Friday in Summer

When the Dodger decided he would go and check up on Hamish, although we called it something like: ‘help him with whatever is delaying his return’, I didn’t think about what it would be like on the grassy knoll on my own, surrounded by the discarded clothing of several people. My mother would have been astonished to see me tidying up: collecting the clothes, sorting them into shirts and trousers, placing them all tidily into the woven basket. But it kept me occupied. I examined the weaving and decided the basket was made from something very like flax, so there must have been more than just the local hemp being used in domestic … blah blah … I was boring myself. I would have eaten out of boredom if there had been anything to eat.

I discovered Hamish’s cache of clothes and smelled them. There was no smell. It was a pity. It illustrated nicely the difference between this place and the real world, where food is tasty and boys are sweaty.

Behind me there was a flash of light and I turned around, full of expectation. A naked stranger stood on the summit of the hill. In his hand a braided string hung down from what had to be the other stone. He started to speak when there was another flash and Jasper appeared. The man and I both put our hands over our ears as the dog yowled: Pain.Pain.Pain…

Jasper’s agony made it impossible to speak or hear. I used my foot to indicate the basket of neatly folded clothing. The man smiled Hamish’s smile and, turning his back, donned a pair of jogging pants. The dog’s screaming lessened. I knelt down beside him. ‘Can I help, Jasper?’

The transition is harder this time. I won’t make the journey again. He raised his head and looked at the man. You have the Mossman stone.

I saw the man’s smile disappear. I put my hand on Jasper’s coat, but he continued. The two stones are in the land. You have only to relinquish the stone you hold, and you and your family will be free.

I looked up at this older, more worn version of Hamish. The eyes were different, and he didn’t look as robust as Hamish had in here, but this had to be Mr McKenzie. His eyes hardened. ‘Free? I tried to free myself of my family, of my family’s past, of the whole shooting match of them and do you know what happened?’ He didn’t wait for an answer. He looked from me to Jasper. ‘They followed me over. I moved here to make a fresh start, and the people who have been bossing my family around for generations followed me. There’s the whole of Australia to choose from, but they came here.’

I looked around and wondered if he was aware that we were not in Australia. Or New Zealand. Jasper sat. ‘I thought the only good thing I got from my family was this.’ He thrust his fist with the stone in it towards my face. I got to my feet. ‘Was this!’ and he turned in a circle indicating the place we stood. ‘But it’s all a lie! If this is the Mossman stone, then my family has lived a lie for generations!’ He finished the circle and stood breathing heavily in front of us, passion spent.

I cast Jasper a ‘What’ll we do now?’ look, but I think he was returning the same look.

Mr McKenzie spoke softly, almost to himself. ‘They’ve even ruined this.’ There was silence. We looked at him: a tired man whose eyes were focussed on the grass under his bare feet. His chest was well-developed for a slight man, and his arms showed he did physically demanding work. He put the stone into his pocket, carefully ensuring the string was stowed safely. He spoke: ‘How do I get rid of it then?’ he asked me.

‘I don’t know.’ I said. He looked at me properly.

‘You’re not one of the locals. Who are you?’

I had a choice to make: truth or lie. I thought about telling a lie, but decided that he had had to deal with enough lies for today. ‘I’m Janice Rhodes.’

He was appropriately stunned. ‘The Rhodes girl! Douglass said something about you and the dog last year.’ He brought it back from an age ago. ‘You’re tied up with the McKenzie story too aren’t you? He said his family had been keeping an eye on yours for years, and that the birth of a girl was a good sign. He also said your lot didn’t know about the Valley until Coles bought the farm off you. Coles is a parasite.’

I‘m not normally superstitious, but when there was a flash of light from the cairn, I knew it had been unlucky to say his name. I started running even before the flash had registered on the other two. Jasper soon overtook me as we heard the bellow of an angry man.

‘What have you done, McKenzie?’ It was so loud it seemed to shake the very edges of the Valley. It shook the goodness of the place. I felt his presence as a violation of the place, and I wondered if that was how our presence felt to the people who lived here. I had automatically taken the same track that we walked when we first arrived, but Jasper running beside me yapped, The village. This way.’ and he turned away from the approaching forest to head across country.

I reassured myself with thoughts of how the Valley was a place of healing, and so any injuries that Mr McKenzie might or might not sustain would heal as soon as they were received. I discounted anything I had heard from Hamish about the effect of the Valley lessening the more times you came in. I just ran. But before we were in sight of the village, I stopped, turned around and started running back. Jasper barked his agreement to my change in plan, but continued on to the village. I really didn’t know what I would do when I faced up to Coles, but I knew that I was in a far better shape to cope with him than Hamish’s dad would be.

It was good to run, I discovered. When it was the right run. My legs had settled into a good length stride. My feet found smooth places to tread and I had already come to an accommodation with gravity. I could make out the knoll in the distance, and could see the two men circling each other, then the naked man charged the other, forcing him onto the ground. I could see that Mr Coles was getting the better of the fight. As I approached I saw Mr McKenzie roll a ways down the hill and rise groggily to his feet.

I was now close to the bottom of the hill. I screamed like one of the Furies bent on revenge. As well as making me feel good, this had the unexpected advantage of drawing both men’s attention when the Dodger appeared in a flash of light. He quickly sized up the situation and threw himself at Coles, knocking him to the ground where Mr McKenzie immobilised him with a basic half-nelson. By the time I burst amongst them, the fighting was over and Dodger was searching for a pair of trousers from the basket.

Mr Coles may have been lying on the ground with Mr McKenzie leaning all his weight on him, both arms trapped, but Coles was neither still nor quiet. Even in his position he continued to try to bully us: ‘There’s nothing you can do to harm me here, McKenzie. You know that. If you let this place go, you know you’ll be in Shit Street just like the rest of us. You’re guilty too you know. The police will find evidence at your place just as much as on the farm.’ and other less printable threats.

There was another flash of light and we all turned our heads to see who had arrived. It was one of the men who had captured us the day before. He had a length of rope over his shoulder and recognised Mr McKenzie when the other called to him in his language. ‘George! Am I glad to see you. Come and tie this man up for me.’ The villager moved to the lower part of the hill as Jasper arrived in another flash of light.

He and Dodger moved to my side. ‘What were you yelling for when I arrived?’

‘An old hockey trick. If you can’t beat them, confuse them.’ I was still on a high from having faced my demons, and had nowhere to put my overwrought emotions. That is why I then proceeded to throw my arms around the Dodger. I’d just been from loneliness to fear to anger to relief, and if I couldn’t hit somebody then I wanted to hug somebody. He stood stiff as a board at the beginning, but then I felt a slight patting on my back. A very unsuccessful attempt at burping a baby, I thought. But enough sympathy to push me over the edge. ‘Where were you? And why is Hamish’s dad here?’ I said as he pulled away from me. ‘And why is Mr Coles still here?’

‘He’s not still here. He’s been away and come back.’ I looked a question at him. ‘I’ve been back at the time and place we left from and Mr Coles didn’t come back to the McKenzie’s. Neither did you. Will you. Will have you.’ He shook his head. ‘And we don’t know how it’s happened, but that gate’s shut.’

‘How did you get in then?’ He didn’t answer. He didn’t look as though he was going to answer. In the background I could hear something worrying going on between the villager and Mr McKenzie.

‘What do you mean my son is dead?’ Hamish’s dad yelled.