Vanishing Point

While Katherine prepared lunch Alec watched her silently. He felt terrible about their situation. He broke the silence with an apology saying, ‘I’m really sorry I got you into this mess, Kath. Your Mum was right. I should have listened to her and not brought you out here.’

Katherine put down the paring knife and looked him in the eye.

He continued. ‘I feel really stupid, I was so keen to get up here and start collecting that I didn’t even tell the police in Ceduna that we’d be here. Noone knows where we are except the folks in Adelaide and they have no idea when we’re due back.’

Katherine left the table where she had been working and sat down beside him on the edge of the Kombi in the open space of the central side doors. She looked at him with her big, blue eyes.

‘It’s not your fault. I wanted to come with you. I didn’t want to stay back at the flat while you explored the country and, in spite of this, I wouldn’t want it any other way. Things happen. It will be all right. Don’t worry.’

Alec leaned towards her and she put her head on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair. He loved its smell after a shower and at night would nuzzle his nose into it as it covered his face when she lay on top of him. But now it had the smell of desert dust. It would be so good to be home once more and shower. They sighed simultaneously and sat staring out on to the sandy road, hoping that soon they would hear or see a vehicle. Not a sound. In the heat of the day, even the birds were silent. In the distance the track and fence shimmered in the rising heat waves.

‘What day is it?’ Katherine suddenly asked.

‘Not sure. Let’s see. Hmmm.’ Alec’s mind tried to work backwards from now to the day that they left Adelaide. Out in the bush, with no radio or newspapers, and no routine, it was very easy to lose track of the days. ‘We left Adelaide on the tenth. That was Sunday. Got to Ceduna on the twelfth. Then up to the first granite on the thirteenth.’ Alec took his geological notebook from this pocket. He counted the days of sampling then said, ‘That means yesterday was the twenty first because we’ve been gone nine days. It was Thursday. That makes today Friday. If a vehicle doesn’t come down the track today or tomorrow it’s unlikely anyone would come before until Monday. In these parts most people would go to the coast on the weekend rather than up here.’

‘What are we going to do, Alec? What if no-one comes and we’re stuck here?’

After a brief silence Alec responded. ‘Look, if nobody comes today or through the night, then tomorrow afternoon I’ll start walking towards Ceduna. I’ll have my compass and the map. If I head due south from here I should hit one of the farm tracks. They carry more traffic than up here. If I don’t meet up with someone on those I’ll just keep going until I come across the Eyre Highway. There are bound to be trucks there and I’ll get a ride into Ceduna, find a garage with a mechanic and be back here in no time.’

‘How long would that take?’

‘Don’t know off hand. If I start walking early before it gets so hot, it shouldn’t take more than about, say, twelve hours to get to the highway —’

‘But that’s a full day!’

‘And then I should get a lift within a short time. I’d probably be in Ceduna tomorrow or, at worst, Sunday. Hopefully I’d be able to get to a garage pretty soon and have someone out here by Sunday sometime. If things don’t go smoothly it could be as late as Monday but that would be the worst case scenario.’

‘So long? Have we got enough water and food? I really don’t feel comfortable being out here alone, even if there hasn’t been much traffic. It’s a bit scary, especially with Carolyn.’

‘I agree. It’s not ideal, but what alternatives do you suggest?’

‘I guess we don’t have many, do we.’

‘We’ve been camping for the past week and you’ve been fine.

You’ll be all right for just a couple more days, at most. It won’t be any different because I’m not here, just a bit lonely. You’re not worried, are you?’

Katherine looked glum and her eyes glistened. ‘No, not really but I can’t say I’m wildly happy at the thought being out here all on my own, especially at night.’ She was more concerned about her baby than herself. What seemed like an interesting adventure in the outback now seemed like an ominous threat to their safety. She forced a smile. She didn’t want Alec to feel more guilty than he obviously already did. While travelling and camping Katherine really had enjoyed the isolation, the remoteness, the feeling of being alone with her husband and baby. Now she would have welcomed a crowd of tourists, a bus or even the company of passing traffic.

Alec held her close and gave her a firm hug.

In an effort to appear less worried than she felt, she leaned back, still encompassed in his arms, and smiled up at him.

‘Don’t worry,’ she said softly. ‘I’m sure things will work out and … well even if I am here for a couple of days we’ve got everything we need. My main worry is water and we have a small supply plus your clever way of collecting. It seems to be working. The bucket’s already got some in it and there’s a bit in the little plastic bags on the bushes. From here they look pretty, almost like little Christmas decorations!’

* * *

The sound of birds and the slight breeze ruffling the leaves heralded the end of the day. The sounds and air movement relieved the blanketing, stifling daytime heat during which even the ever-present little black flies carried out their irritations in silence. Both Alec and Katherine tried to sleep when Carolyn was sleeping, but it was an exercise in futility. With eyes closed their brains went into overdrive, thinking of the passing of time and what they might do if assistance did not arrive. While the sun was still casting long shadows Alec walked to the pit to see how much water had collected.

‘Bucket’s about half full,’ he announced. He looked back to his wife. ‘I am really sorry about this, Kath.’

‘Of course you are, but it isn’t your fault. No-one could have predicted that the Kombi would break down, and I really did want to be with you.’

‘No, I mean the fact that I didn’t foresee the potential problems. I should have carried a spare battery. After all, this isn’t really the sort of vehicle one takes out here, on these roads. I should have waited for the university Land Rover. One really needs a four-wheel drive out here.’

‘The Kombi went fine. Even a four-wheel drive might have had a flat battery.’

‘True. But if I’d waited —’