Jemimah dabbed at the tears that never seemed far from her eyes, and tried again to pin the artwork to the wall. The last two weeks had been the most utterly miserable of her entire life, and the knowledge that the biggest challenges were yet to come only made her feel more wretched.

At the sound of Linda Armstrong’s footsteps approaching her classroom, Jemimah quickly stuffed her sodden tissue into her pocket. All day Linda had been checking on Jemimah’s preparations for the following day’s Anzac Day activities, stretching her already taut nerves to breaking point.

Now Linda appeared in the doorway, bag over her shoulder and keys in hand. “I’ve just been and re-checked the weather forecast. Rain isn’t expected until late afternoon, but you’d better have everything set up under the covered outdoor area rather than the usual barbecue area, just in case the rain does come earlier. It’s not worth getting caught out at the last minute.”

“Yes -- I think that is a good idea,” Jemimah replied over her shoulder, glad that standing on a stool with her hands full of the children’s Anzac theme artwork meant she did not have to face Linda eye to eye. Since that day Jemimah had reported her ‘yowie sighting’ and Linda had suggested that she take leave of absence, Jemimah’s confidence had plummeted. Believing her head mistress no longer had confidence in her had made Jemimah constantly nervous of proving her right.

“And you are sure you have everything organised with the meat?”

“Yes, I’m heading off to Narrabri to collect it as soon as I’ve finished up here,” Jemimah replied, glancing nervously at the clock. The sooner she left, the sooner she’d be back. “I’ve borrowed a couple of Eskies so I can keep them cold on the way back.”

“Good. I know it’s not too warm today, but you’d better get some ice for the Eskies, too. And you will put the meat in the fridge here overnight, won’t you?”

Jemimah let out a slow breath. The thought of returning to the school grounds after dark filled her with dread. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

She had made the suggestion that she take them home to her own fridge overnight, but Linda had vetoed that, saying that since they were selling the food to the public they had to be stored in the school fridge, which had regular maintenance inspections.

“Okay, I think that’s all then,” Linda said. “Unless you have any questions?”

“No, no -- I think I’ve got everything straight.” She ought to have -- she had worked for hours night after night making sure all her preparations were completed in time. Jemimah forced her mouth into a smile, hoping to infuse some warmth into her voice even though her heart was so cold. “I hope you have a great weekend.”

“Yes, thank you. I’m sure I will. And best of luck for tomorrow.” And with that, Linda Armstrong finally departed.

Jemimah climbed shakily down and sank into her chair. She’d somehow made it without falling apart in front of her boss -- but now she needed a few minutes to regain her composure before climbing back up onto the stool. She looked at her watch - she didn’t really have a few minutes. This last bit of classroom decoration -- pinning up the rolled crepe-paper decorated wreaths around the room -- had not been in her carefully planned time-line for preparations, but the afternoon’s special activities had been an essential last minute counter-strike in her on-going war with what seemed to be half the parents of her students.

Nearly two weeks after giving Kai Gatley detention, trouble still simmered just below the surface. When Kai and Beau had arrived for school the day after their absence, Jemimah had dared to hope that the protest was over -- until she’d asked the boys to take out their workbooks and it was discovered that they had inexplicably been left out of their school bags. When she’d moved onto their home readers, they too were missing. It eventually dawned on her that it was a form of retaliation from their parents -- but that didn’t explain why exactly the same items were missing from the school bags of children from three other families.

Angie had solved the mystery for her that evening, when she explained to Jemimah the relationships between the families. Two of the families were cousins of Kai and Beau -- the others were the children of Julie’s best friend.

The silent protest had continued since then, growing in its scope and the impact on Jemimah. Permission notes not returned, homework not completed, worksheets not initialled, daily home reading ignored. She dreaded having to confess the situation to Linda, but when she had, Linda told her to ignore it -- taking the attitude that if Julie and Shane were content to take revenge through disrupting her classroom it was less likely that they were planning on making a formal complaint.

Jemimah hoped that was true, too, but it meant she had to work twice as hard as usual to mitigate the effects of their protest. It wasn’t her little students’ fault that they were the pawns in the conflict, and she didn’t want them -- or their classmates -- to fall behind in their work because of it. When mothers didn’t turn up for the reading groups, Jemimah re-arranged the schedule to ensure she had time to read with every child who wasn’t getting the home reading marked off, she prepared extra activities for the other students so those who hadn’t completed homework could do it in class, and when half the students turned up on sports day in their normal uniforms, instead of taking them to the oval for sports as she had planned she took the opportunity to drill the whole school in marching practice for the upcoming Anzac day parade.

She had somehow held it together -- but only just. Despite the vague wording on the note home to parents it had taken less than twenty-four hours for the whole town to know all about her ordeal in the bush and that she claimed to have seen a yowie (Jemimah blamed Sergeant Beavan for that, she felt sure Linda had no desire to spread the details) and less than forty-eight hours for the subsequent rumour to spread that she’d had a nervous breakdown and would be going on indefinite leave.

And she had been sick. Sick to the stomach with constant cramping that kept her running to the toilet and broke her already disturbed sleep at night. But after Linda’s insinuations, the speculation of the rest of the community and the barbed comments from various parents, Jemimah was determined not to take any time off from her job. She’d felt guilty too -- sure that the stomach problems were just the outworking of her emotional state and all her own fault.

It was only when she finally admitted her situation to Angie -- who’d complained about hearing her up and about all through the night -- that at least those problems were eased. Angie had rung home and arranged for Gabi to bring along a packet of tablets for upset stomachs that Nan kept in the medicine cabinet with the hope that once Jemimah settled down the problem would go away on its own.

Jemimah knew she would be forever grateful to Angie for getting her through the dark days of the last couple of weeks. After sleeping over the first night, Angie had passed on the message that Nan had invited Jemimah to stay at their place, and when Jemimah declined -- still too upset about what had happened with Michael and his dad to ever want to go back -- Angie had offered to spend the rest of the week with her, driving her to and from work, making sure she ate and generally chivvying her through the daily tasks that now seemed impossible to tackle.

Although Angie might consider the possibility of a yowie preposterous, she defied anyone else to cast aspersions on Jemimah’s experience, and when Jemimah related the derisive comments she’d endured, Angie’s spirited rejoinders kept her from entirely drowning in her despair. Jemimah felt that her friend’s presence had kept her sane through that first terrible week, and although Angie had returned home after the weekend, she’d continued to come up to the school for lunch each day and Jemimah knew that she would be willing to stay if she asked her again.

Angie would have been more than happy to go with her to Narrabri that night, but if Jemimah waited until Angie finished work the butcher would almost certainly be closed before they got there. But, the thought of being alone ... and in the dark terrified Jemimah.

It wasn’t so much the fear of encountering the yowie -- or whatever it was -- as the growing loss of confidence in herself. After being surrounded by so much disbelief, Jemimah had begun to doubt herself. What if there hadn’t been anything in the clearing, what if she had only thought she’d seen - and heard and smelled - the creature? What else might she ‘see’ if she were alone again? That was the fear that increasingly paralysed her.

When Angie was with her, she felt like she could cope . . . but whenever she was on her own again, all her fears and doubts came crowding back in. She’d been praying, an almost continual plea of ‘Please God, help me’ but although she knew God was still there, and his promises must be true she felt like David in Psalm 22:

Jemimah’s chest tightened at the sound of footsteps and voices outside her classroom. What now? Was someone else coming to complain or throw a spanner in the works in her plans for tomorrow? She grabbed a handful of tissues and quickly mopped at her face. She did not have time -- or the heart -- to deal with anything else.

“Phew! You’re still here!” Jarrah burst through her door.

Jemimah blinked, not sure what to say. Although Jarrah was certainly not the menacing parent she’d been fearing, she didn’t really want to deal with her either. She’d felt bad cancelling her running with Jarrah, and while Jarrah had continued to come by in the afternoons to hang around and do a bit of homework, Jemimah knew she’d been far from the supportive and encouraging friend that Jarrah deserved. She’d even told her she wouldn’t have time for that this afternoon -- that she needed to get away soon after school to get the meat from Narrabri. So, why was Jarrah here now?

There was a slight scuffle in the hallway behind Jarrah, and Jamie and Mitch appeared in the doorway.

“So are ya ready?” Mitch called out.

Jemimah looked at Jarrah, perplexed and a little frustrated. What did they want from her?

“You’re still going to Narrabri, aren’t you?” Jarrah asked. “You said that yesterday, and with Angie still working, I figured you’d be going on your own--”

“And you don’t want to do that. Not after--” Mitch stopped abruptly at a dark look from Jarrah, and then continued on with a cheeky grin. “Anyway, we’re going come along, be a lot more fun than going on your own.”

“And we’re going to take you out for tea,” Jamie added, a rosy blush creeping over his face.

Jemimah sank back in her chair, overwhelmed by their unexpected thoughtfulness. Tears swam into her eyes again, and she tried to blink them away. “Thank you -- that will be so nice to have your company. Lovely. But you don’t have to buy me dinner.”

“Well, we are,” Mitch said. “Jamie and me have been making a motza with the cotton harvest. So we’re shouting you ladies. You get to pick, too. Maccas or KFC. Are you ready to go?”

“Almost. I’ve just got to finish pinning up these pictures.” Jemimah felt dizzy with relief about her unexpected rescue and rose unsteadily.

“Can I? I like staple guns. Good fun.” Jamie reached out for the tool. “Just tell me where you want them.”

“You like any kind of guns,” Mitch teased. “Just don’t shoot us.”

Jamie straightened his arm as though lining up a shot at his mate, then winked and climbed up on the stool. In only a few minutes the rest of the pictures were up and they were ready to go.

“My car or yours?” Mitch asked as she locked up the classroom.

For a moment, the unexpected threat of travelling to Narrabri in the back seat of Mitch’s ‘souped up’ Commodore seemed even more frightening than travelling the road alone.

“Definitely mine,” she answered quickly, and then hoping he hadn’t guessed her thoughts, she added, “I’ve got all the eskies in the boot ready for the meat.”

It was a wonderfully reassuring thought, though, that she’d have to bring him back to the school for him to collect his car. What a difference it made knowing that she wouldn’t have to face the dark school yard alone. And, Jamie would be riding all the way back to Hart’s with her afterwards. She wouldn’t be alone at all.

The two boys climbed in the back of her car and Jarrah sat in the front passenger seat beside Jemimah.

“Jamie said you’re doing something at church this Sunday,” she said as they drove out of the school yard. “What was it called again, Jamie?”

“A testimony,” he answered.

“Like when you’re in court?” Mitch asked, “Why, what have you done?”

“Probably abducted three minors,” Jemimah shot back, hoping to hide the dread she felt about Jamie having mentioned her testimony. “You’ve all checked with your parents that going to Narrabri with me is okay, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, yeah -- but what’s this testimony thing?”

Jemimah waited for a truck before turning at the crossroads and moistened her lips. She felt like such a fraud even thinking about her testimony. Her mum had sent along a copy of the one she’d given at her old church, but so far she’d done nothing more than glance over it. “Well, I’m joining the church as a member on Sunday, and there’ll be a part in the service where I share how I became a Christian and what God has done in my life.”

“Cool. Can anyone come? I reckon it’d be interesting to hear that,” Mitch asked.

“Yeah, anyone can come to church,” Jamie answered before Jemimah had a chance to say anything. “We’re having a lunch at the church afterwards, too. The church ladies all bring stuff. ”

“If your mum’s bringing food that alone'd be worth coming for. Are you in, Jarrah? I can pick you up on the way through.”

“Yeah, okay. Do I have to bring anything?”

Still trying to cope with the unanticipated possibility of Mitch and Jarrah being there to hear her speak, Jemimah nonetheless reassured Jarrah that all she needed was to bring herself.

“Hey, I know -- I can bring my Bible!” Jarrah exclaimed.

“What, am I meant to have a Bible?” Mitch asked.

“You can look at mine,” Jarrah offered with what sounded lot like pride, while Jamie assured him that there were heaps of spares at church.

Jemimah let her breath out slowly. After all these months of praying for these young people it was incredible that Mitch and Jarrah were interested in coming along to church. But why did it have to be this Sunday? Any other week she was sure she would be thrilled, but to have them there listening to her give her testimony ... she’d never even thought of the possibility of anyone from outside the church being there, and it filled her with dread. How could she stand up and speak about what a wonderful thing God had done in her life when her life was such a mess now -- and a very public mess at that.

She was glad that Mitch and Jamie had moved on to a different topic in the back seat, and tried to push the mounting pressure about her testimony from her mind. She just had to get this Anzac Day out of the way, and then she could think about Sunday morning.