Back turned to the road, I head for the corner.
And that's when I hear it.
A distant rumble. An engine, low and heavy.
Imagined, surely?
No, not wishful thinking. Real.
The best sound in the world.
Headlights beam as the driver crosses the bridge.
They illuminate the Longreach sign until it glows a vibrant green.
Too grunty to be a car.
Too small to be a freight truck.
Not that I see many of those out this way.
Looks like some kind of ute with a tray at the back.
“Please be going north,” I sigh. “Please be a stranger.”
the sixth chapter
MARK
The truck rolls past me and slows at the corner.
Close enough that I could have touched the window if I’d tried.
A reddish brown dust coats its tyres and underbelly.
There’s a logo painted on the door.
Council Engineering Services.
Phone: 07-465...
I don’t need to know the rest of the number.
This guy isn’t from Barcoo Shire.
Must be a Longreach contractor.
Say something,I tell myself.Run after him.
But my feet are frozen in place, heart pounding.
As if it isn’t more dangerous to stay than go.
He pauses to check for traffic out of habit rather than necessity.
Then he veers around the bend.
Move your feet,I scream silently.Don't let him leave!
