“He said I was a dirty boy,’ whispered Lockie. ‘I was a dirty boy and that was why he did stuff to… — Nicole Trope Little brother 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 First time 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
“Lockie got lost.’ ‘Yeah, he did.’ ‘But you found him.’ ‘I think we kind of found each other.” — Nicole Trope 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
“The police up in the city had endless files filled with people who were so malevolent it was almost impossible to believe… — Nicole Trope Real people 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 Parenting 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
“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
“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 Mother and father 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
“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
“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
“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
“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 First time 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
“Right now the nightmares were in her waking hours so she needed to stay asleep. She was broken. Shattered. Devastated. Crushed. There… — Nicole Trope Right now 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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“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
“Now she took the pills and, just before she closed her eyes, she summoned Lockie and his smile, and then the dreams… — Nicole Trope Dreams 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
