by Karen Wyld
Gabriel looked down the corridor, relieved the girls were still in the bedroom and had not heard the conversation. Will this ever end? he thought.
‘Come on, stop looking mopey. I’ll put the kettle on, while you figure out a plan B.’
Gabriel phoned his nana, and told her it would take him longer to get home. A few more months hiding in scrublands wouldn’t hurt them. Janice picked up a duffle bag she’d filled with fresh food and staples, and handed him a large box of bullets. Standing in the yard, bags ready, the girls gave her a hug. Then Janice demanded Gabriel give her one too.
‘Been waiting for that since I first seen ya,’ she said, with a wide grin. ‘Go on, you lot. Get out of here, before you see me cry.’
Maggie and Victoria had been alone all day. They’d remembered to keep an eye on the sky, making sure they walked in the right direction. Gabriel had left them to go hunting, and given them instructions on where to meet up later.
Maggie stopped abruptly. ‘That one has been following us the whole day.’
‘Who?’
‘Up there. See?’
Victoria squinted, looking up into a clear blue sky. She saw a bird circling, up high. It swooped down, towards them. She recognised it as a wedgetail eagle. Gabriel had told them a story about eagles, one night around a campfire.
Maggie remarked, ‘He’s looking out for us, until Gabriel gets back.’
Victoria nodded, and smiled. Her sister and birds. It was as if Maggie could communicate with them. Maybe she could. Victoria remembered their mother telling them about how her granny Maeve had taught her the language of birds. And how, when her mother wasn’t too much older than they were now, she’d followed a little black-and-white bird. That’s how their mother had met their father. Or so she’d told them.
Victoria was beginning to think she was too old to believe in stories. Their fifteenth birthday was nearing. She wondered if Maggie would even remember their birthday this year. Victoria was beginning to lose all sense of time. They’d been on the run for nearly two years. It was more than two and half years since they’d lost their mother. Now, the only times that mattered were sunrise and sunset; and only because Gabriel made them keep walking in between. Always on the move, just like those years with their mother. Sunrise: smother the fire, pick up your luggage, get walking. Sunset: collect wood, light the fire, fall asleep exhausted. Victoria hadn’t minded the days travelling with her mother. This travelling was different. Everything was different without Mother.
Maggie interrupted her thoughts. ‘I can hear more birds.’
Victoria listened. She couldn’t hear a thing. Maggie stepped to her right and pushed through some bushes.
‘Stop,’ insisted Victoria. ‘There could be snakes in there.’
Maggie kept walking, so Victoria followed. And then Maggie stopped abruptly.
‘We need to go back,’ she said.
‘Why? I can hear those birds now. Don’t you want to see what type they are?’
Maggie shook her head. ‘We need to turn back.’
Victoria pushed passed her and kept walking. Maggie followed, pleading with her to stop. Victoria halted suddenly, causing Maggie to bump into her. They were on a tall cliff, with a large river below them. It was the biggest river they’d ever seen. Before then, they’d only known creeks.
‘We need to leave this place,’ said Maggie, pulling on Victoria’s sleeve.
‘Look at it. So huge. Like a big watery snake. I wonder where it goes.’
‘We have to leave here.’
Victoria walked to the very edge of the cliff. Looking down, she whistled in amazement.
‘This is a bad place,’ Maggie declared. ‘Can’t you hear the screams?’
‘What are you talking about? I can’t hear anything.’
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ announced a voice behind them.
They hadn’t heard Gabriel approach. Victoria stepped back from the edge of the cliff and Maggie walked over to take Gabriel’s hand.
Victoria. ‘Why shouldn’t we be here?’
Gabriel replied, ‘Do you need to question everything, Victoria? Can you not just do as I ask?’
Maggie added, ‘I told you it was a bad place, Victoria.’
‘Let’s go,’ said Gabriel.
‘How many died here?’ asked Maggie.
‘Hundreds,’ he replied.
‘How?’
‘Men on horseback drove them off the cliff.’
Victoria felt shaking, as if she could feel the thunder of dozens of horses’ hooves on the ground she stood on. She still couldn’t hear anything, not like Maggie had, but she felt that shaking.
Victoria asked, ‘Even the children?’
Gabriel nodded.
Maggie pulled on his arm. ‘Let’s leave this place.’
Victoria walked back to the clifftop and peered down. It was a long way. Under the cliff lay sharp rocks that had at some point tumbled from the cliff face. She imagined people falling, driven to their death by settlers on horseback.
‘Why do they wish us dead?’ she muttered.
Behind her, Gabriel responded, ‘Because it’s them who are uncivilised, not us.’
That night, further along the river, they made camp next to a circle of stones. Maggie had seen it first and asked Gabriel what it was. He explained the circle of rocks was a map, which had once been used to determine the position of the sun when it set at the equinoxes and solstices. To mark the seasons, so people knew which bush food would soon be ready to harvest. He told them the white rocks of various sizes had been carried there a very long time ago. Gabriel lit a fire close by, and while he was preparing their dinner, Maggie and Victoria sat in the middle of the stone circle.
Maggie sighed, ‘I wish I knew all the names of the stars.’
‘Given how many there are, that would be impossible,’ asserted Victoria.
Placing warm damper and kangaroo meat on enamel plates, Gabriel said, ‘I can show you constellations. Well, the few I know.’
After they ate, they all lay in the circle, looking skywards. Gabriel pointed out constellations, drawing lines in the air until the girls saw the ancestral beings for which each star collective had been named. Maggie’s favourite was the Southern Cross, because it was actually an eagle’s talon, not a flag, while Victoria was enthralled by the seven glowing sisters that Gabriel had told them lived in the constellation of the Pleiades.
‘Look,’ observed Maggie. ‘A falling star.’
‘Gabriel?’ said Victoria, after the streaking light had vanished. ‘Yes?’
‘What does it mean when someone says “Didn’t fall far from the tree”?’
‘Who said that?’ ‘The bad man.’
Gabriel sat up. ‘Do you want to tell me more?’
‘He was yelling at me, as usual. This time he said I was too uppity. What does that word mean?’
Gabriel replied, ‘Nothing wrong with being uppity. They might use it as an insult; I know it to mean a person of strength. One who won’t bow down to them, won’t tolerate their hate. Your mother was strong like that.’
‘After calling me uppity, he said, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” It sounded mean, the way he said it.’
‘Von Wolff was not a good person. His words are of no relevance. You should be proud of the tree you came from. You remind me a lot of your mother. I know she’d be proud of you, Victoria. Always. You too, Maggie.’
‘Do you think she’s up there, among those stars?’ asked Maggie.
Gabriel replied, ‘I reckon so. She’s looking out for you both.’ Maggie pointed.
‘I think she’s that star there. The brightest one.’
Over the following weeks, they often saw the large river. Gabriel told them his nana lived beside one of the many smaller rivers that came off the big river. They were making their way to her house. Home was only a few weeks away, if they kept following the river. Gabriel told them the big river snaked towards the south much further,
splitting many times, until it reached the sea. Maggie and Victoria had never seen an ocean, so they asked Gabriel lots of questions. Maggie imagined the sounds that seagulls would make, and thought of how wonderful it would be to see a sea eagle. Gabriel told them that if anything was to happen to him, if they followed the river almost to the sea, they’d come to a big city. Bigger than any town they’d ever seen. And there, he’d suggested, they could get help to find their family.
Days walking, evenings by a campfire, and nights sleeping under the stars were all too familiar for Victoria and Maggie. Gabriel found it easy travelling with them. Maggie had whined a little in the first few days, but she soon got used to the daily routine. It would have been enjoyable, if not for the absence of their mother. Victoria loved being outdoors again, and occasionally wandered off to look at things. She knew this worried Gabriel, so she was trying hard not to. Every time Gabriel had to leave them, to hunt for food, he would get them to recite the rules: stay away from roads, duck down when told, and never wander off alone.
It was Maggie’s wandering off that caused trouble. They’d been walking through a thick coverage of scraggly trees, not too much higher than bushes, when Victoria heard cars.
‘Is there a road nearby?’
Gabriel nodded. ‘A highway. Just a few metres to our left. We need to be careful and stay under cover.’
‘Where’s Maggie?’
They looked around and couldn’t see her. Gabriel made a bird noise, their secret call. There was no response. They went towards the road, making sure they could not be seen in case a car went by. Gabriel told Victoria to duck down, behind a bush near the side of the road. He’d caught sight of Maggie, on the other side. Telling Victoria to stay put, he ran quickly across the road.
‘Maggie, what are you doing?’
She turned around. ‘I saw some rainbow birds. I’ve not seen any since Mumma disappeared. I had to get a closer look.’
‘Don’t wander off. I’ve told you that before. Let’s get back to your sister.’
Telling Maggie to duck down until he called for her, Gabriel walked to the edge of the road. After a few minutes of waiting, Maggie heard a car approaching.
‘Damn,’ muttered Gabriel. ‘Keep down, Maggie. And don’t move until I say so.’
Maggie could see Victoria hiding on the other side of the road. Gabriel started running in the same direction the car was travelling. Victoria and Maggie watched the car speed by, siren blaring. Gabriel stopped running and put his hands on the back of his head, elbows extended. The car stopped, and two policemen got out.
‘Lean on the bonnet,’ one instructed.
Gabriel did as he was told, and the officer searched his pockets.
‘Where’s your wallet?’
‘Lost it,’ replied Gabriel.
‘Got any identification?’
Gabriel shook his head.
The other policeman, who was stouter and older in appearance, asked, ‘Why were you running, boy?’
‘No idea,’ replied Gabriel.
‘Are you sassing me?’
‘No, sir.’
‘He looks familiar, Sarge,’ said the younger policeman.
The older man asked, ‘How so?’
‘Like a photo I saw on one of the wanted lists. Murder, I think.’
‘You sure?’
‘Yeah, that murder that happened up north from here, about two years ago. Victim was named von Wolff, I think. They reckon a darkie did it.’
‘You know anything about that, boy? Do you know this von Wolff?’
Gabriel shook his head. ‘Don’t know anything, sir. Just walking home. Been at my cousin’s place the last few days. My woman is going to tear strips off me when I get home.’
The sergeant said, ‘Call the station, Kuper. See if you can get a description of the man they’ve been looking for.’
The young officer walked over to the car and picked up the car radio. While he was talking, Gabriel scrutinised the road, relieved that Maggie and Victoria had listened and remained hidden.
‘What’s your name?’
‘John.’
‘And last name?’
‘Smith, sir.’
‘John Smith? You think I’m an idiot, do you? Wise guy,’ the sergeant shouted as he hit Gabriel across the side of his head.
Gabriel saw the top of Victoria’s head and willed her to duck down again. The other policeman returned.
‘Sounds like this guy is that boong wanted for von Wolff ’s murder. Gabriel Crow.’
‘Smith, eh? Funny bugger,’ remarked the sergeant as he hit Gabriel again.
Victoria and Maggie kept on waiting, just as they’d been told to. Long after the police car had left. Long after Gabriel had gone. They looked at each other in silence, eyes peering from between bush branches. They waited. As the sun was setting, Victoria stood up. Maggie ran across the road, into her sister’s arms.
‘I’m sorry, so sorry. It’s all my fault,’ Maggie sobbed.
‘There’s nothing we can do. Crying won’t bring him back.’
Maggie stepped back. ‘He’s not ever coming back, is he?’
Victoria went to fetch their bags. Gabriel didn’t have much, but his backpack had things of use in it, so she shouldered it. And then she picked up great-grandfather’s rifle and slung it over the other shoulder. Victoria started walking and, with no other option, Maggie followed.
They’d been following the river for weeks, just like Gabriel had told them to. They weren’t quite alone. An eagle hovered above them most days. Maggie was adamant that it was the same eagle they’d seen over their campsite a while back, before Gabriel was taken. Victoria wasn’t too sure, as they’d walked a long way, but Maggie had no doubts. She would often see the eagle first thing in the morning, as if it was waiting for them to get moving. Sometimes it would stop, showing them something to eat or a safe place to rest. Eagle and girls followed the river as it snaked its way towards the ocean. Some evenings, looking up at the stars and recalling the stories Gabriel had shared, Maggie would become melancholy. She still felt bad about what had happened to Gabriel, firmly believing that it was her fault. Victoria would just tell her to stop talking about it, as there was nothing either of them could do. Silently, Victoria also thought it was Maggie’s fault. She wondered how long they’d keep him locked up. She vowed one day to find out where they’d taken him, and to be there for him when he got out. If he ever did.
THIRTEEN
Even before opening her eyes, she could feel someone next to her. She settled closer, welcoming the body heat on a cold morning. After a while, she gently rolled over, so as not to disturb her sister. She studied Maggie’s face and saw no trace of last night’s terrors that had woken them both. During moments like that, her sister would call out for their mother. And in the dark, they would both often cry, wishing their mother was with them. Lying in bed, she appraised the place they were living in. It wasn’t much but it was their refuge. She reflected on the day they’d found this place, as if they’d been led there, just as they’d been guided to other havens as they slowly made their way to the city.
First, the eagle had been their guardian. Not quite taking Gabriel’s role, for a year that big bird travelled with the twins. She’d done okay providing Maggie and herself with fresh meat, with her great-grandfather’s rifle and the help of the eagle’s eye. The bird saw potential prey that she would have just walked past, unaware. Mostly small animals – rabbits, lizards, bandicoots – and sometimes wallabies, kangaroos, emus. Not every meal needed the rifle. She’d been aware the box of bullets Janice had given Gabriel wouldn’t last forever. So wombats were always a welcome sight. She’d killed them with rocks, like he had done. She hated doing it, so she’d remind herself it was a matter of survival. After a few months, she’d got better at killing, skinning and gutting. Maggie did the cooking and washing up. And helped collect other foods. They’d raided vegetable crops and snuck into chicken coops for still-warm eggs. Most nights they’
d slept outside, by a fire, just like when they’d travelled with their mother, and later with Gabriel. In the coldest part of winter, they found shelter in barns and woodsheds. Occasionally they’d have to run because they’d disturbed sleeping dogs.
She made sure people never spotted them. Maggie had argued with her on a few occasions about this, when spying a country town in the distance. She was tired of walking, sick of being cold and rain-drenched, and just wanted to sleep in a bed for one night. She’d try to convince her sister that they might meet a nice person who would help them, even for a little while, like Janice did. Or perhaps they could find Gabriel’s grandmother, who would surely give them shelter. And perhaps she’d have news of where he was. Maggie reminded her that Gabriel had told them his family lived alongside one of the small offshoots from the river they followed. She would not budge. They were following that river to the sea. It’s what Gabriel had told them to do.
Shortly after the wet weather had finished, they’d come across miles and miles of citrus orchards. They laughed as juice ran down their chins, and the liquid sunshine filled their bellies and chased away the winter gloom. With renewed hope, they filled up their bags with citrus fruit, and kept walking. The twins didn’t know where they were heading; they just kept following the eagle, which mostly followed the winding river. The eagle left them as they stood on a hill one evening at dusk, looking at the countless roads and buildings below them. It was as if every town they’d ever gone past was here, in one spot. That night, watching the city lights in wonderment, Victoria had decided it was time to leave the past behind. In the morning, she told Maggie that she wanted to be called Tori from now on.
They’d waited until the next afternoon before making their way down from the hill, along the busy highway that led towards the city. Tori’s first perception of the city was a multitude of noise, colour and movement. She had never seen so many people, or heard that much noise, and had felt overwhelmed. Tori put on a false sense of bravado, while Maggie had clung tightly to her.
