Ross River Fever

by Christopher Cummings

  Jill half put her hand up. “Can we come?” she asked anxiously.

  Constable Fort nodded. “If you want to, but I can’t promise you a lift home afterwards.”

  “That’s alright. We can walk home afterwards. It isn’t that far,” Jill replied.

  Andrew was helped to his feet. Only then did he realize just how weak and groggy he felt. He made only a token protest as he was helped into the ambulance. By this time a crowd of gaping onlookers had gathered and he was glad when the doors were closed. Carmen, he noted, had opted to travel in the police car.

  As the ambulance started moving, Andrew met the eyes of the boy he had saved. The boy looked to be about his own age. He had mousy, fair hair and blue eyes and looked very pale and sickly but he managed a weak smile. “Are you the boy who saved me?” he asked in a croaky voice.

  Andrew blushed. “Yes,” he mumbled in modest confusion. “Only it wasn’t only me. Other kids helped.”

  “Was it you I grabbed hold of?” the boy asked.

  Andrew nodded. The boy made a face. “Sorry about that. I was in a bit of a panic. I can normally swim really well but that mongrel Forman kicked me in the nuts and I blacked out. I only came to when I was already under water and I couldn’t swim.”

  Andrew nodded. “I saw him,” he replied. “Do you know him then?”

  “Yeah, the mongrel! He goes to my school and he’s the biggest bully in the place,” the boy replied. “Anyway, never mind him. Thanks for hauling me out. I reckon I was a goner if you hadn’t. I was just starting to swallow water when you grabbed me.” He held out his hand.

  Andrew took it. He felt fearfully embarrassed and mumbled a suitable reply. The boy said: “My name is Martin Schipholl. That’s Dutch, spelled S. C. H. I. P. H. O. L. L. All the kids at school call me ‘Bumhole’ though.”

  Andrew could not suppress a smile. Martin grinned back. “Yes, it could be worse. What’s your name?”

  “Andrew Collins,” Andrew replied. He then proceeded to relate to Martin events on the bridge and in the water after he had been thrown in.

  By the time he was finished they were at the Townsville Hospital. There followed an hour of waiting rooms and being looked over by a doctor. He pronounced them both well enough to be released. By then Martin’s parents and sister had arrived as well as Andrew’s Uncle Mel and Aunty Bev. When Andrew reached the waiting room he found Constable Fort was interviewing Martin.

  Andrew and the others were introduced and he and Mark were again thanked. Andrew found himself blushing as he looked into the brilliant blue eyes of Martin’s big sister Letitia. She was a big-boned girl a year older than him. She had the same features of her brother and mother, and she had a pair of very large and prominent breasts which made Andrew’s mouth go dry even when he just glanced at them. He found his eyes straying back to them every few seconds and had to make a conscious effort to look elsewhere, lest anyone notice.

  As soon as the introductions and thanks were over Constable Fort resumed his questioning. It transpired that all three of the bullies went to the same school as Martin and Letitia and that one of them was in one of her classes.

  Letitia sniffed. “That Jay,” she said. “He’s a real creep. He’s always making crude suggestions to the girls.”

  Constable Fort nodded. “I thought their descriptions rang a bell. Those three are suspected of several break and enters. We might look them up.”

  Martin’s mother cut in. “I want them charged with assault,” she said angrily.

  Carmen nodded. “Attempted murder I reckon,” she added.

  “We will see. Well, that is all we need you for. You are free to go now,” Constable Fort said, closing his notebook with a snap.

  Carmen looked dismayed. “Oh! Can’t you lock my little brother up for a week to keep him out of mischief,” she asked, her cheeks dimpling with laughter and her eyes glinting with mischief.

  Constable Fort laughed but Andrew noted that his eyes held Carmen’s just a bit longer than he needed to.

  Mr Schipholl spoke up as they walked out to the car park at the front of the hospital: “I would like to show our gratitude by inviting you all over for dinner tomorrow, if that is alright?”

  “Oh yes please!” Letitia seconded, fixing Andrew with an intense look.

  Andrew blushed and switched his eyes from her boobs to her eyes. They were then drawn back down by a force which seemed outside his control. ‘How do they stick out like that?’ he wondered. ‘They seem to defy gravity!’ He swallowed and nodded in embarrassment.

  Carmen answered for him: “We’d love to. Does that include Mark and Jill?”

  “Of course. They helped in the rescue,” Mr Schipholl replied.

  “What time and where?” Carmen asked.

  “How about five thirty tomorrow afternoon?” Mr Schipholl suggested, looking at his wife. She nodded and he gave their address. They parted after that. Andrew watched fascinated as Letitia walked across to their car. With every step her buttocks quivered noticeably inside the white cotton skirt and he shook his head as desire coursed within him.

  Carmen nudged him. “Come on little brother, tear your eyes from her outstanding attractions,” she whispered in his ear. At that Andrew went bright red. He opened his mouth to protest his innocence, then shut it at the sight of Carmen’s laughing eyes. ‘She knows me too well- drat!’ he thought.

  “She likes you,” Carmen went on, adding to his confusion.

  “And that copper was sweet on you,” Andrew retorted.

  “Oh he was not!” Carmen replied, but she went bright pink in turn. By then they were at the car and were loaded in. A few minutes later, as they re-crossed the bridge, Mark asked Uncle Mel to stop. “We live just across the park there in Cranbrook,” he explained.

  “We will walk home thanks,” Jill added. “See you tomorrow.”

  Mark opened the car door. “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” he added. He and Jill got out and walked off along the footpath. ‘Lucky bugger!’ Andrew thought seeing Mark put his arm around Jill’s waist. Then he settled back for the drive to Aitkenvale where they were staying.

  At 5pm the next afternoon they arrived at the Schipholl’s, which was on the other side of Ross River in Annandale. The house fronted the river and looked very nice. It was single-story brick and looked fairly new. As he climbed out of the car, Andrew looked at the water of the river glinting in the afternoon sun. Beyond the street along the front of the houses was a tree-dotted lawn which sloped down to the water. At that point several very large trees overhung the river bank, making it very shady and picturesque.

  Carmen looked around and sighed. “What a lovely place to live; and what a lovely house.”

  Andrew agreed with the comment on location but wasn’t so sure about the house. He followed Uncle Mel and Aunty Bev, half regretting that they had accepted the invitation. He wasn’t sure whether he liked Martin and was a little bit worried about how he would react to Letitia. But he knew he was interested in seeing her. That was made apparent by a distinct increase in his heart rate.

  They were met at the door by Mr Schipholl, who ushered them through to a very pleasant patio at the rear. This extended across to a swimming pool and garden beds. The patio was covered, giving them shade from the last of the afternoon sun. A cool breeze blew in around the side, apparently coming from the river. Mrs Schipholl rose from an easy chair to greet them.

  Aunty Beth gestured. “What a lovely view at the front,” she said.

  “Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Mrs Schipholl said.

  Uncle Mel shook hands. “We live almost directly opposite but one street away from the river,” he explained, pointing to where their house was. As the adults talked Andrew was greeted by Martin, who came through from a side room. He looked much better and managed a cheerful grin. The visitors were offered seats and cool drinks. Andrew sat on a cane chair, feeling ill at ease. He noted that Mrs Schipholl was also a large bosomed woman and that she wore a double string of pearls around her n
eck. These shivered and glimmered as her blouse quivered whenever she spoke or moved.

  At that moment Letitia came through from the kitchen. She carried a tray of savouries. Andrew’s eyes boggled. She wore a cotton blouse which seemed half open at the top so that he could clearly see her cleavage. ‘Heavens! That’s a bit revealing,’ he thought. ‘How can her parents let her dress like that?’ But the answer was obvious. Her mother had the same display. Andrew’s mouth went dry and he felt his fingers twitch. Guilt as well as desire coursed through him. Then he caught Carmen watching his reaction and he blushed fiercely.

  Letitia came over to him and bent low to offer him the snacks. “So nice of you to come Andrew,” she said. “Can you see anything you like?”

  Andrew's eyes were drawn to the smooth curve of her breasts. His mind raced. ‘Tongue, don’t let me down!’ he told himself. He found his gaze directed straight down her front. ‘She’s doing that deliberately,’ he thought. His blush deepened. ‘Everyone will notice!’ he worried. That made him blush even more.

  Martin snorted. “Fair go Sis,” he said. “What about us? I’m hungry too.”

  Letitia smiled at Andrew before moving over to serve the others. Andrew caught Carmen’s eye and she grinned, making him blush again.

  Mr Schipholl said: “It was very lucky you children were walking across the bridge yesterday afternoon. I hope it didn’t spoil your day?”

  “No sir,” Carmen replied. “We were just sightseeing.”

  Mrs Schipholl frowned. “Sightseeing! Oh, yes, you come from Cairns. What brings you to Townsville?” she asked.

  “A navy cadet activity,” Carmen replied.

  “Navy cadets? Are you both in the navy cadets?” Mr Schipholl queried.

  Carmen nodded. “All four of us,” she replied.

  Mrs Schipholl smiled. “You mean the other two children too?” she asked.

  “Mark and Jill? Yes.”

  There was the sound of door chimes. Mrs Schipholl looked at Martin. “That might be them now. Please go and see Martin,"” she said. Martin did as he was told. Letitia came back to offer Andrew more biscuits and another tantalizing glimpse of her bosom.

  It was Mark and Jill. They were ushered in by Martin and, after introductions, were seated. Letitia moved over to give them snacks, allowing Andrew a good opportunity to admire her from the side. He was amused to notice Mark’s eyes light up as he got a good eyeful of Letitia’s assets; and that Jill noted this and pursed her lips with disapproval. ‘Good. Mark can have her and that will leave me a clear run at Jill,’ he thought.

  Mr Schipholl returned to the theme of Navy Cadets. “Tell me about them please,” he requested. Carmen did the talking, first explaining that the Navy Cadets was a volunteer part-time organization and that really they were just ordinary school kids. Then she outlined their careers. “Andrew is only a ‘First Year’ Ordinary Seaman but I am a ‘Second Year’ Able Seaman,” she explained. She then went on to describe the course they had attended in conjunction with the local unit, T.S. ‘Coral Sea’.

  “And what do navy cadets do?” Mrs Schipholl asked.

  “Oh, lots of nautical things like sailing and small boat handling, and canoeing, plus subjects like signalling, navigation, knot tying, drill, first aid and so on,” Carmen replied.

  “Canoeing eh? We have two canoes here that never get any use,” Mr Schipholl said, indicating a shed further down the garden.

  Mrs Schipholl turned to Martin. “You might be interested in joining the Navy Cadets Martin,” she said with obvious hope in her tone. Then she turned to Andrew. “Martin is very keen on ships. His grandfather was a ship’s captain and he has lots of model ships.”

  Martin went red and was plainly embarrassed at having his hobby made public. His mother affected not to notice this and went on: “You should show these children your models Martin. They would be very interested.” She turned back to Andrew. “They are very good. Some actually sail.”

  Martin blushed. “Mum! Fair go!” he cried.

  “Don’t be shy my boy. Show them while we adults have a bit of a yarn,” Mr Schipholl said.

  Reluctantly Martin agreed. Andrew smiled his encouragement. He was interested. They all got up and followed Martin through a door and along a passageway to a large, airy corner room. It was Martin’s bedroom and had bookshelves along two walls, a desk and chair on the side facing the river with a delightful view of the water, and a large fish tank on the fourth wall. Models of ships seemed to be everywhere: sailing ships and modern warships mostly.

  Carmen looked around. “Oh, what a lovely bedroom,” she said. “And what a wonderful fish tank. What type of fish are they?” She knelt to study the fish as they swam about among rocks and coral lumps.

  Martin bent to explain them to her. Andrew wasn’t very interested in fish and apart from hearing that the biggest was named ‘Galleon’, because he looked like a Spanish Treasure galleon under full sail, he missed most of the explanation. This was because Letitia ‘accidentally’ bumped against him, her left breast pressing against his bare arm. He nearly jumped with surprise. The touch set his heart thumping and he felt a rush of desire and guilt.

  Letitia bent and clicked her fingers. “Hello ‘Snoopy’. Come here doggy,” she called, as a mottled brown and white beagle came padding into the room with tail wagging. She scooped the puppy up and ruffled his ears. “This is ‘Snoopy’, the world’s greatest watchdog,” she said.

  Andrew looked at the dog as she cuddled it to her bosom. ‘Lucky hound!’ he thought, then blushed at the thoughts that followed.

  Jill came over. “Oh he’s lovely!” she remarked. She held out her hands and the puppy was transferred. Martin patted the puppy as she held it, then started pointing out his models. There was a large sailing ship, a ‘clipper’, which was over a metre long.

  “The Cutty Sark. I built her from a kit,” Martin explained.

  Andrew was impressed. “Does she sail?”

  “Yes, but I haven’t had her on the water for months,” Martin replied. He then indicated another large sailing ship model. “That one is my favourite. She is the Gulden Dragon, a Dutch East India Company ship from the seventeenth century.”

  Mark pointed to a large model submarine about a metre long. “I like this sub,” he said. “Does she work?”

  Martin nodded. “Yes. She has a battery powered motor and is radio controlled. So is that model of the ocean liner,” he replied.

  “What is the liner’s name?” Andrew asked. He thought he knew but didn’t want to look silly by being wrong.

  Martin grinned. “The Titanic,” he replied.

  “What else!” Andrew answered with a laugh. He had been right and felt pleased. The liner model was also over a metre long. She had a black hull, red waterline and white superstructure. The four funnels were painted creamy yellow with black tops. The effect was impressive.

  “Can we try one out?” Mark asked.

  Martin hesitated. “Aw... oh I suppose so. But let’s be social first,” he replied. He led the way back along the corridor. Suddenly he stopped and pointed down. “Look out! Don’t step on poor old Terry.”

  Andrew stopped and looked. A tortoise was shuffling slowly along the tiles near a large pot plant. Martin bent down and picked him up. “Hello Terry. Where have you been?” he asked as he stroked the tortoise on the back of the head. The tortoise looked up at him, then around at the others, his little legs continuing to walk on thin air. Carmen chortled with delight and asked if she could hold him. Terry the Tortoise was transferred to her. The tortoise turned his head to examine her with a quizzical expression on his face. They all laughed at this and Carmen tickled the tortoise under the chin.

  Martin continued on. Andrew came last, following Letitia.

  At the next doorway she stopped suddenly so that he bumped into her. “This one is my bedroom,” she said, pointing in. Andrew looked, but went very red. ‘Why is she showing me her bedroom?’ he wondered. She was very close to him in the
doorway and found her eyes searching his. He felt flustered and a bit frightened. He caught Mark looking back, then Carmen. Blushing, he commented that it was a very nice room, which it was, and followed the others out to the back patio.

  CHAPTER 3

  A SECOND ENCOUNTER

  The group sat out on the patio and talked until twilight set in. The whole time Andrew was acutely conscious that Letitia was giving him what he thought were ‘meaningful’ glances. It made him very uncomfortable and provided much not-so-secret amusement to Carmen. The sunlight went off the water, then off the trees across the river.

  Mrs Schipholl slapped at her legs and scratched. “We’d better move inside or the mosquitoes will have us for dinner,” she said. She stood up and the others followed suit. “Don’t you children let yourselves get bitten by the mosquitoes. They can carry Ross River Fever and Dengue Fever. We wouldn’t want you to catch either of them.”

  “No fear!” Martin agreed. “I picked up Ross River fever last year and it is awful. Sometimes it just breaks out. I get headaches and feel really lousy. It is no joke.”

  They made their way into the living room and the screen doors were slid shut to exclude the insects. The move led to a new social grouping. Mrs Schipholl called on Letitia and Martin to help her serve up the dinner while Mr Schipholl seated them around the large dining table. In the seating arrangement Andrew ended up with Jill on his left and Letitia on his right, with Mark opposite, next to Carmen. The adults grouped at the other end of the table.

  Terry tortoise was reluctantly relinquished by Carmen. At Mr Schipholl’s direction he was placed on the tiles in the passageway and he shuffled off along towards Martin’s room. Snoopy was the next pet to be excluded. Jill had been petting him and had to put him outside. No sooner had she seated herself than she let out a squeal and jumped. She lifted up the tablecloth and looked under.

  “Oh, a cat! Oh, he gave me fright. What’s his name?” Jill asked.

  “’Tiptoe’,” Mr Schipholl replied with a laugh as the cat appeared next to Carmen. Andrew looked at it without much interest but Carmen squealed as the cat sprang up onto her lap. It purred and rubbed at her and she rubbed its back.