Ann had been working on a special project. The girls had their own private rooms, which were exceptionally small, but nevertheless completely private, another Freedom Fields policy which was yet to be threatened by the so far nonexistent possibility of a shortage of funds. In her room Ann had been compiling a book of knowledge relating to the site of Freedom Fields. She had copied information from a book, which she had found in the small library of Freedom Fields. The library only had a small sample of fiction, non-fiction and reference books to fill its tiny interior. The girls could borrow books from their own school libraries, or the ones in Gordon and Turramurra at their leisure.
Further research had enabled her to discover that the old building, with its beauty that fascinated Ann, was constructed in 1867, but not originally as an orphanage. Prior to 1922 it had been a monastery. It was called St Abel's Monastery in those days, but the time came, when the monks who inhabited St Abel's, for reasons not known to Ann, chose to sell it to the wealthy lady who founded an orphanage, whereupon its name was changed to Freedom Fields.
What of the bushland beyond the site? Where did the notion of private property end and the idea of public bush begin? Ann had been taken on many walks through the trees beyond, many of which were tall green pines, but had always turned around and gone back with the groups before exploring as far as she wanted to go. Perhaps there were more secrets out there, secrets associated with Freedom Fields, or even with St Abel's, and Ann wanted a chance to explore on her own without arousing the curiosity of the staff and the girls.
"I'll go tonight," she thought, as she finished her Wednesday afternoon homework and stared out at the start of the surrounding trees.
Ann had a room at the back of the orphanage on the second of its three storeys, which she liked. There were people above her and people below.
"St Abel's was white in the 19th Century," she thought, "because the green leaves are on the clinging vine which was not there in my copy of a 1926 photograph."
She had photocopied a book, producing an obscured but pleasing replica of the original picture.
"I don't think that the vines will support me all the way down, but they certainly make an attractive covering for the walls on this place. If I edge along the ledge past the next room, I can then use the jacaranda tree to climb down to the ground. The trick will be making sure that Wanda is fast asleep, and not waking her up," thought Ann.
She secretly told her tiny friend Wendell what she was going to do, and invited him to accompany her. He accepted, and looked forward to a nocturnal adventure.
Shortly after nine, Ann prepared to commence her explorations. She looked at the darkened area outside. Teenagers had no specified "lights out" time, but those who were wise allowed themselves no chance of being punished for breaking the eight o'clock silence curfew which allowed the girls to sleep unhindered if they so desired. The curfew ended each morning at eight o'clock. It was known as the "Hush between the Eights," and applied even on weekends. The staff of Freedom Fields believed that the girls had ample opportunity to make plenty of noise in the schoolyards and during the daytime of the weekends at Freedom Fields. There was no need for girls, who wanted to be sure of a healthy night's sleep, to face the frustration of lying in bed listening to an audible conversation in the next room. Any staff member who carried on a conversation from one end of the hallway to the other, rather than quietly whispering in the staff room, would be in danger of losing her job. The girls and the staff were expected to bathe or shower between six and eight in the morning, or between five and seven forty-five at night, or both, rather than running the water during the later evening hours.
Ann put on her stockings, a bright red skirt, a dark green jumper over another jumper, in order to stay warm during the coldest time of the year, and her dark blue sandshoes and white sox. She adjusted the strap of her torch, so that the device clung tightly to her neck. It would not bounce about as she made her way along the ledge to the branch of the jacaranda tree, which would lead her down to the ground. She slipped Wendell gently in behind the top of her outer jumper and let him hold onto the torch strap to steady himself.