by DB Daglish
There was an unspoken exchange and a tear ran down Tia’s cheek as he quickly grabbed her and held her as she sobbed.
“At least we have two of you,” she said quietly as he held her.
“And only because of you Tia!”
She remained motionless for a while before lifting her head.
“What do you mean?”
“Follow the sun! – I heard you Tia!”
“What…how…?”
“Shhh,” and he put a finger to her lips. “Just know this: that I heard you and without that both myself and Faith might not be here!” and he took her hand and walked down the wharf to the shore where others were watching.
“What do you think that was that about Willo?” asked Gloria.
“I think I know. Let’s leave it till they tell us later on okay,” Willo said as he watched Tia as she walked by and winked at her. Slowly they ambled their way along the track and up the cliffs to where they were shown the new accommodation. Here they were given comfortable places to sit, and were fed with some fresh chicken and a little wine.
“Oh my gosh! Can you believe how good this chicken actually tastes?” Samantha exclaimed as she attacked the drumstick like there was no tomorrow while everyone laughed at her.
Yet, she was right! A simple thing as a chicken was something none had tasted since leaving and rapidly the idea of a new Pacific adventure drifted far from their minds.
“So what was this place? Some sort of barracks?” asked Bryce as they settled back with some wine.
“It was once a business park for small businesses. I actually had a friend work here before the outbreak,” Gail replied. “I loved these little raised boardwalks around the buildings. This is now where the six of us live. But there are buildings all over the place and some bigger halls across the road in a military base. Plenty of space to live and grow,” she said proudly.
It had been entirely her idea to move, and the others had not bothered to look anywhere else as once they had their first glance at the layout, they had all bought into the idea. Right across the road was an old sports field that was now set out for their gardens. Many plants sat in pots in the shade under the trees, waiting for a time of permanent planting.
“We were hoping you would all come back...but sadly…” and she paused briefly. “Is it too early to talk about it, or is it too raw yet?”
There were a few nods of the head and she immediately dropped the subject and turned toward Tyler.
“So how about you young man?” she asked as she beamed at him. “How about you tell us all where you came from?”
Surprisingly he opened up to these strangers, but that was probably because he felt at ease with his new family and was getting over the trauma of weeks previous. Certainly the time on the island up at the barrier reef had brought out a more friendly side of him. He was a delight now, his thick blonde hair making him look every part the beach boy.
For two days none would ask what had happened after Ryan and Harry had deposited Willo, Gloria and Tyler on the rocks and sailed into the southern ocean. It seemed too painful as yet. But discussion between them all, did cover the search for them at Wellington and the preparation of the ketch so they all had more room.
“So you thought we were just hiding?” Ricki asked.
“To be honest it was just a gamble, but I’m glad we did. The ketch was a fabulous find and far more comfortable to sail in,” Chris stated. “I would have had Tia take something larger too, but she loves that little yacht. Don’t you girl?”
“Yes. It helps me in the loss of Fin and Angel and Donny. I feel them with me when I’m at the helm. Their deaths shook me deeply, as you all know, but I had to get over it sometime. Now I’m all good with it. The memory is there, but the pain is gone!”
Ricki lifted his head to see her watching him intently.
“Ok Tia - maybe it is time to talk about it,” and he began to discuss their voyage to the Chatham Islands, watching the sickness take hold, the fear in some of their eyes, the sores, the bleeding and the smell.
“Yes, I remember that!” Gail announced. “It was the hardest part of watching those over at Manly die. And there were many of them which made it worse…Oh sorry, I didn’t mean to make it worse.”
“It’s ok Gail. It is what it is,” said Ricki. “But watching Lenny walk into the sea and not…” and his voice broke a little. “Just knowing what drove him to it and what others must have been going through…?”
“And thinking of Janie?” Gloria added.
“Yes, but I’ve tried not to. To keep her memory as part of a group that all suffered, made it easier for me. So I’ve tried not to see her face…but I…its hard…” and he put his head in his hands as Faith came and put her arm around him.
If he was crying he was doing so quietly. Willo stood to his feet and motioned they should leave and give him some privacy. But Faith waved her hand for them to stay put. There was a prolonged and awkward silence. Finally straightened his face and sighed deeply.
“Sorry,” he said.
“Don’t you dare apologize mate,” Bryce demanded. “We’ve all been through hard times, and you two have seen some of the worst of it.”
Ricki sucked his lips and then pursing them exhaled in the manner of trying to get over something.
“Anyway, believe it or not, that is not the worst of it!” added Ricki. “But I must get it out…” and there was another brief silence for he continued. “That night Faith woke up to see the house they were all in burn to the ground!”
“Oh God!” exclaimed Rosa. “They set fire to themselves?”
Everyone seemed a little horrified at the thought.
“I told you it got worse. Look, we don’t know whether a candle got knocked over or they deliberately lit it. But that was the quicker death and there was a lot of smoke, so I’m assuming someone did something to allow the smoke to put them to sleep first. We didn’t check to see, we didn’t bury them. I’m sorry, but we just needed to leave…” he sighed again and paused briefly. “We then headed back, arriving just north of the straight. I have no real navigation skills as Tia with confirm, but I knew if we headed north-west we’d hit something.”
Tia smiled. His dry wit amused her greatly. He was right of course, the two islands of New Zealand stretched at least eighteen hundred kilometers, and it would have been a fluke to miss it all together. She reminded him that if he used the compass he could never have missed the country.
“But that’s just it Tia. We sailed through the straight…man I was definitely tempted to go in - you know...but we sailed out into the Tasman Sea heading northwest and we got into a terrible storm. I spent most of the time inside the wheel house.”
“You didn’t lower the sails?” cried Tia, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Not completely. I was just hoping to ride it out. Anyway, after three days of constant battering, the winds finally died down. I can tell you; this Maori boy was over it by then. But just when we thought we’d finally be in some sunshine, a damn fog rolled in. So I dropped sail and drifted, hoping we weren’t too near the coast and any rocks or reefs. We’d lost the dingy so if we’d hit something it was all over rover.”
“And how long did the fog last?”
“Two days Geo. Two damn days! I really wanted to see some sun by then. I go nuts without it.”
“We know,” confirmed Bryce, to a few laughs.
“Well, that night Faith was up looking at the stars as the sky cleared and watching the sunrise. It was only then we noticed the compass was not reading correctly, so we had no idea where we were. I was not thinking. I became a little panicky.”
“A little?” recounted Faith. “Ha!”
That also brought a few laughs.
“So now I was wishing Tia was here to help…and I called out to her to help me!”
“Oh…” Maddy cried as she interrupted. “That’s what she thought you did when we were on the beach one night. She felt like something or someone w
as calling her and a thought popped into her mind.”
“Follow the sun?” Ricki asked.
“Yes, yes, that was it,” Maddy said excitedly. “How did you know?”
“Because that’s what came to me; to follow the sun! And then everything was clear. Follow the path of the sun from east to west and providing we were not too far south we would hit land. So we hoisted sail. Then Faith found a second compass in the cupboard above the picture of the sunset on the wall. I just kept going until we saw land. I had no idea where we were, and at night we just used the torch to check the bearing. It only took five days…someone was looking down on us. We ended up almost at the harbor entrance here!”
“Wow. Is that what Ricki was talking to you about Tia?” asked Ho.
She nodded in reply as she puckered her lips. “I didn’t really believe much in that sort of stuff. Ricki used to talk about it as we grew up. But now I do,” she said in an emphatic manner.
“So what about you guys? How tough was your journey?”
“Oh, terrible,” said Willo. “We had to endure fair winds and calm seas. We almost got to Lord Howe, but Dirk had us divert and we ended up stuck on some God forsaken desert island near the barrier reef.”
“Sounds terrible,” mocked Faith. “How did you all endure it?”
“You know us. We’re a hardy bunch. We just had to grin and bear it…but there was one thing that someone should mention…” and Willo looked to Bryce who continued.
“Yes. When we left the sounds, Michael was on the rocks near the entrance, and he said nothing but gave us all a salute which we all reciprocated.”
Ricki was curious.
“A salute?” he asked.
“Yes - and it was probably the only way he knew how to honor us or respect us or something. It was the strangest thing I’ve seen him do, but it seemed to fit somehow.”
“Wow that must have been quite moving?”
“For the others it was, but for the six of us that used to live with him, it was both that and heartbreaking,” Bryce said. “We will never ever get to see them again!”
“I know - I know…” Ricki agreed.” And he fell silent briefly. “However - as sad as that is, we are now all family. We are all we’ve got!”
He was right. They now needed to pull together.
For nearly two years this new community strived to build a new life for themselves. The location was perfect, even the weather had seemed to improve over the twenty eight years since the first outbreak. Chris began to notice this eventually, and he wondered if the death of billions of people had allowed the planet to recover without industry and vehicles? After all; the pollution output was now nil. Sure, they burned fires, and from time to time bush fires would rage in the hills, but the new world seemed happier and calmer; almost as if it was finally getting back into the natural order of things.
The gardens area overlooking the harbor flourished and the livestock paddocks down the hill were fenced and fully stocked. Roos still bounded everywhere, as the lack of humans allowed them spread into any part of the city they wished. These they hunted and ate, along with rabbits and the odd koala now that they were thriving; of course that was more out of curiosity of their taste than any sort of need. They slept up in the buildings on the ridge, coming down to the old naval base to cook and eat and meet as a community. The use of these kitchens was as much for keeping food, and therefore rats, away from where they lived, and the spacious old barrack kitchens were much easier to work in. Below the meeting halls, were more buildings down at sea level where the yachts were tied up. Behind them was an old swimming pool where the rainwater off the surrounding buildings was diverted, so that there was a constant supply of water in an emergency, or excessive drought. As with anywhere else, they were becoming aware of specific properties with fruit trees that would keep them healthy. The vegetables on the old sports ground were protected with fences and two dogs they raised there to ward off any of the small furry intruders.
But so much had happened to this small group of twenty four people over the preceding years, that there was a dissatisfaction growing within some of them, and many had spoke if it from time to time. After one disagreement at an evening meal, Samantha stood up and banged a spoon on cup until everyone was silent.
“I am one of the youngest here, and so my word may not carry much weight. But why the hell are you all so cranky lately? I’m going to call for that meeting we made a rule for two years ago once we all arrived. In fact it was Gail who first mentioned it, wasn’t it Gail?”
The eating hall went silent. They were not sure what Samantha was referring to. But Gail did, for she and Samantha had been talking about the growing discontentment. She now stood to her feet well.
“What Sam is referring to, was a rule we set in place when you guy’s arrived here. Because everything had changed, and being in one place and getting to know new people was bound to have some friction, we set a rule in place. In fact it is still on the wall there,” she said pointing to a wall of notices, rules and various rosters.
“The emergency meeting?” asked Maddy.
“Yes.”
“But there is no emergency?” she observed.
“Well, maybe there is. Can anyone raise their hand and say that they have not noticed even a slight shift in mood or feelings or unhappiness lately? I’ve seen it, even Samantha here came to me about it. So…anyone?
No hands were raised, confirming to everyone that there was something wrong. Gail confirmed it by pointing out some obvious issues.
“Dirk and Geo fell out last week, Willo and Chris had an argument over the roster the week before. Felicity and Bryce even exchanged words in the kitchen a few days ago. People - nothing like this has happened since we all gathered here when your two yachts arrived back. Something is brewing and I want it talked out. Therefore…by the rules we all agreed to, I am calling a meeting tomorrow, mid morning, down at the beach under the trees. And we don’t leave till we’ve sorted out what the issue is…ok?”
There was a silence as most digested her words, their own issues or feelings, and the realization of things they may not have vocalized to anyone else yet.
“Ok?” she asked again.
There were nods or various verbal agreements. “Done! Now - let’s not even talk of it until tomorrow. If you have something, then keep it to yourself. I’ll see you in the morning,” and she left the hall for her own private villa.
The following morning, breakfast was rather quiet and subdued. But there was a sense of expectation; for private reflection through the night had helped a few of them come to grips with what they were feeling. Together, they helped in cleaning up and preparation of food and water and they all helped carry them down to the beach.
“This is an open meeting,” Gail began. ”I will run it but all can speak. There is one goal - to find what’s gnawing at us all. Who is first?”
“I am!” Tia said standing up. “I know what all this is about so I will say my piece and I will ask a question and see if you agree or not?”
She looked directly at Dirk. “Remember we were discussing going back to Lord Howe because you wanted to at least let them know what had happened?”
Dirk nodded.
“Yeah. But I decided against it in the end!”
“True,” said Tia. “But I asked you what you wanted us to do, in that we were letting you make the decision?”
Dirk nodded again.
“And then what did I say?”
Dirk now shook his head. But Maddy understood.
“Ahem…” she said.
“Yes Maddy?”
“You said something along the lines of ‘we don’t have to be anywhere, and that Sydney is now our home if we decide to stay there’.”
“Which up until now we have!” Tia confirmed. “But I bet you know the other bit?”
“Yes,” said Maddy, “because I’ve been thinking it myself lately…” and she paused a little realizing some may not like what she was ab
out to say. “You said - we could decide to sail the ocean for years if we wanted too!”
It was true that they could just live as explorers the rest of their lives if they wished. There was no need to stay, build a community, and live life out as farmers and hunters; they could live on the ocean and visit the islands until they found their own slice of paradise elsewhere. If they got the exploration out of their system, they might still all return, knowing there was a place that would welcome them.
There was another brief silence as they sat in the shade. Tia now sat down; her observation clarified. However, Gail remained standing to ask a question.
“So, who would say they are irritable lately because of one thing - not feeling settled?”
Slowly seven hands were raised - all from New Zealand originally, and all except Nim and Mik. Those from Sydney remained unmoved, and those from Lord Howe kept looking at each other unsure what to do. Even Gloria and Willo had not raised their hands.
“Rosa?” asked Faith. “Are you happy here?”
“Yes, but I’ll follow Dirk!”
“Hey, I’m happy here,” he said. “I don’t want to go through any more risky adventure, as much as I enjoyed the last one.”
“Then we from the island are settled here at the homestead,” Faith confirmed; for that is what they called it now.
Gail looked around at the others. “Are you unhappy with us, or just can’t find peace here?”
“Oh God no,” Chris stated loudly. “You are our family, but your last statement was accurate I believe. I’m just not sure we have all found peace within ourselves yet. It has nothing to do with you guys. You’ve made us feel like family and we are family…” He sighed before continuing. “When we first came across the sea, we were expecting a time of exploring and then we could go home satisfied, and live out the rest of our lives…weren’t we Ricki?”
Ricki nodded.
“We didn’t expect half of what has happened to us,” he agreed. “I mean - only Tia and Ho should now be alive by rights. The rest of feel we have been given another chance, and to just have a mundane existence…well, no offense, but…so much has changed for us!”
