Red Centre by Ansel Gough Read Free Book Online Page A

egrets,
herons, rainbow bee-eaters. Chris read carefully over the
information. He was intense, trying to learn as much as he could
about this new environment. Photos of large, venomous snakes,
spiders—large, black, hairy (the ones that will kill you)—provided
warnings to campers and visitors. Dingoes and crocodiles rounded
out the rest of the Australian information sheets.
    Chris glanced back to Lisa, who watched from
her small desk. “Says here the park covers forty-six thousand
hectares. Pretty big?”
    Lisa nodded. “It’s a big place. You gotta
know what you’re doing out here.”
    Chris turned back to the information sheets.
His eyes were drawn to the snakes and spiders. “Do people get
bitten often?”
    Lisa nodded her head slightly. She knew he
was hurting, but he was drawing unlikely conclusions. “It does
happen, but it’s rare.” She pushed back a lock of her red hair.
“Chris, I think you need to back off and let the police look after
the search. If he’d been bitten, the police would have found him by
now.”
    Chris bowed his head, facing the wall. “He’s
still my responsibility.”
    Lisa smiled sympathetically. “Come on. I’ve
got to check on some of the campsites. You can see some more of the
park.”
    ***
    The big, four-by-four tires slid on the
sandy, dirt track, which twisted and turned through the trees, over
dirt mounds and through small gullies.
    Lisa and her old, beat-up Toyota truck were
seasoned to these conditions, weaving through obstacles with
skilled precision. The engine roared as it climbed over large
rocks. Chris sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window in
silence.
    The truck cab was messy. Papers, maps,
first-aid kit, flashlight and other knick-knacks cluttered the
space. Lisa had bulldozed it with both hands into the middle seat,
to make room. She wasn’t used to having anyone else in the truck
with her.
    She looked over at this stranger. She felt
for him. She was naturally a kind person and wanted to help
wherever she could.
    “ Impressive isn’t it?” She
referred to the landscape before them. An attempt to break the
awkward silence.
    Chris nodded in agreement. “Sparse.”
    “ These palms here are
called red cabbage.” She shouted over the roar of the engine,
pointing out past Chris. “We have about three thousand of
them.”
    Chris nodded, not really paying attention,
having lost interest in the conversation. He didn’t want the guided
tour.
    Lisa noticed his lack of interested but
pushed on. “They’re unique to this area.” Lisa glanced over at
Chris, trying to engage him.
    His mind was elsewhere.
    It was wandering,
pondering his family. They would need to have a big celebration
when he returned with Shawn. A family
vacation. A happy place! Are the kids too
old for Disneyland now? No one’s too old
for Disneyland.
    ***
    The sun was low in the sky. It would be dark
soon. The four-by-four drove along beside a small river, until it
finally reached Boggy Hole campsite. A picturesque area: blue
water, lush green banks. The truck crept along slowly. Lisa
surveyed the area. She noticed a campsite, a tent and the Baker’s
four-by-four a little way off, amongst a cluster of trees.
    Lisa abruptly stopped the truck and reefed
on the e-brake. She banged the steering wheel with the palm of her
hand, annoyed. “Damn tourists! They never listen,” she said as she
unclipped the seat belt. “Is it that hard to set up bloody camp in
the designated area?”
    Lisa marched briskly toward the tent.
Drawing closer she noticed that some of the camping gear had been
tossed around. The back door of the Baker’s four-by-four was open.
No one around. “Hello?” she called out. “Park ranger.”
    In front of the tent a
small camping table lay on its side. A few plastic plates and cups
littered the ground. Lisa squatted next to the table, picking up
one of the cups. Her eyes scanned the site. What a mess . She looked around for
the Baker family.
    She caught site of the