by JH Fletcher
1
No, the newspapers said nothing of that but it was the greatest wonder of all the things that together made up the saga of the Cloud Forest, that an ordinary, bright-natured child had the insight to do what she did. It did not restore Jeff to the rational world that he perhaps did not wish to revisit anyway, but it gave him peace. He told Frances so, and Frances told Judy.
‘The Cloud Forest is Jeff’s soul sanctuary,’ she told her, and Judy believed she was right.
For the rest …
The gallery will be open to the public one of these days. So far no one has come up with a tenable theory as to why a tiger’s mask should appear in an Australian rock shelter when the evidence is hard that no such animal or anything like it has ever inhabited the continent.
Warren Shaughnessy continues to prosper, as does Harley Woodcock. Harley made a killing out of building factories and moved to Brisbane, where the word is that he has grown rich. Frances continues to live in his house and says he has forgotten her, but that is unlikely; people like Harley forget nothing. Perhaps he has found bigger fish to fry. Goorapilly does not miss him. Whereas Warren, having taken credit for opposing the development on top of what is now Goorapilly’s favourite mountain, looks likely to go to Canberra at the next federal election.
John and Betty are still friends with Arthur and Judy, Frances and Jacqui. Hopefully, they will be so forever. As for Jacqui …
2
‘One thing I don’t understand,’ Jacqui said to Arthur. ‘Why does the Cloud Forest affect me the way it does? What does it do?’
‘It doesn’t do anything. It is. That’s what’s important, to all of us, and to the human spirit. To know that some places are sacred. That the Cloud Forest will go on existing for us and for everyone.’
‘You told me that Grandpa never saw it,’ she objected. ‘He came all the way from France and never even came to Queensland to look at it. How does that work?’
‘He didn’t need to see it. For him, knowing it was there was enough. But it isn’t always enough to know about things; sometimes we have to do something, too, to keep them safe.’
‘We’ve done that,’ she said with satisfaction. ‘We saw those Shaughnessys off, anyhow.’ And looked slant-eyed at him, thinking how Judy was herself a Shaughnessy.
‘You’re right.’ He stood. ‘But not because they were Shaughnessys. Because they were wrong. And because dollars must never be the only consideration. Do you understand, Jacqueline?’
She reckoned she did, and said so. Arthur nodded. He walked across to the door, switched off the light and went out. The door closed behind him.
Alone in the bedroom, Jacqui listened to the old house creaking as the night air cooled the timbers. She could hear Arthur and Judy talking softly in the living room. After a bit she got out of bed. Bare feet quiet on the wooden boards, she crossed to the window and looked out. Beyond the roofs of the town she could just make out the lower slopes of Mount Gang Gang rising steeply into the darkness. Of the Cloud Forest itself she could see nothing, but it didn’t matter.
She went back to bed, lay down and pulled the sheet over her.
Arthur was right. It wasn’t important whether you could see the Cloud Forest or not. What mattered was knowing it was there; knowing, too, that it would still be there in the morning.
She yawned once, briefly, and closed her eyes.
About JH Fletcher
JH Fletcher is the author of eight romantic historical novels, published to both critical and popular acclaim. The author's plays for radio and television have been produced by the BBC and the South African Broadcasting Corporation, and many of this author's stories have been published in Australia and throughout the world.
JH Fletcher was educated in the UK and travelled and worked in France, Asia and Africa before emigrating to Australia in 1991. Home is now a house within sound of the sea in a small town on the South Australian coast.
Also by JH Fletcher
View from the Beach
Keepers of the House
Fire in Summer
Wings of the Storm
Sun in Splendour
Voice of Destiny
Eagle on the Hill
First published by HarperCollins Publishers Pty Ltd in 2003
This edition published in 2013 by Momentum
Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd
1 Market Street, Sydney 2000
Copyright © JH Fletcher 2003
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
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A CIP record for this book is available at the National Library of Australia
The Cloud Forest
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