“Lockie got lost.’ ‘Yeah, he did.’ ‘But you found him.’ ‘I think we kind of found each other.” — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Just because the package was beautifully wrapped didn’t mean it wasn’t still full of shit.” — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina knew she could have taken the man a tree that grew its own money and he would say, ‘Not much call… — Nicole Trope Money Copy Share Image
“And then to win the prize had been incredible. She felt like she was being seen, actually being seen, for the first… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“If the clean man was not the boy’s father and if he had taken him, Tina knew that someone must be looking… — Nicole Trope Parenting Copy Share Image
“Tina and her mother were in the process of healing; they had to heal and soon they would be healed. But Tina… — Nicole Trope Mother Copy Share Image
“There were no dreams that night. Tina fell asleep to the feeling of Lockie’s ribs moving up and down. It felt strange… — Nicole Trope Dream Copy Share Image
“But when they couldn’t find Lockie she had to slip back into mother mode. There were days when mother mode pulled her… — Nicole Trope Mother Copy Share Image
“Little boys who were suffering were all the same. Lockie was making chinks in the wall. No matter how hard she tried… — Nicole Trope Little boys Copy Share Image
“She could not remember the casual Sarah who needed her morning latte before she did anything else. She had willingly given that… — Nicole Trope Coffee shop Copy Share Image
“Logically she understood that everyone had something they were hiding, some hurt they kept deep inside, some reason why they were not… — Nicole Trope Every morning Copy Share Image
“Tina wondered how long it had taken Lockie to give up on his parents. How long had he shouted and screamed and… — Nicole Trope Parenting Copy Share Image
“She had to find him. The desperate need to find him swirled around her body with everything she did. It ate into… — Nicole Trope Sydney Copy Share Image
“In the bedroom Sarah lay next to her son. She could hear movement in the kitchen and wondered if Doug had started… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“But there wasn’t even a trace of him. It was like the universe had opened up a hole and dragged Lockie down… — Nicole Trope Family Copy Share Image
“The people in the line scratched and twitched and jumped depending on whether they were on their way up or down. They… — Nicole Trope Fair Copy Share Image
“When he began cramming in the bites of burger Tina and Sarah both said, almost at the same time, ‘Slowly, Lockie.’Lockie slowed… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“I . . . thank you . . . thank you so much,’ said Tina to the man. To her horror tears… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“The uniform said they didn’t want me anymore,’ interrupted Lockie. Tina could hear some anger underneath his faltering words. ‘He said they… — Nicole Trope Parenting Copy Share Image
“Tina thought about the idea of how much a person could take. People only survived because they turned the real into the… — Nicole Trope Bad dream Copy Share Image
“Being a mother was all-consuming. There were so many mistakes you could make, so many ways to lose a child. The whole… — Nicole Trope Children Copy Share Image
“Maybe it was easier if you knew your child was dead. It was a thought that stopped him in his tracks sometimes… — Nicole Trope Better place Copy Share Image
“You know, Lockie,’ she said aloud. ‘What?’ ‘The thing about parents is . . . the thing about good parents — and… — Nicole Trope Bad boy Copy Share Image
“She didn’t see what she didn’t want to see. The women on the street were pretty girls waiting for a date and… — Nicole Trope Pretty girls Copy Share Image
“Sarah put the man and the other dead children out of her head. Later, perhaps, she would watch Lockie out in the… — Nicole Trope Children Copy Share Image
“He said I was a dirty boy,’ whispered Lockie. ‘I was a dirty boy and that was why he did stuff to… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“The boy was tied up under the table, scrabbling his way through an empty packet of biscuits, licking his fingers to gather… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Sometimes Sarah would be up and about and when she saw Pete she would let something slip.He would walk into the kitchen… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Sarah wondered what they—the ‘they’ who had taken her child; the ‘they’ or the ‘him’ or the ‘her’—were feeding him.Sometimes a fear… — Nicole Trope Children Copy Share Image
“Tina woke to a thin beam of afternoon sun. She lay still for a moment, revisiting, reliving, trying to get comfortable with… — Nicole Trope Afternoon sun Copy Share Image
“Tina and Pete stood together. Pete knew he should be grilling the girl, getting the full story before details were lost, but… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“In Cootamundra the station was quiet. Tina looked around but before she could see anyone she saw the poster on the wall.… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Kids didn’t just disappear unless someone made them disappear.‘Relax, mate,’ the head of security said. ‘We’ve never lost one yet.’ Lots of… — Nicole Trope Children Copy Share Image
“na kept her head down and pulled Lockie out into the street. She hoped he would manage to avoid standing on anything.… — Nicole Trope Bare feet Copy Share Image
“There was a man in the garden with the little girl. He was turning over the soil in a garden bed. He… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Right now he needed to concentrate on keeping himself under control. Inside, his gut churned. There was a war going on. The… — Nicole Trope Children Copy Share Image
“Pete had stopped the car at the bottom of a long brick driveway. Tina saw a large low house that stretched across… — Nicole Trope Every morning Copy Share Image
“She thought about the last car ride she had taken. It had only been a few days ago but it felt like… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“That’s what Lockie was—a little boy.It could do your head in if you thought too much about the cruelty that one person… — Nicole Trope Cruelty Copy Share Image
“In all his years as a cop he had never felt this helpless, as though he had one hand tied behind his… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
