For the past few months, I have been working (???) away on my new writing project which I first alluded to last year. At that time, it was known as "Project Ruby" and I had barely begun sketching an outline of the story. Well, despite some stops and starts since then, I am starting to fully get into the swing of the story and it is evolving well. In fact, it is evolving better than I had anticipated. This morning I passed 30,000 words.
As a work in progress the following preview is pretty rough and I make no apologies for any grammatical flubs that might exist. I am sure there are plenty. But I am excited to be able to share it with you and I welcome - encourage - you to comment.
Actually...I beg you to comment... :)
1951.
Golden beams of a mid afternoon sun shone down
through the canopy of a majestic weeping willow tree. The tree towered above a
water hole, its many leaf-adorned fingers swaying back and forth in the warm
breeze. Penetrating the canopy, those sunbeams knifed downward to strike the
rippling water, touching off silent explosions of light that blossomed and
danced like glittering fairies across the surface. They rode on the tiny waves
that arced out across the water in every direction until they disappeared on
the craggy shore.
This simple operatic ballet continued over and
over, regenerating itself, sustaining a continuous, hypnotic dance of light and
movement.
This opera was reflected in the eyes of the child
that sat on the bank of the waterhole, just forward of the main trunk of the
willow tree. She was utterly transfixed by the beautiful dance, tilting her
head to one side, allowing the light show to carry her imagination on the back
of a cabal of vivid imagery. She was lost in its wonder.
The girl was slight, rake thin - but athletic -
with shining, raven black hair and chocolate brown skin. Her large eyes
reflected the prettiness of the water dance and she blinked every so often as
the sunlight dazzled her vision. The shimmering light danced across her powdery
soft, her flawless cheeks.
She wore a simple cream colored dress with a lilac
flower print. The contrast with her skin was as incongruous as it was pretty.
She sat hunched forward slightly, her sinewy legs outstretched, her bare feet
exposed to a pocket of sunlight that peeped through the canopy of the willow.
Her soles were uncharacteristically tough and leathery in comparison to the
rest of her skin - the result of rarely wearing any form of footwear. Not that
she was in any way aware of this at her age. For Virginia was only 8 years old.
Sppplllaassshhh!!!
Virginia's eloquent reverie was suddenly and
abruptly broken when something - or someone - hit the water in front of
her like a bomb, throwing up glittering cascades of water that thoroughly
drenched not only Virginia, but two of her companions who had been lying beside
her sunning themselves.
"Bloody hell!" Virginia squeaked incongruously, as a
similarly lithe and dark young figure erupted from the water wearing a huge grin
on his face. "You're a menace Bobby!"
Virginia stood up, arms outstretched, her dressed
soaked as the shock of the cool water dissipated but was replaced by the
awkward feeling of wet clothing stuck to her skin.
She cursed under her breath, inadvertently inhaling
some of the water that splashed across her face. She coughed and spluttered for
several moments, wiping furiously at her face.
Virginia had had enough fun in the water for
today. Having only recently recovered from a prolonged bout of illness, she had
been swimming, jumping and playing in the cool water for the better part of the
entire morning - when the sun's warmth was at its peak. Virginia was exhausted now and thus happy to
relax on the shore and watch while the others frolicked in the water, swinging
off the rope and tire swing that hung from one of the boughs of the willow.
Stifling her cough finally, Virginia maintained her darkened poker face
a moment longer before her facade cracked. Bobby flashed a broad, cheeky smile
and she returned it in kind. He then flipped himself into an effortless duck
dive and disappeared below the surface. Virginia
shook her head then balled her fist to her chest, feeling a final gout of
sudden, searing tightness erupt there.
There were seven of them in all - a mixture of Aboriginal
and Caucasian children - four girls - three of whom sat on the shore, including
Virginia -
and one in the water with the three boys. They ranged in age from 6 to 13 years
old and they were as close a group of friends as one could find. The children
lived a carefree existence in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia, exploring the ubiquitous
Australian bush that was somewhat tempered by the, very English, rolling green
pastures that was a defining feature of the Hills environs. Their lives were by
and large tranquil, free from the kinds of concerns that had characterized
children of a similar age during the recent war years. They lived quietly close
by one another. They attended the local school in the small township of Mount Pleasant
near to where they played and swam now. There, in the classroom, they
respectfully - if a little boisterously - engaged in the noble pursuit of
learning under the watchful eye of Miss Hartigan, a teacher whose firm but
enthusiastic hand seemed to draw out the very best in her young charges. Not
surprisingly though, once school was over and done with each day and on the
weekend, the children's attentions were firmly fixed upon adventure and
sky-larking as much as possible.
It was an uncharacteristically warm autumn Saturday
in middle of April. The unexpected, extended summer weather gave the children
plenty of extra lazy days by the waterhole, their favorite place in the whole
world. The boys had built a ramshackle fort here, from pieces of discarded iron
and timber that lay nearby. The rope swing that hung out over the water within
easy reach was a particularly proud achievement for Bobby who had managed to
procure the rope after several failed attempts.
As Bobby surfaced several feet away from where he
had executed his dive, Virginia
sat down once more, crossing her legs in one effortless motion as she smoothed
out her dress before her.
Her companions beside her, who were tying together
an impressive length of daisy chain, admired her summer dress silently. One of
the girls quickly reached out with her hand to billow out the material behind Virginia, to prevent it
from crumpling underneath her as she plonked down on the ground.
"Your Mum's done such a good job with that
dress" one of the girl's remarked languidly as Virginia picked up the
length of daisy chain before her and assessed her handiwork.
She smiled bashfully, glancing at her
friend, Lucy, beside her.
"Mum is a good seamstress. Mrs. Stinson gave
her this material months ago and Mum has been working on it, little by little
ever since. Mrs. Stinson is good to us"
The Mrs. Stinson Virginia
referred to, owned the haberdashery in Mount
Peasants’ main street and employed Virginia's mother there
on a part time basis as a shop assistant and seamstress. Her mother's work was,
in fact, quite well regarded throughout the district.
"Has your father seen it yet? Has
your Mum sent him a photograph?"
Virginia bowed her head slightly and shook her
head meekly.
"We don't know if he got the parcel Mum sent
yet," she responded quietly glancing sideways at her second companion, a
slightly chubby Caucasian girl named Rita, on the bank. "We sent him
photographs weeks ago but we haven't heard anything from him"
"Is your Mum worried? I heard the men in the Pub
talking the other day, saying that lots of soldiers are getting hurt in
Karea"
Rita reached around behind Virginia and poked Lucy in the ribs, causing
the younger girl to jump where she sat.
"It's Korea!" she
scolded disapprovingly. "And don't be so nosey"
Both girls noted then, that Virginia was worlds away from them, lost in
her thoughts. Rita gently placed a hand on Virginia's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"Don't worry Ginnie. He'll be alright. He's a
big fella and he knows how to look after himself"
Virginia looked at Rita and managed a wan half
smile in return.
"I miss him," she said simply, pausing to
stifle another coughing fit from the residual water she had inhaled earlier.
"Mum really misses him. It's been weeks since we've heard anything.
Sometimes I hear her crying at night in her bed. I wish he would come
home"
Virginia's father was a soldier, an Anzac,
serving in the far off country of Korea in a war that Virginia - nor
her mother for that matter - could barely understand. He had been gone for many
months; so long in fact that Virginia
feared that she was struggling to remember him. She had a photograph of him on
her bedside table, but she desperately missed the sound of his voice -
especially his singing voice which was lovely and deep and soft. He used to
sing her to sleep every night - songs of his people from long ago that had been
passed down through the generations. She remembered his hands too - large, dark
leathery hands that were strong at work but also incredibly tender and soft
when he held her own small hand in his whenever they walked along together or
when she sat upon his shoulders and held his hands for stability. Virginia had always been
close to him. Her father was somewhat unique in the district in that he was the
single member of the township serving soldier in the armed forces in Korea.
Accordingly, the township held him in high regard and they were protective of
his young family.
From far above the trio, high up in the boughs of
the willow tree, an unsettling bird call issued forth suddenly, causing all
three of the girls to jump where they sat.
"What was that!?" Lucy
exclaimed, startled.
"I don't know" Rita replied, rising to
her feet and craning her neck to scan the upper reaches of the willow tree.
Virginia rose with her and together they watched
for any movement. The unsettling bird call sounded once more, a deep undulating
cry - almost like the sound of a crying baby. The sound was enough to stall the
children in the water and all of them stopped their splashing for a moment,
treading water in silence.
There was a flash of movement. Then, suddenly, a
single small gray bird hove into view, launching itself from the high up bough.
It dived down in a graceful arc before peeling away over the water hole towards
a eucalyptus on the other side where it had spied a suitable branch upon which
to land.
Virginia watched the bird intently, following its
flight path as it angled out over the water hole. It cried out a third time,
sending a chill through her. She had never heard anything quite like it before,
ever.
"It's a mingka bird" Bobby
said evenly, from his vantage point in the water.
"What's that?" Albert, his companion
treading water beside him, exclaimed unimpressed.
"Well...I dunno exactly what it is" Bobby
explained. "But my Nana told me a story about it once. She said it's a
bird that cries whenever somebody is about to die"
Both Lucy and Rita gasped and Rita put her hands on
her hips angrily. She flashed Bobby a withering glare from where she stood.
"Bobby!" she hissed. "You can't say
things like that! Not when Ginnie's Dad is away fighting in the war"
Bobby's expression remained blank for a moment as
he eyed Virginia, who was still staring up at the bird. She gave the impression
that she hadn't heard him. The bird cried out once more, its unsettling warble
carrying across the water hole.
"Well I never meant that Ginnie's Dad was
gonna be...you know..." he paused, sensing that he was digging himself
further into a hole.”B-besides...its cry isn't deep enough. It has to be a deep
cry if a man is going to die. That cry sounds lighter...more like for a woman.
Not a man"
Bobby's words sounded distant to Virginia, her eye were fixed on the bird far
above her. Suddenly, she didn't feel like being here at the waterhole anymore.
"I think I might go and see Mum" she said
flatly. "She should be finished work soon"
Virginia bent down, picked up her towel from the
ground and brushed it down with her hand. Both Lucy and Rita were glaring
disapprovingly at Bobby while his companions - Albert, Vaughn and Edith -
turned away from Bobby and swam to shore. Their splashes caused the bird to
take flight once more. It issued one final cry, then disappeared over the
canopy of the willow tree and was gone.
"We'll come with you hey?" Rita offered,
nodding firmly at Lucy out of sight of Virginia.
"Perhaps we could get some ice cream"
The mention of a cool ice cream managed to shake Virginia from her
troubled reverie and she managed a meek smile as the children from the water
gathered around her.
* * *
The children sauntered casually along the path that
flanked the main street, heading to the small, sleepy township of Mount Pleasant.
The girls had managed to coax Virginia
back into conversation while Bobby hung back a little, having been stung by
their combined scolding of him earlier. The prospect of an ice cream however,
rendered the unpleasant encounter almost forgotten and the group sauntered
along happily.
Mount Pleasants' main street was quiet, as it mostly
always was. The tranquil hamlet, nestled among the patchwork meadows, was by its
very nature a sleepy township most of
all because of it's out of the way locale. It seemed a world away from
everything. It served a community of rural folk - farmers, graziers, grain
growers, small holders. They were people of the land who knew the land well and
had worked it with an almost reverential respect since the first Europeans
arrived there in the 1830's. Prior to that, the countryside around the township
was the traditional lands of the Peramangk indigenous Australians whose
influence over this region stretched back thousands of years. Today, however,
the aborigines of the Adelaide Hills were almost gone. Virginia's, Bobby's,
Lucy's and Albert's families were descendants of a race that had been largely
wiped out by European settlement and its introduction of European illnesses a
century before.
As the children walked along under the tall plane
trees that lined both sides of the street, they chattered and laughed enthusiastically
and Virginia
joined in, having now fully forgotten the earlier events. The boys rough housed
with one another while the girls continued their earnest discussion about their
impressive daisy chain and what to do with it once they got it safely home.
They chattered excitedly about what flavored ice cream to treat themselves to
at the general store. The discussion then drifted back to Virginia's father.
"My Dad says that this war is no good for
anyone" Lucy remarked, surprising both Virginia and Rita somewhat since
their smaller companion had, until now, remained painfully quiet. "He says
it will go on for a long time and lots will get hurt"
"Well - it won't be my Dad" Virginia declared
firmly. "My Dad promised me that he will be home as soon as he can. He
said it was important for him to do his part - that he serve this country"
"You're Dad has always been a hard
worker" Edith, one of the Caucasian girls observed proudly. "I know
my Dad misses having him working on the farm. No one milks cows like your Dad,
Ginnie - or fixes fences, or even rides horses! My Dad can't round up the cows
on his horse. He keeps falling off!"
Virginia smiled warmly at Edith as they
approached the general store and stopped before the entrance.
"Now" Bobby said, gathering the children
into a circle and fishing around in the pockets of his shorts. "Let's put
all of our money together and see what we've got"
Each of the children reached into their own pockets
and purses to add their own coins to Bobby's. Some of them had less than the
others but it didn't matter, for these children looked after one another
regardless of who had more or less.
Virginia looked crest fallen as she fidgeted
nervously on the spot. Evidently, she didn't have any money of her own to
contribute.
"Don't worry Ginnie" Bobby
reassured her. "I'll cover for you"
"No!" Virginia retorted firmly. "I won't let
you".
Hesitating, Virginia
turned to face the small haberdashery directly across the street from the
general store. She spied an attractive woman in the window, with similarly
raven black hair to Virginia's
own that was tied back in a bun. Her flawless nut brown skin was much lighter
than Virginia's,
her facial features were soft, angelic almost. The woman wore a pretty floral
dress underneath a cream colored, linen apron. She was arranging some rolls of
material in the window display and, upon seeing Virginia; she smiled broadly and waved her in
through the glass. Virginia
returned her own grin, bounded across the street and entered the shop and immediately
went to the woman.
"Ginnie!" the woman beamed,
leaning down to embrace the child warmly.
"Mum!" Virginia wrapped her arms around her
mother's shapely neck.
"Well, look at you. You're all
goose pimply from that swimming hole"
Sylvia Crammond brushed down her daughters’ summery
dress that she herself had made and gently pinched the skin on Virginia's arm.
"I hope you've been behaving
yourself down there"
Virginia nodded eagerly and gestured out through
the window at her companions gathered outside the general across the street.
"Everyone wants to get an ice cream
Mum. I don't have any money to get one"
Virginia eyed her mother plaintively as Sylvia
regarded her daughter with mock skepticism.
"Well...I don't know if you should be having such
things so close to dinner time young lady. You'll ruin your appetite"
"Aww Mum" Virginia pleaded. "I promise I'll eat
my dinner - all of it - even my vegetables"
Sylvia cocked her head slightly and leveled her
suspicious glare before smiling once more. Reaching into the pouch of her
apron, Sylvia drew out a single silver coin, proffering it in front of Virginia.
Virginia's eyes went wide and she gasped with
delight. Sylvia dropped the coin into her daughter's hand as Virginia planted a big kiss on Sylvia's
cheek.
"Thank you Mum!" she beamed.
Sylvia drew her daughter away and held Virginia out
before her, gazing lovingly at her. She smoothed down Virginia's dress, frowning only half
seriously at a couple of dirty stains from the water hole. They were extremely
close. The absence of her husband had taken a toll on Sylvia though outwardly,
she would never reveal it. Sylvia had become accustomed to maintaining her
stoic demeanor for the sake of her daughter whom she knew, missed her father
terribly. They carried on as best they could with the support of a select group
of towns-folk who watched out for Sylvia and Virginia.
"I'll be finished here soon," Sylvia
assured her daughter. "Go and get your treat and hang about until I
finish. Then we'll go home and make our dinner"
Virginia nodded then diverted her eyes over her
mother's shoulder as a tall and stately woman breezed into the room from the
back of the shop armed with a cup of tea.
Mrs. Stinson stood nearly 6 feet tall and was
painfully thin with piercing, owl-like eyes and a prominent that was turned
upward slightly, making her appear very posh. She wore a dark dress under her
own apron, her nut brown hair was pulled back in a severe bun and she looked,
for all the world, like a very harsh personality. But when Mrs. Stinson smiled, all trace of
potential menace disappeared in an instant
and her face lit up the room - as it had now upon seeing Virginia
talking with her mother.
"Well good afternoon dear child!" Mrs.
Stinson greeted in a perfectly clipped accent. "You look as though you've
had most wonderful time"
Setting her cup down on the counter top, Mrs.
Stinson rounded it gracefully and swept over to Virginia and her mother,
cupping Virginia's
cheek in her hand in a motherly gesture.
"We made a much longer daisy chain today Mrs.
Stinson" Virginia
reported proudly. "There were plenty near the water hole today"
"Well I hope you didn't stay out in the sun
for too long my dear," Mrs. Stinson continued. "We don't want you
burnt o a crisp out there"
"No Mrs. Stinson" Virginia nodded respectfully. "We were
really good. Made sure we stayed under the willow"
"Ahhh - that willow. Do you know that
willow tree has been by that waterhole since I was your age?"
Virginia nodded silently, having heard that
story from the haberdashery owner countless times before. She fidgeted in front
of the imposing figure of Mrs. Stinson for a moment as silence fell between
them. She looked up at her mother.
"Go on" Sylvia smiled.
"Go and get your ice cream. I'll be along soon".
Mrs. Stinson nodded in understanding and winked at
the child. Virginia
turned and darted out of the shop, across the street to where the other
children were still waiting.
Mrs. Stinson watched as the children disappeared
into the general store one by one.
"She's growing up so fast" Mrs. Stinson
mused cheerily as she picked up her tea and sipped quietly from the fine bone
china. "Have you heard anything at all from Artie?"
Sylvia hung her head slightly and shook
it.
"Beryl keeps a close eye on the telegraph for
me but there's been nothing now for nearly three weeks," Sylvia's quiet
voice cracked with emotion. "The wireless news talked about rumors of a
major push soon but...I don't know if he's involved in it or not"
Sylvia stifled the urge to cry right then as Mrs.
Stinson set her cup down and put an arm around Sylvia's shoulder.
News and correspondence from the battlefield was
often sporadic at best but at least Sylvia was able to get something
from her husband. That the correspondence had trailed away to nothing for
nearly a month now, was worrying in the extreme and had plagued Sylvia with
many a sleepless night. It did not help that her husband was Aboriginal and as
such, his correspondence was generally treated more poorly by the mail handlers
in the Army.
"There, there child" Mrs. Stinson
soothed. "Look, why don't you finish early today. I'll close up here and
call on you both a little later"
Sylvia looked across at her employer
through swollen eyes.
"No, no - I'll finish these last
few tasks. There's not much left to do"
Mrs. Stinson held up her hand and
silenced Sylvia.
"I can finish that for. I'll not have
another word from you on the matter. Go and spend time with your daughter"
Sylvia nodded gratefully and bowed her head, wiping
away a single tear from her eye.
"Thank you" she whispered.
* * *
Armed with a single coned ice cream each, the seven
children sat themselves down in a neat row on the curbside outside the general
store. They immediately went to work, enjoying their treat in the warm
afternoon sun, licking furiously as the ice cream began to melt and drip down
over their fingers.
Sylvia emerged from the haberdashery and crossed
over the street armed with a kerchief in one hand, having spied her daughter
battling with her own cone from the moment she herself sat down.
Sylvia instantly sat beside Virginia
and assisted wiping her daughters’ hands, while Virginia tried furiously to get a handle on
the melting vanilla ice cream. All of the children giggled at one another as
they observed each others handy-work.
The breeze that rustled through the tops of the
plane trees lining the street and the eucalyptus behind the buildings. The
strong scent from the eucalyptus wafted through the main street catching Virginia's attention and
she stopped for a moment to appreciate it. It was her most favorite smell of
all. It was clean and crisp. It was home.
"Hey!"
All of the children turned then, almost
simultaneously at the sound of Bobby's voice and followed his outstretched finger
as a trio of vehicles came into view from the far end of the township. As they
approached, the children could make out the familiar black and white colors of
a police sedan leading the convoy of three, followed by a gray sedan which was
in turn shepherded by a rickety looking tray truck.
Instantly they were all filled with
nervousness and they glanced at each other.
Mrs. Stinson appeared at the entrance to her shop,
having heard the approaching vehicles and she crossed over the street to stand
next to Sylvia.
The vehicles continued to draw inexorably closer
until they were almost upon the group. Then, they slowed to a stop, drawing
close to the curb on the opposite side of the street. The children said nothing
as the engines were silenced and the three cars sat for a moment in the
tranquil main street. Bobby stood, immediately suspicious of the new arrivals.
The doors to both the police sedan and the
nondescript gray sedan snapped open. Two constables stepped out onto the street
as did two suited men after them, from the gray sedan in the middle. They
inspected their surroundings with a mixture of befuddlement and barely
concealed distaste.
Virginia's attention was inexplicably drawn to
the two suited men who stood directly across from her.
The first man - the driver - was incredibly tall,
possibly the tallest man Virginia had ever seen - taller even than her father.
Dressed in a drab, gray tweed suit and colorless bow tie, the man sported
spiky, balding hair that was perfectly manicured into an impeccable short back
and sides. His features were sinister, with long sallow cheeks that gave his
thin lips the appearance of being permanently pursed. His eyes were distorted
behind thick, black rimmed glasses that sat, perched precariously on the tip of
his elongated nose. He held a clipboard in one arm, close to his chest as he
swiped his free hand down his jacket absently.
His colleague, who emerged from the far side of the
sedan, rounding the front of the vehicle to stand next to him, was an equally
dour presence. This man was barely half his colleague's size, his head reaching
to just past the top of his chest. Dressed similarly in uninspiring gray tweed,
his slick, brown hair was combed severely to one side and held in place with
bryll cream. It did not move at all in the gentle afternoon breeze. This man
sported a pair of gold rimmed glasses over small eyes and large, bushy eye
brows and he sported a short, thick mustache that gave him a perpetual
scowl.
Virginia's mother glanced sideways at Mrs.
Stinson then placed her hand protectively on Virginia's
shoulders, drawing Virginia
close to her as the tall man set his eyes upon the group. She glanced sideways
to the old tray truck from which two more men had stepped from. She recognized
one of them right away. It was the township's kindly local doctor, Dr.
Flaherty, a man who usually wore an almost perpetual smile no matter what his
disposition might be. Today, however, he appeared particularly troubled. He was
accompanied by a second man, a man unfamiliar to both Virginia and her mother.
He carried a battered leather Gladstone bag which was partly opened and
revealed the end of a stethoscope that hung lazily down one side. Evidently, he
too was a doctor.
When Virginia
looked up at her mother, the worry etched into her features was palpable and Virginia felt that worry
seep into her pores, into her blood and it coursed through her.
The tall man adjusted the clip board he held in his
arm and gestured wordlessly to the two medicos, approaching the two women who
were now joined by the proprietor of the general store, the butcher immediately
next door and the post mistress. The children, who had retreated a little
further under the verandah of the store, watched as the man nodded to the
police constables on his left.
Mrs. Stinson stepped forward through the group
then, puffing her chest out boldly, setting her expression like cold steel as
the men approached them.
She eyed Dr. Flaherty to her left.
"What seems to be the trouble Wally?" she
queried malevolently. "This is all a little theatrical, even for you"
Dr Flaherty was unable to make his jaw move
immediately and he looked down awkwardly at the bitumen.
"Routine inspection Grace" the doctor
grumbled, gesturing to the two suited men. "This is Bytes of the
Aborigines Protection Board. He's here to..."
"There have been reports, from this
District," the tall man, Bytes, interjected abruptly, eyeballing Mrs.
Stinson. "...Of malnourishment and serious illness among the blacks.
It is our job under the Act to investigate any reported cases of neglect and
intervene accordingly"
Sylvia, visibly stiffened at the way Bytes cast a
pejorative edge on the word black then, but she remained silent, her fear far
outweighing her anger at this point.
"Malnourishment", Mrs. Stinson exclaimed incredulously. "Whatever
in the world gave you that idea?"
Dr. Flaherty fidgeted where he stood, rubbed the
back of his neck and tried to make himself appear as small as possible in the
foreboding presence of Mrs. Stinson. However, it wasn't too long before the
austere business woman leveled her glare firmly upon the medico once more.
"Wally? Do you want to explain
this?"
She stepped forward suddenly until she was standing
before Dr. Flaherty. The doctor seemed to wither where he stood.
"L...look, its mandatory Grace" he
whispered fearfully to her. "If I get a call from the Board requesting
information, I've got to give it - under the law! They could toss me in gaol
otherwise".
Bytes stepped forwards towards the children and
inspected cursorily, before signalling to his
counterpart behind him. The second bureaucrat stepped forward and for several
moments, they whispered between themselves, occasionally pointing to the
children and gesturing with a nod towards the doctor accompanying Dr. Flaherty.
Finally the two men stepped towards the children,
causing all of them to flinch and withdraw further. Gesturing with a nod to the
two police constables on his left, Bytes extended a finger towards the group.
"You will all step forward!"
he snapped chillingly. "Now!"
Both Sylvia and Mrs. Stinson and moved to stand in
front of the children. Mrs. Stinson leveled her eyes at one of the police
constables.
"Barry. Don't be so ridiculous.
You're scaring the children".
The constable named Barry seemed to falter slightly
and let his shoulders loosen – indicating that he had some sympathy for her
opinion right then, but he quickly regained his composure when Bytes whipped
his head around and glared menacingly at him.
"Look here Ma’am. I am here on the authority
of the South Australian government and I don't have all day".
The bureaucrat, Bytes, was now standing so close to
Mrs. Stinson now that she could smell his breath when he spoke. Not surprisingly, it was foul, a mixture of
tobacco and halitosis. She wrinkled her nose accordingly. Sylvia, standing
slightly behind her, tightened her grip on Virginia.
"We are going to examine the aborigines and
determine whether or not they need to be treated further down in Adelaide!"
Bytes jutted his lower jaw forward until
he was mere inches from Mrs. Stinson.
"I will have you arrested if
you interfere in our work".
Hesitating, Mrs. Stinson looked over at Sylvia who
was clearly worried. She proffered her hand, palm down in a gesture of
reassurance.
Bobby, Lucy and Albert all lined up side by side on
the curb while Virginia,
clearly petrified, clung tighter to her mother's leg. One by one, the children
were examined by both doctors right there in the street. They were given, what
amounted to, as thorough a physical that could be given outdoors. The local
doctor, Dr. Flaherty was more gentle with his charges, Bobby and Lucy, than his
counterpart who wrestled with a fidgeting Albert, who refused to comply.
The owner of the general store stepped out onto the
pavement from his vantage point and stood, observing silently while several
other people stopped a little way off.
Stethoscopes were placed all over the children's
chests and backs, their temperatures were taken and noted, tongue depressors were
slapped firmly down and throats examined, their heights recorded. When it came
to Virginia's
turn, she squeaked, terrified and hid even further behind her mother. The
government doctor was not at all impressed and grabbed at her angrily. Sylvia
stood her ground.
"Listen you! I will examine this child"
the doctor hissed as Bytes stepped forward to assist.
He grabbed Virginia's
arm and wrenched it, whipping Virginia's
body like a rag doll out from behind her mother. Dr. Flaherty flinched, clearly
uncomfortable. Bytes deposited Virginia
roughly in a standing position in front of him on the road way.
Dazed now and paralyzed with fear, Virginia remained
frozen.
"Now bloody stand still!" he
barked, gesturing for the doctor to continue.
He listened to her chest, examined her
throats, felt under her chin and neck.
"Cough" he barked at her
soullessly.
Virginia gave a pathetic little hiccup that
barely resembled anything like a cough.
"Properly!" the doctor hissed, growing
increasingly frustrated. Sylvia stepped forward anxiously but was warned off by
the constable nearest her.
When Virginia
coughed, properly this time, flecks of blood hit the roadway between her and
the doctor.
Immediately, he looked up at Bytes who had his
folder opened and was writing something down in it.
"Mmm-Hmm" he mused
caustically.
A renewed feeling of dread flooded through Sylvia
and she tried to go to her daughter. This time the constable stepped into her
path and grabbed her arm.
"No" she hissed.
"Right!" Bytes announced dispassionately.
"This one and..."
He looked at the doctor beside Flaherty,
waiting for his suggestion.
The doctor pointed at Albert who was
trembling, beside Bobby.
Without even hearing the words, Sylvia knew
instinctively what was about to happen. It was no secret what these bureaucrats
were here to do. She had heard stories of others further afield who had come to
the attention of the Aborigines Protection Board.
Her heart was in her mouth as time
seemed to slow to a crawl.
"You can't!" Sylvia screamed as Bytes
grabbed Virginia's
arm once more and delivered her into the hands of the second constable - Barry.
"What are you doing?!" Mrs. Stinson
implored furiously as the constable lead Virginia
to Byte's car.
"Mum!" Virginia squealed, petrified as she was lead
away.
"I'm taking these children into protective
custody so we can examine them further down in Adelaide. Clearly there is evidence here of
illness and neglect. We will decide whether they will be returned or not"
As Byte's colleague moved to round up Albert, Bobby
stepped forward, shielding him from the bureaucrat.
"Don't be a bloody black fool"
the bureaucrat spat, pushing Bobby out of the way.
Bobby retaliated, ball his hand into a fist and
whipping it up viciously, catching the bureaucrat with a blow to his chest.
Immediately, the second constable launched into
action and he pounced on Bobby while the stricken man collapsed to the road,
the wind having been sucked from his lungs. Bytes himself lurched forward and
grabbed Albert with the help of the government doctor and Flaherty.
Sylvia launched herself at the car, where Virginia had been
deposited into the back seat.
Her heart pounded noisily in her head.
This can't be happening. This can't be
happening!
The terrified child screamed at the top of her
lungs and bashed at the window with her fist while the police constable subdued
Sylvia and prevented her from getting any closer to the car.
Bytes and the two doctors, who all had a firm grip
on the kicking and screaming Albert, quickly carried him to the vehicle and
tossed him inside on the opposite side.
Mrs. Stinson was impotent with rage.
"How can you do this!? That child's
father is serving his country!"
Bytes simply shook his head as he rounded the rear
of the car and went over to check on his winded colleague.
"He'll be notified...if we decide
to do so"
The pair of police constables shielded the car
while Mrs. Stinson rushed to Sylvia's side, gathering her in her arms as
Sylvia’s legs went to jelly and she collapsed to the roadway, wailing
hysterically. Mrs. Stinson cradled her as she glared at Constable Barry with
disgust.
“What have you done!?”
Bytes assisted his colleague to the car, set him
inside then quickly got into the driver's side and started the engine. The
constables fell back to their own vehicle while the doctor signaled to
Flaherty, who was standing off to one side and appeared shell shocked.
Inside the car, Virginia continued to scream and punch at
the glass – utterly panic stricken, while Albert sobbed and sobbed kicking at
the passenger door. As the car pulled away from the curb, both children huddled
together, wrapping their arms around each other. They went strangely silent.
Sylvia desperately, frantically reached out with
her hand towards the car as it pulled away from her.
“Noooo!” she wailed.
All three vehicles executed a full turn in the
middle of the township then accelerated away from where they had come.
Though she was too young to comprehend the full
gravity of what had just happened Virginia Crammond knew in the depths of her
soul that she would never see her mother again.
DFA.
