The Secret Enemy

Chapter 1
The Face
A thick branch of lightning lit the sky. On the hill, the lonely farmhouse stood out against
the light. The tall TV aerial was damaged. There was cyclonic rain now.
Inside, Ezio was sitting up in bed under the window. e wasn!t awake enough yet to
notice the rain and wind beating against his window. e hadn!t set the alarm on the
clock and the TV was on. e was remembering that he fell asleep while he was doing
his schoolwork at night.
The black and white picture rolled. The picture steadied. It was the Oli"e #an. e was
staring at Ezio as if he knew him. It was the third time. There was no sound, $ust the
face on the screen, with some writing under the picture.
The man looked oli"e%skinned although it was hard to be sure because the picture was
black and white. The man wasn!t Italian. e might ha"e been &ortuguese, or 'panish,
or 'outh American. e was not like Ezio had e"er seen.
e could hear the storm now. e realized he shouldn!t ha"e had the TV on in such a
force electrical storm. e switched it off too.
(onna was at his door. 'he was clutching her shawl round her shoulders. (onna was
little and old, Italian. 'he was Ezio!s grandmother and he li"e with her.
Ezio wanted to see )risbane!s channel *. e thought that he might be able to catch the
signal if he could get his aerial high enough. e knew that it might not be the aerial that
was the problem, but the TV set. The set was only tuned for +hannels , to ,* on the
dial, but he had to pick up +hannel *. e had been working on it, trying to pick up
)risbane!s +hannel *. And that was how he had come to get the strange channel, the
one with all the faces on it and no sound.
e must ha"e gone a bit too far when he was making the ad$ustment to get channel *,
he thought, so he called it +hannel **, to himself. It wasn!t like ordinary TV, there was
no sound at all.
+lang- The sheet of iron banged down again.
+r%ash-
That wasn!t the iron. This time it was too close. It was a long, scratchy, slithering crash
that scraped against the roof, down past Ezio!s window. Ezio sat up and peered out. e
couldn!t see anything through the rain, but he knew it was his aerial
Chapter 2
The Helicopter
On 'aturday the word was rain%washed, wind polished and shining in the sun. The
house on the hill was surrounded by the state forest. It was hard to belie"e there had
been a cyclone, the only sign being a broken tree along the track to the "illage.
(ow Ezio was on the roof of the house. All around him the foothills were a patchwork of
greens and browns, where paddocks were planted or ploughed. e fi.ed the small
aluminium part he was holding to the main structure of the aerial, and lined it up with the
scenery, e.actly where it had been before the storm. /obb 0his friend% leaned o"er the
"erandah rail at the top, of the steps, his face turned up awkwardly.
A helicopter puttered towards them. It came from the direction of the town. Ezio
watched while the puttering grew louder. The helicopter came o"er the biundary of the
farm. The helicopter continued up the "alley and dissapeared into the haze.
Chapter 3
Rob Sees the Face
Ezio walked up the rise behind the house. (onna had caught sight of him. Ezio would
ha"e preferred not to bother with his boots but he ne"er thought of not doing what she
said. e ran back, got them from beside the steps, banged them hard to make any
spiders run out and dragged them on.
e was too late. E"erything had changed since yesterday because the bulldozer had
been in to clean up. Ezio still took no notice. e was used to being teased. Anyway, he
couldn!t think of an easy answer, $ust for the sake of saying something.
/ob trudged up the rise. Ezio was on the roof gathering up the bits and pieces from the
$ob, but /ob thought he was still working. Ezio!s face lit up. e thanked the bulldozer
operator and picked out what he needed. Then he took the transistor from the boy and
scampered up and o"er the rubble. On the grass again, he sat down to take off his
hea"y rubber boots. e threaded the piece of wire that was in the back of one, through
the hole in the back of the other and slung them o"er his shoulder.
Ezio found a rope in (onna!s shed and looped it round the chimney to help him
scramble up and down. e worked on his own all afternoon.
/ob felt he had been rebuked so he went inside. Ezio!s room was tidy although there
were a great many things in it. /ob sat down on a chair at the end of the bed and picked
up an electronics magazine from the floor. The magazines were in neat piles. 'ome of
them were shiny and new.
Ezio back at the TV set, didn!t e"en look up. e $ust said that it was alright. (onna
looked as though she might ha"e hit him with the o"en cloth for being rude to her, but
she saw that he seemed upset. (onna knew something was worrying him but she didn!t
ha"e anyone she could talk to either.
)ack in the bedroom after tea, Ezio leaned o"er and took the clock from the shelf. The
light was flashing. 1hen the red figures on the clock showed 23*4 Ezio sprang up and
turned on the set. A face rolled down the screen and became still. They watched intent,
until the pictures were gone and the screen was a rectangle of sil"er speckles again.
Ezio leaned o"er and flicked the sil"er speckles off. The lighter rectangle of the window
showed in the $ust lightening dark. It was still worth going back to sleep though, before
(onna started poking the grate and ezio had to get up and bring in chips to start the fire.
Chapter 4
The Face Again
The boy shuffled through the discarded bamboo sheats to the thick clump of
bamboo stalks where they cut new fishing rods. Ezio stopped to pick up one of the silky
sheaths, looking at its shape and the sheen inside.
5+itizens )and!. It!s the fre6uency they!re hea"ing for ordinary people to use.
(onna hears talk about how many people use it for different things, and how you could
interfere with important things like police messages or boats in trouble sending a
message.
)eside a forest creek under a tree, Ezio was sitting on a rock getting ready to fish. It
was his fa"orites spot. 7nder the tree, /ob was already fishing. e got a bite and
reached for the transcei"er on the rock behind him.
At dusk they sat at (onna!s scrubbed pine kitchen table and ate the eel. /ob
looked out of the window and o"er to the hills towards the creek where they had caught
it. /ob watched Ezio chewing the chunky triangular piece of white meat that he!d $ust
peeled off the skeleton with his fingers.
This time they saw the first face and Ezio pointed out the symbol at the end to /ob. Ezio
hadn!t because although #r. Adams was kind to him, he hadn!t always listened when
Ezio had really wanted to tell him things. e probably remembered that Ezio!s father
had taken him to the forest when he should ha"e been at school. Ezio might ha"e learnt
how to pick out a lilli%pilli tree by its lea"es, but he still didn!t know some things the
teacher thought he should, like who crossed the )lue #ountains and when.
Ezio couldn!t stay o"ernight. e always had $obs to do before dark, and (onna
might be lonely on her own. It was different for /ob because there were plenty of people
in his family. Ezio thought he could go to tea. It was daylight sa"ing time now, and he
would still get home before dark.
Chapter 5
The Teacher Will Know
In the morning they got the chips for (onna!s fire together. (onna packed lunch
for the bous. They all liked to take lunch to school%e"en the boys who li"ed nearby. The
mailman was coming down on the road. They ran to catch a lift. There was one more
step before school. They waited patiently while the mailman asked #r. )ates about his
new twins.
/ob and Ezio didn!t mind waiting while the mailman talked. e was friendly with
e"eryone and helped to keep e"eryone in touch. They didn!t talk in the "an. The
mailman was making up time, between con"ersations, as he always did% you could set
your watch by him.
The teacher rang the handbell out of the window of the schoolroom abo"e. )at
and ball were thrown behind the seat around the tree. )oys and girls streamed around
the corner of the school. 'ome stopped at the through to wash. #r. Adams stood at the
"erandah rail.
It was a busy day. They were at the gate after school, when they remembered
they hadn!t managed to ask #r. Adam!s about the strange program. Ezio thought of it,
when he was writing but that wasn!t the right time.
Chapter 6
The Face is Real
After tea /ob started to to gather up the plates, Ezio got up to help. The younger
children were sprawled in front of thr TV in the ad$oining room.
And /ob!s mother said that Ezio!s father want to going to a meeting in town, told
he!ll go past Ezio turn%off, so he can drop Ezio off. That way Ezio can stay a bit longer
and get home before dark.
/ob!s father asked for Ezio about his TV. e told that he heard Ezio got it fi.ed
up. And Ezio said for /ob!s father that he took his TV a long time, but it wasn!t hard. A
man in town, at the ser"ice store where &apa used to go, ga"e the things that he
needed.
/osemary called from the ne.t room that there was an news. 'o 8ad and the
other went to there. In that room they saw a news about refugees. A string of refugees
came down the gangway of the ercules Transport plane on the tarmac behind the
reporter.
The reporter e.plained how the ercules had been called in to air%lift the people
to Australia in a hurry 0 their li"es were in danger now becouse the old go"erment had
been toppled in a re"olution. This was an errand of mercy. The usual formalities of entry
into the country had been wai"ed. And the reporter stopped some of the refugees to
asked them 6uestion. #ostly he only got weary smiles and nods. 'uddenly, Ezio
$umped up. e shouted that there was an Oli"e #an.
The Oli"e #an didn!t seem to want to be shown on TV. e put his umbrella and
help it to the lens of the camera 0 his face dissapeared. And /ob!s father asked to Ezio
about the Oli"e #an. Ezio said that Oli"e #an is ones of the faces on his +hanel **.
)ut there was no +hanes **.
/ob!s father and mother e.changed looks. They didn!t know Ezio "ery well,
although they had known his father well enough, and they had met his mother too, but it
had been mostly smiles and nods, with Ezio translating when she did!t understand.
They had likes Ezio!s family. /ob!s mother raised her eyebrows and shrugged.
/ob said that they, /ob and Ezio was got up to watch it in the night, twice. And
Ezio spent all 'aturday on the roof fi.ing the aerial so they could see it. )ut Ezio said
that (onna doesn!t know, she didn!r understand.
And than, /ob!s father said that he had go with Ezio. Told he said that Ezio!s
grandmother was letting him get up to mischief. e shouldn9t actuall be fidding with the
TV. The man at the shop probably thought his father was still around. is grandmother
needs him too much. 'he relies on him for e"erything and to make up, she lets him do
what he likes 0 or perhaps she $ust doesn!t understand what he!s up to. e!s fooling
whit things he doesn!t know enough about. And than, Ezio and /ob!s father were go.
/ob!s father promosed to find someone who could look o"er Ezio!s TV set for him.
1hen Ezio was go with /ob!s father, he ran most of the way the way along the
winding dirt track, because he wanted to see the nine o!clock news. It would be replay
of what he had seen at /ob!s at se"en. e had to make sure it was te Oli"e #an he had
seen 0 on ordinary A)+ news.
(onna watched the news with him. /ob had helped his carry the TV set back to
the loounge room htah morning. (onna crocheted and talked, in Italian, while the news
was on. Ezio had to e.plain to her why the people were coming into Australia, because
(onna didn!t always follow English 6uickly. e told her how there had been a change of
go"ernment, a re"olution in their country. (onna understood and agreed.
1hile Ezio watceh for the little charade at the foot of the gangway where the
Oli"e #an put up his umbrella to a"oid the camera., (onna talked about how particular
te authories had been when they came to Australia 0 the forms they!d had to fill in, the
waiting, the checks on their helthy , the 6uestion. (onna said, :they could be anybody.
They could be coming for any reaso.;
Ezio didn!t hear what (inna said after that. e was thinking. Then she said
something familiar, :<ou should be in bed, now. The school party is tomorrow.;
And than, Ezio asked to (onna that when was Ted coming. (onna turned her hands out
to say any time now 0 or no time at all.
Then Ezio reached uo to the told, highlypolished wooden wireless, and took
down the picture of his mother and father. e said that he want to to know about his
mother and father, about &apa going to Italy to bring #ama there.
The ne.t day at school si.th class were presented with their badges for high
school. /ob had a small speech to make, as he was "ice%captain. (onna was there and
e"eryone was nice to her. That made it special for Ezio. There was no time to ask about
his TV. there was hardly time to think about +hanel ** at all and after school Ezio has
pack his things for fitness camp he attended each year.
On the last day of school, #r Adams was unapproachable. As always, he had
lots of forms to fill in, and the other children had to mind the little ones. Then he called
them to talk about the camp. Ezio and /ob were going. (onna had gi"en Ezio all kinds
of instruction, but she needn!t ha"e bothered. e knew them all by heart.
#r Adams read out to them who would be in each hut. Ezio and /ob would be in
the same hut with si. boys from three other schools. The bus was picking up some of
them on the way. It would be a long, roudabout trip because of that, but it was all part of
the fun of going to camp.
This time, Ezio would ha"e preferred not to be going. e would ha"e liked to stay
at home with his TV and work out how he could find out about the Oli"e man. )ut he
was swept alon with the preparations and there wasn!t a reason for not going that he
could e.plain. &erhaps he would ha"e time to think about The Oli"e #an when they got
on the bus.
The ne.t small school was only te minutes away, down their droad, throudg the
hills. E"eryones climbed out to talk to some of the kids who weren!t going, while those
who were carried their gear onto the bus. They knew e"eryone. The whole school was
out in the playground, playing games or doing $obs. Their teacher had forms to fill in too.
1hen they were all finally settled into their seats on the bus they had a babble%
and%shout% run through the large town., o"er the rest of the hills, down the cutting to the
flat land, and on to the sea. They could see the sea all the way down the long, winding
cutting 0 so they really felt they were on holidays.
Chapter
Ca!p
At last they were in there bunks, talking about the run on the beach planned for
the morning. They were all tired, but it was hard to sleep. 'omeone started to tell
another story. There was a shout but a teacher same in and said that was enough and
to piu the light out. )ut that didn!t stop the talking, and e"eryone was still sleepy in the
morning.
They ran along the beach before breakfast. /ob and Ezio were ahead. They felt
wide awake now and they raced towards the ne.t headland, running fast on the hard,
wet sand.
(o one had e"er run this sand before 0 the tide haid laid it, like a new floor, smooth and
shiny, in the night. The sandhills, co"ered with low, grey 0 green scrub hid the road from
them. And /io asked to Ezio to followed him and ducked up through the scrub and out
onto the road.
The road was only a dusty track that the sand mining trucks used, but they
throughit was fun to go back a different way. The others would wonder how they had
disappeared. A sand mining truck was coming towards them. They stood aside on the
narrow track to gi"e it room. Then they gasped, and looked at each other through the
could of dust the truck left behind it.
Ezio nodded solemnly. The passanger in the truck had been 6uite close to them
as it went past. There was an Oli"e #an. Ezio was "ery surprised. And he already knew
the Oli"e #an was real.
=ast night, /io has tired to tell about Ezio!s TV, but nobody had listened. They
$ust hadn!t understood what /io was talking about.
They had to do something so they asked to see the director of the camp after
breakfast. And they began by asking him if he could tell them some things about the
sand mining.
Thay were dredging the sand, the black sand, all along the beaches to get
minerals like zircon and rutile. The director started to tell them about each of them. <hey
knew most of it, from the other times they had been to the camp, but they listened
carefully, looking for a clue that would e.plain why the Oli"e #an was here.
The director told them he had a film about the sand mining. Ezio and /io
watched carefully. There was no sign of the Oli"e #an. )ut suddenly, Ezio gripped
/ob!s arm. And he asked /io to looked. There was $ust a stack of crates n a wharf,
being picked up by a truck. And Ezio whispered that $e was tell again later.
As they wandered down to $oin the others on the beach., Ezio told /ob that the
symbol srencilled on the crates looked like the one at yhe end o the srtange TV
program,. /ob didn!t remember it. 1hen Ezio said he would wait and ask Ted about it,
/ob agreed. They certainly weren!t going to try talking to /ob!s father again. And #r
Adams wouldn!t be their techer when they went back. They wouldbe going to high
school.
/obs! mother was waiting with (onna when they got off the bus in town. /ob!s
father would take hthem all home after work. 1hile they shopped, they talked about
how the boys always seemed to grow so much when they were away, especially after a
fitness camp. Ezio was happy.
At the end of the day they were all e.hausted. They had been surrounded by
hundreds of people who were doing last%minute +hristmas shopping, but Ezio and /ob
had lots of parcels to show for their efforts.
At home there were many $obs waiting, and zio was happy to do them. (onna
listened to all of his stories about camp, but Ezio kept the puzzle about the Oli"e #an to
himself. Twice he made an opportunity to check on the strange program. It was still on.
Ezio kept wondering where it could be coming from.
The morning school was to start, /ob and Ezio met at the road. In there, they
met kids from camp that will be waiting for their buses too. They are going to Ezio!s high
school too.
Chapter "
High School an# the To$ota
There were more than a hundred new students in the assembly hall at the high
school. )efore they came into the hall, most kids had hung around with the others who
came from their old schools. (ow the form master was telling them that people would
show them around. They could go in groups, according to their interests. e called out
all the sports. +ricket was last and /ob stood up at once. Ezio stood up to be with him,
becaouse there wasn!t a sport he was particularly interested in. )ut when the form
master said /adio +lub, Ezio decided to go with that group.
There were only a few in the group so they talked to each other. It was a girl who
showed them around. 'he was the only girl, but she was 6uite at ease with the boys in
the group. 'he had beautiful hair. It was a rust%red colour and long. ew name was
&am, and this was her second yers at high school.
/ob and Ezio met at the gate in the afternoon. Ezio told /ob about the girl as
they lined up for the bus. Their bus left last, and Ezio was the last one to sit down,
because the bus dri"er was telling him there was a parcel for (onna.
As he turned to sit, Ezio looked out of the window, directly down into the cabin of
a truck that was going past the bus, and found himself looking right into the face of the
Oli"e #an. e was a passenger in the truck.
Ezio was seeing him e"erywhere, on his TV, at camp, and now here. On his own
road. /ob, who ws already in the window seat, saw the Oli"e #an too.
It was not the sand mining truck he had been in at the beach, but a four%wheel%
dri"e Toyota. There were more and more buff%grey Toyotas on their road lately. )ut
some of the newer Toyotas belonged to the macadamis plantation > the nut tree farm
as the people whoo li"ed in the district always called it. These turned down the tarred
road $ust before the "illage.
The nut tree farm was a big enterprise. It had been getting bigger for most of the
time Ezio and /ob could remember. The farm belonged to city people, who didn!t li"e
there becouse they had other $obs.
The city people had bought up se"eral farms and $oined them together for the nut
tree farm. The farmers who had owned those farms had gi"en up dairying for beef,
when beef prices were good, but when the beef prices had dropped suddenly they
found they had to sell. ?rown%ups talked about changing land%use and kids understood,
because it happened to fa,ilies they knew.
Ezio had known the manager!s family at the nut tree farm when it sharted. They
were Italian. Ezio had been at the farm with his fatreh,he had stood on the "erandah of
the new house watching the men blast out the roots of the old shade trees, so they
could plant the young nut tree in long, straight rows.
The people from the city had sold the nut tree farm recently. (o%one knew much
about the new people. They didn!t wanted a manager, so Ezio!s Italian friends had
gone.
The Toyota they had seen today could be a farm truck, or it could belong to the
nut tree farm. /ob and Ezio decided that they would $ust ha"e to watch out for it. If it
belonged to one of the farmers on their road, they had a fair chance of seeing it on the
way home. The road snaked alonge the top of the ridge, and they could look down onto
people!s places from the bus. /ob hopped o"er and sat on the opposite side of the bus,
and they talked o"er the heads of the little kids sitting in the back seat while they
searched each side of the rod for the Toyota.bu if it belonged to the nut tree farm, they
would $ust ha"e to keep their eyes open. E"entually e"eryone came to the post office,
the butcher or the general store. They were certain they would find out where the Oli"e
#an was. It did not occur to eitheof them that it might not be any oftheir business. And
they weren!t e"en sure what it was they were hoping to find out.
Ezio said that he think about a nut tree farm truck. And told that he had seen it
loaded with grafted trees.
/ob was cautious so he didn!t reply. e didn!t like to speculate 0 he preferred to
wait and see what actually happened.
Ezio said to /ob that if a nut tree farm truck, they could go there and get a $ob on
'aturdays like kids always do 0 and find out.
)ut /ob said that they couldn!t because the new people there don!t want kids
any more. The Oli"e #an was there too. )ut /ob didn!t agree with Ezio.
Then Ezio said that there was a lot of new people comin into the area, so that
doesn!t mean anything. They will watchfor him anyway, e"ert chance they get. e can
watch on 'aturday morning 0 if they don!t see his truck before that.
They did see it again, on @riday 0 but it was going in the opposite direction. Then,
on 'aturday morning, when there was nothing more important they had to do before
/ob went to cricket, they sat down by the road to watch, and saw it again. 1hen it went
round the corner where they were sitting, and down the road towards the entrance to
the nut tree farm they $ust looked at each other, and raised their eyebrowns.
/ob said that they could be going to the beach ehere they saw him before. e
tolt but e"enif it is going back there, what was it doing there.
And Ezio said that they might ha"e friends there. And /ob and Ezio watched until
the truck disappeared around the ne.t corner.
The truck turned in at the gate of the nut tree farm, and pilled up in front of the
house where Ezio had stood on the "erandah so long ago and watched the blasting.
/ows of nut tree co"ered the slopes behind the house now. The dri"e of the truck and
the Oli"e #an got out of the truck and went up the steps to the closes%up house.
They were let in and walked down s short hallway, which opened out into the
li"ing room. The windows looked out o"er the slopes in conference at what had been a
large dining room table. They all stood up and waited till the Oli"e #an was seated.
)ack the corner, Ezio said to /ob that he was getting $ob. )ut /ob didn!t agree.
Chapter %
The &'t Tree Far!
Ezio went up to the house at the nut tree farm unchallenged. The house hadn!t
changed since he had been there with his whole family for a birthday party. Ezio
knocked on the "erandah rail. (obody heard him so he went around to the back door.
The man who confronted him was a bulky, easy%mo"ing man, in khaki work%clothes. e
had ordinary, salt%and%pepper grey hair. 1hen he spoke, he spoke ordinary Australian
like the boys in the playground.
Ezio said to the big man that he came looking for $ob, he told that high school
boys used to get $obs here 'aturdays, or in the holiday and now he was at high school.
And the big man said that he don!t about that made and what Ezio had be able to do.
Then ezio said that he know hoe to do most $obs on a farm and he would listen to what
he teold him.
The man looked at him for a minute, thinking and knocked at the door at the top
of the steps. Inside, the men sitting at the table stopped talking and looked up. e called
a boy named Tom, he said that there was a kid looking for a $ob.
The door was open now and Tom stood $ust inside. e was awkward because he
didn!t belong at this conference. e kept his hand on the door. And Tom shut the door
carefully. e came back to Ezio and said that Ezio can help in the grafting shed.
And than, Tom ask to Ezio that he must come ne.t 'aturday and he will show
about goes on. 1ent straight to that shed. And he told that Ezio must waited him in
there, if e"eryone says anything to him.
Ezio bounded home. e felt good. )ut (onna wouldn!t hear of him ha"ing a $ob
on 'aturdays when he talked about it. 'he had plently for him to do if he wanted to
work. A boy needed some rela.ation, that was the only reason she ne"er asked him to
work on a 'aturday.
@or four weeks then, that became Ezio!s 'aturday routine. They always had fish
for tea. /ob would gi"e him something if he hadn!t been able to catch his own in the
short time a"ailable. e didn!t forget that he ws working at the nut tree farm to find out
about the Oli"e #an, but he rela.ed when he knew the ropes, and started to en$oy his
$ob.
In the grafting shed, he carried the potted trees to Tom, and handed him any
tools he needed. Then he carried each grafted tree out carefully. It was an operation
relly > Tom had cut the whole top off the tree growing in the pot and put a new tip in its
place. The tree growing in the pot was the old kind of tree that had always grown in their
district, the kind e"eryone called a 5bush nut! it was hardy and wthstood stroms, but its
nuts had "ery hard shells.
Tom had a good reputation because his grafts always 5took!. That was why the
new people had kept him on when they put the other workers off. E"eryone else on the
place seemed to be doing something that had nothing to do with farming the trees. e
was glad of a spare pair of hands.
Tom glanced up and saw Ezio looking at him intenly. e said that Ezio didn!t
e"er say anything about that. Than he told that the way they come and go and don!t
help on the place. e shouldn!t ha"e said that. They were probably buying and selling >
something like that. That!s the way Ezio get rich 6uick. It was something like that.
+rates come and go. 8on!t repeat that. 8on!t say anything about their other work to
them 0 or anyone else he had lose his $ob, and Ezio!s $ob too, if you talked about it. Ezio
liked the work, and wanted to keep his $ob. e kept things tidy and often passed the
dinding $ust as tom reached for it. Ezio kept watching Tom.
In the end, he did learn to graft. Tom could not let him do many. The trees were
e.pensi"e, and you would not know for months whether they 5had taken!. Ezio carefully
marked the pots he had done. (ow they would stay in the nursert in controlled heat and
moisture, until they were stronge enough to be planted out in the rows.
'ome of the grafted tree weren!t being planted out in the rows, Ezio noticed.
They were sent decided not to ask Tom any more 6uestions because he didn!t want to
upset him.
'o once, when Tom was working somewhere else, Ezio hid some slips Athe
places they used for graftingB behind the big heap of black plastic bags they sometimes
grew the tree it. Then he could go looking fore more. e was curious about the
gal"anized shed where the helicopter loaded and he wanted to see what was indside.
They used to store the sprays and graft the trees there once 0 that was his e.cuse, if
anyone caught him away from the grafting shed. )ut he was called cCback before he
got there. e was told that if he coudn!t srick to the $ob h was gi"en, he needn!t come
back. e had to be "ery careful after that. This con"inced him there was something
wrong about the place, and he wanted to know what it was.
Ezio wasn!t at all con"inced that the helicopter had simply taken the place of the
spray plane, although when he and /ob had first seen it going o"er, it had seemed the
logical conclusion.
One dat Tom told him that the trucks that took some of the trees awat went to a
new place on the other side of the forest. Ezio noticed the trucks e"en before he came
to work at the nut tree farm. e had throught it was funny r them to go the same way so
often, with only a few trees each time. It would make sense, he realised., if they were
selling them to someone who only wanted a few. )ut that wasn!t the only odd thing
about it 0 the truck always went late in the day. Ezio took to watching for the truck to go.
e thought he might see the Oli"e #an again, but he didn!t. &erhaps he had only
been at the nut tree farm on a "isit when they saw him. &erhaps he was "isiting some
other places now. The Oli"e #an could be interested in something bigger.
At home Ezio made an e.cuse to get the TV back into his own room, to check
whether the Oli"e #an was still on it. e was.
At work he still hadn!t managed to get into the gal"anized shed. )ut one morning
he went past close enough to hear things, hea"y things, being sho"ed around on the
concrete foor. Then, as if one tipped, or rolled, he heard a clank of metal ob$ect, a light
clank. There are a guns, and the guns made at home when he put it down in the shed.
(o 0 he was letting his imagination run away with him.
On #onday morning, while they were waiting for the bus, Ezio told /ob thet he
through something was going on in the gal"anized iron shed. /ob tried to think of logical
e.planations for e"erything Ezio said.
/ob ask to Ezio where were he on s'aturday. And Ezio answer that he was
fishing but /ob said that he doesn!t looked for Ezio in there. And Ezio told that he was
late, he went to the place where /ob can always catch a perch, when Ezio couldn!t see
/ob.
Ezio and /ob began to talk about the shed again. Then a girl in the seat ib front
of Ezio turned around. 'he said to Ezio that there was something funny about that shed.
Ezio hadn!t realized she was listening to them talking about the shed.
Ezio baldy wanted to know what the girl had been going to say. e had $ust
realised that she was Tom!s daughter. )ut he was afraid to ask her about it because he
didn!t want her to mention it at home, and knew he couldn!t discuss any of his theories
with Tom. e resol"ed to be careful when he talked to Tom.
Ezio was silent for most of the trip. )ut $ust before they got to town, he said with
sudden determination, he went to find out about that shed. /ob was surprised. e!d
been thinking about are some more things to find out about +hannel ** first. e think it
does ha"e something to do with the people from the nut tree farm.
And /ob said that e was on +hannel ** and he was been to the nut tree farm.
e told that they didn!t see for sure that he want to the nut tree farm, but if he did, could
the strange program he was on be coming from there. )ut Ezio $ust answer (o. e told
that there hed to be some sort of tower, there was nowhere high enough for that there.
/ob hadn!t realised that the message might be coming from somewhere else first
Ezio said that he shoul be able to work out which direction iit was coming from
his aerial. /ob asked that Ezio can do that at the /adio +lub.
Ezio decided that the forest was the most likely place for the message to be
coming from. It was high enough to pick up and relay a message comng in from
somewhere else, and the people from nut tree farm went there too. )ut he didn!t tell
/ob that. e knew better than to tell /ob when he was guessing. /ob would $ust say
something like 5<ou are making that up, Ezio.; /ob!s opinions were important to Ezio 0
though he didn!t mind at all what other kids through.
Chapter 1(
)a!
At school, Ezio went to /adio +lub as often as he could. It was in a little room
that had been closed in under the school building. /ob played cricket at lunch and Ezio
went to the /adio +lub.
One day he was helping the math master, who ran the /adio +lub, when he was
making something speak for 6uite a while > he $ust guessed what had to be passed or
held. The maths master looked at him appreciati"ely.
1hen he could see the maths master was nearly finished Ezio ask that he can
asked him something about his TV set. And the math master said that went on. Ezio
told him how he had been trying to ad$ust the old black and white TV set to pick up
+hannel **, a channel that no%one esle in his area could get. The math master!s
eyebrows went up when he told him how he was doing it, and then again when he told
him about the strange programe he!d picked up. Encouraged, Ezio went on to tell him
how he wanted to use the direction of his aerial to find out where the program was
coming from. The math master looked at Ezio 6uizzically. Ezio e.plained how he
planned to do it, and the maths master nodded appro"ingly. e was "ery surprised
when Ezio said it was difficult because the transmission was on in the "ery early
morning, before daylight.
As they left, the math master said to Ezio that come and see him in the staff
room and tell him more about it. )ut when Ezio did go to the staff room, a teacher came
and said that the math master was busy, and asked what he wanted. And Ezio $ust said
it didn!t matter. Ezio was glad when, again, the bell went.
Ezio didn!t know what to do. e kept thinking about te forest and the
transmission aerials there. Two towers stood on the top of the ridge, one higher than the
other. They were TV towers. If the strange transmissions were coming from thet tower,
they would ha"e to get fuel there for the generator. The road from town to the empty
tower went past the other tower. (o%one li"ed there yet, but surely someone would
notice them if they were going that way without a real purpose. A few years ago they
might ha"e a"oided being seen but it was startig to get fairly busy up that way lately.
Ezio wasn!t sure enough to tell /ob that he throught the Olo"e #an was responsible for
the transmissions and that he suspected he was using the tower in the forest nearby.
Then Ezio was told about the Oli"e man and about the +hannel ** with &am.
They were conclude that it was an aliens. And the place that sending the signal +hannel
** in the mountains, in the rainforests.
CHA)T*R 11
The +al,anise# -ron She#
On 'aturday morning , Ezio did his $ob 6uickly as he could and left early .(onna
was surprised he wanted to go so early. e said 6uickly that he!d promised to meet /ob
, and he had later on. )ut now he went across the hill so he could come to work from
diferrent direction .then someone was coming along the road on the other side of the
trees. Ezio kept "ery still . It was Tom .Ezio sprang up and ran to catch him , before he
reached the footworn track that led in to the nut tree farm at that point. Tom was
disturbed at seing him , and angry with him being here .Ezio knew that Tom was worried
about the gal"anissed shed too. 'o he told him how he $ad heard the clank of metal
there and that wanted to see what was going on . e remembered too late that he had
decide not to disscuss it with tom .
)ut tom was said that he not want to talk about it , he was forgot about it, and then
they walk together go to school.
Ezio was going to one shop to looking for something to (onna.There he meet
Tom.1hen they sat on the bumper of one of the old cars parked along edge of the road
near the shop, Ezio said that he was going to watch the helicopter does , and see what
was in the shed . and he think that that is crates. They are in shed. They might come in
truck . Eziio has not seen them on the truck yet and some go to helicopter . Ezio think
that they sent one up to the fOrest once .
Inside the shop was one big room with a counter at the back .The shop lady ,
young , smart , new was behind it ser"ing .An older teenage boy they knew was sorting
the 'aturday papers and magazines . The shop lady!s husband was fishing in the
refrigator , behind the cuonter for pasteurised cream for another customer .A women
was going through the stand of greeting cards another was picking out and pricing pot
plants and man was filling a bag from the stand of druit and "egetables in the middle.
The #an getting "egetables was asking what is the helicopter . he tough it would
be still sparying be perfect for the crofton weed in the creek and his gully . That is why
he Though they would got it , Though better than plane . Only he can not afford it so it!s
no odds.
Chapter 12.
The /o'ng -nstr'ctor
Two older men sat on the bench in front of the shop window chatting , with their
newspaper still folded . They both lookep up , wondering why Ezio sounded so serious.
Ezio said that he wanted to the forest and see where the helicopter goes at other
end.and rob said that he will come with ezio .suddenly they meet a men who tell they
the way into forest.
As they walked away /ob said that he know an easy way to get up into the
forest. That fellow who li"es in the old cheese factory on the way to his place.
DDD
/ob and ezio persuade (onna and /ob!s parent s that it would be a goog idea for them
to go to the <outh +lub in town. It was dificult to organisetransport at night if you li"ed
out of town , but other kids they knew from school managed to get there and /ob!s
father was all for it. e had managed to find someone to cheeck Ezio!s TV , so he was
glad to see them to go into town with a young fellow who was doing a course in welding
at technical college at night .
1hile they waited to fill out the forms , because they were new , they watched
the young instructor . e wasn!t much to older then they were ,they thought . Ezio
decided he was officious , taken up with the rules $ust for the sake of rules .<ou could
tell from way the kid looked at other when he made them do something , That they
thougth so too. )ut it didn!t matter . 1hen the man in charge made time for them , they
asked him about the trips to the forest . )ut he didn!t know anything about it . =ater on,
they asked the young instructor themsel"es . e was surprised and annoyed , they
thougt .
/ob told him how he had heard about it and the young instructor said that it from
a filthy hippy . the man who li"ed at the factory may ha"e been hippy but he certain filthy
.
It was difficult to get to the forest without transport adult . If /ob!s parent knew it was a
<outh +lub Instructor taking them , They wouldn!t mind whether it was actually a youth
+lub e.cursion or not , so /ob Tried to persuade him change his mind.
Ezio decidedd the young instructor would be no help them anyway . so they
made other plans. Their school holidays were coming up and thay would work out how
they could go by themsel"es , and /ob would get his buterfly.At their homes , no one
has e"er talked about 5The @orest 5 in hushed or mysterious tones . Although no one in
their families had been to the forest for long time , they had often worked there and
were familliar with the forest road . There were two permanent anes. The upper road,
and the lower road . it was only getting up to where the forest started that was the
problem. Its too far , up and back , for day!s e.cursion, unless someone took them .
One day /ob asked his father first about camping out with Ezio in holidays.and
/ob!s father say yes about it./ob!s father simply reminded him that getting ready was
his own responbility.1hen Ezio told nonna that rob!s father say that they can cam out in
holyday if nonna said sure , nona is refuse about it. )ecause ezio!s birthday was in
holiday .
but in finally nonna was agree ezio $oin the camping.
Chapter 13
-n The Forest
On 'unday , they picked up their gear , and said goodbye to (onna . Then they
unpacked in shed at /ob!s place and rearranged things . Once , when they had gone to
the forest they were catch butterfly with the butterfly nets and fishing .And then they
going to the road.Ezio looked up to where the two tower stood out against the sky. They
were up in the forest where no one had gone until the towers were built, and the forest
was still 6uite thick . Their got their lift $ust then
. The farmer who dropped them at turn off up to the upper forest road affered to
take them further , down to the old road . /ob was temped . it was longer , but an easier
climb to where Ezio wanted to go. e told ezio uthey could easily get through the fence
beside the grid .Ezio said no, they didn!t want to attract any attention. There were
people li"ing in the farmhouse that belonged to the farm where the road went through.
#aybe it belonged to the nut tree people too. /ob was grouchy about the steep climb
they faced , but ga"e in.
Ezio kept going to one edge of the road , to find a place where he could see the
lower road through the trees. /ob went to the opposite side of the road and called to
look . The road was on the edge of a steep drop to the foot of a gully.They both knew
there used to be access roads from the top road down to the lower road , but they had
grown o"er years ago trees did grow up again , right in the middle of roads sometimes ,
if the roads weren!t used.They left the road and made their way around the top of the
gully and down a branch ridge that ran down toward the lower road . They could see the
TV towers clearly , marching one behind the other down a ridge further on. They
weren!t far apart from this angle and it was easy to see that if you were at the top one ,
you wouldn!t be able to see anything that was going on at the building at the bottom of
the lower one. The forest had certainly grown back up in between. /ob was understood
what Ezio meant, about the lower being a perfect place for transmitting the strange
program on channel **.
@rom where they sat , in the fading light , they could see where the ne.t gully
widened and flattened and ran out to $oin the road at the bottom . the road that had
become a pri"ate road kso suddenly Ezio was listening for a "ehicle.
'uddenly on uthe ridge Ezio was watching e.actly where the unused tower was ,
they saw a light and they think that it wa because of transmitter .in the morning, they
were too slow to see any mo"ement at the tower . 'o they had breakfast without
talking . Then they made their way down towards the road , watching and listening any
sound as they went down the ridge they could see the road as it skirted the flat land
bottom.the horses were in the flat grassy paddock across the road . 1hen they were
closer , they could see that the horses were hobbled. As they started towards the cream
bo. they heard a truck . It must ha"e been the young instructur and his group . /ob and
Ezio agrred. They thought it would be interesting to see what they were doing to see if
there was some reason they had been so unwelcome , when they wanted to $oin in.
Chapter 14
-n 0eeper
Around the end of the spur of the hill there was absolutely noyhing to be seen
from where they were . The truck had disappeared they mo"ed carefully up the ridge
but keeping on the side of gully they wanted to see into. 'oon they were looking into
almost impenetrable scrub , the kind that older people used to call 5 the big scrub!. It had
lawyer canes and barraister "ines festooned in scallops from tall tree to tall tree,
7nderneath there were tree ferns , Older than /ob and Ezio , Older than their father or
their grandfather . This would be forest reser"e now . (o one had been in to log it for a
long time .An old rosewood stump they came to had been cut , by a cross cut saw ,so
timbergetters had been there once.
'uddenly ,there was a shoot a sharp soft whip like shot. They might get shot if
they couldn!t be seen clearly . That was how accidents happened .All they had to do
was call out. )ut they couln!t of course , in case it was someone else. 1e ha"en!t been
up here for a while , up here where we went in Eueensland there was a rifle range in
the forest . there were notices that said to keep out all along the road.
They had los track of how long they had hidden there . The urgency of listening
for shots had worn off . Ezio had been looking at pieces of bark in his hand and he
started when /ob spoke . e noticed the change in the light . 8arkness always come
earlier in the forest than in the open . e knew now it was time to mo"e. They got up ,
as if by mutual consent , carefully muscle by mucle.
Ezio shook his head .It was getting dark more 6uikly than he e.pected e
pointed up and out to the ridge. 8own the ridge , Ezio asw the young instructor coming
out of the gully scrub .e would know Ezio.Ezio remembered how he had stared at him
the day he had cost him his $ob at the nut tree farm . e starter up towards Ezio . e
carried a gun , 1hich looked like a pistol.
Towards the road at the bottom of the gully they met up with them coming uot of
the scrub and the instructor e.plained what he was doing with ezio . The party
clembered into the "ehicle pulled up at the road . )ehind it was a second "ehicle. The
instructor shunted Ezio round the front ot the first "ehicle to passenger side of the
second one.Ezio had been so busy looking at the people getting in the first truck , he
hadn!t taken notice the second . e was not sirpprised to find the passenger with thae
Oli"e #an . e knew he would turn up scooner or later .Theinstructor was telling The
Oli"e #en that he had been at <outh +lub , and had wanted to come up in the forest
with him. The oli"e #na sprung out when the "an slowed and cauhgt /ob easily he
helped him to the "an when he realised he couldn!t walk by himself , and lifted himup
into the back with Ezio. Ezio realised ithe only house nearby that had no one in would
be the forestry house. It was "ery isolated it had been built when a forester li"ed in the
forest before the road was impro"ed . (ow foresty workers dro"e out to work each day .
(o one had li"ed in the house for ages.
'uddenly Ezio slide to back of the "an , 'ignalling to rob to come . e hit the
board the mailman had put across yhe opening , Fust as the "an started to swing into
the turn . Then 5, as he knew it would ha"e to , it went close to the red dirt cutting .The
top of the bank was almos le"el with the back of the "an as it turned.They came back
for him as he hoped they would . the "an pulled up as it came close to him . The oli"e
#an had his hand on the door to sprng out , but ezio!face appeared the dri"ers wimdow
as the "an stopped. The mailman was pretending e"erything was still all rihght . he
promissed to drop them off the forestry house , 1here they could wait while he picked
up their gear and come back for them .
Chapter 15
The forestry house was a weather%board dwelling with a walkway to a separate
kitchen. It had been built a long time ago, when kitchen always had fireplaces. a"ing it
separate kept" the house cooler, and cut down the risk of a fire spreading . although the
house was old no%one li"ed in it permanently anymore, it was always kept painted and
in good order. The kitchen had a modern electric sto"e and gadget as well as the old
fireplace .
They will be li"e in there for a while. They did not say anything. They were more
cheerful ha"ing something to do. 1hile ezio made the tea, he kept looking at the forks.
e and /ob found they really needed that drink of tea%it had been a long time since
breakfast, and they had missed lunch. There was apprehension in their worried faces as
they looked at each other.
They began to look for the things they needed. The kitchen, because it had been
a sort of outhouse, away from the main house, turned out to be a treasure tro"e. Ezio
had seen a bo. of electricfence gear in the bottom of the broom cupboard when he had
been looking for the tea things. /ob picked up the toaster, thinking the wire might do for
the inductance coil. Ezio decided it wouldn!t be strong enough. e lifted down the old
radio. They would rob that%under these circumstances, there were no limits on what
they could use.
The time went 6uickly while they worked. They connected one fork to the tab for
an earth and the other to wire that was eased out the "entilator. They were en$oying
what they were doing, and they knew they had to go as 6uickly as possible. They were
completely absorbed, e.cept for worring whene"er they heard a mo"ement outside.
They could be caught and old their effort might be for nothing. Then their transmitter
was finished. It worked. And then the time seemed to go on fore"er%minute by minutes.
They took turn transmitting. (ow, they watched the time, and listened for the
foodsteps that would stop them. It was hard to keep hoping someone would hear. A lot
of people would ha"e gone to bed if they hadn!t gone out somewhere. (early all country
people had to start early in the morning.
/ob and Ezio had to keep on hoping their signals would be heard. They were
"ery tired, but the thought of sleep didn!t enter their heads. It was after nine o!clock and
they were cold. /ob!s foot still ached so they bathed it again. Then they boiled the $ug
twice more and made a hot water bottle each, feeling the ordinary lemonade bottles
they found in the cupboard bit by bit, gi"ing the glass time to e.pand without cracking.
All the while they took turn on the transmitter.
Two policemen sat in the front of the police car that sped towards the forest. The
older one who was stocky and cherry spoke into the microphone in his hand, while the
younger lean policeman dro"e.
At /ob!s place, /ob!s father told the policeman that he was sure the boys were
at Ezio!s. he went on talking as he helped replace the boards they had taken down. The
boys could hear 6uit clearly now. The Oli"e!s man must ha"e agreed, because they
heard the Gombi!s lea"e soon afterwarsds. At last there were two policemen in the
doorway filling the space%one solidly%builtman, and a thin man who was $ust as tell,
looking round his shoulder from behind. The one in front was ob"iously older.
Outside, the thin policeman had gone back to the police car. e was saying into
the mike, ha"e someone on hand. There might be more to this story. 1e might need
help. 'o you think the program you are picking up on your t" is a message they are
sending, and they are sending up here. Ezoi went on as if the policeman had not
spoken no body will e"er find out who they are we ha"e to stay. <ou ha"e to go to my t"
set. <ou will ha"e to tell (onna what it!s all about.
1hen they had put e"erything away and left, Ezio and /ob talked about how it
was possible to make a copy of a program, e"en if the t" set could not be connected to
"ideo recorder. /ob an Ezio ha"e grown up. Ezio is studying to be an engineer. Ted has
retired, and so has the maths master.The intruders ha"e gone. &erhaps they are in
some other isolated "illage, in some other country but not here. 1e would notice now.
Vocabulary
)ranch 3 cabang, anak sungai
ill 3 bukit
+yclone 3 angin puyuh
Against 3 bertentangan
'torm 3 angin rebut, badai
Iron 3 besi
/oof 3 atap
'cratchy 3 bergaris%garis
'craped 3 membongkar
&addocks 3 lapangan yang dipagari
&loughed 3 memba$ak
Trudged 3 ma$u dengan susah payah
/ope 3 mengikat
'huffled 3 mencampur
8usk 3 sen$a
&ine 3 merana
+ozy 3 nyaman, hangat
=ounge 3 kamar duduk
/efugees 3 pengungsi
@oolish 3 bodoh
1harf 3 dermaga
@uss 3 cerewet
'and mining 3 penambangan pasir
Aerial 3 udara
)utcher 3 tukang daging
)lasting 3 peledak
Awkward 3 canggung
+ricket 3 $angkrik
Afford 3 mampu
'hed 3 gudang
'taghhorns 3 bercabang
gal"anized 3 berlapis seng
edge 3 tepi
e.cursion 3 ekskursi
gear 3 roda gigi
gully 3 selokan
clank 3 mendering
pasteurized 3 pasteurisasi
impenetrable 3 tak tertembus
festooned 3 dihiasi
"ines 3 tanaman merambat
'preading 3 penyebaran
'eparate 3 terpisah
Intruders 3 penyusup
&erhaps 3 mungkin
Isolated 3 terpencil
8oorway 3 pintu $auh
+ircumstances 3 keadaan
ENGLISH EXERCISE
SUMMARIZING NOVEL THE SECRET ENEMY
Disusun oleh : Elis Nurul H XI IPA 5 / 04
Ika Riski Nurfitriani XI IPA 5 / 10
Stevani Sugiarto XI IPA 5 /
Peni Rahmania P XI IPA 5 /
UPTD SMA NEGERI 1 TEGAL
Jalan Menteri Supeno 16 Tegal telepon ( 02! " !#!$%
E&'ail ( )'an1*+otategal,-a.oo/0o' 1e2)ite ( 333/)'an1tegal/)0./i4