Icefall

by Hallowes, Guy

  There was a brief acknowledgment from the older man, who then said something to the youngest member of the group in his own language.

  'He say this is sacred site,' said the young girl, translating.

  'Oh, we didn't know, it didn't look as if anyone had been here for many years.'

  The man said something urgently, waving his hand at the naked figure of Tanya.

  The girl translated, 'He says you do sacred site much honour by swimming naked first in the pool and then making all your children swim after you. Much honour.'

  Tanya was expecting to be told they would have to move. 'Oh, thank you. It is a very beautiful place.' Tanya was uncertain what to do next but she asked the group if they would like to join them.

  The Aboriginal group had a brief discussion, one went behind a bush and appeared with two wallabies and a possum, apparently their next meal. They made it clear they would eat their own food but would like to be part of the group.

  Tanya retrieved her now dry underwear from the bush and put on a tee shirt.

  The Aborigines skinned the creatures they had hunted, building a big fire; pieces of wallaby and possum were placed on the coals once the fire had died down. In the meantime, the riders had started to prepare their own meal with both groups watching each other curiously. Chloe offered the Aboriginal group some of the food they had cooked; hesitantly they took some lamb chops and the young girl said, rubbing her stomach. 'This meat is okay. The rest of your food makes us ill.'

  They cut off small pieces of wallaby and handed it around. The boys ate it with relish; some of the girls were a bit tentative.

  'Just think of it as Skippy,' said one of the boys unkindly.

  'You had better make the most of it,' said Rachel, one of the older girls, who had now taken charge of the catering and food supplies. 'We have no more meat after this and the rest of the rations will have to survive this heat.'

  There was a brief discussion among the Aboriginal group. 'If you come with us tomorrow we can show you two things, a place that no white people have ever visited and also somewhere where you can hunt birds, wallabies, and maybe goanna. That is our special place,' the young girl translated, now much more confidently. After dinner, some of the riders started to go to bed.

  'Wait,' the leader said firmly, 'we have something to show you.' They waited for half an hour.

  'This is why we have come here at this time,' the young girl translated. 'The moon will rise soon.' She pointed to a sharp pinnacle now clearly visible in the night sky. 'Our ancestors told us we should wait for a young white woman who would cleanse the pool by swimming around it, naked, and now these predictions have been answered,' she said indicating Tanya. They waited a few more minutes and a shaft of light from the moon lit up the centre of the pool. The Aborigines all knelt in front of Tanya, performing a dance, and then asked her to go to the pool which was only a few metres away.

  'He wants you to go into the pool again, and stand on that rock in the middle,' the girl translated.

  'This is weird,' said Roger, but Tanya did not hesitate. Without a word she stripped all her clothes off, waded into the now chilly pool, swam to the rock, and climbed it facing the group. As she stood up the light from the moon emerged from behind the pinnacle of rock and gradually lit up her naked beauty from head to foot. She stood there, in silence, for ten minutes. Then she dove in, swam around the pool twice, and then hopped out of the water.

  The Aboriginal man's speech was translated. 'Our ancestors predicted a female god, standing naked on the rock in the moonlight, an older woman, and the beautiful young people, all white. We have come here now for seven years waiting for this to occur and now it has.'

  The man hesitated for half a minute and the girl continued, 'There is a second prediction. Big waters will rise, from where we do not know, but there will be hunger among all the people. Our ancestors have told us to protect you "White Goddess" and all your children. We will return every year to renew this belief.'

  There was absolute silence for a further ten minutes. All the riders, of course, knew and understood the science behind The Settlement, but here was an outsider, who could not possibly know or understand it, making precisely the same prediction.

  Tanya spoke slowly, so the young girl could translate. 'Some seven years ago, my husband's father, called all the family together and made the prediction you have now talked about. He then found the place we call The Settlement, two days' ride from here.'

  'The place with the big fence,' said the Aboriginal man. Tanya nodded.

  'We have made it self-sufficient, so when the big waters rise we can block it off and hopefully survive until all is settled again, which may take many years.'

  'Our ancestors have told us we are to help you survive and then our traditional lands will be returned to us, so that we can look after them. The new community that will emerge will be a mix of the old and the new. We will not let the country be destroyed like it is being destroyed now,' said the Aboriginal man firmly, translated by the young girl.

  Tanya got up and embraced him. 'Let's declare ourselves blood relations.' She cut her palm with a sharp knife and the man did the same. They mixed the blood, hand to hand.

  'What about AIDS?' asked the ever-practical Chloe.

  'We don't have AIDS in our community and these people have almost no contact with the so-called civilised community, so the chances of any of us contracting aids is about zero. However, this is voluntary.' Soon everyone had mixed the blood, including the somewhat reluctant Chloe.

  The Aborigines settled around the fire as the rest of the party went to bed.

  'There is no need to run the watch routine tonight,' said Chloe. 'Our new friends will make sure no horses escape.'

  Tanya and Chloe were far too animated to retire so they just sat by the fire and chatted. 'That business with the light striking me while I was standing starkers on that rock … '

  'Yes,' said a rather doubtful Chloe.

  'That was no accident.'

  'Oh,' said a very surprised Chloe.

  'You see that pinnacle in the sky over there.'

  'Yes.'

  'Well, a few minutes after I stood on the rock, the moonlight shone directly on me and the rock. I bet, due to planet movement, this particular event can only happen annually. They must somehow have got all the maths right even if they can't explain it in precisely those terms. Our Aboriginal friend knew exactly what he was doing.'

  'Good heavens. You don't really believe in all this mumbo jumbo surely?'

  'Well yes, I do. He reached the same conclusions that David and I, using all the science available to us, quite separately arrived at. It is quite extraordinary, it actually backs up our beliefs and from a source we had no knowledge of.' After a thoughtful silence, Tanya said gently, 'You have never really believed in what we have been doing in the Blue Mountains, have you? It must be very difficult for you. I have often wondered how you cope, with David having obviously found his life's work.'

  'I have never discussed this with anyone else, but I feel I can tell you now. This whole business has upset me, has destroyed my world, if you like. I was more than happy with our life and I have a great deal of difficulty believing in the research. I know of nobody else who believes it. David and I spent months looking for a place and we came up with blanks, much to my relief. I thought the whole thing would just go away. Then you and David found The Settlement and within months it was all a terrible reality,'

  Chloe paused, gathering her thoughts. 'I met this fellow at the golf club, Alan. It took a few months, but we eventually became lovers. He had a flat in Manly and we used to meet there every two weeks or so.' Chloe's face was lit by the light of the moon, now high in the sky. She looked happy, contented for a moment. 'The relationship was mainly based on sex. And it was exquisite, delicious. He made no emotional demands on me and vice versa. Agreeing a date and time to meet was the easiest thing in the world. He had a wife and four kids and I had you lot. We discussed our si
tuation at length on several occasions, neither of us wanted to change anything.' Chloe wiped away a tear.

  Tanya sat quietly. She had always wondered whether there were greater depths to her mother-in-law. 'You keep saying "had", as if it was all in the past.'

  Chloe wiped away another tear. 'He was killed in a car accident three years ago, on his way to see me. I didn't go to the funeral but spent many days in mourning; I still miss him.'

  Tanya thought there was much more to Chloe's feelings than just sex.

  'Most unexpectedly Alan left me the flat. Apparently he had changed his will about a year before he died, but he never mentioned it to me. So I now have a flat in Manly and David knows nothing about it.'

  There was another reflective silence.

  'I have had other lovers since,' offered Chloe. 'One was looking for a mother substitute and another thought he could two-time me. I put a stop to all of that double quick. There is someone in the wings at the moment though. I don't rush these things.'

  'Does David know anything about this?'

  'Not really. He is in love with The Settlement and I am expected just to play second fiddle. We had a real home, which he sold.' She laughed mirthlessly. 'I spent the day with Alan while he was busy selling it. He may now think of The Settlement as his home, but it certainly isn't mine. The nearest thing to a home for me is the flat in Manly. If he ever thinks about it, he must wonder about my absences.'

  They watched the fire, enjoying each other's company.

  'I have never told a soul about this, not a soul,' said Chloe. 'Thank you for listening to me. I have never felt any guilt, much to my surprise.' She squeezed Tanya's arm.

  The Aborigines waited patiently while the camp was struck and packed. They would just have picked up their few possessions and left, having buried the fire. Eventually, the caravan started moving at eight thirty, a good half hour earlier than the day before.

  The Aboriginal man came with the young girl. 'Call me Derain.'

  Tanya had heard the word before, it meant "of the mountains".

  The group rode on with Derain, on foot, leading.

  They appeared to be approaching a sheer rock face, became more and more overwhelming with no apparent exit. Derain said nothing, continuing confidently on his way. Although the group had started to trust the Aborigines, there were some uneasy glances.

  Derain eventually stopped, his words, translated by the girl. 'Everyone will stop here, and unsaddle the horses. You can come with me,' he said, indicating Tanya. 'I will show you. Bring your two horses.'

  They led the two horses, disappearing into some thick bush. Within five minutes, they were on a very narrow path with a steep drop on one side and sheer rock walls on the other. Tanya tried not to look down. The horses somehow understood and walked unconcernedly along the path, following Derain. After about a kilometre, the path broadened and they emerged into a glade. It was an earthly paradise, with tall grasses and a stream running through. There were glimpses of kangaroos and wallabies and at the far extent there was a small settlement, with a few untidy looking huts made with rough sticks covered with grass and animal skins. A group of about twenty Aborigines crowded around shyly while Derain made a short speech. They all bowed down before performing some sort of ritual dance.

  This must be something to do with the White Goddess, she thought. 'What about the others?' asked Tanya nervously, indicating the way they had come.

  Derain waved her concerns away. 'Soon, soon,' he said smiling.

  He showed her where her group could camp, then Derain and many from the Aboriginal village disappeared. An hour later, much to Tanya's relief, Roger and Rachel arrived leading their horses. Then, at ten minute intervals, the rest of the group arrived, helped by the people from the village. They all gradually assembled, Chloe bringing up the rear.

  Derain came over and made a short, translated speech. 'We must bring you here first as the White Goddess. Then we bring all the others slowly so as not to frighten them or the horses. If you want meat, the boys with rifles can go with some of the people from the village; to find kangaroos, wallabies, even goannas.'

  The group spent an untroubled three days in the village. There was lots of swimming naked in the streams. Two of the boys hunted with their compatriots and there was much amusement when the white boys attempted to use the heavy hunting boomerang, missing by metres, not even frightening intended prey.

  The two girls who had been embarrassed in the face of Tanya's safe sex speech shyly approached her. 'Do you still have some condoms?'

  Tanya nodded, fished in her luggage and handed over some packs. Looking them in the eye, she said. 'Don't be forced into anything you're not sure of.'

  They rushed off, giggling.

  During the visit Tanya had questioned Derain why no white people had ever been to their village before. 'You can see it's too difficult, people must have guide to come here,' he had answered. She was unable to get any more out of him than that.

  After three days, Tanya sought Chloe out as she was sunbathing naked on a flat rock. By now, everyone was quite unconcerned about their lack of dress.

  'We need to think about finding our way back. We said we would be about a week. I don't want anyone to be getting worried.'

  'I had really lost all sense of time. I could happily spend another week here.'

  'Is this the Sydney girl speaking?'

  Chloe laughed.

  'I'll talk to Derain, but one of us could go ahead to tell them we are on our way and then the rest follow at a more leisurely pace,' said Tanya.

  'Okay, but to your original point, if anyone gets hurt what do we do?'

  Tanya returned in ten minutes. 'They'll send somebody, today, so we can pack up at leisure and leave tomorrow. Derain will show us a way that takes three days to get to The Bandstand.'

  When they eventually left the village at midday the following day, Chloe took stock of her charges. The transformation was almost complete. From the shy, uncertain group who had left a week earlier, she now had a group confident in their bush craft, able to cook and camp, confident in their sexuality, and more certain of their relationships with adults.

  They were all laughing and joking and said to their Aboriginal counterparts. 'Come and see us at The Settlement and we will we back next year when the White Goddess has to stand on the rock again in the moonlight.'

  Derain took them a different way with another steep, narrow footpath where they all had to dismount.

  'Derain says, to leave a ten minute gap between groups in case anyone gets into trouble,' Tanya told the group. Derain and the translator alone remained to assist as they negotiated the difficult descent from the village.

  From various vantage points they were able to admire the endless vista of the pristine forests, always washed with the blue tinge from the eucalypt oil. There was the occasional landmark, mainly of sheer, golden brown rock faces. Then they rode down into the bush again, where the visibility was down to a few metres with the sunlight peering uncertainly through the leaf canopy.

  They camped for the next two nights. On the second night, the boys shot two kangaroos. Derain watched them butcher the prey for a few minutes. Satisfied, he signalled to Chloe to come with him.

  They stopped in a clearing, Derain showed Chloe a large black snake sunbathing in the last light of the day. Chloe tried to withdraw, but Derain held her arm, preventing her from moving. They stood still and silent, watching the animal for ten minutes. Chloe thought they were leaving, but Derain held her by the arm and brought her closer. He picked up a large stick and lifted the snake up with it, much to Chloe's consternation. He showed her the various markings before gently putting the animal on the ground where it slithered away.

  'Snake, more frighten of you,' he said.

  Chloe was still quite frightened, but her fear was not as great as before.

  On the evening of the third day, a jubilant but tired group arrived at The Bandstand, full of stories of their adventures, including de
tailed stories of the White Goddess and the Aboriginal village. Tanya was relieved there was no sign of David.

  Tanya made sure she sat next to Caroline during the evening meal, asking if they had received the message about their delay.

  'Yes,' she said noncommittally. 'As soon as we received it David phoned The Settlement to let them know. He left this morning.' She flushed slightly, and went on to more mundane subjects.

  Tanya's suspicions were confirmed. It was apparent David and Caroline had become an item. She hoped he would deal with the issue sensitively.

  Tanya gave Derain a key to both the western and eastern gates of The Settlement. 'You may come and go whenever you wish.'

  'And you will come to the sacred pool in the next year for the celebration of the White Goddess?' he asked through the translator.

  'Of course.'

  They embraced.

  The children invited the community to a presentation on their trip within days of returning home. There was immense curiosity, which grew as the participants told their various stories to parents and friends.

  The photographic display began by showcasing a naked image of Tanya standing on a rock in the moonlight. There was an immediate intake of breath and some fidgeting, but nobody left the room.

  After the presentation, one woman yelled out, 'Pornography! Nothing but pornography.'

  A few voices in the room agreed.

  Chloe and Tanya kept silent.

  Roger and Rachel continued with their presentation. 'We learnt many things during this trip,' said Roger. 'Most importantly, the Aboriginal people we met at the pool have the same vision as we do regarding the collapse of the Ice Shelf and the rising water levels. They explained it all in terms of what their ancestors had told them would happen. Interestingly, enough they have been visiting the sacred pool for seven years. They predicted our arrival at the site, it was part of their vision. They asked Tanya to swim to the rock you saw in the photo. Tanya decided, without being asked, to strip off, just as their ancestors had predicted, The naked White Goddess would stand on the rock bathed in moonlight. Within a few minutes, a beam of light appeared from behind a pinnacle and surrounded Tanya. We all feel we witnessed a very significant event.' He hesitated, 'even a revelation. Also, we now have an approximate date for the projected collapse of the Ice Shelf.'