CAITLIN TALBOT took third place in the 2024 Wangaratta Young Writers Award year 7/8/9 story category with this piece.

The competition was jointly run by the Rotary Club of Wangaratta, and the Rotary Club of Appin Park Wangaratta.

ooo

'I stand here. Staring at the wreckage. The only thing that remains of Mum and the car, but it doesn't hurt. Reality hasn't set in yet. I'm alone, in the middle of nowhere but I'm not scared. I'm burnt but it doesn't ache. I'm hungry but I don't care.'

Beth took a deep breath and forced her eyes away from the charred remains of the car. The sun beats down furiously on the asphalt road, making it burn like a fire.

'I'm a city kid, so I don't know a thing about the land. But we hadn't seen any traffic either for days. I could set out on foot or stay by the road where there won't be any cars anyway. Either way, I guess I'm doomed to death. At least I'm sensible, a stupid kid wouldn't last a minute out here.'

An eagle soaring overhead cried out suddenly, bursting Beth from her thoughts. She scuffed at the red dirt with the toe of her sneaker. She turned to leave, trusting her instincts by going. Slowly she walked on, until the road appeared as just a speck in the distance.

***********************

Still Beth ambled onwards. 'But to where? This is suffering.' A wave of pity came over her. 'You either go all-in or not at all, Mum used to say. This is for Mum. Toughing it out was what she would've done, wanted me to do. I have to keep going.' But she couldn't. Beth stumbled into a sitting position. Clutching her head, until the agony stopped. The pounding eventually subsided a little. The sun is relentless; every part of her is sweating, so she can feel it running down her back. There is no shade and no water. The sun is just sucking all the hydration out of her.

There's been nothing since the wreckage, just red dirt, dead tussocks of grass and a couple of kangaroos, lounging in the only shade for miles. If they'd been dogs their tongues would've been hanging out. Beth laughed, remembering the disdainful look they'd given her. At least there was something to laugh about.

***********************

Beth splashed the water onto her face, the cool relief was a shock and at that moment she almost broke down into tears. Before stumbling upon this gorge, things only seemed to be getting worse. She was hungry, scorching and thirsty. A week ago, she wouldn’t have touched, let alone drank the shadowy water at the bottom of the gorge. But right now, it was a lifesaver.

'I'm missing Mum," she realised abruptly. Finally, she could think straight. She waded into the shallow depths, the rocks slimy beneath her feet as she grappled for a foothold. She sighed happily, letting the cool water encase her. A brief moment of relief from the sun's hot rays.

When she'd been with Mum visiting Aunty Kath, in a remote community, it'd been hard to endure being hundreds of miles from anywhere, far removed from technology and her friends. But this? 'The whole thing is just crazy. I should've stayed by the wreckage and died there near Mum, under the agonizing sun. I feel as if the whole world is suddenly huge, and that's an overwhelming concept. Every direction feels like north, and to be honest I just feel as if I'm walking in circles, never to get anywhere. Even if I knew where I was going I'd still be lost. I guess I was lost in the first place; without Mum.'

***********************

The sun was beating down ruthlessly as Beth dragged her feet through the red sand. She stopped and pulled off her sneakers. Not long ago, the soles had started to give way. Now they weren’t helpful, they were more of a burden. She moved on, leaving her sneakers behind her, half buried by the sand. She looked back, a burning sensation at the back of her throat. At some stage, she would collapse under the fiery sun and lie there as they did, waiting for death to knock. Now her every thought was shadowed by the constant reminder of death, haunting her every step.

It's hotter than usual, she can feel the sweat rolling down the back of her neck, and her once-clean shirt is filled with grime and dust. Nothing seems to change. Beth paused, taking a deep breath of sticky air before moving onwards. The sky is cloudless and she can feel herself blistering. There’s still no sign of existence anywhere, just endless red dust and treeless plains that the sun beats down on. 'The sun just kills everything out here, as it's slowly killing me.'

But then as she tops another rise, much to her surprise lays a road. A week ago she wouldn't have noticed it. The tones of red just all blended together, but now they contrast significantly. Her spirits lift a little, but slowly sink again. 'It's just as lifeless as the rest of this forsaken place.'

She sits down dismally and puts her head into her weathered hands. She's determined to ignore the anxiety, but somehow it just keeps creeping back. Determined not to bawl, she takes a deep breath. Her throat is crying for water and the rest of her is burdened to exhaustion. She just wants to lie down and die in this forlorn place. But she mustn't. Part of her knows that somewhere out here there must be life. Only to find it.