Ross River Fever

by Christopher Cummings

  Nearby was the remains of a chain wire gate which had been torn down. It was clearly there to stop people walking across the top of the weir.

  Time went by and radio reports came in. No-one had seen any sign of the thugs. The helicopter reported no sign of any canoes. The inspector thumped his fist into his hand angrily. “The slimy mongrels have given us the slip again. Damn!”

  CHAPTER 21

  LETITIA

  By 2:30 pm the police had driven the boys back to the entrance to the university to collect their bicycles. The boys pedalled back along Angus Smith Drive. By then Andrew felt quite sick and exhausted. The sun was blazing down and he was very thirsty and sweating heavily. A spell of dizziness made him suspect he was on the edge of heat exhaustion.

  As they approached the roundabout on the main highway Mark asked: “What are we doing now?”

  “I was going over to Martin’s,” Andrew replied. “What did you want to do?”

  “I’d like to go and tell Jill what happened,” Mark answered.

  Andrew groaned and bit his lip. He had been worrying about how he could keep it all secret from Carmen, Uncle Mel and Aunty Bev, but now concluded it would be impossible. Mark would tell Jill, who would tell Carmen; or Martin would tell Letitia... He nodded. “You be careful riding around on your own. If you run into those thugs they will bash you.”

  “Same applies to you,” Mark replied. “Anyway, I reckon they’ll be lying low right now.”

  Martin agreed. He then asked: “Are you going to the pictures with us tonight Mark?”

  Mark shook his head. “No. I’d like to but Jill’s parents won’t let her out while these thugs are on the loose so I will go over to her place.”

  It was agreed to meet again the following morning to check developments. At the roundabout Mark went left towards the bridge and the other two went right towards Annandale. As they rode along Andrew eyed with concern some rain clouds which were piling up on Mt Stuart. “If we don't step on it we could get a soaking.”

  They increased speed and ten minutes later arrived at the Schipholl’s. They dismounted in the driveway. Martin said: “Dump your bike against the fence. I will put mine in the shed.”

  He led the way along the driveway. Andrew followed, feeling very hot. He realized he had stopped sweating and knew that was a bad sign. He tried to lick his lips but found his tongue was dry and seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth.

  Martin wheeled his bike over to the shed saying: “Just wait on the patio. I won’t be a minute.”

  Andrew turned left and walked around to the swimming pool area at the rear of the house- to come to a dead stop in stunned surprise.

  Lying on towels beside the pool were Letitia and Mrs Schipholl and all they wore were skimpy bikinis with the tops undone. Letitia lay on her back and her mother beyond her on her front. Embarrassment and desire both surged blood into Andrew’s brain and as he eyes registered impressions of female curves he tried to turn around. He knew he was gaping and that made it worse.

  Mrs Schipholl heard him and turned her head. “Why Andrew! This is a surprise. Where is Martin?”

  Andrew was so flustered and embarrassed he could only gape and gabble. He gestured behind him as the two started to cover themselves with their towels. Before he could look away, he was granted wonderful glimpses of curving thighs and rounded buttocks and clearly saw Letitia’s breasts as she sat up. She did not seem to be in a hurry to cover herself and was smiling.

  Martin arrived just as Andrew managed to turn himself around. Andrew could not explain but knew he was blushing beetroot red. Martin flushed with annoyance as he took in the sight of his mother and sister wrapping towels around themselves. He snorted and said shortly: “Hmmf! Forget it. They are always doing that. It is most embarrassing and makes a real spectacle for the neighbours.”

  Mrs Schipholl heard this and replied, “Oh don’t be so prim and proper Martin. It’s only natural. Don’t get so up tight about it.”

  “Well it embarrasses me and it is bothering Andrew. Look at the colour he has gone,” Martin replied gruffly.

  Letitia laughed. She had risen to her knees and had wrapped a towel around herself. Smiling she said: “I’m sure Andrew doesn’t mind. He’s only that colour from the sun.”

  “From the heat,” Andrew corrected in a hoarse croak. He could feel himself getting aroused and couldn’t take his eyes off her. Mrs Schipholl stood up and picked up some sunglasses, exposing half her bosom in the process.

  “Mum!” Martin wailed. He was redder than Andrew.

  “Sorry. Now, do you boys want a cold drink? You look like you need it,” Mrs Schipholl replied.

  “Yes please,” Martin answered.

  Mrs Schipholl and Letitia led the way into the shade of the back patio. “You help me Letitia,” she ordered. The two boys sat down and Snoopy appeared. He woofed and scampered happily around, jumping up and licking their hands and knees. That provided an excuse for Andrew to tear his eyes away from Letitia as she went through into the kitchen.

  A few minutes later Letitia came back still wearing only her bikini and carrying two glasses of cold fruit juice. As she stood in front of Andrew to give him the glass Mrs Schipholl, also in a bikini, came back out of the kitchen with a jug of iced juice in one hand and a plate of cup cakes in the other. As she did the word ‘voluptuous’ flitted across Andrew’s mind and he blushed again, embarrassed to find his friend’s mother so attractive.

  Mrs Schipholl walked across to the table between the boys and put down the jug and plate, then turned and walked calmly back, scooping up a towel on the way. Letitia followed her, giggling mischievously. That Martin was mortified was obvious. Andrew decided that the best policy was to pretend that nothing had happened. He sipped the cold drink appreciatively, then found himself quaffing it thirstily down.

  Sighing with relief he reached over to refill the glass from the jug. “My word I’m thirsty,” he said, by way of diverting the conversation.

  As he sank a second glass Letitia came back out, still only in her bikini. She lowered herself into the seat beside Andrew. Out of the corner of his eye he could see bulging flesh and bare thighs and this had the effect of causing him to become completely aroused. Mrs Schipholl returned wearing a silk wrap but she made no attempt to tell Letitia to go and dress more modestly.

  “And what did you boys do this morning?” Mrs Schipholl asked as she poured a glass of juice.

  Martin looked at Andrew, who shrugged. Martin then said: “We went and found the secret camp those bullies were hiding in.”

  Mrs Schipholl nearly choked as she drank the juice. “You what! Oh you silly boys! I wish you would leave things alone. Just leave them to the police.”

  Andrew shook his head. “We can’t Mrs Schipholl,” he replied. “We have to catch them, or Jill isn’t allowed out. And that means Mark is tied down too.”

  “It is silly and could cause you a lot of trouble,” Mrs Schipholl replied. At that moment Tiptoe the cat sprang up onto Letitia’s bare legs and reached up to purr at her face. The cat raised one paw which rested on the top of Letitia’s bare left breast. Just in time Letitia plucked her way before she could put out her claws. Tiptoe was lowered to the floor and stalked over to Mrs Schipholl with ‘offended’ in every line of her tail and walk.

  Mrs Schipholl scooped the cat up and settled her in her lap and began to stroke her. “Well, tell us about it,” she instructed.

  The boys told the story, causing Mrs Schipholl to cry out in alarm several times. Andrew worried that she must be thinking that he was not the sort of boy she wanted Martin to associate with although she said nothing of the sort.

  When they had finished she said: “So these thugs are still at large?”

  Martin nodded. “Yes Mum,” he replied. “And I am worried about you and Sis. You might be attacked the same way Jill was, particularly if you go around flaunting yourselves like that.”

  “Be nice to your sister please Martin,” Mrs Schiphol
l replied absently. She frowned and nodded. “Yes, it might be a good idea if you were always with someone Letitia. A body guard is what you need.”

  “I could do that!” Andrew blurted out. Then he realized what he had done and blushed deep crimson.

  Mrs Schipholl laughed and clapped her hands. “How gallant! Yes, that is a good idea. You may certainly help Andrew.”

  Letitia smiled at him and asked her mother: “Does that mean I am grounded like Jill?”

  “No. Just that you are not to be on your own at any time.”

  Letitia pouted. “Can we still go to the movies tonight?” she asked.

  “Certainly, but only if we drive you there and pick you up afterwards,” Mrs Schipholl replied.

  Letitia gave Andrew a smile which made his passions surge. He poured another glass of iced juice to hide his confusion and embarrassment.

  As they talked Letitia squirmed around in her chair . That made Andrew even more aroused. He tried not to look but found his eyes drawn to her every few seconds as though by a magic magnet.

  Mrs Schipholl must have noticed as she said: “Come on Letitia, let’s get dressed. We don’t want poor Andrew to get too overheated.”

  Letitia gave Andrew a wicked smile and stood up. As she walked out of the room his hopes of what the evening might bring soared.

  Martin was clearly not amused. He sought to change the subject and surprised Andrew by asking: “Do you think I should join the Navy Cadets?”

  “Yes. That’s a beaut idea!” Andrew enthused.

  “But do you think I will enjoy it? I don’t like taking orders very much. What’s it like?” Martin said.

  Andrew proceeded to describe the Navy Cadets, painting the organization in glowing terms. “We do lots of sailing, and we get to go on real navy ships. Sometimes you get to go on a voyage for a few days.”

  “How often? Which ships have you been on?” Martin asked.

  Andrew found that a hard one to answer. So far he had only taken part in one such trip, a one day voyage on the landing craft HMAS Tarakan. He described this and mentioned other warships he had visited while they were in port. “And the older cadets get to go for longer voyages,” he added. “Our Petty Officers had a two day trip from Cairns to Mackay last year on the HMAS Darwin.”

  “What’s that?”

  Andrew was astounded that Martin did not know the ships of the Royal Australian Navy. “An FFG7,” he explained. Martin looked blank. “A guided missile frigate,” Andrew added.

  “What does F.F.G. mean?” Martin asked.

  Explaining the details of naval nomenclature kept the conversation going till Letitia re-appeared, dressed in jeans and T-shirt. Even dressed like that she looked very desirable. Andrew tried to not stare at her and devoted much time to ruffling Snoopy’s ears and rubbing his tummy. Tiptoe came over for some attention but he fobbed her off onto Martin. Terry the Tortoise poked his nose out from behind a pot plant but then went back to sleep.

  At 4:30 pm Andrew reluctantly made his farewells. “I have to have a shower and tea. And there will be storms ahead when I explain finding the camp this morning,” he explained. It was not something he was looking forward to.

  Letitia walked with him to his bike. “See you tonight!” she whispered huskily. At that Andrew’s mind almost exploded with hope and speculation. ‘I might be in luck here!’ he thought as he walked his bike along the driveway. That was nearly enough to get him aroused again, but Martin’s next comment saved him.

  “You watch out for those bullies Andrew. I think they’ve got it in for you specially.”

  Andrew looked back and nodded, taking the opportunity to feast his eyes on Letitia again. “I will. And you watch out for yourselves too,” he cautioned. With that he mounted his bike and set off home.

  During the ride home Andrew was very conscious that he was alone but he kept his apprehension in check, reasoning that the bullies would all be in hiding. Despite that he kept a good lookout. Just after crossing the Charles Barton Bridge he spotted the two surviving urchins: Rat and Toad. They were riding towards him across Cranbrook Park. He stopped and waited for them, his mind going back to that awful experience earlier in the week.

  The two urchins saw him and came over. They were both very depressed and said that their friend Maggot had been buried the day before. That news sent a shiver down Andrew’s spine. He tried to imagine what it must be like to be a body in a coffin as it is lowered in to a hole in the ground. It was really too awful to contemplate too deeply. The thought of rotting, and of the worms...

  To change the subject he told the urchins of the happenings of the last two days. In the back of his mind was an idea to enlist their help as extra eyes with good local knowledge in the hunt for the bullies. The urchins were more than willing to co-operate. “We’ll tell ya everyfing we see,” Rat assured him.

  Feeling both depressed but paradoxically happier Andrew continued on home. It was nearly 5:30 by then and Uncle Mel was home from work. Aunty Bev and Carmen had both started to worry about him and had already phoned the Schipholl’s so knew what time he had left there. They also knew about the morning’s adventure.

  “I stopped to talk to those two little kids,” Andrew explained. “You know, Rat and Toad.”

  “Tell us about this creeping about on the other side of the river,” Uncle Mel asked. He was clearly not amused. Andrew related the tale, downplaying the closeness of the pursuit and emphasizing how strongly and quickly the police had reacted. “They are really searching for them. I’m sure they will catch them soon,” he said.

  “Let’s hope so. If there is much more of this you two are going home to Cairns,” Uncle Mel threatened.

  With the hopes of the pleasures to come where Letitia was concerned that was the last thing Andrew wanted. He agreed they should try to stay out of trouble, but was also careful not to commit himself to any promises in that regard.

  After that interrogation he was able to get away, to have a shower, change into good clothes, and to eat his tea. By the time the washing up was over his mind had moved from speculating where the bullies might be to anticipating the possible delights to come. He became very nervous and hopeful.

  At 6:45 Uncle Mel drove them to the ‘Warina’ Cineplex. As soon as they arrived they were met by Jacob Edwards. That surprised Andrew as he wasn’t aware that Carmen had been in touch with him. It was immediately apparent that they were meeting by arrangement as Jacob took hold of Carmen’s hand while he assured Uncle Mel that he would look after them.

  Ten minutes later Mrs Schipholl dropped off Martin and Letitia and also the blonde navy cadet: Anne. She was also a surprise to Andrew as it was apparent that she was with Martin. However his real interest was in Letitia and to his delight she came and stood next to him. Letitia was wearing a short, black skirt with a bib and braces arrangement over a white T-shirt- quite modest by her standards. It was enough for Andrew to start getting excited and hopeful.

  They purchased tickets and made their way into the theatre. Andrew had done a lot of thinking about this and he now took decisive action to manoeuvre things the way he wanted it. He managed to get what he wanted, which was himself and Letitia right at the end of a row of seats. He had wanted Anne beside him on the other side but ended up with Carmen instead. The order of seating then ran Jacob, Anne and Martin. It was the best that he could arrange without making things too obvious so he settled down in his seat, heart beating fast and hopes high.

  The lights dimmed and the movie began. Andrew barely noticed it, his attention almost wholly absorbed by Letitia’s closeness. She sat so that her arm and his shared an armrest and she seemed happy to be touching his arm and shoulder.

  Andrew could not help looking down at her thighs in the flickering half light. Her dress appeared to be pulled right up so that there was a lot of exposed leg for him to look at. Memories of her beside the pool, and in her bikini, soon had him very aroused.

  After a while Andrew plucked up the courage to touch
her hand with his. She turned to smile at him and took hold of his hand. Then, to his delight, she snuggled against him so that her left breast was nestled against his forearm. Her perfume helped to heighten his arousal. Time passed pleasurably and somehow her head settled on his shoulder. The delicate touch of her hair on his cheek made his heart pound even harder and he leaned over to place his head against hers.

  Andrew was dimly aware that Carmen and Jacob were also snuggling beside him but he was not game to do more than cast an occasional glance. They seemed to be absorbed by each other so he steeled himself to act. With beating heart and dry mouth he released Letitia’s hand and moved his arm to put it around her shoulders. He was ready to withdraw instantly if he sensed opposition but instead she murmured and snuggled against him even harder.

  He remembered the previous occasions and hopes of similar delights soared, tempered only by the fact that Carmen was right beside him. He glanced to see if she was watching and was surprised to see Jacob kissing her.

  That got him thinking and he turned and gently nuzzled at Letitia’s cheek. She gave a low giggle and turned her face to his. All he was aware of then was her big eyes and parted lips. They kissed and he thought he was in heaven.

  For minutes at a time they clung together and kissed. Andrew rapidly improved his technique as Letitia was plainly experienced. He experimented with slipping his tongue into her mouth- ‘Tonsil Hockey’ as the kids at school called it. That was nice. Next she purred and nuzzled his ear and neck and nibbled at them. Andrew loved that and reciprocated.

  That got him wondering what he should do next, and how far he dared to go. He suspected he could do almost anything he liked- which terrified him almost as much as the thought of getting into trouble by trying to go too far!

  After a period of nervous hesitation he half turned in his seat so that he could put his left arm around her front to stroke her face and then her neck

  For the next quarter of an hour she and Andrew discreetly ‘pashed’. He loved every moment of it- the scent, the taste, the touching. But he was also very aware of his big sister’s presence so he stopped kissing and looked around. Carmen had her head turned to Jacob and was kissing him. Reassured, Andrew returned to kissing Letitia. She sighed and pressed against him and he thought he could see a mischievous glint in her eye even by the light of the movie. Andrew was very aroused by this and his heart was pumping so hard it felt as though drums were pounding in his skull.