Black Mountain (21 page)

Apart from a few unruly children who ran around, obviously considering this an unexpected amusement, most of the faces were, if not fearful, at least sober, as they waited anxiously for nature to unleash its worst on their town.

‘Do you have any preference as to where we should bed down?' Mitchell asked, looking around.

Elly shook her head. ‘No, wherever there's room, I guess.'

He scanned the room. ‘Then follow me.'

Heading towards a space in a corner, they threaded their way amongst the groups already established. Reaching the corner they put down their chairs and laid their sleeping bags out in readiness for a long night ahead. Once seated Mitchell pulled a miniature radio from his pack and turned it on to hear the latest news.

‘There is no sign of the cyclone abating as it heads towards Cooktown,' the announcer told them. ‘It is estimated it will cross the coast there at approximately one am. If you are not already in a cyclone proof location, head immediately to the Events Centre in Cooktown or your nearest cyclone shelter. This is an official evacuation order and …'

Mitchell switched it off, grimacing. ‘It doesn't sound good.'

‘No.' Elly tilted her head, listening to the sound of the wind buffeting the building and the rain drumming on the roof. ‘I think we got here just in time.'

‘Yes, and I think we're in for a long night.'

A loud banging outside made Elly's heart jump. ‘That sounds like something landed on the roof,' she said, her voice fearful.

Mitchell reached across and took her hand, pressing it lightly. ‘We're quite safe here, you know,' he told her.

She frowned. ‘Yes, I suppose so.'

A tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth. ‘Elly, it's a cyclone shelter. Don't worry.'

‘Yes, of course, I know you're right, but it's so … so …'

Unnerving?' he offered.

‘Yes.'

‘Look around. Everyone feels the same.'

Looking around at the strained faces in the large room Elly realised he was right. Tension was in the air. Parents were trying to bed down reluctant children for the night, while others were drinking mugs of the coffee they had brought in their thermos. Some sat reading, or talking, while others moved about. But no matter what they were doing, everyone was fearful. And much as they tried to hide it, it showed.

As the evening wore on the storm outside grew in intensity, its noise frightening to those inside sheltering from its fury. At one stage the lights went out, and a child started to cry in the darkness, but within minutes the lights flickered back on again as the auxiliary generator kicked in.

‘Why don't you lie down and try and relax?' Mitchell eventually suggested, when the room had gone quiet as most people tried to snatch a little rest.

‘I know I won't be able to sleep,' Elly told him, ‘but I suppose we might as well try. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.'

‘It'll be all over by then.'

‘Let's hope.'

She lay down on top of her sleeping bag, wriggling to try and find a comfortable position on the hard floor, and a few moments later Mitchell lay down alongside her.

An hour or so passed as they lay there with Elly unable to sleep as she listened to the storm raging outside, until a sudden thunderous banging and clattering on the roof had her sitting bolt upright, her heart thumping.

‘It's all right.' Mitchell's hand was on her shoulder. ‘Something landed on the roof, but it's gone now.'

‘It sounds like the roof's coming off.'

‘No, this place was built with this weather in mind and it can withstand worse than this. Lie down again.'

He gently pushed her back down, and when they were both laying again Mitchell took her hand in his, and they lay like that, hand in hand, and Elly felt her heart rate return to normal as the fright evaporated.

A little while later Mitchell moved close alongside her and slid his arm under her shoulders and pulled her towards him, and she laid her head on his shoulder as his arm tightened around her.

‘All right?' he asked her softly.

‘All right,' she replied, snuggling against him.

Chapter 34

Elly woke with a start, surprised to find that she'd dozed, and realised all was quiet, the noise of the storm had abated. She stirred in Mitchell's arms and he loosened his hold on her.

Looking up, she saw he was awake. ‘The storm's over,' she whispered.

‘No. We're in the eye now,' he replied, keeping his voice low. ‘It'll start up again before long. We just have to wait it out.'

‘Should we go out and have a look?'

He shook his head. ‘No, there's no point. We'd best stay put.'

Elly settled back into the comfort of his arms, thinking how right it felt to be there. She realised she was in love with him, she hadn't wanted it to happen but it had. And he loved Fancy Pants.

The calm lasted for about half an hour, and then the storm started again with what seemed even fiercer intensity than before. The murmur of voices told her they were not the only ones awake, and she could only imagine how worried those with homes nearby must be feeling.

Her mind turned to her mother. There had been several frantic messages from her when Elly had checked her phone back at the camp, and she had rung Beth to tell her they were on their way to Cooktown, and had texted her to let her know when they arrived safely. Cyclones often spent the worst of their fury on the coastal areas and were weaker by the time they reached the Tablelands, but even if this one reached Mareeba, Elly knew their house was built to resist cyclones, with stout shutters to doors and windows, so it was unlikely Beth would be in danger. Nevertheless she couldn't help being concerned and resolved to call her as soon as the storm passed.

Slowly the sounds of the wind and the rain eased, and as the first light started to filter in Elly raised her head from his shoulder to look up at Mitchell, and saw that he was awake.

‘I think it's over,' he told her as he removed his arm from around her.

‘It all sounds quiet,' she agreed as she sat up and pushed the hair back from her face.

All around them people were beginning to stir as they realised the storm had passed, and Mitchell stood and offered her his hand. Taking it she rose from the floor, and they stood side by side, waiting and watching as the door was opened.

There was an immediate crush of people as everyone crowded forward, pushing to reach the door, eager to see, and a babble of voices broke out.

Mitchell took her arm to guide her through the throng, but when they finally walked through the door and spilled outside, Elly was flooded with a rush of horror.

The State School across the road still stood secure, but all around them was devastation. Several surrounding buildings had their roofs blown off, while one had lost the whole of its front section, exposing the room inside. Bits of roofing iron, splintered wood, twisted metal and glass, along with tree branches, household items and debris of all kinds littered the street, and every piece of open ground.

A bicycle lay alongside a child's stroller, both twisted and bent. Trees had been stripped of their leaves, and some had been literally blown out of the ground—a giant palm rested precariously against a wall of the school opposite. Telegraph poles had been blown over and wires trailed precariously.

Elly's stomach clenched. ‘Oh my God,' she whispered, turning to Mitchell as a sob rose in her throat.

The colour had drained from his face, leaving him deathly white. Wordlessly he led her aside from the doorway and placed his arm around her shoulders, and they stood there contemplating the ruin before them. The sound of weeping came from somewhere among the dazed crowd around them that stood looking at the wreckage of their world.

At that moment a bulldozer lumbered into view, pushing the debris in front of it as it began clearing a path through the street, and it seemed to galvanise people into action and they started talking and milling about.

‘We'd better see how the car has fared,' Mitchell said, dropping his arm from her shoulder.

Elly swallowed and took a deep breath. ‘Yes.' She nodded.

He took her hand and they skirted around the edge of the crowd.

When they arrived at the place where Mitchell had parked, they were relieved to see that, although it had suffered numerous scratches and a few dents, it was still intact.

‘Well, at least that's a blessing,' he breathed. ‘Let's collect our gear and stow it away, and then I must see what I can do to help.'

The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur for Elly.

Her first thought was for her mother, and once she had spoken to Beth and made sure she was safe, she turned her attention to the plight of those remaining in the hall. While Mitchell went to help with the clearing up, she was kept busy helping to care for those who had no home left to go to—with making sandwiches and helping frazzled mothers with unsettled children. All of which left her with no time to think about anything else. The only bright spot was that the storm had cleared the air and the heat had temporarily given way to a mild, if drizzly, day.

That night was again spent sleeping on the floor of the Events Centre in their sleeping bags, crowded in with what seemed even more people than had been there the night before.

The following morning they joined the queue for the showers, thankful that the water supply had survived, and after lining up for the breakfast prepared by other volunteers, they headed back to their folding chairs to eat.

‘I know you're probably anxious to leave,' Mitchell said as he balanced his plate on his knee, ‘but there's so much to do here I feel I should stay for another day. Would you mind?'

‘No, of course not,' Elly replied. ‘I've planned to stay again too. Perhaps we could leave later this afternoon. How do you feel about that?'

‘Fine. The emergency services are doing a wonderful job, I think they'll be able to do without extra help by then. We can stop and pick up the plant on the way.'

‘Yes. I hope it's survived the storm. I'm a bit anxious about it.'

‘It should be all right, it was well protected, but yes, I'll be happy to see it again.'

They finished their breakfast then and, after Mitchell chewed his last mouthful of sausage, Elly stood up and reached out to take his plate.

‘What say we compare notes at lunch time?' Mitchell asked her. ‘We can see how things are going by then.'

Elly nodded. ‘That's fine. I know a lot of people are moving out today, going to stay with family or friends, so we might be able to leave then.'

‘Right. I can't say I fancy another night on the floor, if it can be helped.'

Elly grimaced. ‘Me neither,' she told him as she took his plate. ‘So, see you then,' she added as she turned and headed towards the kitchen with the dishes, while Mitchell left to join the other men outside.

They met again as they collected the sandwiches being handed out for lunch.

‘So how's it going? Elly asked.

‘I'm finished. How about you?'

‘Yes, I'm all ready to go.'

‘Good. Then let's eat these in the car and we can head off.'

They were almost at the car, Mitchell ready with the keys in his hand, when an official came running towards them, waving.

‘Hey, Mitch,' he called. ‘I know you're ready to leave, but can you give me a hand for a bit longer? We've got an emergency down by the river.'

‘Sure, Jim.' He handed the keys to Elly. ‘You get in and have your sandwich. I'll be as quick as I can.'

Elly had been worrying about the
stripling
all morning, and as she took the keys she made a decision. ‘If you're not back in an hour, I'll drive down and pick up the plant and come back for you.'

Mitchell frowned. ‘But you don't like going anywhere near—'

She cut him off. ‘I'll be okay.'

He hesitated, his frown deepening. ‘But you …'

Shaking her head she waved him off. ‘Don't worry. Go on, go!'

Hesitantly he joined Jim as Elly pressed the remote. Opening the door she swung up into the passenger's seat, unwrapped the sandwich and started to eat.

The hour passed slowly as she worried about the precious plant. Had it survived the cyclone? She waited an extra five minutes before moving into the driver's seat. After adjusting the seat to her satisfaction she started the motor. It purred into life and she headed out onto the now cleared road. As she drove along she looked around and was relieved to see that not every building had been seriously damaged, but was amazed that one could have had its roof blown off, while the one next to it seemed to have escaped unscathed. As she pondered the vagaries of the storm she turned onto the highway and headed south.

Chapter 35

Looking around as she drove down towards Black Mountain Elly was shocked to see the havoc the storm had caused along the way. Trees stood bare of foliage and debris lay everywhere. She wondered how the
stripling
crop had fared. Would the mountain have sheltered them? Shivering at the thought of heading alone into the forest alongside the mountain, she decided to wait until Mitchell was with her to find out.

As she came closer to her destination she began to regret her hasty decision to attempt to rescue the
stripling
, knowing she would have to venture into the edge of the dreaded mountain. But she was worried for its safety, and the cave must be close to the road, not really inside the mountain, because Mitchell had been out of her sight for only a minute or so, and so she pressed on. When she reached the mountain she parked on the verge where Mitchell had parked before, reached across and took a torch from the glove box and tucked it in her pocket, then climbed out of the vehicle.

Carefully she picked her way across the boulders, her breath coming in nervous pants as she followed the path Mitchell had taken. When she reached the spot where he'd disappeared from view she looked down and saw she was standing a metre or so above a small clear area with a hard, grey, pebbly surface. Several smaller boulders acted as stepping stones, and she stepped warily down, eyes flicking from side to side. The opening to a small cave was on one side of the clearing, while on the opposite side yawned the entrance to what appeared to be a tunnel. The mountain loomed above and in front. A knot of fear twisted in Elly's stomach, but she took a deep breath, headed to the cave, and ducked her head to see inside.