Huia Short Stories 12 by Lauren Keenan

Author:Lauren Keenan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Huia (NZ) Ltd

Chapter Two

Signs declared that the Newberry National Volcanic Monument was up ahead.

‘Fuck, I’m so bored. This samey-same landscape is driving me nuts,’ said Emily.

Something splatted against the windscreen leaving a blob of yellow juice. Then there were more light thumps on the glass and more fluid. Olly leaned between the seats to peer out the front window. A cloud of pale yellow butterflies hovered over the road. The trio were quiet as more butterflies kamikazed into the glass. The juice got so thick Dan had to switch on the wipers to see the road. Emily turned up the volume on her Sleater-Kinney CD and sang tunelessly along. Olly was disturbed enough that he didn’t even think to capture the strange moment on film.

Hairpin turns led to the Paulina Peak Overlook. Eventually the cloud of butterflies disappeared but Olly felt suddenly carsick, so when they reached the summit he hopped out quickly. For several minutes he leaned against the car gulping in the fresh mountain air. Glancing down he saw papery wings caught in the wipers and on the SUV’s grill.

There was a view across Paulina Lake and Eastern Lake to a distant mountain range with a few patches of snow. You could also see an undulating grey area where there were no pines growing. It reminded Olly of a giant cowpat and an interpretive sign said this was the Big Obsidian Flow. Paulina Lake itself was the hue of an aquamarine swimming pool, flanked by spiky pines. Feeling less queasy, Olly pulled out his Super 8 camera again, popped in a new film cartridge and swung around to capture his surroundings.

An enormous log floating near the edge of the lake caught his eye and he zoomed in on it.

‘Hey, look at that weird log,’ he said pointing.

‘And it’s weird because why?’ Asked Dan.

‘Dunno. There’s just something weird about it.’

‘You’re fucking weird,’ said Emily from the car, tapping her feet on the dash impatiently.

For a brief moment he imagined his hands around her slender neck, choking the living shit out of her. Dan laughed and got Olly in a playful headlock and rubbed his hair before they hopped back in the car.

They drove for another five minutes to a tollbooth at the park entrance where they paid a camping fee. Inside were four shuttered historic cabins sheltered under the pines. Further along was a car park and campground. There were a few sites on the grey sand at the lake edge and they parked up on one of these. As he stretched his legs Olly read a sign tacked up on a post warning that they were in black bear country. It suggested not surprising bears by hiking in noisy groups during the daytime. It also recommended hanging food from a tree or storing it in the car.

Later, after they set up their tents, he saw Emily carrying pretzels and cookies into the tent she shared with Dan.

‘Didn’t you see the sign?’ he asked.

Emily snorted defiantly. ‘It’s exaggerated. I grew up in Oregon and I’ve never heard of anyone being mauled by a bear.

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