Long Valley Road

by Ross Richdale

  "Are we going to write any more fantasy stories, Mrs. Berg?" Ken asked when she walked by his desk as the children studied a questionnaire they had all been asked to fill in.

  "Later in the term, Ken," she replied. "Did you like them?"

  He nodded. "How about science fiction stories?"

  "If you wish," Kylena added and grinned as Leanne, one of the senior girls who came from the old Matakaka School, screwed her nose up.

  "Better than the sloppy stuff you write," retorted Ken.

  "Okay," their teacher interrupted. "The reason for this questionnaire is to find out what you like. I plan to have discussion groups and you can decide on your own topics. If you are writing completely different things, I don't care."

  "How about drama and poetry?" Leanne asked. She was a tall mature girl, similar in some ways to Julie.

  "Why not?" Kylena replied and walked back up to the front of the room where she turned on the computer monitor to display a large flow chart. It was headed up 'Our Term's Work' and had various subjects listed above empty boxes.

  "I found out what you all did at your three schools last year but want to know what our priorities are for this term. I have my list of suggestions but want to know what your ones are. Now if you will go into buzz groups and..." her voice continued on.

  Melanie leaned over and dug her classmate in the arm. "I told you she was a cool teacher, didn't I, Leanne?"

  The other girl nodded. “I thought I'd miss Miss Hampton and glad she's here teaching in the next room but I think Mrs. Berg will be pretty choice.”

  "Yeah, better than old Brucey Boy." Ken chuckled.

  "You three," Kylena's quiet voice came from the front. "We're waiting for you.”

  The three grinned at each other and turned to study the flow chart.

  *

  In Room 2, Helen had been working frantically on her booklet for twenty minutes but when Diane Hampton walked over to study her pupil's work, the page was filled with a massive brown scribble.

  "Oh, Helen," she said in a disappointed voice. "What happened to that beautiful house you drew on the page?"

  The little girl glanced up at her new teacher as tears appeared in her eyes. "That was our old school, Miss Hampton. It got all covered up in a mudslide." She pointed to a little frankfurter like figure in the corner. "That's Mommy having our baby."

  She moved her arm. Written in neat printing underneath was; The mud came and killed my teacher. Julie saved me and Mommy had a baby. "Don't you like it? I tried hard."

  Diane smiled. "I do. That mud did cover everything, didn't it? And you know, your story is written so well and the spelling is all correct. I'm going to give you one of my stars."

  Helen wiped the tears away with her forearm and broke into a broad grin. "Gee, thanks Miss Hampton. Can I go through and show Mommy?"

  Diane was about to suggest Helen waited until lunchtime but saw the expectant eyes gazing up at her. "I'm sure your mummy would love to see it so go and show her. Come and get your star first, though."

  Helen smiled, watched as the glossy blue star was stuck on her page and dashed out the front veranda along to the adjacent room. She ignored all the seniors, ran up and flapped her booklet under her stepmother's chin. "I got a star, Mommy," she called out so loudly her voice travelled right around the room. The older children glanced up and laughed affectionately at their teacher's daughter with the cute American accent.

  Kylena read the story, studied the picture and realized the deep thought that went into the work. "That's wonderful, Sweetheart," she said. “No wonder Miss Hampton gave you a star."

  "I'm going to show Daddy tonight," Helen replied and left the room as quickly as she came in.

  Yes, the first morning at Matakaka Valley School was a success.

  *

  "Kylena," Courtney said when she came in the staffroom half way through lunch hour. "Will you please come out here? There's no trouble yet, but I think you’d better deal with it."

  "What is it, Courtney?" Kylena had just sat down to start her packed lunch after speaking to a parent on the telephone, watching over a lunch time swim and cutting up some paper for an afternoon's art lesson.

  "Brian Cheever has turned up and is a bit under the weather."

  "Oh hell,” the principal gasped and followed Courtney out the door.

  The man was standing by the tennis court with a group of pupils who attended the school the previous year, gathered around him. Conspicuous by his absence in the group, though, was Ken who walked up to Kylena from the opposite direction.

  "He's drunk, Mrs. Berg," he said with antagonism in his voice. "I told him he shouldn't be here but the younger kids think he is being funny."

  "Thanks, Ken. You did the right thing to leave him alone."

  "Oh no!" came Bruce's voice as she strolled across the lawn. "Here comes the big boss, kids. I'm in trouble now."

  Kylena stopped a few metres from the eight or so children around their previous principal. "You children will leave Mr. Cheever and go and play!" she directed in an authoritative voice.

  The children, most of whom were from Helen's room, took one look at the expression on their principal's face and decided a quick retreat was the best move to make.

  Bruce Cheever did look a little flushed but was, thankfully, no way near as drunk as that day in the holidays, so Kylena decided to try to be diplomatic. "Would you like to come and inspect the new alterations and have a cup of coffee, Bruce," she asked in a quiet voice.

  The man frowned as if he was taken back by the approach. "No," he muttered. "Just thought I'd come and see the kids." He smiled in a half-hearted way. "You know, my wife got a senior teacher's job in Feilding."

  "That's nice," Kylena replied.

  "No it isn't," the man retorted. "The old bag has walked out on me. Said she was sick of my moods." He laughed. "But I know she's got a fancy man living with her, Dan McGill. Do you know the bastard?"

  "No I don't," Kylena replied as she attempted to guide the man towards the administration block.

  "You should. Two of his kids are at the school. His wife, Mary had a fling with Chas Sullivan last year. Everyone's bloody swapping wives with everyone around here. Mark my word, young lady, watch that husband of yours with your new assistant, Diane. She goes to bed with anyone with money.”

  "You're being crude," Kylena retorted. "This is a school ground. Please keep your voice down. Some of the children may be listening to you."

  "Oh now it's Miss High and Mighty, is it?" He giggled. "Of course you landed on your feet. Got one of the biggest landowners in the district to impregnate you and forced him into marriage. Yank, too. That's a double bonus."

  Kylena stopped mid stride and swung around. "That's it!" she growled with her voice like ice. "You will leave the property at once, Mr. Cheever. If you do not, I shall be forced to call my Board of Trustees."

  "Okay, Kylena," Bruce muttered. "I guess I overstepped the mark. I'm leaving."

  Escorted by both Kylena and Courtney, he walked to his car and accelerated away up Junction Road.

  "Why is he heading that direction?" Courtney asked.

  "I don't know or care," Kylena replied with anger still in her voice. "He's gone. That's all that's important." She caught her assistant's eyes and swallowed. "Sorry Courtney," she added. "Those nasty insinuations got to me."

  "I heard most of it," the other teacher replied with a slight grin. “You showed great restraint. I would have slapped the bugger's face."

  "Yes, didn't I?" Kylena's expression softened. “Come on. We'd better get that bell rung. One small hiccup on the first day isn't too bad, I guess."

  Melanie, Leanne and Ken slipped in beside her on the walk back up the drive. "You showed him, Miss Delton...oops, I mean Mrs. Berg." Melanie laughed. "I've never seen a guy leave so quickly."

  "What a creep!" Leanne added. "How did you put up with him last year, Ken?"

  The Year 8 boy shrugged. "He was okay. Mind you we never did much work."
He glanced at Kylena. "I'm glad you came here, Mrs. Berg. Dad said I'd better start working this year or I'll flunk at high school."

  "That's good advice, Ken," Kylena replied. She was beginning to appreciate both Ken and Leanne and, of course, Melanie who was as loyal as ever.

  *

  CHAPTER19

  It had been one hell of a year for Bruce Cheever. He knew relationships with his wife, Janice had been on a wane for months but never expected her to up and walk out on him, especially after losing his principal's position. This would have never happened when he began teaching. It was a profession that was respected and teachers were protected with such things as priority rights to new positions when schools closed. He shook his head in self-pity and took his frustration out on the car as he accelerated, rather than braked, at the end of the seal. The car vibrated and rattled with clouds of gravel dust pouring in to the air but somehow, the drunken man maintained control and headed for the big saddle that separated Junction and Long Valley Roads.

  He stared bleary eyed at the 'S' shaped bend ahead. Bugger! He was going the wrong way. Oh, what the hell. He'd keep going back out through the valley. It wasn't a lot further and by the time he found somewhere to turn it would actually take less time.

  "Damn the woman," he muttered and wasn't quite sure whether he meant his wife or that toffee nosed bitch who had wormed her way into his school. "Damn all women!" He clarified his emotions and braked, far too severely on the top bend.

  The back of the car swung out across the road with gravel flying everywhere. Bruce over compensated and avoided the inside cliff face by mere centimetres. With a lurch, the car's front wheel drive gripped the gravel and bounced over the top ridge and up to an intersection. Straight ahead, Top Ridge Road wound back along the high ground behind the Newson and Berg farms while, to the right, Long Valley Road descended into the valley it was named after.

  "Oh what the hell," Bruce grunted and swung down towards the valley. He changed down and the motor screamed as the vehicle slowed but he managed to navigate another tight bend.

  The man never appreciated it but the view of the valley below was as picturesque as a postcard with the bright green valley surrounded by steep wooded ranges and, in the far distance, the snow covered Mount Egmont and deep blue Tasman Sea. The closer Mount Ruapehu was out of sight behind his vehicle. Houses and farm buildings were dotted, matchbox size, along the valley with the one blemish in the idyllic scene being the scared hillside that had buried Long Valley Road School at the far end of the valley.

  "Bloody slip," Bruce cursed. Even it helped stab him in the back. If it wasn't for the bloody avalanche, the other school there would still be open and that Berg woman wouldn't be in his position. He rubbed a hand over a two-day stubble.

  "Yeah, Janice," he snorted. "You too, Kylena Berg. Just wait and see. Old Bruce Cheever may be down but he is not out."

  He reached across the front seat, found the square shaped bottle and glared at the contents. Jesus, it was nearly all gone! Only a centimetre of the clear liquid sloshed around the bottom. Oh well! Might as well put the stuff out of its misery. He unscrewed the top and gulped in the fiery liquid, half of it missed the upturned lips and ran down his chin but a quick wipe with his jersey sleeve cleaned that up.

  Oh shit! A truck was coming. He yanked the steering wheel to the left, hit the grass verge and bounced into the air, hit the road surface in a jaw shuddering crunch but managed to miss the oncoming vehicle.

  "Same to you Buddy!" he screamed at the blaring horn and clenched fist shaking out the truck window.

  He straightened his vehicle and accelerated away in a cloud of dust. It was two kilometres to the old school site and the temporary road across the avalanche face.

  *

  The truck driver stared in his rear vision mirror at the cloud of dust swaying in the distance. "The bastard will kill himself." Kelvin Newson cursed.

  He slowed and stopped, considered his options for a moment and decided to turn and follow the car back. There was no hope of catching the guy but, with that driving, he wouldn't get far anyway. Once he caught up to the bugger, he'd give him a piece of his mind.

  Road rage was the modern terminology for Kelvin's emotions but he was really just being his typical bad-tempered self. No bastard was going to drive like a maniac in his nick of the woods.

  *

  Bruce covered two kilometres in about ninety seconds. He ignored the orange danger sign before the road works and chuckled as the car bounced on the heavy gravel that had been carted in to help reconstruct the road across the slip face. To the left was the carved out hillside while the right dipped away with piles of earth and debris covering the old school.

  "Bastard!" Bruce screamed yet again at nobody in particular and spun the steering wheel slightly so the rear end swung out to send gravel into the air. He grinned. This was fun.

  He accelerated, wobbled the wheel and sent the vehicle into another sideways skid. Brakes screamed, wheels gripped and the car accelerated forward once more.

  Bruce was about to try the manoeuvre once again when something caught his eye. Holly shit! A car was in front of him and it was travelling fast, too. In those few microseconds he could see it sort of float in the air as it bore down on him.

  The man swerved but there was nowhere to go on that narrow one lane road. A scream of metal joined the agony he felt as the other car crumpled into his. The road disappeared and he could see the deep blue sky and smell gas fumes. His own shrieks of terror accompanied the explosion and were followed by ... oblivion!

  *

  Kelvin could see and smell the black smoke and orange flames bellowing into the air before he even stopped his truck. He braked and was outside, with the motor still running and driver's door swinging ajar before the truck had even stopped. He ran along the road toward the crash site but stopped when he realized there was nothing he could do. On the road shoulder, two converging sets of tire marks in the gravel showed where the opposing vehicles had attempted to avoid each other. Both marks stopped at the top of the abyss as if the vehicles had struck before both toppled over the edge.

  It was impossible to see anything through the wall of fire and rancid black smoke. Even on the road itself the heat was so intense Kelvin had to hold his hands to protect his face. The roar of the inferno was punctuated by human screams. He stood stupefied with revulsion as another violent explosion shook the air and fireball hissed vertically into the air. Black smoke engulfed him and he was heaved backwards by a rush of superheated air. He found himself, coughing and spluttering across the road in a small ditch while a roar of a thousand cannons sent his head reeling and his bloody hand came away from a gashed cheek.

  The farmer staggered back across the road again and focused on the smoke. Yes, he could see the two vehicles crunched together like two sardines cans that some giant had stepped on. Nobody could have survived that carnage!

  Kelvin realized it was futile trying to reach the vehicles so returned to the truck. He had recently purchased one of those new fangled mobile phones. He found it under a pile of papers behind the front seat and called the emergency number.

  *

  When the two school buses left Matakaka Valley School at three twenty, Helen decided to go return home on her bus.

  "See you later, Mommy," she waved as she climbed in the tiny, van like, blue bus. The other pupils aboard all grinned and waved at their teachers. The first day of the term was over.

  This bus carried most of the children who used to attend the Long Valley Road School and followed Ridge Road for two kilometres beyond the junction before turning back to descend into the valley. At the same time, the second larger bus went in the opposite direction to drop the Junction Road children off before heading further into the hills with Leanne and the old Matakaka School children.

  "The novelty will wear off but, right now, I don't really mind Helen going on the bus. I can have an hour or so to do work without her pestering me," Kylena said to Diane as
the pair turned to go back inside, "And how was your day?"

  "Fine," Diane replied. She glanced up at the sound of a vehicle approaching. “Who’s this?" she asked. "All the kids have gone."

  Kylena's eyes followed her companion's gaze. "It’s our neighbour. Kelvin Newson. He’s a bit of a grouch, you know what the Newson family’s like?' Diane nodded and Kylena continued talking. "Mind you, we get on okay now."

  Kelvin screeched to a stop and stuck his head out the old vehicle's window. Something in his eyes made Kylena frown. It wasn't grouchiness or anger but more like compassion.

  "Have the police contacted you, Kylena?" he asked in a gruff but quiet voice.

  "No," she replied. Something was wrong. She knew it!

  "The bastards," Kelvin grunted. "They should have."

  "Why Kevin, what's wrong?"

  "That stupid bugger, Bruce Cheever ploughed his car into another one on the avalanche in front of your farm. I was there seconds later but could do nothing." He wiped his sweating brow. "I'm sorry, Lass," he added tenderly.

  Blood drained from Kylena's face. "Who was in the other car?"

  "I couldn't get to it, you see," Kelvin muttered. "The cars just blew up. I did what I could."

  "Who was it!" yelled the distraught woman.

  "The police and rescue helicopter arrived. When I left to come here, the cops had just managed to get the second car examined." His eyes were wide in sympathy. "I heard the cop mention it was your husband. It must be John."

  "My baby!" sobbed Kylena. "Did they mention my baby?"

  "No, lass," Kelvin muttered. "Look, hope in. I'll take you back there."