Charlotte's Creek by Therese Creed

Author:Therese Creed
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC000000, book
ISBN: 9781743437599
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2014-04-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

The dry season had well and truly sucked the last of the moisture from the landscape, and what remained of the grass was little more than standing straw. Lucy’s evening walks now took her through a bleached landscape, the road hard and dusty beneath her feet. The coats of the cows were dull and rough, their summer plumpness all but gone. Dennis and Ted were kept busy continuously checking and refilling molasses and mineral licks in the paddocks. The lagoons were low, and largely devoid of birdlife and the usual buzzing clouds of insects. The snakes were all asleep, and not a single frog had adorned the homestead veranda for many weeks.

The second half of August brought warmer weather but still no sign of rain. The thirsty ground was cracking in places, and all the adults seemed distracted and harried. Even the children fell silent each day for the TV weather report. Then, for over a week, large areas of the property were ravaged by fire. For much of this time, Lucy was left in charge of the kids while Mel, in spite of her expanding belly, went out with the men to fight the blazes and back-burn.

A day of drenching rain came at last, extinguishing in minutes what the feeble humans had been battling to contain for days. Mel, back in the house again, grumbled about the jobs that had mounted up in her absence. The frogs soon reappeared. When the sun came out again, the reptiles began to stir, and the children showed Lucy their winding tracks in the dirt.

One ordinary mid-term Tuesday, Lucy was given the day off. Mel had arranged an antenatal check-up at Townsville hospital, and she was making the most of the trip by taking all the children to the dentist.

‘I’ve got just over a month till I have to have this baby,’ Mel had explained to Lucy the day before. ‘Better go for at least one check-up.’

Lucy was secretly thrilled at the prospect of a whole day to herself at Charlotte’s Creek. Once the noisy family had departed, tranquillity settled over the old buildings. She stood for a moment taking in the scene from the veranda of her cottage. A hawk circled and hovered above the Hospital paddock, and a breath of air carried to Lucy the fresh smell of the rain that had fallen during the night. An insect buzzed lazily past her ear, and the poplar gums that shaded her cottage rustled gently. She suddenly wondered if Lotte was about, perhaps enjoying the peace as well.

After collecting the eggs from the chicken coop and putting them away in the fridge, Lucy decided to sit out on the veranda of the main house. No sooner had she curled up in the squatter’s chair with her book than Ted rattled over in one of the utes.

‘Westy about?’ he asked through the open window.

‘No. I haven’t seen him since early this morning.’

‘Righto. Well, if he wants me, I’m out checking the high country.’

‘Okay .

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