‘He’s so good with her,’ Jedda said, smiling wistfully at the two of them as Bindi climbed all over him. ‘He doesn’t even flinch when she pulls his fur.’

I smiled too—watching Bindi and Charlie play reminded me of when Payton was small and our dog just a pup. It seemed like another lifetime. ‘He had good training. My daughter terrorised him as a toddler and he never once snapped at her.’

‘Tell me more about Payton and Saxon,’ Jedda said.

As we chatted, the wind grew louder, the rain heavier and the sky darker, despite the fact it was now only midafternoon. Having turned off the electricity due to possible power surges, we lit some candles and threw on an extra layer of clothing as the temperature inside dropped rapidly. While at first Charlie had been distracted by Bindi, he started to whine more as the hours went on, his fur standing up at the commotion coming from outside. He’d always hated storms, hiding under our bed whenever thunder struck. I was glad I’d taken up Jedda’s offer to stay; she and Bindi were good company, but I hoped Charlie wasn’t going to be too much of a nuisance.

‘Don’t be silly,’ Jedda said when I voiced this concern. ‘I doubt any of us are going to get much sleep anyway.’

While we waited for the cyclone to hit, we guzzled tea, ate the endless snacks Jedda had prepared, entertained Bindi with songs and picture books, and listened to weather updates on the portable radio. Although a cyclone hadn’t hit Ragged Point in decades, Jedda had experienced a few during her travels in the northern part of Australia, so I felt in safe hands.

In addition to the taped windows, outside preparations, the radio and its never-ending supply of batteries, she’d filled a number of buckets and the bathtub with water, as mains water sometimes got contaminated during a cyclone, and set up a little gas camping stove so we wouldn’t be without a hot drink. She’d dragged her mattress into the living room, which was the most central and thus the safest room in her house, and set up a travel cot for Bindi. Her couch was a fold-out, which I’d use, and she’d even found an old doona and laid it out for Charlie.

At about 6 pm, the radio announcer informed us the cyclone was fast approaching and would hit Ragged Point in the next half an hour. While Jedda fed Bindi her dinner, I heated more water on the camping stove to warm the water already in the bath, so Bindi’s evening routine could stay as close to normal as possible. I’d thought it loud outside already, but as she splashed about in the tub, the decibel level rose beyond anything I’d ever heard before.