One Dead Seagull (27 page)

When
we
reached
the
end
of
the
beach
and
the
wild
rocks,
Gracie
suggested
we
go
for
a
dip.
I
thought,
yeah,
I
could,
I’ve
got
my
shorts
on,
and
Ker
r
y
and
Gracie
were already
naked
and
in
the
wate
r
.
I
took
my
shorts
and
jocks
off,
scanning
the
beach
for
people,
then
splashed
in
after
them.
The
cold
water
didn
’
t
work
or
maybe
it
was
the
fact that
Kez
kept
diving
under
the
water
and
running her silky
hands
over
my
skin
till I
felt
like
exploding.
She’d thrash
her
feet
and
disappear
in
the
dark
water
only
to
resu
r
face
at
a
safe
distance
from
me.
Gracie
just
sighed and
floated.
I’d
never
been
so
turned
on
in
my
whole
life, then
I
bumped
my
leg
against
something
rough and
I squealed
like
a
baby
and
crashed
to
the
shore.

‘Shark!
Something
just
bumped
me
.
.
.
Arghhh!’

Kez
and
Gracie
came
screaming
out
behind
me.
Ker
r
y

let
out
a
crazy
laugh.
I
guess
it
could
have
been
weed. Could
have
been
a
lump
of
sponge
or
something.
But
in
my
mind,
in
that
dark
wate
r
,
it
could
only
have
been
a shark
with
teeth
poking
out
eve
r
ywhere.
It
took
me
a
few minutes
to
get
hold
of
my
breath
and
forgive
Ker
r
y
for laughing.
Gracie
pulled
her
dress
over
her
wet
body
and said
she
was
going
back
to
camp.
After
she’d
walked a
few hundred
metres
she
called
back,
‘Don
’
t
be
too
long
or you’ll
get
drowned.’

In
the
southwest,
a
storm
flashed.
I
couldn
’
t
see
a
cloud
but
the
light
show
was
wicked.
I
thought
the
storm
would probably
die
out
before
it
got
to
us.
I
found
Ker
r
y
backed against
a
rock,
drawing
its
warmth
into
her
wet
bod
y
.
W
e cuddled
foreve
r
,
feeling
our
cool,
wet
bodies
get
hotter
and
drier
with
each
breath.
I
held
her
face
in
my
hands. When
we
kissed,
the
sky
rumbled.
Salt
y
,
soft
lips.
W
e
tasted each
other
and
a
cosmic
flashbulb
burst
on
the
horizon.
Growl. Sex
y
,
sweet
surprises.
I
kissed
my
way
down
until
I was on my
knees.
I
prayed
for
the
first
time
in
my
life,
gave
thanks
for
the
cu
r
vy
bits
and
straight
bits
of
bodies.
Musk
and
sea.
W
aves of
pleasure.
Oh God.
Flash!
I
saw her
standing
above me,
head
to
one
side,
mouth
slightly
open and
eyes
tightly closed.
Her fingers
locked
in my
hai
r
.
Pulled
me
close.
Shudde
r
.
Tight.

The
wind
was
picking
up
and
she
knelt
at
my
feet
with
such
soft
fingers
and
warm
breath.
Flash!
I
saw
her
wet
hair hanging
on
her
shoulde
r
.
Against
my
thigh. A
bark
of
thunder made
us
both
jump.
I
didn
’
t know
how
much more
I could
..
.
tumbling
wet
bliss
again
and
again.
My body
slumped
against
the
rough
rock
and
we
kissed
again, tasting
ourselves
and
each
other
mixed
in
passion
soup. More.
I
wanted
it
all.

There
was a
flash
along
the
beach
and
Ker
r
y
spoke loudly
to
be
heard.
The
wind
stole
her
words.
Gracie
was right.

‘There
’
s
a
torch,
someone
is
coming.’

W
e
got
dressed
in
a
rude
hur
r
y
and
stumbled
through the
sand
towards
the
trees.

Flash!
Crack.

I
shouted
in
fright
and
one
of
the
people
car
r
ying
the
torch squealed.
Ker
r
y
grabbed
me,
squeezed
my
hand
hard.
I
dragged
her
along
the
beach.
W
e
ran.
Then
it
rained.
Big
bucket-drops
of
sweet
rain
that
soaked
us
to our
pubes
again
in
ten
seconds.
The
wind
just
kept
getting stronge
r
,
lashing
in
off
the
ocean,
breaking
branches
and driving
the
rain
so
it
hurt.
Ker
r
y
was
t
r
ying
to
hide.
I
was
shitting
bricks—I
can
admit
that
now—and
dragging
Kez along.
Had
to
get
back
to
camp.

Flash, flash!
The
sky
ripped
open.
The
hair
prickled
on my
neck
and
back,
and
I
bent
low
as
we
ran.

The
tent
was
buckling
and
flapping
like
a
torn
sail.
The roof
of
the
eating
area
had
been
ripped
from
its
pegs
and lay
bunched
over
the
stove
stand.
Baz
and
Gracie
were
shouting
instructions
to
each
othe
r
.
I
could
hear
a
little kid
c
r
ying
in
the
next
camp
and
the
howling
gale
sent the rain drumming against
the
roof of the ca
r
.
Den and Hendo
were
inside.
I
ripped
open
the
door
and
dived
into the
back
seat
pulling
Ker
r
y
in
with
me.

‘Close the
doo
r
,
bonehead!’
Den
shouted.
The
car
rocked
as
it
was
buffeted
by
surges
of
wind.
The
windows
of
the
car
were
fogged
and
I
cleaned
the
one
closest
to
me
with
the
palm
of my
hand.
No-one
said
a
thing.
Ker
r
y
held my
hand.
I
held
my
breath.

As
quickly
as
it
arrived,
the
storm
disappeared, flashing
and
rumbling
inland.
Probably
going
to
trash
a
few houses on
the
way
through.
Probably
going
to
send
a
few
lovers scur
r
ying
to
the
ca
r
.
Den
turned
the
interior light
on
and laughed.

‘Wha?’

‘Dickhead.
Y
ou
look
like
you
fell
overboard.’

‘Hope
it
didn
’
t
spoil
your
root,’
Hendo
grumbled,
and

Den
thumped
him
in
the
arm.

Kez
popped
the
door
and
went
out
to
find
Bar
r
y
and

Gracie.
I
followed
he
r
.

The
power
in
the camping
ground
had
failed. The
only light
of
any
value
flashed
on
the
horizon.
I
found
Ker
r
y
’
s
hand.
She
led
me
inside
the
tent
where
her
mum
and
dad were d
r
ying
their
naked
bodies
by
fading
torchlight.
They had
saved
the
tent
and
I
think
they
were
charged
by
the
experience.
I
heard
their
camp
bed
r
hythmically
hitting the
canvas
wall
later
that
night.
I
crept
to
Ker
r
y
’
s
bed
and I
think
I
woke
her
up.
She
kissed
me
and
told
me
to
go back
to
bed.
I
did
what
I
was
told.

Ker
r
y
and
I
held
hands
in
the
car
on
the
way
to
the
falls.
I got
aroused
by
that.
Den
just
wriggled
in
his
seat.
The sandy
track
was
carpeted
with
green
and
yellowing
leaves. Eve
r
y
so
often
Baz
would
stop
the
car
and
Den
would
jump
out
to
pull
a
branch
off
the
road.
Baz
drove
over
most
of
the
little
ones
but
a
few
were
big
enough
to
need Den
and
I
both
out
and
on
the
job.
After
a
stop–start
hour on
the
road
we
pulled
up
in
a
circular
car
park
lined
with
ferns
as
big
as
trees.
Behind
the
ferns
towered
smooth barked
gums
that
stretched
into the
blue.
Den
packed
ropes
and
Ker
r
y
packed
lunch
into
a
red
backpack
that
I foolishly
volunteered
to
car
r
y
.
The
track
to
the
falls twisted
and
rambled
up
a
decent
hill
and
I
had
to
stop
to get
my
breath
when
it
finally
flattened
out.

‘I
can
car
r
y
it
if
you
like,
W
ayne,’
Gracie
offered.

‘Nah,
I’ll
be
oka
y
.
How
far
to
go
now?’

‘
W
e’re
nearly
halfwa
y
,’
Bar
r
y
said.

I
took
the
pack
off
and
handed
it
to
Gracie.
Smiling, she
pulled a
plastic
water
bottle from one
of
the
side pockets
and
handed
it
around.

‘Han
g
on
,
Mum,
’
De
n
said
,
an
d
fishe
d
int
o
th
e
pack
.
He
pulle
d
ou
t
a
blu
e
plasti
c
ba
g
wit
h
somethin
g
lik
e
a
loa
f
of brea
d
inside
.
Y
eah
,
I
coul
d
g
o
som
e
mor
e
foo
d
..
.
o
r
a
rock
.
Th
e
bastar
d
ha
d
mad
e
m
e
car
r
y
a
roc
k
tha
t
he couldn
’
t
lif
t
wit
h
on
e
han
d
al
l
th
e
wa
y
u
p
tha
t
friggin
’
hill.
H
e
smile
d
a
t
me
.
I
fel
t
lik
e
droppin
g
i
t
o
n
hi
s
head
.
A
s
it
was
,
i
t
brok
e
ou
t
o
f
th
e
flims
y
ba
g
an
d
lande
d
o
n
hi
s
foot.
Suc
k
eggs.