Flight of the Jabiru (38 page)

“Listen,” Harry Castle said with wide eyes.

“Listen to what? All I can hear are Cicadas and screeching bats,” Betty said irritably. She hoped Harry couldn't hear more bomb blasts.

“No, listen. It's the school bell,” Harry said excitedly.

“Don't be silly, Harry,” Joyce admonished. “There's no one left in town to ring the bell.”

“I can hear the school bell, mama,” Harry insisted. “It's Miss Penrose. She's come back.”

“Harry, you are upsetting the little ones,” Joyce said sternly. “You know Miss Penrose is not coming back and there's no one else to ring the bell.”

“Maybe it's Miss Chinmurra.”

Netta Chinmurra's attention was caught and she said something in the Larrakia language to the other Aboriginals. Willie Doonunga understood some English, so he translated what Harry had said.

“I can hear it, too,” Tom said. “Miss Penrose always shakes the bell twice slowly, followed by three quick shakes.”

“That's right,” Robbie agreed. “She showed me how to do it.”

“Stop it, children,” Betty said, looking at Colin and noting how stricken his features had become. She could also see that the children were giving Netta Chinmurra hope that would only be dashed.

“Wait,” Pee Wee said. “I heard that. It does sound like the school bell.”

“Don't be silly, Pee Wee. It can't be,” Joyce said. “Everyone in town is here.”

Even though no one believed the school bell was ringing, the townsfolk fell silent, listening. One by one, looks of amazement changed their expressions. They all heard the bell.

Without waiting for permission, the children took off through the bush. Their parents were left to follow, calling after them.

Jiana and Lara were standing outside the school, as they did on school mornings when they greeted their students.

“It's no use, Jiana,” Lara said in frustration. “Wherever they are, they haven't heard the bell.”

“Keep ringing,” Jiana insisted.

Lara began again, ringing the bell, over and over.

From where she was standing, Jiana could see up the track leading to the Aboriginal community.

The children were the first to appear, coming out of the vegetation on the side of the track that led to the community. Harry came first, followed by Robbie, and then the others. The children yelled excitedly when they saw Lara and Jiana, and ran towards the women as fast as their little legs would carry them. Lara and Jiana almost cried with delight.

By the time the boys reached Lara and Jiana, and threw their arms around them, Betty came out of the vegetation beside the track. She stopped still, her hand going to her mouth, when she saw Lara and Jiana. Even from a distance, Lara could tell she was crying. She thought it was because Colin wasn't with them and her heart sank.

Then Monty and Charlie came out of the vegetation, followed by several aborigines. Jiana started walking that way, slowly at first, and then quickening her steps. When she saw her mother appear, she began running.

Netta almost collapsed when she saw her daughter. The shock was too much for her. She had to be held upright by Nellie and Jinney. When Jiana reached her mother, she threw her arms around her. The other members of the community crowded around her with huge smiles and tears rolling down their faces.

Rizza, Carmel, and Rex appeared, with baby Billie cradled in his mother's arms. They caught up with Betty, Monty, and Charlie, with Kiwi on his shoulder, as they hurried towards Lara with smiles of joy. Slowly, members of the community appeared, including dogs and cats, all overjoyed to see Jiana and Lara.

Left alone in the cave, Colin looked down at his daughter, still sitting beside him on the sandy floor. “You know it can't be Miss Penrose ringing the school bell, don't you?” he said emotionally.

Ruthie looked up at her father. “I know you are sad, papa, and mama said Miss Penrose was killed when the city was bombed, along with lots of people. But what happened wasn't your fault.”

“You don't understand, Ruthie,” Colin said gently. How could he explain it was his fault? He should've been looking after Lara and Jiana. He should've taken them with him to Doctor's Gully and then they wouldn't have been in a building that was bombed. Or he could've driven them to pick up their pays, instead of parking by the pub. And then they'd have been gone when the building was bombed. He'd gone over the scenario so many times. If only he'd done things differently.

Colin put his arm around his daughter, squeezing her gently. He understood that Ruthie was too young to understand death, or wars. He could hardly understand it himself. “Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” he murmured and wished he'd died instead of Lara and Jiana.

Betty threw her arms around Lara and almost squeezed the life out of her. The biggest smile split her face. “You're alive,” she whispered emotionally. “You're alive!”

“Yes, I'm alive,” Lara said feeling guilty that Betty was so happy and she was about to break her heart. The rest of the residents crowded around her, hugging and kissing her. She wanted to ask about the terrible smell enveloping them, and now her, but she didn't.

Betty looked at Lara's drawn features. “You've lost weight,” she noted, but she could also tell that something was wrong. “Were you hurt when the city was bombed?” She looked her over.

“I only suffered a few minor scratches, but...”

“I'm sorry I smell like bat pee, we all do,” Betty said. “We've spent the night in a bat cave. It was just horrible.”

Lara was trying to find the right words, but there weren't any. “We couldn't find ... Colin, Betty,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. She glanced at the children, all looking at her with huge smiles on their faces. The last thing she wanted to do was break their hearts, but it was inevitable.

“He couldn't find you, either,” Betty said. “He thought you'd been killed.”

Lara looked at Betty blankly. “How ... how do you know that?”

“He told us. He convinced us you and Jiana had been killed. But thank the Lord you are all right. It's a miracle.” Betty hadn't been so happy in a long while.

“So ... Colin is here?” Lara glanced at the happy faces surrounding her, but she couldn't see his. “He's all right. He's not dead.”

“No, he's not dead, although he's a different man. He hasn't touched a drink since he's been home and it's driving me crazy.”

“Me, too,” Monty said. “I've lost my drinking partner.”

“He's convinced it's his fault you didn't make it,” Betty said. “He feels just terrible.”

“But I did...”

“We can see that,” Betty said, hugging her again.

Lara laughed with joy. “I've been dreading telling you and the children that ... Where's Colin. I need to see him for myself.”

“He should've been right behind us.” Betty turned to look for him. “Robbie, take Lara to your father. I'm going to change and wash this stinking bat pee off me, and then I'm going to put the kettle on. After I've had a good cup of tea, you children are taking a bath.”

As Lara and Robbie walked towards the cave, Lara asked why they hadn't gone down the air raid shelter.

“After all the rain, it's like a small billabong in there,” Robbie said. “Uncle Monty was worried one of the walls would collapse and it did,” he added. “Mama had a fit about that and said it was just as well we weren't down there.”

“So where did you go? You mama mentioned a cave.”

“The Aborigines took us to a cave they knew about. It was full of bats and they stink something terrible. Mama and the other ladies complained all night, especially when the bats started flying about.”

“I can imagine,” Lara said, thinking they'd had a terrible time.

Just before they turned off the track, Lara called out to Jiana, who was still hugging her mother. “Colin is here, Jiana. He's alive,” she shouted with a smile. Jiana's smile broadened and she waved.

Robbie took Lara along a tiny track they'd made by trampling the vegetation. “Papa's in that cave up ahead,” he said, pointing along the track to where there were large boulders below an escarpment. “I'm going fishing, Miss Penrose,” he said and ran away before she could tell him he had to ask his mother first.

Lara thought of the bats and cringed, but she gingerly walked towards the cave. When she got to the opening she could just make out Colin in the dim interior. He was standing up and brushing sand off his clothes. Ruthie was beside him.

“I suppose we had better go,” he said to Ruthie as he turned towards the opening.

“Saints preserve us,” he said startled, going white with fright. He thought he was going crazy because he could see the silhouette of Lara. With the light behind her, he couldn't make out her facial features, but he could see blond hair. For a few seconds he thought her ghost was haunting him.

“Miss Penrose,” Ruthie said, running towards Lara with her arms open. Lara scooped her up and hugged her.

“I knew you weren't dead,” Ruthie said, squeezing her.

“Don't take this the wrong way, but you smell awful, Ruthie,” Lara said, wrinkling her nose.

“Its bat pee,” Ruthie said grinning to reveal she'd lost a front tooth in Lara's absence.

Lara put her down. “Your mother is running you a bath,” she said. “You go on. I need to speak to your father.”

Unlike her brothers, Ruthie was delighted at the prospect of a bath, so she scampered off.

“You're a sight for sore eyes, Colin,” Lara said as he came towards her.

“I can't believe you are standing right in front of me,” Colin said in shock. He touched her shoulder to make sure she wasn't an apparition.

“We thought you were dead, too.”

“Where've you been?”

“That's a long story, but Jiana and I walked for miles and then got a ride home from Corroboree billabong with a fisherman.”

“I thought you were in the education department building when it blew up,” Colin croaked emotionally as his eyes welled with tears. “Come here,” he said with open arms. “I need to hug you to make sure you are real.”

Lara began crying, too. She went into his open arms and they held each other, something they never expected would happen.

“It sure stinks around here,” Lara said after a minute, dabbing her tears.

“Come on, lass,” Colin sniffed, with one arm around her shoulders. “I've sure got a thirst for a beer.”

Lara knew he felt like his old self again, but she couldn't resist telling him off. “You should never drink before lunchtime and I know you haven't had breakfast yet.”

Colin remembered similar words when she last spoke to him on the February 19.

“I'm sure it's lunchtime somewhere,” he said with a grin.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

“I had hoped that Rick would be here when I got back,” Lara said as she and Colin walked towards the rectory. “Do you know where he is?”

“I ... no ... I don't.” Colin felt panicked and his heart began thumping and his skin turned florid.

Lara had many questions about Rick, but she could see that Colin suddenly looked ill, and she was worried. “Are you all right, Colin?” she asked, stopping to have a good look at him. “The shock of finding out I'm alive has been too much for you, hasn't it?”

“It is overwhelming,” Colin agreed, feeling like a louse because she seemed genuinely concerned. “I don't feel too good at all and I must stink. I don't know how you can stand being close to me.”

“That's exactly how I felt after being in the same clothes for days,” Lara said with empathy. “It must've horrible trying to sleep in a bat cave. I'm sure you need a good cup of tea and something to eat, as well as a bath.”

“I do,” Colin readily agreed. He needed time to work out how to tell Lara that Rick was likely killed in Darwin while looking for her, but he had no idea how to break it to her gently.

“I'll meet you at the pub in an hour or so, unless you want a sleep,” Lara said.

“I couldn't sleep if I wanted to,” Colin admitted truthfully.

“Oh dear, I nearly forgot I have a house guest at the moment.”

“A house guest! Who would that be?”

“His name is Ross Crosby. He brought us home from Corroboree billabong. I promised I'd introduce him to the locals and shout him a few beers for helping us, but it's a bit early for beer, isn't it, so I'll make him breakfast first?”

“It's never too early for a beer,” Colin said, never in more need. “I'll see you at the pub a bit later.”

“Promise me you'll have breakfast as soon as you get home. You'll feel better for it.”

“I promise,” Colin said, just glad to get away.

Instead of going home, Colin went straight to the pub, where Monty was opening up. “God, I need a beer,” he said desperately.

“That's the Colin I know and love,” Monty grinned. “But isn't it a bit early, even for you?”

“I haven't had a beer in days,” Colin said. “How can it be too early?”

“True,” Monty agreed, pouring him a tall glass of amber fluid with froth on top.

Colin sculled the beer in one go and sighed with satisfaction. “That was good,” he said, using the back of his hand to wipe his mouth.

“It must've been a surprise to see Lara,” Monty said.

“Aye, it was, but she wants to know where Rick is. Put on the spot, I didn't know what to tell her.”

“You have to tell her the truth,” Monty said.

“Why me?” Colin said indignantly.

“Because you told Rick she was dead,” Monty said firmly. “And that's why he's missing.”

“You're right,” Colin agreed, overwhelmed with regret. “I was so sure...”

“So what are you going to tell her?”

“I'm not telling her that Rick is dead, that's for sure, because although it's likely, we can't be truly certain.”

“I'm glad you've learned a lesson, Colin.”

“Believe me, I have. Seeing Lara again was wonderful, and I'm so happy for Netta Chinmurra. But I have no idea how I'm going to tell Lara the man she loves is missing and possibly dead?”

“Rick ... is missing and you think he's ... dead?” Lara said tearfully. She'd come up to the store to buy eggs and bread for breakfast.

Colin spun around. “Lara!”

“Is it true, Colin?” she asked, devastated.

“He ... we don't know where he is. I shouldn't have said he was possibly dead, because I don't know. I was wrong about you, wasn't I?”

“Did you tell Rick that you thought I was dead?”

Colin dropped his head. “I really believed you'd been killed, Lara.”

“Oh, God, no,” Lara said, sagging onto a chair. “He didn't believe you and he went to the city to find me, didn't he?”

“We suspect that's what he did,” Monty said gently.

“You should've stopped him.”

“As if we could,” Colin said. “He was a man on a mission.”

“We thought he'd be back by now, but that doesn't mean he came to any harm,” Monty said. “But he was upset and probably wanted some time alone. We can't think the worst. We have to hold out hope.”

“Why didn't you tell me this earlier?” Lara asked Colin accusingly.

“I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to break your heart,” Colin said. “I know how much you love Rick. I'm so sorry, Lara.”

Lara stood up. “So am I,” she said and headed home again.

“Do you want another beer?” Monty asked Colin. He could see that he was devastated.

“No, I do not,” Colin snapped and left the hotel.

Monty shook his head, predicting another dry spell.

“I saw Lara running home and she looked like she was crying,” Betty said to Colin when he entered the store. She'd been married to him long enough to read the guilty expression on his face. “You told her about Rick, didn't you?”

“Not exactly, but she knows the truth.”

“I hope you didn't tell her he was dead, did you?”

“Not exactly, Betty.”

“Stop saying that and explain yourself. What did you tell her, exactly?”

“She overheard me talking to Monty and I was saying that I couldn't tell Lara that Rick was missing and possibly dead.”

“Oh, no,” Betty said, rolling her eyes.

“When she queried me I told her we don't know where Rick is and Monty told her that perhaps Rick just wants some time alone. From that she gathered that I'd told Rick she'd been killed in the city.”

“And Lara is a clever girl, so she soon worked out that Rick went to the city to search for her,” Betty said.

“That's right.”

Betty sighed in exasperation. She had planned to go and see Lara and break the news gently. “I can't trust you to do anything right, can I?” she moaned.

A little while later, Betty knocked on Lara's door. She wasn't surprised when a man answered because Colin had just told her that Lara had a guest. “Hello, I'm Betty Jeffries. I run the store with my husband, Colin.”

“Ross Crosby. I brought Lara and Jiana back from Corroboree billabong.”

“So I've been told. Thank you for helping the girls. I was actually looking for Lara. I thought she might need some fresh eggs, bread, and milk.”

“Come in,” Ross said. “Lara's in her room. She came in crying. I don't know why and I didn't like to pry. Actually, I was thinking I should leave and give her some privacy.”

Betty put the bread, eggs, and milk on the table. “Perhaps I can explain, but while I'm doing that, I may as well cook you and Lara some breakfast. I'm sure you are hungry.”

“Are you sure I'm not in the way?”

“Not at all.” Betty took a pan outside and put it on the camp stove. Ross followed her. “My husband took Lara and Jiana into the city on the day of the first bombings. They went their separate ways and planned to meet up, and then the Japs attacked. Colin thought that Lara and Jiana had been killed. He came home devastated. He told Lara's boyfriend that she'd been killed. Of course he didn't want to believe it, so he took off to the city to find her and he hasn't come back, so now everyone thinks he might've been killed. Lara has just found out why he's not here and naturally she's devastated.”

“Oh, I understand. It's a sad story,” Ross said.

“How did you come across the girls?”

“I met up with them near Corroboree billabong. They'd apparently walked from the Arnhem Highway.”

Betty was shocked. “That's miles,” she gasped.

“It is. I don't know how they made it that far, but while Jiana was refilling water canteens Lara fell asleep by the billabong. I guess she was exhausted, but luckily I happened along at just the right time.”

“She fell asleep by the billabong! That could've been a fatal mistake,” Betty said.

“It very nearly was. I shot a ten-foot croc just as he was about to make a meal out of her.”

Betty gasped. “Luckily for her you came along when you did,” she said, shaking her head as she imagined the scene.

“I guess it was fate,” Ross said. “I was looking for firewood. I always carry a gun because I've had a few close encounters with crocs myself.”

“That wasn't Lara's first close call with a crocodile, either,” Betty said. “Actually, that would be her third. If you are to believe what she says, a crocodile more than sixteen feet long scared the life out of her right in the doorway of the kitchen just days after she got here.”

Ross looked amazed. “Strangely, I'd believe that,” he said. “I've seen some monsters in the ten years I've lived on my boat and they can be cunning. You hear all kinds of unbelievable stories when you talk to some of the old timers.”

“Most of the locals don't believe that particular story, but I don't know what to think anymore. Lots of extraordinary things seem to happen to Lara. I just hope losing the man she loves, after surviving the bombing of Darwin, isn't one of them.”

Ross said goodbye to Lara after breakfast and left. She was still very upset. She told Betty that she wanted to be alone, and then locked the door to the rectory. The children knocked on her door, wanting to spend time with her, but she couldn't face them and pretend everything was all right. Instead, she lay on her bed and cried for most of the day.

In the evening, Lara went down to the jetty and stood looking across the billabong, willing Rick to appear. He didn't. She went back to bed, but lay awake thinking of all the wonderful moments they'd shared. In her mind she could see his cheeky smile, his warm brown eyes, and almost feel his wonderful kisses. She couldn't imagine going on without him. She slept fitfully for a short while and then lay awake again, listening to the crickets and the night birds. Eventually, she decided to get up and sit outside, where she made tea and waited for dawn to break.

As the sun rose, casting patches of warm color in the dark sky, Lara walked down to the jetty again. Seeing the empty space where Rick's boat had been moored broke her heart. Tears welled in her eyes. She brushed them away impatiently with the back of her hand. She knew that the jetty and the billabong would forever remind her of Rick if he didn't come back. In the silence, peppered only with the sound of awakening birds, she heard the motor of a boat in the distance and her heart leapt with hope. She stood watching and listening, but the sounded faded away.

In her mind, Lara could imagine Rick's boat being caught up in another bombing raid on the harbor. She thought of all the dangers and scenarios that might've played out. She was tortured by thoughts that a plane had strafed his boat as he made his way towards the harbor. She felt sick when she thought of him losing his life trying to find her.

“Come back to me, Rick,” she whispered softly as tears trickled down her cheeks.

She heard footsteps behind her and spun around. “Rick!”

“Sorry, it's only me,” Rex said. He could see how disappointed she was. “I saw you from my window and I wanted to confess that it was me who gave Rick fuel to go and find you, so if something has happened to him, I'm at least partly responsible and I feel just terrible about it.”

“It's not your fault, Rex. We all know how determined he can be. Once he makes up his mind about something, there's no stopping him.”

Rex appreciated her generosity. “He was a fine fella ... is a fine fella,” he corrected.

“You believe he's alive, don't you?”

Rex caught the hope in her voice and thought about the answer. “I think he's heartbroken, but I don't think he's dead.”

“We're both heartbroken,” Lara said. “I walked for miles and miles to get home. I'm fond of all of you, but it was Rick's love that gave me strength to keep going.”

“And it's that love that will bring him home,” Rex promised.

Ross hadn't gone straight back to Corroboree billabong. Instead, after saying goodbye to Lara, he'd spent the afternoon fishing on Shady Camp billabong, and then made camp for the night. That morning he'd had a successful few hours fishing and had caught several barra of a good size and a few saratogas. He was looking for a good spot to moor the boat, so that he could make a fire and cook some of his catch, when he saw a larger boat moored just inside Sampan Creek, under some trees. He slowed as he went past the creek, but didn't see signs of life aboard. As it was mid-morning, he expected the boat's owner would've been fishing. There was no campfire on the bank of the creek, no fishing lines dangling over the side of the boat. He thought this was strange, but the boat's owner was entitled to privacy, so he decided to proceed on with the intention of minding his own business. He was about to open the throttle on the motor of his boat, when he thought he heard someone yell out.