THE DESERT

THE DESERT  By Tessa Harvey     The desert fascinated Zack. He had lived in New Zealand for some years, then his parents had travelled to Australia. In school holidays they had taken Zack and Erica on some wonderful camping and caravanning trips.     It was hard work travelling a desert, but the scenery was breathtaking. Several times he slowed to watch large goannas and marvelled at their size and beautiful markings. One looked at him for a few minutes with intelligent eyes, then ambled away.     Breakfast was calling. Budgies soared in large flocks of flashing, chattering colour.     The sunrise and sunsets were often breathtaking, huge swathes of colour lighting up the arid landscape of bright red sand, rock towers, tough plants.     He had plenty of provisions and medicines if needed. Also spare parts for his vehicle, many of which he needed - too many to be not bad luck.      Finally he approached the tiny settle...

THE DESERT   By Tessa Harvey          Esther was looking out of her window at the gathering darkness. She knew Zack was on his way. They had only "talked" by text and once, by a Zoom call, but she felt like a princess trapped in a tower by a tyrant, waiting for a handsome prince to come riding by.     Esther had not told him she was only sixteen. She was hoping he would just want to be friends until she was a little older.     But her father Karl wanted her to marry one of his rich friends to help his business.     Karl had easily accessed her phone, knew about Zack and had slowed him down a little via a mutual acquaintance. Nothing too drastic. Just a few missing or damaged car parts.     Then he could pressure Esther into at least tolerating Angus Manning, even if he was a good couple of decades older.     He was the girl's father after all. The girl had a duty of care. Maybe she dreamed of a better life, ...

THE DESERT  By Tessa Harvey     Zack was dreaming. He felt very hot, then thought he heard ants talking. Maybe I have a fever, he reasoned to himself in the dream.     The ant was saying 'oh no, look what those careless human things have done! Squishing our home.      Another in a higher voice replied 'We have to move him, it. Our babies could be crushed.'     A third chimed in 'Get the fellas. I'll make it move!'      Then the young man felt hot needles of pain. Quickly he jumped, fully awake. "Ow, ow!" He scrambled to his feet anxiously, looking around for his epi-pen. But the tiny insects scurrying around were all quite black - some were travelling up his legs!!     Grimacing, Zack moved further away, brushing the annoying insects away.     Why was he outside? The sun rose suddenly, a ball of glory blazing over the desert landscape, light and shadow, joy and pain. He took a photo on his phone and not...

THE DESERT  By Tessa Harvey     Sanjay was surprised at hearing from Zack so soon. "What's up mate?" he said jokingly, "homesick already!" He was smiling, his dark face alight with humour, but soon he realized his friend was really upset.     None of what he was hearing made sense, but he was a strong Christian, as was Zack and prayed for him over the phone. Then he asked cautiously, "Do you think it might be wiser to come back and swap vehicles for now? Just to be on the safe side."     Zack had already considered this, but decided to press on. "I'm not in your league as a mechanic, mate, but I have learned a lot in the last few years. I can fix most of what's wrong. Anyway I will be in touch. Love to Erica."     Just then a customer rolled up with a complicated problem and Sanjay was busy for the next few hours. After lunch he collected their little girl, Minnie, from daycare, took her to the park for a while, then headed home.   ...

THE DESERT  By Tessa Harvey     Zack munched thoughtfully on his sandwiches, egg and cress, then one of peanut butter and a trace of Vegemite. Erica, his sister, had helped him butter the bread and wrap everything carefully, including some cornflake cookies and fruit. He wasn't particularly hungry so kept quite a few food items for later. The water was still refreshingly cool in its thermos.     He checked for ants again, especially for aggressive jack-jumpers to which he was allergic. Slowly he stood up, brushing himself down and decided to check his grey ATV meticulously once more.     Sanjay, his brother-in-law had done the better part of servicing the vehicle, but Zack was no slouch. He knew a lot about car maintenance himself, after helping Sanjay in the repair work when he needed a break from his own business.      To his dismay, Zack found quite a few things had been damaged. As he looked closely at the bodywork, it was very obvio...

THE DESERT By Tessa Harvey     Zack was whistling as he drove. The tune had skipped into his mind as he watched the sunrise earlier. It had been beautiful - wispy pink-tipped cirrus clouds in a pale lemony sky before the dawn came and the sky became warm blue.     At first the sun had felt gentle, but as the landscape grew harsh, so did the sun's rays.     The air conditioner suddenly faltered. It ran erratically for a few minutes, then again resumed a steady rhythm.     The young man was puzzled but not overly concerned. The car had been very carefully checked in the last few days. Everything was in perfect order. No-one wanted to break down in a desert.     Without realising, Zack had stopped whistling. He felt suddenly uneasy. Trees were still a feature of the landscape and spotting a few clustered ahead, decided to stop for a while and stretch his legs.     He would check the car, his phone and have a drink and something to...