‘No need to hang around with me mate,’ Reg offered. ‘If you gonna get to Brissie you best start walkin’ that way. Ya’ might get lucky with a lift, but it’s only a few hours walk to Murwillumbah, and ya’ might have better luck there.’
‘Thanks Reg. Yes, you’re probably right.’
‘Hold on,’ Reg said and went back to the cab and returned with a bottle of water and threw it to Hal. ‘Ya’ better take this mate. Pommies tend to cook in the sun mate,’ he laughed.
‘Thanks Reg. Well I hope it’s not too long for your tow truck.’
‘Ah don’t worry mate. Happens all the bloody time.’
*****
The sun was rising and the morning passing quickly as Hal strode along the road. Only two cars had passed and neither had slowed. He was preparing for the long walk ahead and wondering if he would have to walk all the way to the Gold Coast. Perhaps an hour had passed since he set off, but as he didn’t have a watch he had no idea. All he could do was keep moving. It gave him time to think about what had happened, and worse, what could happen. If he had in fact arrived back before he left, what was going to happen? Would everything just happen the same way again? Would the Camera Stellata come looking for him, or Gloth? If he managed to get back to Brisbane in time, would he be able to change what happened to Narelle, or would Narelle even be there? Would another Hal be there? In his house. And what about Debbie and Darrell? Would they remember him? Did he have a job to go to on Monday? Then he recalled Nox’s warning that he’d have to keep his head low for a long time. But who was looking? Hal picked up his pace a little as he realised he would only find out once he got to Brisbane. There was no other choice except to keep moving.
A quiet rumbling sound was approaching from behind Hal. He looked and waited until finally he saw the nose of a tractor in the distance. As it neared, Hal could see it was pulling a trailer. He waited for it to come closer then stuck his thumb out in hope. It worked. The tractor slowed to a stop.
‘Ya’ lost mate.’
‘Trying to get to Murwillumbah. Truck broke down a way’s back.’
‘Right-e-o mate. Hop on the back.’
‘Thanks, Hal said with a smile then dragged his body up onto the trailer full of hay bales. He felt the tractor crunch and jump into gear and start off with a few jerks. Making very slow progress, but at least Hal was comfortable and could rest until he arrived in Murwillumbah.
Napping in the sun helped in alleviating his sore feet and jetlag induced hangover. He opened his eyes to see the feed store approaching and obviously the final destination of his slow lift into town. Once the tractor came to a stop he jumped down and thanked the farmer for the lift, then set out for the town centre. On his way, passing a jewellery store and being surprised to find that all the watches and clocks in the window were showing half past midday. Being Friday it was a busy day in town as farmers from the district came to do their weekly shopping. He grabbed a bite to eat then asked at the news agency if there were any busses to the Coast leaving this afternoon. He wasn’t surprised to find out that the next one was tomorrow morning. The same one that was due to leave from Nimbin.
There was no choice. Out of town he walked and started hitchhiking again and discovering that the more traffic there was, the harder it seemed to get a lift. Cars passing full of family and shopping had no inclination of stopping for a giant rugby lock extending his thumb in hope. No matter how popular the sport in the area. The day was particularly warm and humid, and Hal could walk no further. Finally deciding to sit on a roadside rock and take his chances with his thumb. Time passed.
At long last, an ancient Land Rover that looked like it was held together with rust, wire and luck pulled to a halt.
‘Where ya’ goin’ mate?’
‘Brisbane.’
‘I’m only goin’ as far as Nerang.’
‘That’s near the Gold Coast isn’t it?’
‘Yup. It’s the tradesman’s entrance,’ the driver joked.
‘That’d be great,’ Hal replied.
‘Well jump in mate. Greg by the way.’
‘Hal,’ he said as he got in and shook hands. ‘I should be able to get a bus to Brisbane from there.’
‘Yeah. Easy mate. Last one’s at five. We might make it in time,’ Greg said.
Greg was wrong.
Still Beautiful, Then Perfect
Queensland hadn’t changed in the time Hal had been away. But then again, he was now in the Queensland that was the Queensland it was before he’d left. It was something he couldn’t quite get his head around. But as he noticed billboards announcing the famous Queensland expression, ‘Beautiful One Day, Perfect The Next,’ he wondered if it ever changed at all anyway.
Greg’s optimism had turned out to be well and truly misplaced with Hal arriving in Nerang at five forty-five and way too late for the last bus. At least Greg had made a small detour for Hal and dropped him bang in the centre of the tourist hub of the Gold Coast − Surfers Paradise.
‘Check at the Tourist Office mate. They might be able t’ help ya’,’ Greg told Hal as he dropped him off.
Hal thanked Greg for the lift and wandered off in the direction Greg had pointed towards. Hal found the Tourist Office and just for once his luck was in. It was ten to six and it closed at six o’clock. By six, Hal left with his ticket for Brisbane. Bus to Helensvale at seven forty-five, walk, train to Bowen Hills, change trains, train to Albion and arrive at nine-thirty. He looked at his tickets and stared at the word Albion. The suburb where he lived and more importantly for tonight, where the Breakfast Creek Hotel was situated. He walked off towards the bus stop on Tedder Avenue, stopping for a light dinner on the way.
*****
Hal turned into his street wondering. The house key from his hippie sack of his very few possessions now held nervously in his right hand as he walked towards his house, stopping briefly in front of it, taking a deep breath, then started climbing the steps to the front door. A dim light coming through the front window. He looked through the window. No one he could see, then moved to the front door and slid the key into the lock and opened the door.
‘Coo-ee,’ he said quietly as he opened the door, announcing his arrival Queensland style. The hall light was on. No answer. He closed the door behind himself and walked to the kitchen, then checked the bedrooms before checking the living room. The television was on but with no sound. As he went to turn it off, he jumped in surprise as he thought he saw a ghost. He looked again and blinked his eyes. A shadowy almost transparent blur napping on the sofa appeared briefly then faded to nothing. Again a split second transparent reappearance and gone again. Hal recognised the blur. It was him. Napping in front of the television waiting for Narelle to come home from work on the night that she didn’t.
Hal turned the television off and returned to the kitchen. There was no time tonight to solve the Hal blur mystery. The kitchen clock showing ten-fifteen as Hal tried to reconstruct tonight’s events in his mind. What time did the police come? What time did the robbery happen? Where? A bar, an office? It was a ten-minute walk to the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Of course he could just walk into the main bar and shout out to Narelle that she had to come home straight away as she was about to be shot. With the state of a crowded pub full of drinkers in a late Friday evening drinking mood, he had a feeling that wasn’t going to work all that well. On top of that Narelle would probably think he’d lost his marbles. He thought about calling the police, but what would he say That a robbery was going to happen tonight because he was here when it happened before?
Hal made himself a coffee as he ran his plan through his mind deciding that the one thing he had to avoid was becoming part of the robbery or any heroics. If he was identified at all, or got involved he could end up in the news. Far too easy for the Camera Stellata or whoever that may still have a bone to pick with him. Nox’s voice ringing in his head. ‘Keep your heard low for a long time.’
In the bedroom, Hal found a pair of black jeans and a blac
k skivvy and changed quickly, then left for the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Crossing his fingers all the way there and telling himself to keep calm. As soon as he saw the lit terraces full of happy patrons surrounding the front and sides of the hotel, he started doing a full lap around the hotel in the dim light of the evening. Piecing together his memory of this night. The policewoman coming to his door at about half-past one he thought. But the hotel closed at two on Friday nights. Or was it just one part of the hotel that closed late? He couldn’t remember. Then he realised that Narelle usually finished her shift at midnight when she worked Friday and Saturday nights. He kept moving looking for a quiet entry perhaps. As he scouted the right hand side and headed towards the rear he saw a service road leading around to the back of the hotel. He followed it until he could clearly see that it lead to a delivery and staff entrance at the rear of the building.
Hal made his decision. The robbery must’ve happened via this entrance. The terraces on the other three sides of the building were still noisily overflowing with happy drinkers so this was it. From his distance, just under a row of trees he could see one of the kitchen staff near the entrance sneaking a quick smoke. A few cars parked just to the right of the man. When he finally stubbed his cigarette, and moved back inside, Hal carefully moved around behind the trees to where the cars were parked and crouched behind a grey Mercedes. He couldn’t see any movement and the only noise he could hear was the hum of a thousand voices enjoying a warm Friday night at the Brekky Creek.
More minutes passed, and Hal waited nervously as he knew midnight must be approaching. He wished he had a watch for the very first time in his life. He got down onto his knees as his crouched position was starting a cramp in his left leg. He could now feel his heart pumping in his chest. He recalled the policewoman telling him that four armed men had robbed the hotel. Did that mean there was a fifth maybe who stayed in the car? It didn’t really matter, as Hal knew he was no match for even four armed men. Five just made it more sure. As the minutes ticked by, Hal started to wonder if he’d gotten it all wrong. The wrong day, the wrong time. Or perhaps his assumption that he’d hit a CTC or whatever it was called was wrong. If there was no robbery, what would that mean? Without any answer to his questions, his only choice was to wait.
Hal’s heart skipped a beat as he caught his first glance of a white van with headlights extinguished slowly making its way along the service road, stopping twice as if it wasn’t quite sure of where it was going. Then moving ahead again slowly towards the delivery and staff entrance. He took a few deep breaths, held back his usual nervous need to sneeze by squeezing his nostrils with his fingers and resumed his crouching position. He could only see the driver as the van approached so he presumed there were four armed men ready to spring out of the rear of the van. As it neared, the van turned to its right away from the entrance and was obviously readying to reverse towards the building in preparation for a fast getaway. Hal noticing that van didn’t have a rear door, only one side sliding door that he could see. As the van reversed, the sliding door was in clear view in front of Hal. When it came to a halt, Hal steadied himself for action, weapons at the ready.
At the very instant the sliding door of the van opened, Hal launched two rocks at a window of the building, just beside the open staff entrance door. Then smashed a side window of the Mercedes with a large rock in his hand. He crawled quickly to the next car as four startled men in balaclavas and overalls assessed what was going on and hesitated just long enough for Hal to scream at the top of his voice, ‘Police! Drop your weapons!’ A spray of bullets responding to his words, riddling the side of the Mercedes and the Range Rover he was now behind. In response to surviving the spray of bullets unscathed, Hal responded by launching another rock attack at the next rear window of the hotel. As it splintered, he could hear voices inside screaming. The driver started the van and looked agitated. Hal yelled again, ‘Drop your weapons!’ from the safety of his crouched position behind the Range Rover. Another spray of bullets, but this time in retreat as the four men hurried back inside the van.
Three hotel security staff came running. One from the staff door and two from the left terrace area, just as the van started to speed away. Hal saw one grab his shoulder mounted two way and was clearly reporting the incident. That was a good enough signal for Hal to slip back under the cover of the trees behind him and make his way back home. As he made a wide arc away from the hotel he heard the sound of sirens starting to wend their way towards the famous Breakfast Creek Hotel.
A Long Day
Taking a longer route back home to avoid any chance of being seen, Hal opened his front door, changed again and then made for the sofa to wait for Narelle. He hoped. The shimmering blur seemed to have disappeared from the sofa, so Hal felt encouraged by that. It was half past twelve and about the time Narelle normally arrived home after her night shift. By one, he was concerned, but knew that the police would probably be asking the staff questions. He waited impatiently wanting to know if Narelle was ever going to walk through the door, or was he just dreaming all this impossibility. As much as Hal had wanted to believe it since he saw the date on the Courier Mail, he suddenly had doubts. It was just way too surreal to be possible. How could he travel back in time? It was an impossibility.
Thinking about Rome, Gloth, Terranova Two and drinking Comet Chaotics with Amik had him wondering if he was just simply insane. Septimitty Fish-Roe could only be a name you meet in a nightmare and being shot through two solar systems in something hardly bigger than an oversized egg was just lunacy. Nothing made any sense nor was there a single thread of reality about it. Hal shook his head hoping something logical would come. It didn’t. Did he really meet Sandro Gregorian and Everett Emberly? Maybe the most logical explanation was that he was in Nimbin. Hal starting to conclude that he must’ve taken something and just forgotten how he got to Nimbin in the first place. That was the most logical idea he’d had all day. He stood up mumbling to himself about how stupid he was as he went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. He splashed some cold water on his face as well to try and wake himself and think straight. He looked at the kitchen clock. One thirty-five, then headed back to the living room. When a faint blur appeared again on the sofa he decided to turn out the light and go to bed.
As he flicked the light switch he jumped in fright as the front door behind him opened.
‘Suki yo Hal. Sorry I’m late.’
Hal was lost for words. His mouth moved but nothing came out. He was trying to get Suki da Narelle out but it got stuck in shock.
‘There was an attempted robbery at work. I couldn’t call, so I know ya’ must’ve been worried. The cops were everywhere, and I had to wait ‘til they’d asked me some questions.’
With his words still stuck, Hal did the only thing he could think of and hugged Narelle. She hugged him back and said, ‘It’s ok Hal, it wasn’t a big deal.’
‘Suki da Narelle,’ finally made its way quietly and slowly from Hal’s mouth into Narelle’s ear. She hugged him some more.
‘C’mon Big Fella, I need a glass of milk and some sleep. It’s been a long day.’
Good Morning
Hal woke at seven-thirty and double-checked that it really was Narelle fast asleep next to him. Rolling and propping his head on his left elbow, he just looked at her. Still not knowing what to believe. Had he really gone away, or was his head playing tricks? He finally moved as gently as he could from the bed and went to bathroom to shower. As the water ran down his back, he wondered how bad he must’ve smelled as he recalled he hadn’t had a shower since he left the Heavy Lifter for the Hoog. Days and days ago that may have been years. Or was it the other way round, years in the future? All far too confusing again. Nothing made sense at all.
As he brushed his teeth, he looked at his face that badly needed a shave then decided growing a beard might be a good idea. ‘What? To hide from the Camera Stellata?’ he thought, then grabbed his razor. Feeling fresher and more alive than he had in ages, he sta
rted to get an inkling that bacon and eggs might be a great start to his Saturday and headed for the kitchen.
‘Scrambled eggs and crispy bacon Big Fella?’ Narelle smiled as she pottered around in the kitchen dressed in a long t-shirt.
‘Oh yes please,’ he smiled back and then went over to give her a big hug and a good morning kiss.
‘Now don’t forget. You’ve got to go buy the steaks and snags for the barbie tonight. I’ll pick up the salads on the way back from Mum’s.’
‘The barbie?’
‘You didn’t forget did ya’ Hal? Debbie and Darrell are comin’ about eight with Debbie’s sister and her new boyfriend.’
‘Oh yeah. That’s right,’ he answered vaguely as his mind started ticking away. What else didn’t he remember? How could he anyway? These things never happened. Everything was going to happen differently from now on. Narelle was here.
‘Ya’ off with the pixies there Big Fella?’ Narelle asked with a smile as she saw Hal was miles away in his mind. If only she could’ve imagined how far.
‘Sorry Narelle, I think I’m still half asleep,’ then pretended to yawn. ‘So what happened last night?’ he asked changing the conversation.
‘Well, it was really odd. I was just going out back to settle my till with the night manager and all of a sudden there was shouting, windows smashing and gun fire. Ross, he’s the night manager, dragged me to the floor and we just waited there until one of our security guys arrived. He told us to stay down, then by the time he got to the back entrance, a van was pulling away. The cops arrived pretty quick, and kept us all inside for a while.’
‘So nobody was hurt?’
‘Just Ross. He got a gash on his arm from some flying glass.’
The Adventures of HAL: The Second Hilarious Glothic Tale (The Glothic Tales Book 2) Page 19