by Mark Stewart
THE PLANE ascended steadily in the dying wind, leveling off at one hundred and thirty-seven feet.
“Soon you’ll see the full view of the Oasis,” hinted Trent.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
A shiver shot through Naomi’s body. Could the feeling mean she’d already started to fall in love? She felt tempted to lean sideways to kiss Trent and wrap her arms around him. Inwardly, she gave a stern warning to herself. Find out what made him tick. Don’t fall in love with someone who seemed to have a lot of secrets.
The plane changed direction, banking slightly. Naomi dug her hands into the seat to stop from leaning against Trent. She waited patiently for the plane to level before talking.
“You do realize having too many secrets is bad for you? It could be the reason why you’re still single.”
“Maybe,” answered Trent.
To Naomi finding out the answers to her questions seemed harder than digging a deep hole in the hardened clay using a kid’s plastic hand shovel.
Noting the concentration etched on Trent’s face, Naomi looked away to focus on the desert landscape. She spied a pack of kangaroos basking in the sun and a herd of cows eating near a small dam. She counted twenty-seven before they slipped from view.
The next scene to catch her attention was the slow turning windmills scattered about the landscape. They snaked in an endless line before them. Each one appeared to be anchored to the side of a dam a kilometer apart.
Strange Naomi thought. ‘I wonder if there’s an underground river feeding the dams.’ She cupped a hand above her eyes to form a shield so she could follow the line of dams to the edge of her vision before following them back to the Peterson’s house. She felt satisfied at discovering the desert’s secret. Glancing at Trent, she wondered if he knew about the underground river.
“Can I ask you something?”
“I’ll answer your question to the best of my ability.” Trent gave the plane’s instruments one long look before giving her his undivided attention. “You sure are the most beautiful sight out here,” he whispered.
Naomi felt unprepared for the statement. To prevent her cheeks from reddening, she pretended not to hear what he said.
“How did you get an education?”
“Your question is easy to answer. Education came through the school of the air. I came top of my class.”
“My teacher spoke about the system when I was in sixth grade. I’m not totally convinced learning over the radio is a good thing.”
“It mightn’t be. Out in the middle of Australia, there’s no other way of learning.”
“What about school friends?”
“Friends were few. The voices of the other kids were great. We sent photos of ourselves to each other so we could have a visual idea who the voice belonged to.”
“I reckon it’ll be difficult to fall in love out here in the middle of nowhere,” Naomi hinted. She sat watching him from the corner of her eye waiting to see his reaction.
Trent looked out his side of the window. “Three months after turning sixteen I thought I had fallen in love. She lived one-hundred and three kilometers from the Oasis.”
Naomi looked out the plane’s window, raising an eyebrow.
“I snuck out of our house one Friday night after dinner. I rode a motorbike to her house in the dark. I had woken her before the rooster crowed.”
“Surely you got into a lot of trouble.”
“Some. Karen’s father didn’t take too kindly to my presence. He was shocked when he found out I’d ridden across the outback on a dirt bike in the dark. He let me stay the whole day. Sun up the next day he fuelled my bike before sending me on my way.”
“What did your father say?”
“My father suggested I don’t do it again.”
“What about the girl?”
“After I left for home she never talked to me again.”
“It’s a shame.”
“No, it’s a good thing. If anything, else happened, I might never have met you.”
Naomi didn’t know where to look. She felt happy he quoted such a nice statement. It had been a long time since someone said anything positive about her.
Trent reached for Naomi’s hand. Raising it to his lips, he kissed her knuckles. The move sent a shiver into the middle of Naomi’s back. Instead of dispersing the feeling lingered.
“If I must compare you to the beauty of the Oasis, you’d win every time. The Oasis is the second most beautiful thing out here. There is no comparison between you and the Oasis.”
Naomi certainly didn’t expect such a solid statement. When she spoke, her voice sounded weak. “Are there any more secrets you’d like to share?”
Trent fell silent. He guided the plane downwards, leveling off at seventy-nine feet. Naomi spied an old deserted house. In spots the fencing was missing, blown down by other storms. A large metal gate lay in the mud.
Several minutes ticked off before Trent uttered another word.
“Naomi, if you look ahead the Oasis is about to come into view.”
“You want to talk now?” She looked sideways into his eyes willing him to open his mouth to tell everything.
“I only talk when I have something important I want to say.”
“You told me the same thing a while ago.”
“Yes, I know I did.”
Naomi returned her gaze to the desert below. “It’s fantastic,” she whispered. “The area does take your breath away. It’s unbelievable. How is it all possible?” Slowly she returned her gaze back to Trent’s smiling face. She wanted to test the man of his honesty and finally discovered a way. “You never did explain the details to me on how your father found the place?”
“I have already mentioned my father didn’t discover the Oasis. My great grandfather stumbled across it by accident.”
Naomi felt impressed at Trent’s honesty and seemingly endless patience. She sat next to him wondering what it might take before he lost his cool.
“How the Oasis was formed, no one knows,” continued Trent. “I’ve searched the internet for answers. I’ve asked the school of the air. No one has an answer to my question. Some say a large meteorite hit the earth millions of years ago, which left the oval shaped crater. Others have said a river formed the Oasis. Every time it rains the river leading into the Oasis cascades over the side. The water falls one hundred feet to the river below. The main entry point is the waterfall. Don’t ever be in the water when she’s flowing. Even though the water’s not deep, I do rescue several cows every year from the river.”
“Using your trusty rope?” cut in Naomi.
Trent nodded
“No wonder you carry it on your belt.”
The plane circled the giant-sized oval in the ground before diving down the waterfall skimming the tree tops.
“You can see why we always have plenty of water and green grass. Now you understand why the area is perfect for cows.”
Naomi studied the entire fertile land. The grass looked a rich dark green. An abundance of cows freely roamed. She estimated there was at least a thousand head. Focusing on the river, her gaze traced it till the water disappeared underground.
The plane roared from one end of the river to the other, banked then headed up river again.
“You have four houses close together,” said Naomi.
“Mine is the newest looking one. I moved in three weeks ago. Everyone has to build our own. It is father’s rules. My parents and my older sister live in the two-storey mansion. Next house in line is my eldest brother’s and his wife. My house is tacked on the end.”
“The Oasis is a beautiful place,” remarked Naomi. “I can see why you don’t want to leave. I still can’t understand how you can compare its beauty to me. The Oasis is in a field of its own.”
Trent gave her a sideways glance. For a moment, their eyes locked. Naomi felt an arc of electricity shoot between them. They smiled at each other simultaneously. A new question flashed into Naomi’s
mind. Did he build the house for her?
Trent turned his head away to look out of the windscreen.
Naomi copied his move, disappointed the moment had ended so abruptly.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN