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MARGO LANAGAN is an internationally acclaimed writer of novels and short stories. Her collections of short stories have won or been shortlisted for many awards. Black Juice was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, won two World Fantasy Awards and the Victorian Premier’s Award for Young Adult Fiction. Red Spikes won the CBCA Book of the Year: Older Readers, was a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year, a Horn Book Fanfare title, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and longlisted for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.

Margo’s novel Tender Morsels won the 2009 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and her novella Sea-Hearts won the 2010 World Fantasy award for Best Novella.

Margo lives in Sydney. She maintains a blog at

www.amongamidwhile.blogspot.com

and can be found on Twitter as @margolanagan

Also by Margo Lanagan

FOR TEENAGERS AND ADULTS

Short Story Collections

Red Spikes

Black Juice

White Time

Novels

Tender Morsels

Touching Earth Lightly

The Best Thing

FOR YOUNGER READERS

Walking Through Albert

The Tankerman

Wildgame

mARGO

LANAgAN

yellowcake

This collection first published in 2011

Copyright © Margo Lanagan 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

Allen & Unwin

83 Alexander Street

Crows Nest NSW 2065

Australia

Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218

Email: info@allenandunwin.com

Web: www.allenandunwin.com

Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available from the National Library of

Australia www.librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au

ISBN 978 1 74237 478 9

Teachers’ notes available from www.allenandunwin.com

Design by Zoë Sadokierski

Set in 11pt Cochin by Zoë Sadokierski

Printed in Australia by McPherson’s Printing Group

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

{ The Point of Roses

{ The Golden Shroud

{ A Fine Magic

{ An Honest Day’s Work

{ Into the Clouds on High

{ Night of the Firstlings

{ Ferryman

{ Heads

{ Living Curiosities

{ Eyelids of the Dawn

{ The Point of Roses

For Finn Lanagan-Jonas,

owner and namer of the original Pumfter

Billy flew into the kitchen. The screen door clapped closed after him.

‘You’re back,’ said Nance.

Corin looked up from the dishes, to the world reflected in the window. The boy was wild and clammy-looking from running, his clothes every which way and filthy, his chest going with his panting. Nance admired him as he passed.

‘Just for a minute,’ he said. ‘I’ve got to fetch some stuff.’

‘What stuff? For what?’ barked Corin automatically.

‘Just stuff. Any old thing. Three things.’ This last was tossed back from halfway down the hall.

The boy rummaged in his room, and rattled. Then he was back in the doorway.

‘You need a haircut,’ said Corin to the boy’s reflection.

‘What are you wild lads up to?’ said Nance.

‘Shai’s brother’s got psychic powers. We’re doing experiments.’

‘Psychic powers! Well, well,’ said Nance.

‘Maybe he can tell you where you dropped that shed key,’ said Corin.

‘Not that kind of power,’ said Billy scornfully.

‘Of course, not anything useful.’

There was a skilful summoning whistle outside.

‘I’ve got to go,’ said Billy, starting for the door.

‘Kiss!’ Nance commanded.

He darted back, kissed her cheek quickly and was gone.

Corin was up to his elbows in suds. Nance, at the table in her glasses, went slowly on through the newspaper. She would suck up all the news, but she would never speak to him