Prompt Word: Age Minervie and Chip: 52 Three unconscious men were tied by their wastes, dangling together underneath a broom stick, about two miles NorthEast of the mouth of the Brisbane, not far from Mud Island, and about one meter above the waters of Moreton Bay. Minervie, atop the floating broom, dipped a lower to dunk them a bit. As these men were shocked awake, Minervie drove her broom is a slow clockwise circle while gaining altitude....

Prompt Word: Temple Minervie and Chip 51 Minervie’s first stop was what the locals politely called high density housing, South of the Brisbane River. “I’m looking for a Frank Jones, and if nobody by that name exists, someone who works near North Quay. She handed to man who’d answered the door a dollar. I owe him, but he disappeared after helping.” The man took the dollar, and shrugged his shoulders, “You’re welcome to come in, miss, but I can’t guarantee your safety....

Prompt Word: Bug Minervie and Chip 50 Edna started as slow as she knew how, “Have you heard of a ward?” Gungan squinted, “Like in a jail?” Edna shook her head, “Like the phrase, ‘To ward off’. In this case: guard, protect.” Gungan just nodded. Edna continued, “The very timber you are leaning against is a ward. It protects me. It keeps the unwanted away. If the colonists try to come here, they will get lost....

Prompt Word: Shed Minervie and Chip 49 Unlike Gungan’s attic room in a middle class neighborhood where the dunny was a tiny shed with no room for more than a throne and a water bucket, Edna’s farmstead had a well appointed wash building. There were four toilet rooms. They were still just pit latrines, but for some reason they didn’t stink. The toilets had well formed seats. The whole building had clean, whitewashed solid wood floor and the outer room had two hand-washing basins and these had faucets with actual hot water....