Icefall

by Hallowes, Guy

  'We still have a cottage for you at The Settlement, which we use for new settlers whose houses have not been completed. It's there for you if ever you want it.'

  'I know, I've mentioned it to Beryl.'

  They drove on in companionable silence, admiring the soft lines of the attractive English countryside. David felt sad so little notice was being taken of the science behind the development of his dream.

  'You are only spending a few days here?' ventured Evan.

  'Yes, there are more than three hundred people in our village now dependent on the family for support and leadership. The whole family is here, so I need to return to make sure that any crises are dealt with.'

  'What sort of crises?'

  'Bushfires, floods, dingoes, problems with the livestock, issues with the neighbouring settlement; there's always something.'

  'Seems a long way from a small flat in Hampstead and this beautiful and mostly benign countryside here in England.'

  David shrugged. He could see what was forecast would be difficult to imagine on a warm, pleasant summer's day in the west of England.

  'Mum seems to be having an extended holiday here in Europe?' said Evan.

  'Yes, she has never really accepted the change in our lives. I think she needs a break.'

  'She has had a difficult time since you started The Settlement.'

  'She has done a great job with the horses and riding school; she has her own way of dealing with things.' David was not prepared to discuss the deterioration of his relationship, even with his son. He wondered what the sleeping arrangements would be at the Browning establishment.

  When they arrived, David was escorted into his own room by Elizabeth Browning. Chloe's things were not in the room. David was standing at the window admiring the large, well-kept garden, now with a marquee being erected in the centre of it, when there was a knock on the door.

  Chloe stepped into the room. 'I am just next door, in case you were wondering. We will be sharing the bathroom.'

  'This is a marvellous place. Is there really enough room for all of us here? Especially in separate rooms?'

  'I told Elizabeth we usually slept in separate rooms. Being English she asked no questions.'

  'Thank you. It will make life easier. I'm looking forward to the next few days.' He looked at her and realised his feelings for her were now those of friendship only. He guessed it was the same for her.

  David played two games of golf with Charles, Mark, and an English friend followed by a night out at a local pub. He also spent one evening taking Charles Browning through all the reserach behind The Settlement as well as a selected number of photographs going from the bare undeveloped site to the thriving community that now existed.

  'So there are three hundred people in the community?' asked Charles.

  'Three hundred and twenty-one. By tomorrow probably three hundred and twenty-two with the latest birth. I am expecting an e-mail shortly.'

  'And you really believe this?'

  'Yes, Tanya and I, quite separately, came to the same conclusions years ago now. There is a neighbouring Aboriginal group who also have the same belief. Anyway, as Evan may have told you, he has a cottage there, so you and Elizabeth and any other members of the family would be more than welcome to come and stay for a few weeks or for as long as you like. Other parts of Australia are also worth seeing. Mark and Tanya still live in Sydney, but come over in their helicopter almost every weekend.'

  'It's years since I visited Australia, I find the flight uncomfortably long. We may indeed take up your offer though.'

  There was a minor argument about clothing for the wedding. 'I was just going to wear a suit,' said Mark.

  'No you are not,' said Chloe firmly. 'All the Brownings are wearing formal morning suits, so that is what you'll all be wearing. We don't want anyone to think we are a bunch of rural peasants, whatever the truth may be.'

  Tanya added, 'The local hire shop can kit out all the Bower boys. We girls will be dressed up to the nines. We don't want a whole lot of Aussie blokes with us looking as if they have just emerged from the cowshed.' She laughed. 'I have never had so much fun in my life. We are going to make a big splash.'

  Thankfully, it was a nice sunny day. The service was held at eleven o'clock with a reception in the garden of the Browning house afterwards. Suitable speeches were made by David, Charles Browning, and Jonathan as Evan's best man.

  Some of the guests recognised Tanya from the famous Facebook picture.

  One of Beryl's male cousins, William, plucked up courage and approached her. 'Forgive me for asking, but aren't you the person whose image has appeared on Facebook—you were naked on a rock in the moonlight?'

  Tanya answered without embarrassment, 'That's me. I have done the same thing three years in succession now, on the only date that the full moon lights up that rock.'

  'That image is all over Facebook. It is brave of you to expose yourself in that way.' He was unable to keep the smirk off his face.

  A small crowd had gathered to listen to their discourse and they were all quite taken aback by Tanya's total lack of sensitivity.

  'Do you see it as just a photo of me standing naked on a rock?'

  'Well yes,' was the hesitant answer.

  'Can I tell you the story behind the photo? It's much more than just an attempt to compete with the page three girls in The Sun,' Tanya said confidently, with a laugh.

  There was renewed interest among the people in the gathering.

  'Please go on,' said William. The smirk had now disappeared.

  'My mother-in-law and I took a group of teenagers from ours and a neighbouring settlement out into the bush for a week.'

  'Settlement?' asked William.

  Tanya briefly explained the reason for The Settlement. She explained about the pool, the Aboriginal group, and then the naked pose on the rock.

  There was a hushed silence waiting for Tanya to continue.

  'Is that it?' asked William.

  'No, the most significant part of the whole incident was when I returned to the group.'

  'Still starkers?' asked a sceptical voice.

  'No, it was quite late at night by then and was becoming a little chilly,' Tanya responded calmly.

  ' Derain and his people told us of their vision, exactly the same as ours.'

  'This just applies to Australia?' asked a hopeful voice.

  'No, sea levels will rise by something between seven and seventeen metres worldwide. If you want to know how that will affect you personally, take a look on Google Earth.'

  'And you believe in all the mumbo-jumbo?' asked William aggressively.

  'My research supports the theory. The Aboriginal forecast is so interesting because they are illiterate and have no access to computers and yet can tell us the precise date each year that the moon will strike that rock. We go back to the pool every year. They call me the White Goddess.'

  'Tell us more about The Settlement, how big is it?'

  'What sort of investment is there in the place?'

  'We have more than three hundred people and one hundred houses. We have recently estimated the replacement value of the site and it is well in excess of two hundred million dollars.'

  'Are you sure of that?' asked an incredulous voice.

  'As well as the houses, we have a community centre, swimming pool, library, hospital staffed by medical professionals, school, tennis courts, a polo field, shooting range, a large number of livestock and horses, and about eight hundred hectares under cultivation. We also have major water storage dams and a military training academy.'

  'What's all that for?'

  'We predict the Ice Shelf collapse will cause panic and pandemonium in Sydney. At that point we are going to isolate the community by blowing up a mountain to block the only road access.'

  There was an uncomprehending silence for a minute or two.

  'What do you do about electricity and fuel?'

  'We run on solar energy, with some contingencies for emerg
ency car and helicopter fuel, stored in massive tanks.'

  'This is pure fucking fantasy,' said a disbelieving voice. 'Just bullshit, I'm not listening to any more of this crap.'

  One or two people moved away.

  Tanya continued telling the remaining group about their haven in the mountains. 'You should come and visit us. Evan and Jonathan have houses there that are often empty. Mark and I still live in Sydney, so we could meet you and take you to The Settlement in the helicopter. Come with the group to the pool next April and witness the ceremony for yourselves; it is life changing. I think the Brownings will come in September.'

  'If this prediction is real, what should governments do about it?' asked a now contrite William.

  'Most of the climate change initiatives have come much too late. There is nothing that can be done in time to stop the Ross Ice Shelf from collapsing into the sea. So governments should be creating infrastructure to cope with the impending flood, such as port facilities that can be used with higher sea levels and moving oil refineries to higher ground.'

  'That will cost billions.'

  'Yes.'

  'Where are they going to find the money?'

  'They should reallocate all their resources to quickly deal with the infrastructure issue. If they don't they will cease to exist anyway. Our belief is that there will be a worldwide catastrophe. Many societies will cease to exist.'

  The mood was now sombre in the garden.

  'I think I'm spoiling this joyful occasion, I'm sorry,' said Tanya quietly.

  'We should throw Evan into the pool,' shouted Mark. Evan tried to escape, but was eventually captured and dragged to his fate.

  Chloe looked on disapprovingly. 'Boys will be boys,' she said to Elizabeth.

  'One, two, three,' yelled Mark as they threw Evan, morning coat, top hat, and all into the still chilly pool, with Beryl's cousins participating just as enthusiastically as his siblings.

  Tanya smiled indulgently as a member of the group she had been talking to approached. 'What you are doing in Australia is most interesting.'

  Tanya started to move away, 'I think I've said too much already.'

  'No, no, just hear me out. My name is Sebastian.' The urgency in his voice made Tanya stop and listen. 'This whole issue needs more publicity. Use that Facebook image to publicise the environmental issue facing all of us.'

  'We had hoped that would happen, but we were facing a major bushfire emergency at the time and spent no time on it. What do you suggest?'

  'I use this technology on a daily basis. I am sure that within three months we can have one million followers on Facebook and Twitter. Once you get to that level it will just go ballistic. Governments will then have to take notice. Are you going to be here for a few days?'

  'Mark and I are going up to London tomorrow and have meetings there all week. After that we have a plan to take the train to Paris before returning to Sydney.'

  'Where are you staying?' asked Sebastian.

  She gave him her mobile phone number. 'Most evenings we will be free, although we are trying to book a West End play or two if I can drag the philistine along. Maybe we should lock in a date now.'

  Chapter Eighteen

  Shutdown?

  Within three months there were, as promised, one million people worldwide following the Facebook postings relating to The Settlement. The emphasis gradually changed from the naked pictures of Tanya to the forecast collapse of the Ross Ice Shelf and its ghastly consequences.

  Settlement community members sent Sebastian information to include in his daily update. Even David and Chloe sent things through, although usually her contributions were sceptical. Her disbelief added another dimension to the Facebook pages, helping to grow the audience.

  When the worldwide audience reached fifty million, governments started to take notice. Suddenly, the price of land in remote areas in Australia and many other parts of the world escalated sharply, with people belatedly trying to imitate the developments in the Bower settlement.

  When the weekend visitors reached more than one hundred in a weekend, Mark announced. 'We are unable to cope. From today, each visitor will require a coded pass to enter and exit at the front gates. '

  They restricted the entry to fifteen visitors at any one time. It worked for a few months until some impatient visitors broke the barrier down, allowing a flood of people to inundate the property. It took the efforts of most of the community to persuade them to leave.

  'We'll install a barrier with spike pads that will only be removed when the code is correctly entered,' said Mark. 'At weekends I think we will have to have armed guards as well. It gives us all some idea of the necessity for completely isolating ourselves when the Ice Shelf collapses.'

  Jonathan warned David that there was increasing unrest in Canberra about the pages of comment on Facebook. 'They are receiving e-mails and calls from all over the world suggesting we should be closed down.'

  'What do you think I should do?' asked David.

  'Be prepared for a nonsensical initiative from Government. I don't need to tell you to stick to your guns, I'm sure you will do that anyway.'

  More and more of the Facebook postings attempted to discredit The Settlement and the science behind it. Most of it was ill-informed and resulted in renewed interest in the topic.

  Tanya spoke to David by phone during that period. 'There have been some odd things going on.'

  'Such as?'

  'I have been followed by the same car whenever I leave the house.'

  'Coincidence, surely?' said a sceptical David.

  'No, this has happened about ten times now.'

  'Take the licence plate number and report it to the police,'

  'The funny thing is I have reported it twice. The second time I made the report they said they had no record of the complaint. My tyres have also been let down a couple of times. Mark has had similar problems.'

  'Did you report that?'

  'Yes, they just laughed at me. It must have something to do with the huge social media following.'

  'Yes, I'm pleased about that. It may influence Governments around the world to finally address the problem.'

  'I'm sure they think of us as a threat. Have there been any unusual happenings at your end recently?'

  'Lance was arrested a few weeks ago. The man you made an example of in the parade ground.'

  'Oh, yes, of course.'

  'They are now suggesting we should have realised he was a known criminal and may be charged accordingly.'

  'Ridiculous! Lance's name was on the list of residents you gave the police a few years ago. There is no possibility they will be able to make that stick,' said Tanya angrily. 'I think they are trying to shut us down again.'

  'Shut us down? We are much stronger than when they tried that earlier in the piece,' said a now very concerned David.

  'We need to find out what they will settle for ... I don't like any of this. You may be asked to attend a meeting, in Sydney or Canberra, perhaps relating to Lance's arrest. Please don't go voluntarily. If they arrest you that's another matter. Something is brewing. Mark and I will move to the mountains until this nonsense has all blown over.'

  Within the week, Mark and Tanya had made arrangements with their respective offices to work from The Settlement and they moved with the family to the Blue Mountains. The intimidation ceased and Tanya was hopeful that whoever was behind the pinpricks had given up.

  She said to David, 'We should be careful, they may merely be planning something else.'

  A week later David received an urgent call from a Canberra number. 'Mr Bower?'

  'Yes,' replied David.

  'My name is Nicholson, from the Attorney General's office.'

  'Please give me a phone number where I can reach you. The call must go through an identifiable switchboard and then be put through to you.'

  'Is this charade necessary?' said an astonished voice.

  'Yes, I need to be certain this is not a hoax.'

  'I pr
omise you it is not a hoax.'

  'There have been some peculiar goings on in recent months. I have to be certain the call is genuine.'

  'What sort of problems?'

  'The number please Mr Nicholson, or I put the phone down,' said David firmly.

  There was a sigh and David was given a Canberra number.

  David quickly called Joe and explained he needed a call to be recorded in a few minutes. He buzzed Tanya. 'It's certainly about this Facebook stuff. The Attorney General's department wants to talk to us. We need to be as hard as nails. Do not give an inch, but be polite.'

  When Joe indicated all was ready David dialled. The call was answered by a switchboard, then a secretary, followed by Nicholson.

  'That was quite unnecessary,' said an irritated voice.

  Joe waved at David. 'The conversation is being recorded,' he mouthed.

  'Hello Mr Nicholson, one can't be too careful, apologies for the delay in returning your call. I also needed to have my senior colleague with me as part of the conversation. Her name is Tanya Bower.'

  'Good morning Mr Nicholson, you will remember a previous conversation with me, some years ago,' said Tanya.

  There was no response from the Canberra end.

  David looked at her curiously.

  'Harold,' she mouthed.

  He nodded his understanding.

  'We know this conversation is being recorded at your end,' said David. 'I would like to inform you that we are also recording the conversation.'

  There was a brief hesitation on the line and Nicholson said, 'I want to talk to you about all this Facebook nonsense. Do you know what I'm talking about?'

  'I presume it has to do with the science of climate change,' said David.

  'Well partly.'

  David remained silent.

  'I would like you to put a stop to all this sensational nonsense on Facebook about climate change and about the collapse of some lump of ice in the Antarctic that is supposedly going to cause mayhem around the world.'

  'The science surrounding the collapse of the Ross Ice Shelf, Mr Nicholson, and the projected outcomes have been in the public domain for more than twenty years. Millions of relevant pages are available on the Internet. There is nobody who can put a stop to it,' said Tanya quietly.