Ross River Fever

by Christopher Cummings

  Andrew was already angry at the vandalism of the models, and at the crude language to his sister. Being labelled a ‘dork’ added to his rage. He continued to paddle furiously, quite unafraid of an encounter on water.

  CHAPTER 4

  FRUSTRATIONS

  The front canoe sped towards the two stationary kayaks. Andrew gritted his teeth and paddled as hard as he could. He was quite determined to teach the bullies a lesson. Something of his determination must have communicated itself to the bullies as Jay hesitated to obey Forman’s order to close them on the other side. Andrew saw the bully’s eyes flicker from them to the second canoe. A glance showed it to be about fifty metres back but heading towards them as fast as the occupants could paddle it.

  By then they were about fifty metres from Forman’s kayak. Forman’s eyes widened as he recognized them. “It’s them shits what gave us trouble on the bridge yesterday,” he called to his cronies. “Let’s teach them a lesson they won’t forget.”

  He called on Troy to start paddling but Troy appeared reluctant. “Let’s split,” he suggested.

  “You gone yella?” Forman snarled at him. “Come on Shaun, get over here and help us tip them over.”

  “Don’t forget we got the stuff,” Jay replied.

  Forman swore. His eyes flicked from Andrew’s canoe, now only twenty five metres away, to the second canoe containing Martin, Letitia and Jill. “They’re mostly girls. Come on, let’s have some fun.”

  Jay shook his head. “No. Let’s get out of here,” he replied. Suiting actions to his words he put his kayak into motion away from the rapidly approaching canoe. Forman swore and cursed but also dug in his paddle.

  Andrew laughed and taunted them. “Stay and fight, you gutless bullies!”

  Forman swore again and his face turned ugly with rage but Jay and Shaun, the long, thin individual, had abandoned him and Troy was clearly in no mood for a fight. In a moment both had dug in their paddles and were streaking after the first kayak.

  Carmen jeered. “Cowards!” she shrilled. That appeared to sting, but did not stop what had now become a headlong flight.

  A chase now began. Andrew bent to his paddle, thrusting it deep and hauling with all his might. His canoe had plenty of speed and Forman’s kayak was almost stationary. It started to move faster, but only slowly, and the gap rapidly closed to only a few metres. Andrew prepared to reach out with his paddle but Forman and Troy both strained and paddled for all they were worth and their kayak quickly picked up speed. One moment the distance between the two craft was closing; the next it was slowly widening.

  The two black kayaks, each propelled by two double paddles, quickly showed themselves to be superior to the two Canadians, each with three people and three paddles. Andrew and his friends exerted themselves to the utmost but within a few minutes it was clear that the two kayaks were faster. The furiously paddled canoes drove along the river, causing waterfowl to scatter and take flight. Drips of water spattered aboard and quickly wet the paddlers. Despite it being a hot summer day Andrew felt quite chilled.

  After about three hundred metres the friends gave it up. The kayaks had pulled away to a clear lead of fifty metres. By then they were opposite the swimming pontoon and were passing two other kayaks going the other way, paddled by totally innocent people. The afternoon sun was glinting off the water, reflecting into their eyes. Carmen called on them to stop.

  “It’s no good. They are too fast for us,” she said.

  Andrew stopped paddling and leaned on the sides of the canoe, his chest heaving and sweat running down into his eyes. A few hundred metres ahead of them were the Charles Barton Bridges which dominated that stretch of the river. The two kayaks slowed down and Forman jeered derisively back at them, uttering a string of obscenities and insults which Andrew found perfectly infuriating. To find that the bullies appeared to be competent canoeists; and to be stronger (or at least to have faster canoes) was very galling.

  The chase continued on slowly for another hundred metres, but by then the two kayaks were passing under the bridges and were a hundred metres ahead. To Andrew’s chagrin they soon passed from view around the bend. He looked back to see where the second canoe was. It was about a hundred metres back and advancing slowly.

  Reluctantly Andrew obeyed Carmen’s order to give up the chase. She steered them around in a semi-circle and they began to paddle slowly back down river. This put the sun at their backs and presented an entirely different aspect. To start with it looked very pretty: all bright, sparkling blue water and green trees and grass, lit up by the sun. But the sky in that direction was filling with masses of dark grey clouds. A strong breeze blew in their faces, cooling their sweat but making progress much harder.

  Mark gestured upwards. “We are going to be rained on if we don’t hurry,” he observed.

  They drew level with the second canoe, which swung round to move parallel to them. Andrew managed a grin but was still annoyed that the bullies had escaped them so effortlessly. “We aren’t as fit as we thought,” he commented.

  “I know I’m not,” Letitia agreed. She was red in the face from the exertion and her bulging lifejacket heaved up and down with her breathing. Andrew marvelled that she could even get the thing on, much less do it up.

  Martin pointed down the river. “Let’s recover the poor old Cutty Sark before this rain arrives,” he said. So they paddled steadily down river against the wind until they came to the broken model. The model was lying on its side amidst the lilies.

  Carmen shook her head and tut-tutted. “Oh, what a shame!” she said. Andrew could only agree. He shook his head and wondered how anyone could be so heartless as to destroy so much skilled work. Martin bit his lip and was visibly upset but he said nothing. The model was hauled upright, then lifted aboard his canoe. It was a sorry sight. All the white sails were stained by the dirty water and slime from the weeds. The broken masts and spars were in a terrible tangle with the thread used for the rigging. Even the hull had taken a battering.

  Sadly the group paddled back to the shore. As they climbed out Jill asked Martin: “What are you going to do? Are you going to report them?”

  “I suppose so,” Martin replied. He held up the dripping wreck and shook his head.

  “Oh you must!” Carmen cried. “They have not only broken your property, they have stolen your submarine.”

  “Yes, I know,” Martin replied. He clearly did not relish having to act against the bullies.

  As they climbed out of the canoes onto the jetty, Snoopy came yapping down the lawn to greet them. Mark rolled the puppy on his back and rubbed his tummy, then picked him up and rumpled his ears. The dog snuffled happily and tried to lick his face.

  The canoes were hauled up to the shed and stored. The group then made their way to the house. Mrs Schipholl was in the kitchen preparing afternoon tea and when told she was horrified.

  “The disgusting thugs! Of course we must call the police,” she cried.

  So matters were immediately taken out of Martin’s hands as his mother picked up the phone. He again shook his head sadly.

  Carmen met his eye. “You have to Martin,” she insisted again, seeing his reluctance.

  “I know. But it is going to make school hell for a while. They will make my life a misery,” Martin replied.

  “They already do it seems,” Mark observed.

  The ruined model was carried to a table on the patio and laid carefully down. Martin then got to work to clean off the strands of weed and lily roots which were ensnared in the rigging. He took a razor to the rigging and started to carefully cut free all the broken spars and masts.

  While this was being done Mrs Schipholl called Letitia to help her and they brought out afternoon tea: cordial and hot scones with butter and honey. As before Letitia made a big play of offering things to Andrew, including more glimpses of her bosom. He accepted both, but not without twinges of embarrassment. Carmen again winked and treated it as a joke but Jill obviously did not approve and f
rowned, particularly when Mark also got a good eyeful. That gave Andrew food for thought. He studied Jill very carefully when he was sure no-one else was looking and decided she was very beautiful. In the process he could not help comparing her with Letitia. They were certainly very different.

  Jill, he decided, was much nicer; a quiet, thoughtful person. She was pleasant and graceful and spoke with a carefully modulated voice which was very musical and pleasant to listen to. Letitia, on the other hand, was all bubbly and chatty and was louder than Andrew really liked. But heavens, she had the bigger bosom! For a few seconds he experienced a strong surge of desire as he studied and compared the two girls. This led to some very naughty thoughts which he then tried hard to push out of his mind.

  Twenty minutes later the front door bell rang. Two policemen were led in. One was Constable Fort, the other a stranger.

  Constable Fort studied the group. “Oh hi! You kids again eh?” he said. He smiled at Carmen, then positively ogled when Letitia offered him some scones. The two policemen were seated and given afternoon tea as well. While they munched on jam and cream coated scones they asked questions and made notes in their notebooks.

  “So you definitely saw Forman pick the model up and place it inside his kayak?” Constable Fort asked, his gaze concentrated on Carmen, who went cherry pink at his obvious attention.

  “Yes,” she replied rather stiffly. Andrew grinned and suppressed a chuckle.

  Constable Fort made a note then looked at Martin. “How much was the model worth?” he asked.

  “A fair bit,” Martin replied. He then listed the items he had purchased for its construction and their costs: electric motors, radio control unit, gears, propellers, plastic, glue, etc. Constable Fort wrote all these down. As he did Letitia went over and bent over to offer the other policeman more scones.

  Andrew watched his eyes as she bent forward. ‘What a show-off tease she is!’ he thought. But he couldn’t help smiling at the obvious struggle by the young policeman as he tried to pretend he wasn’t looking. Then it was his turn. Letitia came over and presented him with more scones and another tantalizing glimpse. Andrew felt himself flush with embarrassment, even as his mouth went dry with desire.

  The two policemen then reluctantly took their leave. Letitia and Mrs Schipholl showed them out. Andrew sat back and had a drink of cordial while he tried to recover his composure.

  Letitia came back to the patio and asked: “What will we do now?”

  “What do you suggest?” Jill asked. She bent to stroke the cat, which had appeared from behind some pot plants.

  “A swim would be nice,” Letitia suggested. Andrew thought so too. It was very hot and muggy. ‘Humidity must be about 90%,’ he thought. The temperature he knew was about 35 degrees C. The grey clouds were still slowly massing on the slopes of Mt Stuart and there were curtains of rain drifting down from them but none was overhead so the group still sweltered in the afternoon heat.

  They had all worn their bathers under their clothes so the idea was adopted. “There is a great swing,” Letitia said enthusiastically, leading them down the lawn again. Snoopy ran excitedly around them, yapping and bringing sticks. Mark picked one up and threw it. Snoopy scampered after it and quickly brought it back. He dropped it at Mark’s feet and looked up with big, hopeful eyes, his tail wagging.

  Martin grinned. “You’ll regret having done that,” he said with a laugh. “He will run you ragged now.”

  Mark shrugged and bent to pick up the stick. He hurled it as far along the bank as he could. Snoopy dashed off in chase. The others watched for a while then prepared for their swim.

  Clothes were peeled off, with some hesitancy by Mark, Jill and Andrew; and none at all by Letitia. She peeled off her blouse and shorts to reveal a very shapely body. The bottom of her bikini was very small, almost a G-string, allowing the boys a delightful view of her hips and almost bare buttocks. Jill was plainly scandalized but said nothing. Letitia’s top was even more revealing. It was just two small triangles of yellow cloth and a few strings. It only covered about half of her breasts so that the tops bulged out and the sides and bottoms were also visible.

  Andrew found the sight very arousing. To hide this he quickly made his way down the lawn to the water and waded in where a tiny beach of sand showed among the lilies. He was joined by Snoopy, sent skittering into the water by Mark, who had hurled the stick into the river. Snoopy obviously thought this was a good game as he dashed in and swam vigorously out to the stick, clamped it in his jaws and returned with it. He trotted up the tiny beach next to where the girls were placing their clothes and towels.

  Letitia shrieked and grabbed at her clothes. “No Snoopy! Not here! Oh!” she cried. Too late! Snoopy shook himself vigorously, sending a shower of drops in all directions. The girls shrieked and Martin swore. Andrew watched in delight as Letitia ran away, her barely restrained breasts bobbling wildly.

  Mark laughed and threw the stick into the water again. “Good doggy! Go fetch!” he called.

  Carmen and Jill hastily waded into the water after Andrew. Letitia walked down to join them. Snoopy swam out to retrieve the stick and then back to the shore. This time Martin was ready and snatched the stick from him, throwing it up the bank. He then waded in as well. Mark threw the stick once more along the lawn, then joined them in the water.

  As Letitia waded in she let out a gasp. “Oh heavens, it’s cold!” she cried as she got to waist deep. Andrew laughed and splashed her. She shrieked and tried to cover herself. Martin joined in and Letitia tried to retaliate. Carmen and Jill joined in and the battle became general for a minute. Finally the splashing subsided from exhaustion and laughter.

  Carmen lay back with just her head out of the water. “Well! It is certainly much cooler in,” she exclaimed. Andrew agreed. He was now standing in water up to his neck. The bottom was sand and from about his knees down he was in a different layer of water, much colder.

  Mark looked around. “Where’s this swing?” he asked. Snoopy had swum out to him with the stick and he had to throw it to keep him happy.

  Martin pointed. “In that tree,” he said. It was a huge African Tulip which overhung the water. A rope with several knots in it dangled from one of several thick branches.

  Letitia splashed ashore. “Come on, I’ll show you,” she cried. She ran to the tree. The others followed. As Letitia climbed up Andrew stared at her bikini clad body and could only gape. Jill pursed her lips. Andrew followed Letitia up, then Carmen, Martin, Mark and Jill. The branches were so thick they had no fear of them breaking, even under that weight.

  Letitia grabbed the rope and held it. From where she stood it looked quite a drop to the water. “This is the low jump,” she explained. “If you are game you go up to the next branch and hold that top knot.”

  Andrew looked up. From the way Letitia met his eye he knew she was giving him a direct challenge to his courage. ‘Damn!’ he thought. Then he shrugged. ‘If I can jump off that bloody bridge I can jump out of this tree.’

  Letitia went first. She swung out screaming and dropped into the deep, black looking water. From five metres above the bottom could not be seen but Andrew consoled himself that the water there was at least free of weeds and lilies. He grabbed the rope as it swung back, then waited till Letitia had surfaced and swum clear. After taking a deep breath he swung out.

  It was a nice thrill. The drop was just long enough to be scary and the water was refreshingly cool when he plummeted into it. He swam ashore laughing as Carmen followed him. Letitia was waiting on the bank. She laughed and said: “Try the higher rope this time.”

  Andrew nodded and followed her to the tree. He climbed up close behind her, admiring her shapely form as he did. When they reached the low branch Letitia turned and said: “Give me a leg up.”

  That made Andrew’s pulses race as he had to actually touch her smooth flesh. He made a step with his hands and helped her up, then hauled himself up after her. Once again his eyes were riveted on her body. ‘H
eavens, she’s got big boobs!’ he thought, feeling weak and mesmerized at the sight of them.

  This time it took an act of obvious courage to make the jump. It was another three metres higher and the water did look a long way down. Only by reminding himself of the jump from the bridge could Andrew make himself follow Letitia. She screamed all the way down and landed with a great splash and swirl of bubbles. As she surfaced he took a deep breath and swung out, aware that Jill and Carmen were watching from lower down the tree.

  Andrew thought he yelled out in fright as he fell but he wasn’t sure. The water seemed to rush at him. Next thing he was deep down in blackness, kicking through a layer of icy water. He struck out for the surface at once and broke surface with a thankful gasp. He swam ashore, arriving just as Letitia hauled herself up the bank by a tree root. She turned to call to him and Andrew gaped.

  In the jump Letitia’s top had come adrift and both her breasts were partly out. She seemed oblivious of this and laughed and held out her hand to help him. Andrew could only stammer and gape.

  Not so Jill. She pursed her lips and stepped in front of Mark. “Letitia!” she snapped, pointing.

  Letitia looked quizzical, then glanced down. “Ooh! Sorry!” she squeaked. Quickly she covered herself and then turned her back on them while she adjusted her clothing. Despite Jill’s tone Andrew got the impression that Letitia wasn’t very worried about the incident.

  This was confirmed when Martin swam up beside him and said: “Take no notice. She’s always showing off like that. She lies about the back lawn topless sunbathing half the day sometimes.”

  “Doesn’t your mum stop her?” Andrew asked as his eyes followed Letitia’s every movement.

  Martin shrugged and went red. “Mum’s liable to be out there with her. I hope you aren’t offended.”

  Andrew shook his head. “Not at all, but I think Jill is a bit peeved,” he replied.