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the interrupted making of cheese on a biscuit
chapter eleven
Walker decided not to waste any money on hotels while the Hansons were in Melbourne, so the whole family invited themselves to stay at Belinda's house. Bel didn't mind, and there wasn't much her parents could do after Mr and Mrs Hanson installed themselves in the guest room, with all the kids lined up in sleeping bags in the rumpus room, the furniture pushed up against the walls.
After dinner Isaac decided to go rooting around in the big green rubbish bin down the side of the house. He opened the lid, and breathed deeply. He sighed with happiness. This was his kind of food. Isaac clambered inside the reeking bin and began munching on the refuse of Belinda's family.
After a while he fell asleep.

Late that night, Belinda’s father remembered that early tomorrow morning was rubbish collection day. If he didn’t wheel the rubbish bin onto the nature strip in front of their house, the garbos wouldn’t empty the bin and the family would be stuck with all their rubbish for another week.
He wearily dragged himself out of his warm bed and stumbled around to the side of the house. He pushed the bin. It didn't move. That's strange, he thought. It seems much heavier than usual. Oh well. Bel's dad gave a huge heave and used all of his strength to push the bin onto the nature strip in front of the house. He sighed, and went back to bed.
Inside the bin, Isaac stirred and muttered in his sleep.

The next morning, before breakfast, Belinda’s father wheeled the now empty rubbish bin back onto his property.
As he walked through the back door into the kitchen, he heard his family and the Hansons talking.
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