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 obviously deliberately damage. A parable in the Bible about the wheat and the tares came to mind. "An enemy has done this," he thought, angrily, "but who?"


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