben and those travellers need this? Christopher checked the money slot. His coin was still there. Perhaps the man put more money in when it didn’t work the first time? Perhaps they were bush-walkers working out where they wanted to go?
But why had he left his map behind? Maybe he just took one and left the other by mistake?
The German travellers had vanished into the airport crowds. Christopher knew where they were going.
Their bags had SYD on the tags. Probably they’d be on the same plane because, it was another three hours until the next flight to Sydney.
Carefully Christopher folded the map and put it in his sketch book. He also took the copy of the 3 DISC card. He could give the map copy to Big Ben later, on the flight.
‘Chris! ‘ Amy was nearly at the front of the queue now. Fifi was waiting at the side clutching her gnome and looking cross.
Hurrying to join his sister, Christopher tripped over a jutting out backpack. The owner ,a dark haired young man was speaking loudly into his mobile
‘Jason here. Nothing much happening in Singapore. I’ll contact you from Sydney if he contacts me.’
The backpack flapped open showing rainbow layers of shirts. Christopher made a grab for the backpack and caught one side. Shirts spilled onto the ground.
‘Sorry,’ muttered Christopher. ‘I just didn’t see it.’ Nervously he pushed back his round glasses. Owners of glasses weren’t always clumsy. People just expected them to be. So he tried to close the flap carefully.
‘Idiot!’
Jason dropped on his knees and looked around quickly to check who was watching him. Amy was. So was Fifi. Who stepped towards him.
‘Excuse me young man! Where did you get those?’
‘ER ... I bought them...’Jason looked slightly nervous.
‘But who did you buy them for?’ Fifi pulled one out for a closer look.
‘That’s none of your business.’ Jason stuffed the shirts back inside.’ I like lots of changes.’ Then he turned ,strapped the purple and aqua backpack and put it quickly into the baggage chute. That meant it would be stored underneath in the baggage compartment of the plane. Hand luggage went on board with the passengers. Amy clutched her backpack. Edwina was inside. She was hand luggage, always.
‘It just MIGHT be my business,’ boomed Fifi. ‘Just a minute young man!’
But the airline clerk interfered.
‘Your tickets are here Madam. And I must keep the queue moving. Could you talk somewhere else?’
Firmly the clerk gave out the tickets and grabbed Jason’s bag. It jerked down the conveyor belt.
People in the queue were complaining. ‘This is so slow!’
‘Can’t they hurry up?’ The burly man looked unhappy.
Quickly Jason flipped the phone shut and stowed it in his briefcase. After getting his boarding pass, he strode away.
Fifi couldn’t move fast enough. ‘I’ll catch up with you later, young man!’
Meanwhile, Christopher thought about what Jason said. He was wrong. Lots happened in Singapore, especially if you stayed with Mum’s family. Swimming, eating at roadside stalls, visiting temples and extra Chinese lessons if their grandmother caught them. Gran didn’t think much of their Chinese language skills. So she made them speak it all the time. And then a man gave a mysterious package to your sister. That was something happening!
‘I wonder why he has so many shirts? You couldn’t change thirty times a day.’
‘Maybe he likes being colour coordinated?’
‘With that many colours! Co-ordinated with what?’
Later the twins found out. Once they had their seat allocations, Amy wanted to look around the airport shops.
‘Gateway 8 at 11 am. You know where to go and what to do?’
‘Yes. Thank you.’ Amy gave Christopher his boarding pass.
Children travelling alone were called Unaccompanied Minors, or UMs.
The airlines looked after them even though the twins had travelled by themselves many times before.
‘Hurry up. We’ve got an hour before the plane goes. Let’s look for the mystery man. AND I’ve got a few Singapore dollars left from Gran’s New Year’s “lucky’ money”.
She unwrapped the ‘lucky’ red paper.
Outside the flower shop, Amy looked at the jonquils and peonies. ‘Aren’t they the flowers with Chinese names which mean wealth?’
‘Can’t remember the Chinese word,’ admitted Christopher. Their grandmother wouldn’t be pleased about that. She’d spent the holidays improving their Chinese conversation.
‘There’s another U.M.’ Christopher pointed at the dark haired boy sitting with a name-tag on his jacket.
An airport attendant was bending over, speaking to him kindly. He had a wrapped present in his lap.
‘Looks like a first-timer.’
‘Hi. Why are you going to Sydney?’
The boy looked at them. “How did you know where I was going?’
‘You’ve got SYD on your hand luggage. You’re sitting near the gateway for the Sydney
