Review of Australian Fiction, Volume 11, Issue 5 by Leah Swann

Author:Leah Swann
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781922171672
Publisher: Review of Australian Fiction

On a good day she can say to herself, we have to go slowly, we live one moment at a time. And sometimes, just sometimes, there seems to be a sliver of hope—a laugh, a touch, an approach—light through the slats, the shutters, the wooden louvres. These are the good days, the days of knowing that to live in peace is enough. She can pause in a moment as if it is a falling tear and watch the way he dwells with the is-ness of things—a turtle sunning itself on his bare thigh, a starfish sprawled across his palm, a frog pulsing breath against his neck. He is living, she thinks.

He said once, I want to show you something, and he led her to a tree that he would save from burning. She watched him stomp out the flames that wanted to find a way in, saw his fingers touch the singed bark with a knowing calm. They visited the tree for days after. It has survived this time, he said, maybe not next time.

She wonders how the tree is, back there in the north, in the tropics, braving the great clouds, the lightning storms.

They would return one day, to the house un-renovated and boarded up, the boxes and the endless debris of their lives on hold. Perhaps everything would rot before they got there. Perhaps that would not be a bad thing. They could stay here, in the cooler south and leave the oppressive heat and past behind. She is no longer sure she wants to return to the north, to set up a new house, and begin the slow grind in all that humid air, with the baby and the sick man.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.