SHADOWS ACROSS CAPE YORK
Fortuitous Tide
Reminder: Free short story – see below ‘A Pearl for Your Enjoyment’
COMING SOON – 28th November 2022.
“Shadows Across Cape York” – the third book in the trilogy following “Shadow of the Northern Orchid” and “Shadows on the Goldfield Track.”
Drifting on a timber yardarm following the shipwreck of the Pink Pearl in the Arafura Sea in 1892 had not featured in the plans of the doctors for their triumphant return to their Australian homeland.
Cooktown, the ultimate destination for Doctor Henry George Carson Baldwin and Doctor Edward Benton, floated as an unattainable goalpost on the periphery of their minds.
Even if they survived the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria, landing on the western shores of Cape York Peninsula, with the monsoon season only weeks away, did not offer substantial hope for a safe return to civilization.
Current Weather and Tides
Don’t even mention ‘weather’ – what happened to our ‘sunny Queensland’?
This morning might do it by the look of the clear skies.
Keep safe, Keep smiling, Keep reading, Keep writing.
Elizabeth Rimmington
www.elizabethrimmington.com.au
facebook.com/elizabethrimmington.author
A Pearl for your Enjoyment
(Homework for one of my writing groups.)
The Palomino
Moisture from earlier rain seeped into his clothes as he lay upon the ground peering through the boundary fence. The musty smell of the dirt under his face blended with the tang of overripe fingerling lime fruits fallen from the bush under which he sought camouflage. The eaves of the roof hung over the neighbour’s house verandah like the brows of a threatening monster. Lights flicked on inside the building creating the illusion of the monster’s eight large glowing eyes staring across the paddock watching him.
With the heat of the summer day lingering into the dusk of early evening, squeals and laughter of the family cavorting in the swimming pool drifted across on a lazy breeze. She said she’d meet him here. Had she forgotten? He chewed at a fingernail. If her brothers discovered him near the stables, he’d be dead meat.
This kind of enterprise was much easier before her mother had demanded the large bougainvillea bushes be removed from this side of their house. These days, if he made a dash to the old building with the thatched roof awning where Amanda kept the horses, he’d be an easy target across the unadorned manicured lawns.
He rolled over onto his back and stared up into the evening sky. He wished he hadn’t done that – now the back of his clothes was damp too. Amanda’s voice right beside his head, set his heart working overtime.
“Pete, what are you doing hanging around here like a bad smell?” Her two blue eyes sparkled in the last of the fading daylight. The dimple in her cheek danced. “You said you wanted to see the new addition to the stables, didn’t you?”
Pete realized the noise from the pool next door had silenced some time ago. He snapped his head up and peered towards the house.
“The family has left for town. They won’t be back for an hour or more.” Amanda explained before she turned and ran. Her blonde plaits bounced off her shoulders. The tails of her tartan shirt flapped against the legs of her blue jeans. “Come on then, slowcoach.”
His laugh lifted to join hers – together competing with the sound of squawking geese heading home to roost. Mud sprayed up from his bare feet to splatter the backs of his legs. He raced to catch up. A new horse was always an adventure to share – particularly a palomino.
THE END
