AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES:

Chapter 6: A Rocky Day

"I know," he murmured, taking her hand, moving it to his mouth where he placed a long, deep kiss in the center of her palm. "I know."
 

He fell asleep again, her hand flat between his two under his cheek. She could not help but smile. He may be a great soldier, a warrior without compare, but as a man, he knew more than most how to give of himself to a woman, how to 'be' for her.
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After two more days bushwalking, they found themselves nearing the Cathedral Rocks National Park. All morning they had been on guard as Himself had told them to keep their eyes peeled for Fred Ward, better known as Captain Thunderbolt, a 19th century bushranger who had lost track of time and still lurked about the area whenever epis came innocently by. Himself had taken Biebe aside, telling him quietly about Thunderbolt's infatuation with a particular lady whose last name was Bugg.

 

 

"He may think your Buggie is his lost love," he warned Biebe. "He's a famous cattle duffer. You need to make sure he doesn't have a chance to become a Buggie duffer."

 

 

"What's a Buggie duffer," the lady in question asked, having approached the conversing duo unseen.

 

 

Himself was not about to supply her with the more arcane Aussie meaning of the word, not wanting to frighten her, so he just smiled and said, "Oh, hi, Buggie! We're just discussing, um, inept golfers and...and...their carts."
 

She knew they weren't. Did they think she'd fallen off the basket boat just yesterday?

 

Steve was happy. "Look!" he shouted to Laura. "Just look at all the neat formations!" He was hopping about, taking picture after picture of the massive tors of granite with their distinctive shapes, urging her to pose for him here and there amongst them as it was not only the curves of the rocks he was interested in. She humored him, enjoying his excitement, his enthusiasm as he set up his shots. She liked seeing him like this. He was pleased with her, too. "You seem to know what you're doing," he remarked. She smiled. He had much yet to learn about her.
 

Stephen checked again on Maximus' wound, then went off to study the nesting habits of the wedge-tailed eagles that lived in the park. The General's leg was much improved and he could bear his weight on it once more...though Joimus still kept his armor safely folded in her backpack for the time being. Franki had her hands full with trying to convince Nash that Charles would be back as soon as Stephen had taken sufficient notations on the eagle nests. Between all the woundings and all the wildlife, Charles had been being Stephen way more frequently than Nash preferred. It was making him nervous.

Terry climbed a tall tor, giving him an excellent view of the New England tableland spread out around them. His eyes scanned the mixture of tall eucalpyt forest and sub-alpine heathlands, looking for any sign of Bud. He thought he saw movement down a far ravine, but sighed when a grey kangaroo hopped out from behind a flowering shrub.
 

A moment later and he was joined by Jack, bringing his telescope to bear on the vast expanse. After a complete 360 scan, the Captain shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing," he sighed.

 

 

"You saw him leave," Terry said. "How did he seem to you?"

 

Jack shook his head, his lips pressed together. "Bad. Really, really bad. I've never seen him hold his shoulders like he was doing. Everything was different, even his walk."

 

 

 

"You know about his Mom...when he was a kid? Took 3 days for the truant officer to find him tied there like that, her dead the whole time."

 

 

Jack nodded. "I know. I've always found it...unthinkably barbaric."

Terry sighed again. "He's known a lot of pain in his life, but this just may be the topper." He looked seriously at the Captain. "This I'm not at all sure he can bear."

At that very moment Bud lay on his tummy amongst some low scrub that grew along the banks of the small stream that flowed past the Barokee Rest Area. He hadn't drunk since yesterday and his tongue felt thick and heavy in his mouth.

For some days now all that had passed his lips had been only water and he could tell he was rapidly beginning to lose strength. He lay there, his chin resting on his folded hands, just staring at the shallow stream. A tall yook close to his left cast its shade here, making the water look dark. As he watched its flow, it seemed to him to grow steadily darker in color until the blue-blackness of it took on a reddish tinge. His jaw muscles began to work and he blinked rapidly, trying to make the sight of it go away. Instead, the little ripples grew higher, their upper edges now bright red, then giving him no warning, the current turned and flowed directly toward him. Before he could spring to his feet, the red waters splashed him full in his face. He choked, gagged, half running-half crawling toward the large outcropping of granite behind him, vomiting as he went. He lifted bloodshot eyes to the highest of the tors. This had to end. He would end it...now.

The young wallaby was the cutest thing Joimus had ever seen. She looked back at Maximus. He was seated comfortably, talking with Sid and Bunny. She would just follow the wallaby down the trail a bit, see where it went. Quietly she slipped around a large rock, out of sight.

 

It was a beautiful blue, warm day and she enjoyed watching the cockatoos, inhaling the scent of the wildflowers and flowering shrubs. She hummed Waltzing Matilda as she walked, figuring that to be the most appropriate thing one could hum at such a moment, in such a place. Until today she hadn't realized there was a part of Australia even called New England. Having lived in both Boston and Newport as a child, New England had always meant something quite different in her mind. Distracted by her thoughts and by the sights around her, she had gone quite some distance before she realized it.

 

 

"Oh, well," she thought, checking the position of the sun. "I can always find my way back." The wallaby disappeared around a sharp bend, leading her towards a large jumble of oddly-shaped tors. "Now where did you go?" she said, trying to locate it again. Having no luck with that, she turned her attention to the tors themselves. How very striking they were! Some were tall, slender, other short and plump. All were rounded with long years of weathering. She saw a small stream not far away and realized she must be near the Barokee Rest Area. Good! Himself had told them about the path from there that would take her back to the Native Dog Creek camping area where the cast had settled in. Feeling even more secure, then, about finding her way, she decided to explore the tors before returning. Pale yellow gossamer was not the best thing, actually, to climb rocks whilst wearing, but...what the heck!

 

 

Finding a series of toeholds, she made her way up the second highest of the tors. Ah! How worth it that was! She sat down, hands clasped around her knees, and just gazed off into the distance for long moments, letting the wind blow her hair back. It was so...perfect. Well, it would have been had Maximus been at her side!

A sudden noise attracted her attention and she looked toward the stream, gasping when she saw Bud scrambling, falling, as he made his way toward the tors. Quickly she stood, hurrying to get down from the height, to get to him, to let him know she was all right. She heard him getting closer and turned slightly to call, "Bud!" Her foot slipped and she fell the last 15 feet, landing hard on her back on the rocky base of the tor.

Back at the camp, both Maximus and Sid suddenly looked up, startled. Their eyes sought out one another's. For them it was as though some constant blip on their inner radar screens had suddenly winked off.
 

"No!" Maximus roared, springing to his feet, turning in a small, crouched circle as though trying to get some bearing.

"This way!" Sid hollered, sprinting down the small pathway.

Bud's eyes were filled with red. The sky, the rocks, the trees... everything had become a deep, dark red. He paused, hardly able to stand, leaning forward, his palms resting on his thighs. His leg muscles trembled with the effort of maintaining his balance. He tipped his head up, studying the highest tor. It would do fine...if only he could manage the climb. Breathing heavily, he took one step, two, then fell to his knees. Curling forward, he beat on the ground with his fists. He would NOT let this weakness keep him from doing what he must! Heaving himself back to his feet, he locked his jaw, curled his upper lip, and staggered toward the tors.

Climbing over the lower rocks was almost too much for him, but somehow he managed it by sheer willpower. He would keep his last appointment. Gasping with the effort to breathe, he made his way more deeply amongst them, heading to where the three tallest stood side by side. Only the tallest would do. He needed to be...sure. He kept his eyes locked on the summit of that one as he neared it.

It was, thusly, that he failed to note the loose rock that turned sideways under his foot, sending him sprawling. He lay there a moment, his fingernails scratching against the rocks he lay upon, gathering his determination for his final ascent. Lifting his head to look up at the rounded peak, he stopped his gaze, blinking, confused, by the sight of yellow. Hefting himself to his knees, he looked toward the base of the slightly lower tor. Something yellow lay there, ruffling softly in the breeze. He frowned. He was in no mood for distractions. Half crawling again, he continued, intending to pass it by. When he got within a few feet of it, though, he sat back, suddenly overcome with dizziness. This was too much! The air, the rocks were all still red and...now...floating there in the midst of it all was...Joimus.

He closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly shut. This was not real! He looked again and she was still there. Again he closed his eyes, hitting his forehead over and over with the heels of his hands. "Stop it!" he shouted. "STOP IT!"
 

He looked again and tears began to course down his cheeks. Why wouldn't she go away?? Perhaps if he tried to touch her, then his mind would know she was not real? He crawled up beside her, reaching out, his fingers trembling, he rested his palm on her shoulder. He blinked. It didn't go through her! He pulled his hand back, covering his eyes with it, his shoulders shaking. He knew now his mind was entirely gone.

 

 

He lifted his eyes to the tor again. "I'm coming," he whispered. He stood, took one step, and tripped over her, falling across her legs.

 

 

"Wh..what?" he muttered, sitting back, then touching her knee. A fold of her gossamer fluttered in the wind, brushing over the back of his hand, making it tingle slightly. Instantly he was back in that first night alone when the yellow had rivered over his hands. He swallowed hard several times, his face starting to crumple as he turned, getting on all fours beside her. Putting his fingers on her neck, he found a pulse. He sat back on his heels, shaking his head. How could this BE? How could she be here...HERE...at his chosen place to come to his ending? It made no sense! He felt dizzy again and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to make the feeling go away.

Sid was faster than Maximus and came around the bend into the tors first, skidding to a sudden halt at the sight awaiting him. His mouth opened slightly in surprise. Bud! Bud was there, crouching beside Joimus.