Chapter 10 Pelican man
Seconds, minutes and hours. Days. Weeks. And months. But not years. They drifted by, and without watches, clocks, school, TV or any of the other reminders of time, Noah and his grandmother lost track of the days of the week and the months of the year.
But it didn't matter, out here in the wilderness. Their world was the rocky reef and the rainforest in which they lived and depended.
Every day Noah explored further into the rainforest. His body grew lean and strong. What he didn't notice, however, was his grandmother's shortness of breath. Nor did he see that her skin was pale, in spite of their life out in the fresh air and sunshine.
Noah worked out an ingenious way to trap, then kill and skin the long black slippery eels that lived in the river. Their snake-like bodies twisted and thrashed when caught. But Noah was braver now than ever before. His grandmother was clever too. She figured out a way of catching the freshwater crayfish that lived in the river. Crayfish was her favourite meal. Noah preferred a feast of crab meat.
While exploring a different part of the mountains, one afternoon, Noah and Prince paused to catch their breath on a rocky outcrop. There, growing beside a fast flowing stream stood the skeleton of a forest giant. Within the hollowed-out base of the tree, Noah's sharp eyes locked onto something unusual. His senses quickened, like the wild creature he was becoming.
He froze stiff like a statue. His nostrils twitched. He listened intently. His tongue tasted the sharpness of the forest trees. His fingers tightened around Prince’s collar.
Cautiously, Noah moved towards the forest giant, with the retriever stalking alongside him. With hackles raised and a low grumble deep in his throat, Prince proved he was no longer the lap dog rescued all that time ago.
What was it that had captured their attention? Noah wondered.
Blackened and hollowed out by repeated bushfires, the enormous tree stretched its scarred branches up into the wide blue sky. It was majestic, even in death. But Noah wasn't interested in its blackened arms.
At the entrance to the cave-like hollow -- and before stepping inside -- he stopped and looked around. Warily, like a wild bird. Noah sucked in his breath.
It was so long since he’d seen any sign of another human that the scene took him by surprise. A blackened billy, an old pocket knife, an axe handle and some pieces of wire.
A pile of possum skins, a faded pullover, an old army coat and odd boots with no laces. Some fishing line and hooks, a fish trap and a length of neatly coiled rope. A heap of well-read books.
Beneath a sheet of bark, Noah found several boxes of matches, two jars of salt and a tin of strawberry jam.
Just as Noah was about to take a quick look in the pockets of the old coat, he stopped in his tracks. He felt eyes boring through his back. A pricking sensation ran rapidly down his spine.
Feeling uneasy and very confused, Noah stepped back. He realised that he'd intruded into another person's territory. Uninvited. He felt like a thief, caught red-handed. Yet he still hadn't seen the owner of the hide-away.
Slowly he turned around, aware of Prince’s body pressed against his leg. Strangely though, the dog was no longer growling.
Noah blinked in surprise. The man looked ancient, like someone from another age. Tall and thin, with long white hair, he stood perfectly still, fixing Noah with piercing blue eyes. Finally he spoke.
"Who are you?" he asked, in a raspy voice that sounded unused to speaking. "And what are you doing, poking around in my hut?"
Words tumbled out of Noah's mouth. Rapid words telling of his grandmother and their island home, of the moon birds’ warning, of his grandfather’s dingy on the roof, of the tsunami, of their adventures at sea, of Prince, Star and Coo, and their survival in the rainforest.
The old man stroked his long white beard. He hadn't heard any news of the outside world for years and years. And he’d certainly not heard of the tsunami. The boy’s long hair and tattered clothes gave proof to his story, though, and the lad looked honest enough.
"Where's your grandmother?" he asked, his eyes more relaxed.
Noah pointed towards distant hills, "Up over there and down the other side. By the sea."
"Everyone calls me Snow. Bring your grandmother here tomorrow, and I'll show you the way to a farmhouse where I'm sure you'll find help. It's easy to find. You just follow the stream till you reach a dam. You'll find a shed with a pump inside. Next to the shed is the track. Follow the track -- in a northerly direction -- until you reach the house."
"Thanks," Noah said, watching as the old man picked up a jar, opened the lid and then passed the jar towards him.
"Would you like a taste?" offered Snow, shyly.
Noah dipped in a finger, and then licked off the sticky dark liquid. His face lit up and he exclaimed, "It tastes great!"
"It’s wild honey from that tree over there," explained Snow. "The bees are my friends. They don't sting. They know that I only take what I need, and no more."
Taking it in turns, Noah and the old man dipped in their fingers and then licked them clean. It was like a ceremony that bound them together. A silent sharing. Prince nuzzled the old man's hand. Snow let him lick some honey too.
Just as Noah was about to leave, a heavy flap of wings attracted his attention. He looked up and there, hovering only metres over head was a huge bird with an enormous bill.
Instinctively, Noah ducked his head.
The pelican landed with a thump beside them, danced a little jig and then clacked its bill, displaying a huge throat pouch. Noah saw a long scar running down one leg, and noticed that the pelican limped as it waddled towards the old man.
Old man Snow smiled and held out his arms to the bird.
"This is Pearl and we’re best mates, he murmured softly, breathing into the pelican's glossy white feathers.
Much later (on that same day), tears trickled down Gran's face as Noah told of the day’s events.
"Oh, I'm so relieved that finally we've made contact with the outside world," she murmured wearily. "Your parents will have believed us dead. Long, long ago. And I'm feeling so very old and tired."
Noah, believing it was the hard work of being hunter-gatherers that was making his grandmother tired, made sure he did a lot more than his share of their chores that night.
The following morning Noah and his grandmother left their rainforest home. They carried very little. Simply a smoked eel and pig face salad for their lunch, and some berries wrapped loosely in a large rainforest leaf.
Up steep slopes layered with ferns they climbed; over heavily forested hills, across the river and down rocky gullies. With Coo on his shoulder, Star doing high powered circuits around him and Prince trotting alongside, Noah felt a surge of excitement.
Soon he'd be back with his family.
Soon he'd be back with his friends.
Soon he'd be home on his island.
With his moon birds!
For Noah's grandmother, however, the journey was exhausting. Walking behind Noah and his animals, her steps were slow and careful. We’re so near to rescue, she thought, yet still so far from home. What if the old man forgets his promise to meet us by the blackened tree? After all, he sounds rather strange.
She paused to rest, feeling tired and short of breath. She didn't tell Noah of the pain that gripped her chest. After a short break, however, she resumed her journey, her spirits lifted by the presence of Coo on her shoulder and the antics of Star. I will, she thought optimistically, get to the blackened tree. Eventually!
With the forest giant in view, Noah's steps quickened. Prince's tail began to wag. He remembered his new friend. The pigeon cooed softly in Noah’s grandmother’s ear. They were almost there.
Noah caught sight of a group of pelicans squatting in a circle beside the tree. "How peculiar!" he exclaimed. "I wonder what they're doing."
Closer now, he saw they were gathered around something lying on the ground.
&n
bsp; After signalling to Prince to stay back, Noah stepped forward quietly. At his approach, the pelicans fluffed out their feathers and clacked their bills.
Noah stopped. He began to sweat, and then felt chilled to the bone.
Scalding himself for jumping to the worst conclusion, Noah thought, Maybe he's just asleep, or not very well. Noah took a few more cautious steps towards the pelicans and the old man.
The pelicans became more agitated. Especially Pearl. They clacked their bills. Ruffled their feathers. Flexed their wings. And shuffled their large webbed feet.
With his teeth clamped tightly together, Noah pushed his way carefully through the barrier of large white birds. His jaw was aching. His heart thumped madly in his chest
"Are you okay?" he asked, recognising the bush hat, old boots and khaki trousers and shirt of the day before.
There was no answer.
Tsunami Page 10