Back in his room, after the talk about their mum’s backpack, Ben took a shortcut to the left side to avoid the worst of his fishing lines. He fell down on the bed in one big swoop to listen to his iPod, until he had the bitter sweet idea of typing J A C K in large letters on his computer. He added a clip art potato, and enlarged it before printing. Then he drew a face on the potato, and a stick figure as the body on the same page. He pinned it to his cork board, threw a few darts between the lines, and felt so much better when he managed to land one in the middle of the C, and another smack bang on one of the big ears.
From the earlier conversation, he knew something was up. He couldn’t wait any longer and finished the dart throwing before going over to Jack’s room. Plastered with his ear against the door, he tried to listen.
Charlie came out of her room. ‘What are you doing?’ she whispered to Ben.
He was quick to mouth without a sound: ‘I want to know what’s going on. I thought you were both talking.‘
‘I want to know what’s going on too,’ said Charlie, doing her usual jingly knock on Jack’s door.
‘I’m glad you understood about homework,’ called Jack from inside.
Charlie took that as a hint, and opened the door.
That’s when Jack discovered Ben behind her. ‘What’re you doing here?’
‘You tell me!’ said Ben. ‘So what’re you up to?’
‘I didn’t ask you, but since you’re already here, you might as well know I’m going to the cave. I’ll take grandpa’s GPS. He said the guy had one and they don’t need two. I’ve already copied the map on the printer when he wasn’t around.’
‘Hey, what do you mean with that you’re going?’ said Charlie. ‘I’m coming too. And if I’m coming, Ben is for sure. I won’t leave him behind. If we’re to find out what happened, we’ve got to stick together. Jack, you know it wouldn’t be fair to go without him.’
‘Count me in. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m coming,’ said Ben, trying to be brave.
‘No use taking kids on cave expeditions,’ said Jack. ‘It’s not a bloody school excursion. It’s serious stuff. No, he’s too young apart from that he’s too dumb. And you couldn’t drag the Bug Byte away from the computer, and all his rubbish now, could you?’
‘I can’t believe you’re saying that. Stop calling him Bug Byte! What’s wrong with calling him Ben? That’s his proper name, unless you say Benjamin. He knows as much about caves as we do. But Jack, you’ve forgotten one important thing. You don’t have a car. So, how do we get there? Catch a bus?’
‘Are you out of whack completely? When did you ever see a bus in the outback? Ah, well, maybe an old school bus, or possibly a Greyhound, but there will be no schools on the Nullarbor, and not that many Greyhounds either. We’ll take grandpa’s four wheel drive. He’s going with Andy anyway. But if we’re going, you’ll have to forget about the weirdo. He’s not coming.’
‘Just so you know it, I am coming. Definitely,’ said Ben. ‘You can’t stop me. If you don’t let me, I’ll tell grandpa what you’re planning.’
‘Sure you will. Always the scungy black mailer. Okay, okay, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but okay then. But if you’re coming, you’ve got to act like an adult. I can’t believe I’m doing this.’ Jack shook his head. ‘Have I so lost it? Yep, that’s what it looks like. So this is how it’s gonna be. We’ve got to pretend we’re going to bed like normal. Same time as grandpa. But instead we’ll prepare for the trip. I’ll organise the caving gear. You’ll pack your backpacks when he’s not around. Not too many things, just useful stuff. We’re only going for a couple of days. Whatever you do, be dead quiet, or nobody’s going anywhere.’
‘Quiet as a quokka,’ said Charlie.
‘How do you know they don’t make noises? No, don’t tell me. Okay, we’ll go to the cave before him. Then he won’t be able to say no. I want to find the exact spot where they disappeared. It’s strange that the guy’s girlfriend didn’t come back either. By the looks of it, we’ve got to be extremely careful. Caves can be risky, especially if they haven’t been fully explored. I wonder so much what’s in there. One thing to remember is that you’ve got to realise they’re dead.’
‘I know what you’re saying, but you’ve got to admit that mum wouldn’t have written it was some kind of creature if it was a normal guy. Should I make some of my scroggin? Give me your stash of chocolate and I’ll mix it in! I’ll get some soup packs and maybe some baked beans after he’s gone to bed.’
‘Whatever you do, don’t put the soup mix in the scroggin,’ said Jack.
Ben pretended to be aghast. ‘Yuck, Jack. Do you think she’s plain crazy?’
‘I have doubts,’ he replied. ‘About you as well.’
Charlie shrugged her shoulders. ‘It takes one to know one.’
‘And no more than a few cans of beans. They’re too heavy and take too much room, only a couple to have on the way.’
‘I hate going behind his back, but if he’s so stubborn, and doesn’t want to let us come, we’ll have to do it this way,’ said Charlie. ‘I’ll get my headphones, better than those other little things. Easy to lose them. And I’ll take my make-up and my …’
‘You can’t take all that stuff. We’re going on a camping … I mean a caving trip, not to a bloody beauty contest. Forget about it!’
Charlie was on the way out, but turned around. ‘Oh boy, you’re so immature. Anyway, we’ve got to write a note for grandpa.’
‘Okay, just tell him the basics, nothing more,’ said Jack.
Charlie and Ben stopped outside Jack’s closed door.
‘Why does he hate me so much?’ Ben whispered.
‘Didn’t you hear him? He hates me too. But I agree he’s got one serious problem with you. Ever since our dad died, he’s been acting like that, and when mum married your dad, he hated it. Then you came along, the cutest little baby in the world with the bluest-greenest eyes and that was it. Don’t worry! He’ll get over it!’
‘I can’t wait that long. He’s always so mean.’ He thought about how Jack always made fun of him being scared of different things. Ben had been wary of the dark and terrified of heights, and never wanted to walk past the fire station. He had always imagined the doors to suddenly open up, and all the fire trucks to come roaring out to run over everything in their way. Now he was older and wiser and knew better.
‘Ben, I love you,’ said Charlie. ‘Jack’s just a bit immature. And he thinks he knows it all, but I can tell you, he doesn’t.’
‘I think he’s off with the fairies,’ said Jack. ‘He’s doing his mega snores. I’m going out to the shed now. You two, if you haven’t finished, pack your stuff!’
Jack sneaked out the back to see what he could find. He knew the old man was likely to miss every single item of his old caving gear even if he seldom used them any longer. He had seen when his grandpa fiddled around with all the bits and pieces, sanding, oiling and polishing what he had, again and again. Everything had to be in tip-top condition. Just in case he was going away one day. Jack had often watched and realised his grandpa missed his caving days. Fossicking a bit here and there was hardly enough. Thinking about what to bring, Jack already knew his grandpa’s new friend had caving experience, and therefore must have the necessary equipment. This meant they could take what they needed from the shed.
Charlie threw together what she believed to be useful, such as underwear, an extra t-shirt, socks, jumper, her favourite scarf, lip gloss and other stuff, her headlamp, head phones, and her iPhone. She went to the kitchen and packed as much light weight food, as she thought was needed for a few days.
Next she started on the scroggin. After she had mixed the dried apricots, sultanas, chopped chocolate, crushed biscuits, almonds, peanuts and corn flakes, she had what she thought a brilliant idea and added liquid honey for extra energy. When she tried to fill the plastic bags with the sticky mixture, she realised she should have left it out. She wiped and scrubbed the bench top to get rid of every trace. At the same time she looked and listened, terrified that her grandpa would come out for a late cup of coffee like he sometimes did. When finished, she wrote an explanatory note and left it inside the bread box.
Ben worried about what to bring. He had been on a couple of holidays in the bush when they visited famous caves not far from home. One such cave was the Ngilgi Cave down south. Others were the caves in Yanchep National Park, north of Perth. Even if those explorations had been brief visits, and hardly any exploration, he knew full well that some things would be essential. Like his LED headlamp with super bright light. He also picked up other useful items found on the spot.
All of a sudden, he had the strangest feeling, as if someone told him something essential for the unknown cave exploration. He proceeded to cut down the fishing line with the big nails, and various other implements hanging across the window. Somehow he knew they could be useful.
Next he pulled away the chair standing guard outside the wardrobe, before he took a long hard look at the old ugg boots, and the worn out jumper hidden in the back. Not knowing why, he chucked all into his backpack and added extra socks, a spray jacket, one pair of clean jocks, and other important bits and pieces. He had to squash and push the last items in to be able to close it.
In the meantime, Jack had gone back to the garden shed for more stuff. He was careful not to make abrupt rattling noises. At last he found the two torches he knew were there. He tried them, but the batteries were stone dead. After another search through the shelves, he found a few bundles of rope under a bench, and two carbide lamps hidden in a box. He left the old lamps. He knew they would be too difficult to handle. Nobody used out-dated things like those any longer. Instead he decided they had to take their LED headlamps, but would have to stock up on new batteries on the road somewhere, expensive, but necessary. Another cost was diesel. He had that covered, as he had not used his full allowance for the month. He also had his savings towards a car from working at the hamburger joint. Charlie and Ben would have to contribute with whatever they had accumulated on birthdays and Christmas. He hoped they had enough.
Back in the house, he picked up the GPS and the satellite phone from the china cabinet in the lounge room. He also found a map of Western Australia together with a marker pen, which was coming in handy. He was going to draw a line to where they were headed just as there was a sharp coughing attack from the old man’s bedroom.
Jack froze on the spot. He waited breathlessly. When he heard the thud of footsteps, he sighed, put his arms up in the air, as if giving up, before he turned. He was surprised.
‘I should’ve known. Not a word from you. If he finds out what we’re planning, we’ve had it.’
Ben nodded and whispered. ‘I’ll fill up the water bottles.’
‘Okay, when you’re done you can have a sleep until about 11.45pm. I’ll tell Charlie as well. I’ll wake you when time is up.’
Some noises came from inside the bedroom before the hammering snores restarted. Their grandpa had gone back to sleep.
At close to midnight, Jack sneaked into Ben’s room. He was careful not to touch the fishing lines, but accidentally hit one. The metallic clang had no reaction from Ben.
Jack pulled down the doona covering Ben’s face, which made him jump.
‘What are you doing Jack? What … eh …? You look like Elton John!’
‘It’s grandpa’s old tweed cap. He always says it’s the oldest thing you could wear and still look cool. I actually think I look a bit like Justin Timberlake.’
‘In your dreams,’ said Ben, as he climbed out of bed to get dressed.
‘Look! I’ve got these frames too. They’re my old sunnies without the glass. If we get stopped by the cops, they’re going to think I’m an old guy going on a trip. See, we don’t want to get caught now, do we? How about that Bug Byte? Oh, you and Charlie have to hide in the backseat under some blankets.’
Jack left, while Ben, now fully dressed, tiptoed his way to the bathroom.
Before long, the boot had been packed full and the leftovers were stuffed in the backseat. They were ready to slip out of the house for the last time.
Jack slumped in behind the wheel. ‘I hope we don’t get stopped and searched by the cops because I can tell you, it won’t look good. Who’d go around in the middle of the night with bundles of rope and those sorts of tools in the boot? Luckily, we don’t have a dead body in there too.’
‘Can we come up with a story, so we’ll know what’s going on in case we’re stopped?’ said Charlie.
‘I know, but it’s got to be something believable. It would be best if they don’t see you two at all. I could easily be mistaken for an older guy. I’ve got a bit of maturity about me.’
‘Maturity, yeah, like an old cheese,’ said Charlie, with muffled laughing.
‘What about if you say you’re working on a documentary and you’re going to film inside the caves on the Nullarbor?’ said Ben. ‘You could be taken for an old crazy guy. You’re dressed like one. We’ll hide in the back seat under the blankets. I promise I won’t laugh. Did you get the GoPro?’
‘Don’t be so stupid, Bug Byte! Why do you think the coppers would believe that? They’re not all geeks, you know. Oh, no, I’ll pretend I’m going to Adelaide for a holiday, or something. That’s more believable. And don’t forget to turn off your phones! We want our batteries to last, and we don’t want anyone to trace us for as long as possible.’
‘Shouldn’t we also remove the chip?’ said Ben.
‘Actually, that’s good thinking,’ said Charlie.
‘I was just going to say that,’ said Jack. ‘Okay, let’s go now.’
Charlie and Ben pushed the car out of the carport, while Jack steered. It rolled down the sloping driveway and then backed into the street before coming to a halt. Jack turned the ignition key and the car started on first go. They were away through the suburbs in the stillness of the night.
‘Hey look, guys! Talk about luck! We’ve got a full tank. Okay, we’ll take Great Eastern Highway. I’ve already checked the map. First we hit Northam, then Merredin, Southern Cross, Coolgardie, Norseman and I think the last place is Balladonia, or something like that. There’s more or less only one way to get to the Nullarbor. If we’re lucky we won’t get stopped by the coppers. I’ve heard they tell drivers not to go on long stretches in the middle of the night. It’s too easy to hit a roo, and even if we’ve got a bull bar, that’s it. We’ve had it. It’s enough if the lights conk out. Stranded out in nowhere, in the middle of night, not so good.’
Charlie and Ben were sprawled under the blankets in the back, while they cruised through the outer reaches of the city. The whirring sounds of the motor became too much, and they were asleep before the first stop at a service station.
With short breaks to fill up the car with diesel, or get mugs of fresh coffee, Jack made it through some of the smaller towns. They were on a mission and needed to cover ground. There was no other choice than to get as far as possible before their grandpa found out.
Jack had kept awake by listening to the CD player, but now his eyes felt strained to the utmost. He had to get a break, and parked at the side of the road out in the middle of nowhere. A moment later he was asleep.
Ben startled when there was a sudden knock on the window. He dared not say a word, but stretched his arm through the middle to give Jack a hard push.
There was no reaction.
Another knock on the window and Ben gave Jack a sharp pinch.
‘Ouch,’ said Jack.
‘Are you okay in there?’ asked a voice from outside.
Jack rolled down the window a few centimeters. He cleared his throat and spoke in a darker voice than normal. ‘Yes, I’m fine, just had a bit of a nap.’
‘You’re doing the right thing. It’s a lone stretch out here. Not the ideal place, but not much traffic, and it’s wide and hard enough on the side. So, as long as you start off early again, I’ll let you off, and you can go back to sleep.’
‘Thanks for your concern. ‘I’ll leave early,’ said Jack, before the window went up.
They listened to the crunching sound, as the man walked through the gravel to his patrol car
‘Phew! Was that lucky or what?’ whispered Jack.
‘I nearly died,’ said Ben.
Charlie yawned. ‘What ..?’
‘Go back to sleep, Charlie,’ said Jack. ‘Save your strength for tomorrow.’
They drove off in the early morning hours and slept on and off when needed. The closer they were to their goal, the hotter, drier and dustier it became. The road ahead shimmered in the heat like a wet patch in the distance. By now, the strong sunshine started to bother them.
In the middle of next day, patience was running low on all three. Jack was exhausted and irritated. Charlie had had enough, and was uncomfortable, sweaty and bothered. Ben stared through the window, wondering if they would ever get there. He had a feeling they would, but had no idea when.
Without warning, Jack slammed the breaks to a screeching halt, flung the door open, and jumped out holding the unfolded map.
‘Too bloody windy!’ he screamed, and hit the flapping paper in frustration. ‘Hey, you two, show some interest, will you! You said you wanted to come, so get useful. Before we left, I wrote down everything on this map. So, if we go by the co-ordinates Andy gave grandpa, and the GPS, it’s got to be close to here … somewhere … No, something’s not right … but … hey … this is what it shows.’
Ben and Charlie kept silent. They had not moved from their positions of reclining in the back seat.
Frustrated, Jack threw the map towards them inside the car. ‘You do it better if you can!’
‘I don’t know how to do it,’ said Ben. ‘I know nothing about longitudes and latitudes.’
‘Come on, Jack! You know I’m not good at maps.’ Charlie threw the map over to the front passenger seat.
Jack threw himself inside. ‘You two are useless, absolutely useless.’
Ben had heard it all before, but tried to ignore his brother.
Trying not to miss the mark, they drove on at a much slower speed, while Ben had his head out the window to smell the bitumen.
‘Something’s wrong with that map,’ said Jack, after he had calmed down.
‘No, it’s not. I don’t think you’re that good with maps ‘cause I can see the turtle over there.’ Ben pointed. ‘You remember, grandpa said there’s a red rock. I think it looks a bit like a turtle. That’s if you look really fast. See it? NOOOUUU, not there, numb skull! Turn your head more right, it’s all the way over on that side.’
‘Okay, Benny Bug Byte, I see it now. Don’t for one second think you’re smarter! We’ll have to go in the opposite direction like Andy told him. Look! Right in there.’
Jack turned sharply.
‘No, you can’t go in there,’ yelled Charlie with her headphones on. ‘It’s a four-wheel drive, I know, but we might get lost. We’ll never find the place, and then we don’t know how to get back out on the road again. We might never find it. It’s flat as a pancake out here.’
‘It’s straight in, or nothing. Hope it’s going to be something left of his wheels. He might go ballistic when he sees his old Felicia with a body like a wreck. Well, if everything’s right, we should find what we’re looking for. Take those bloody things off, Charlie! Concentrate on what we’re here for, will you.’
They followed some slight marks on the ground, and hoped they were on the right track.
Ben was the first to discover the reddish-brown stones placed in a square. Inside were smaller stones in the form of an upright pyramid, the same as the picture on the copy of Andy’s map.
Jack checked. ‘Yeah, I think it could be the right place. We’ll park the car here. Get whatever you can before it’s completely dark!’
‘Get what?’ screamed Charlie. ‘Don’t you talk like a riddler to me!’
Jack shook his head. ‘What the heck’s a riddler?’
‘One like you, talking and riddling,’ said Charlie.
‘And you’re blabbering on like a nut, a big nut, yeah, a coconut. Hurry up now! Get anything that is dry and burns. We’ll have to get the car covered and a fire going, while it’s still some light. Where’s that damned opening? It can’t be far off. You two look for stuff, while I find it.’
Jack went to locate the entry. He came back and waved his hand in a blasé way. ‘I didn’t know, but it’s a collapsed sinkhole. I’ll move the car closer, but we can’t get it too close for obvious reasons. Get what you can and leave it over there!’ He pointed to a somewhat clear area of sand where nothing much grew.
‘Did-did you say sinkhole? Collapsed sinkhole?’ said Charlie. ‘It doesn’t sound like something I’d like to get into.’
Jack never answered. He was on the way to move the car.
‘It’d be okay,’ said Ben, but unsure of why he came forth with information he had no clue about. He just wanted to sound mature, but his mind worked overtime. Sinkhole? How much more could it sink? He knew he had to abandon the thoughts fast. First, he had to do what Jack had told him, which wasn’t an easy task. With no trees on the plain and no wooden twigs larger than the average pencil, Ben and Charlie worked hard to come back with some wilted skeleton bushes, dried saltbush, bluebush sticks and some of the dried, sharp Spinifex. All this barely covered part of the hood.
‘Nah, it won’t be enough,’ said Ben. “We’ll use this for the fire instead,’ while he opened the door to the back seat to pull out a big bundle from the floor. ‘I think we’ll better use this. You gotta realise they could send out a drone to look for us.’
Ben plopped his treasured army tent, an earlier birthday present from his grandpa, on the ground. ‘I thought we might need it. It could rain, but it’s also a pretty good colour to camouflage with, don’t you think?’
Jack made a face of disapproval. ‘I suppose we might be able to use it. You know what? We’ve only got two torches, so you won’t get one. Okay with you?’
‘Yeah, I’ve got my own.’
Jack’s eyes widened.
Charlie was about to grab her sleeping bag when a sudden loud groaning filled the air. She flung herself inside the car, and quickly shut the door, and pulled down the window, wide enough to talk. ‘Don’t say there’s nothing dangerous out here! I heard it and I’ll be staying inside.’
‘Must be the wild camels,’ said Jack. ‘The Nullarbor is full of them, but they’re hard to see in this light.’
The distinctive calling sound was followed by a louder racket, as if they were getting closer.
‘You mean wild ones as in ‘real wild ones’? She emphasised the words with her fingers. ‘You didn’t say anything about camels before we got here. I hate camels! They spit in your face.’
Jack laughed. ‘It wouldn’t surprise me when they see your ugly mug, Charlie. Just so you know, we’ll stay put here. No use to go anywhere else. If they’re here, they’re everywhere. I’ve heard there’s an over supply of wild camels. Come on out now! You’ve got to help organise some food.’
Charlie was hesitant, but stepped out of the car.
‘Just so you know it. I bet it’s going to be an icy-cold night,’ said Jack. ‘Don’t be surprised if we get dingoes cuddling up to the fire.’
‘What? Dingoes too? I’ll tell you if a dingo licks my face in the middle of the night, you’ll find me dead in the morning. By the way, if we’re sleeping out here, I’ll be sleeping in the middle.’
‘It wouldn’t just lick your face, Charlie. It would take a huge chunk off your big nose.’
‘I don’t have a big nose. Why are you always so mean? What’s wrong with you? You should reassure us instead, and tell us it’s safe here.’
‘Okay, then, there are no crocs. You don’t have to worry about being a croc snack in the middle of the night. What about that? Sounds better?’
‘No, not really,’ said Ben. ‘But there are no dingoes here, Charlie. They’re up north.’
She stared at him. ‘How’d you know so much about that?’
Ben raised his shoulders. ‘Grandpa said so … I think.’
‘Grandpa doesn’t know everything, Bug Byte, but stop this mucking around. We need more wood. And help me clear away the bits of grasses around here. We don’t want to cause a big fire because then they will find us for sure.’
Charlie and Ben moved around to pull away bits and pieces, while Jack scraped out some dirt to make an indent in the ground. He picked up some dry grass to form into a small ball. Then put a lit match underneath before placing it in the small hole in the ground. The fire caught on. He added a few twigs and kept feeding it with the other stuff collected for the car.
Jack looked up. ‘You’re still here? Hurry up! We need some real wood to feed the fire. Must be some root stumps around, since a few tiny trees grows here and there.’
Charlie left.
‘You too, Bug Byte! Get going! No work, no supper. That’s the basic bush rule.’
‘So why don’t you help us then?’
Jack never answered.
Annoyed, Ben trudged off to find what else he could lay his hands on. He came back to throw some dry bushes and tiny root stumps in front of his brother.
Charlie had found a tumbling skeleton bush, which was next to nothing.
The flames were like hungry beasts. Jack wanted more and fast.
Charlie grumbled, while they sauntered off once more. ‘Why is it that he can just sit around and we have to do all the work?’
‘Hey, he’s Jack. He’s always been Jack,’ said Ben. ‘We’re just the servants.’
They managed to find a few bigger pieces, enough to keep a fire going for at least a couple of hours. They were back, as the sun was about to set.
‘Help me cover the car before lights are out!’ Jack didn’t seem to want to acknowledge Ben’s good thinking to bring his Army tent along. However, Ben smiled and was happy to oblige. They tied it around the car.
In the meantime, Charlie arranged a tea towel on the ground where she put three cans of cold baked beans and some bread. She held out a plastic bag. ‘Here, have some of my fantastic scroggin.’
Jack put his hand inside, but the sticky goo stuck to him. ‘What did you do with it? Did you put honey in it? How sick is that?’
Charlie winked at Ben. ‘Not as sick as you, Jack.’
Jack struggled with the mixture in the bag. When his hand was free, he looked at it disgustedly before he shoved the fingers into his mouth. After a basic clean up by licking off the mess, he grabbed a handful of sand to rub both hands, all the while muttering and shaking his head.
‘Good stuff,’ said Ben. ‘But it’s better to take small pinches instead of being so greedy.’
He glanced at Charlie. Both had trouble keeping straight faces.
Darkness had fallen. The embers glowed in the big empty night. All was cleared away and they prepared for sleeping.
Jack thought it was the perfect time for ghost stories. ‘I know this blood-curdling story about a freaky …’
Ben put fingers in his ears and started to hum. He was scared enough with no other protection than a sleeping bag. His grandpa had always told stories about anything from wild animals to strange creatures, and if that wasn’t enough, there would be millions of insects in all sizes and of every variety. He thought long and hard if he was going to tie his fishing line with some clinging metal pieces to the tiny bushes for protection. But he knew what Jack would have said and decided not to.
Jack’s voice droned on.
Charlie had her hands on top of her ears. She mumbled incoherently and wriggled around on the sand trying to get comfortable.
‘What? Talk like a human, will you,’ said Jack. ‘Well, if you can for a change.’
‘This isn’t the right time,’ said Charlie. ‘Why don’t you tell us instead about the dishes you’re going to cook as a top class chef? Oh, and Jack, never buy your own restaurant. Not much profit if you’re the hungry boss.’
Ben buried his face in the backpack to muffle his giggling.
Jack, who was preoccupied thinking about the fire and how long it would last, had no time for replies.
The night was chilly and black as ink. A few moments later, Jack had dozed off and so had Charlie.
Ben stayed wide awake. He was more than worried. He was terrified. What if a dingo came to attack them? When he heard a drawn out howl, he wanted to sink into the ground, but yielded to some morbid curiosity and sat up. Did the shapes in the dark move? How many dingoes were there? Or, was it the mini-bushes swaying in the wind?
Then he heard it again. How far away? How many? What if the fire died out?
He knew he couldn’t wake Jack and was dead set against scaring Charlie. He tried to lie still and on guard, but the hard pebbles in his back were annoying, and so were the bull ants, spiders and millipedes. He imagined them trying to cross the border he had drawn with a stick in the sand earlier, and knew he had to keep awake to fight what he was unable to see in the dark. Using a stone, he hit at the ground beside him, while at the same time feeding the dying embers with scraps of dry grass, sticks and a few roots.
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© Copyright by Lena Nilsson. All rights reserved.
Lost DownUnder 