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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

When we stepped outside there was already a line forming around one of the huts, out the door and connecting to another one—a whole line of people in bulky jackets against the cold, all different ages lining up to get inside.

“Khoa’s got two of the computers up and running already,” Luca explained, “and they’re already in high demand.”

We stuck our heads inside to see. Khoa was adjusting a boxy computer monitor, and Jed was standing beside a boy about his age and an older man who was seated at a computer; Jed and the boy were helping him work the mouse and click on browsers.

On the drive home, Sam asked if the computers would really help the refugees connect to their families.

“I don’t really know,” Luca said, looking at him in the rearview mirror. “There’s no way of knowing if people over there have access to computers and the internet anymore, but . . . it’s gotta be worth a try, right?”

The drive along Point Nepean Road seemed longer. Through the national park, with nothing but the water of Port Phillip Bay on one side and thick bushland on the other, the whole winding way seemed to go on forever. I thought of how someone like Nora, with a baby due, would cope with being pushed out here. If something like what Anika and Drumlin went through happened to Nora while she was at the haven, I couldn’t even imagine how scary that would be.

“They’re so far away,” I said. Luca nodded.

“That was the idea, Fred.”

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35

Let Them Stay

“What’s the November deadline?” I asked Luca that night.

He was sitting up at the dinner table with Pop, a calculator and our bills spread out in front of them. They both looked more tired than I’d seen them for a long time.

“Where did you hear about that?”

I leaned against the back of a chair, shrugged my shoulders. “They said it on the news just now, but they didn’t really explain. . . .”

Luca nodded. “Well, the deadline is how long our government has agreed to let the refugees stay here in Australia.”

“But—what if they can’t go back, or don’t want to?”

Luca rubbed his eyes with one hand and then gestured for me to come over. When I got close enough he wrapped an arm around my middle and gave me a half hug.

“We’ve been thinking about that—us volunteers—and we’re putting a petition together, asking for the deadline to be extended or rejected entirely. . . .”

I tried to picture Nora returning to a house made of rubble—like the ones that had been on TV. I tried to picture her bringing a baby to a place like that, and then I wondered what little kids like Merjeme and Arta would do.

“Will it work?”