Pete(14)‘Intervention Plan’ (Young adult; adventure/sci-fi) — Peter S.Wall
March 5th 2008 05:30
ELEVEN
'All alone'
By the time Tomas and Sammy reached the headland above Wombarra Baths, the sun had dipped below the escarpment and a cool southerly wind was whipping the surf into a broiling white mess. Usually, one or two people were in the pool doing laps. This afternoon, except for a flock of hardy gulls lining the deep-end wall, the place was devoid of life.
Tomas turned to Sammy. "Well, they’re not here, so I might head home," he said, setting off up the road rubbing his hands together for warmth. Not thinking, he’d left his jumper in his school bag.
"Mum and dad should be home by now, they'll take me for a look around in the car, " Tomas replied.
"My parents don't get home till late," said Sammy, emotion quavering her voice.
Tomas could tell she was on the verge of tears. "Hey, I'll keep a lookout for Libby on the way,” he said. “She'll turn-up, just like Bluey will. They'll be off chasing rabbits somewhere, you'll see."
"I hope so,” said Sammy, forcing a weak smile. “It’s just that there's so much danger around these days, so many bad things happening. Did you hear about that crazy gang of youths torturing those poor puppies, what sort of sick people would do that? I just want Libby home, safe and sound."
“Yeah, there’s some sickos around alright,” Tomas said. Sammy reminded Tomas a bit of his mother, always going on about the state of society, wars and such. It must be a woman-thing. He waited for Sammy to catch-up, admitting to himself that she wasn't a bad chick—for a girl. "Look,” he said, “Libby will come home, don’t worry. And if I see her anywhere around, I'll give you a call, okay."
Feeling awkward, Tomas quickly set-off at a jog surprised at the fuzzy-feeling welling inside him.
Dusk had settled under the escarpment by the time Tomas reached his front yard. He half-expected, hoped, Bluey would come tearing out and jump all over him. But all was quiet except for the mournful cry of a 'whoop' bird, which only served to add to his fretful mood. He pulled off his school shoes on the back verandah with the delicious smell of his mother’s cooking tantalising his nostrils. He opened the screen-door to find his father seated on the lounge, watching TV. "Dad, Bluey's gone missing again!" He blurted out.
"What?" His father replied. Dressed in his work-suit, John sat waiting for the nightly news to come-on. "When did you last see him?"
"This morning when I went to school,” said Tomas. “I've been looking for him all over the place."
"And where have you been young man?" His mother asked, walking in from the kitchen. She wore a pink apron and brandished a wooden spoon in her right hand. "And still in uniform, I might add."
"Bluey's gone missing again,” he repeated. “The last time I seen him was this morning. Can you take me for a drive to see if I can find him? Please mum," Tomas pleaded.
"Do you know where he'd be?" His mother asked, running her free hand through Tomas’ hair.
"The last place I seen him was sniffing around the change-sheds at the oval, then when we went to leave for the bus, he was nowhere around."
"Well, I'm in the middle of cooking tea, but perhaps your father could take you for a drive."
Just then, John Banks raised his right hand and "shooshed" them quiet. He raised the volume on the TV. A male news-presenter seated behind a desk then told them: "The 'Korean stand-off', as it’s now known, may continue indefinitely, with the North moving its forces back the required 50 kilometres, and not one inch more. Kim Jon Ill affirmed his country’s right to amass military units anywhere it likes inside its own borders. President Bash stated in an earlier press release, that the American people would continue to support their democratic-allies in the South.”
"What are they trying to achieve," said Tomas' mother, shaking her head in dismay.
"Who can be the biggest boofhead," suggested Tomas.
"That'll be enough of that, young man," His father admonished him, turning down the volume on the television. "At times you have to take a stand for what you believe is right." With a sigh, he then rose from the lounge. "Come on then, I'll take you for a look before we get cleaned-up for dinner."
Inside his father’s white, government-supplied Ford Ghia, as they checked the oval, the beach, then drove up north to Clifton, and back down south to Austinmer, Tomas had time to reflect on the strange events of the past two days. Not knowing what else to do, he turned to his Dad for some advice. "Bluey has been acting strange lately," he said.
"Like what, mate?” His father asked, negotiating the corner to Morrison Avenue with tyres squealing, gunning the motor of big Ford up the steep incline. “When you asked me to look at him the other day, has that got something to do with all this?"
"Sort of,” Tomas scratched his head. “Well, it all started the morning after Bluey went missing. He wasn't anywhere to be seen when I left for the oval. Then, he turned-up later jumping and dancing around like a crazy dog, and then suddenly, took-off for home. I ran after him and when I got there, he was under the house hiding like something had scared the hell out of him. Then, there's the way he went on in the coal mine and the weird rabbit…I don't know, he’s just not the same any more."
"Slow down, mate." John Banks gave his son a stern look. "Tomas, how many times have I told you not to go mucking around in that old mine!"
"I know, dad, I'm sorry but…."
"But nothing son, you could fall down an old shaft and no-one would even know you're there."
Tomas realised that his days of using the old mine for a shortcut were over. "The thing is dad, Bluey's been acting real weird, almost like a person there for a while. Then that rabbit attacked old Ma's dog in the mine….”
"What! Rabbits don't attack dogs, it's the other way around."
"Yeah well this one did," Tomas assured him. "Not only that, it dived straight down the shaft-vent after it took a bite out of ‘im."
John Banks shook his head. “Rabbits don't dive down mineshaft vents, either.” He drove into the driveway of their home, stopped the car, and turned to look at his son. “What else has been going on in that mine, Tomas?”
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