Twenty-five
‘I’m not going through that.’ Harper pointed to the track ahead, that ran uphill along the edge of a cliff. Terror made her pulse pound in her ears, with a cold sweat breaking out across her skin.
‘Single file from here, folks,’ called out Charlie from the front. ‘You right back there, kid?’
‘All good, Pop.’ Bree took a deep drink from her water bottle. ‘Drink some water, Harper. We don’t want you dehydrating.’
Harper wanted to pee. To run. To jump off this horse and run back to the farmhouse and hide behind the cardboard boxes that filled the lounge room. She was an indoors girl. Not this.
‘Hey …’ Ash patted her knee, concern evident in his eyes. ‘You’ll be okay. It’s wider than it looks.’
‘You know those scary movies where treasure hunters have to scale the walls on the side of the cliffs? That’s that! ’ Harper pointed to the cliff. A freaking cliff. ‘How did you get the cattle though that?’
‘Easy…’ Bree steered her big black horse alongside Harper. ‘One step after the other. You can do this. Now, go get your cowgirl on .’ She slapped the rump of Harper’s horse, and it moved forward.
‘I hate you right now, Bree.’ Gripping the reins, Harper had no choice but to follow the road. A road made up entirely of sandy cream rock.
To stop her worry, she had to think of something else.
That’s when her favourite comfort food popped into her head. Shortbread. Imagining that the smooth sandstone walls were like shortbread. The path was just a clever carving of beautiful shortbread biscuits.
She swallowed hard, her mouth claggy, yet her throat dry, now wishing she’d taken Bree’s advice and drunk some water. But she was too scared to release the reins as she peered over the side where they were so high up, they’d fry in the sun. The deep cavern echoed their hoof steps. Not even the dogs barked, as a solemn heaviness filled the air.
‘You’re doing just fine, Harper.’ Ash turned in the saddle and smiled at her. Mason was awake. ‘Wave to Harper, Mason.’ His little hand waved as his smile widened.
‘ Arper-Arper.’ Mason’s little voice echoed off the many stone corridors to bounce back as it there were a dozen little boy’s singing. ‘Bwee-Bwee.’
‘Look at you go, little man.’ Bree’s voice was light, and with no fear. Did Bree fear anything? ‘And you too, Harper. You’ve got this.’
Harper was too scared to look back. All she could do was trust the horse she’d just met. It made her focus on each step her horse took, with no thoughts of the future, or the past, just this present moment.
She licked her lips, trying to keep her breathing calm, tasting the sandy dust that blended with the nervous salty sweat. Her hands tightened on the reins and saddle, as her shadow stretched over the rock walls outlining her wide-brimmed hat.
The horse’s steady gait made her hips sway in the saddle and there was just her, the horse, that big sky, and this sandstone trail of rich red ridges that blended into a cliffside, where rocky domes and large boulders rested like dots along the canyon’s rims.
When she rode around the canyon’s prehistoric wall of stone, Ash was there waiting for her, sitting proudly on his horse with a big smile, holding Mason close to his chest.
She sighed heavily from the wave of relief for having survived. Her hands were sore, and her shoulders ached from gripping the saddle and reins.
But then Ash’s smile widened, and it was directed at her, the one with the dimple that made her give in to him so easily. It was the smile that had brought her out here, only this time he was looking at her with pride and admiration.
It should be illegal for his eyes to glint like that. It was disrespectful to the laws of nature.
‘You made it.’
‘Barely.’ Why couldn’t he hold her and tell her that? She could really do with a hug.
‘Well, you’re gonna love this.’ He beckoned her to follow, leaving her no choice. The sand muffled the horses’ steps, but the men’s voices echoed around her as they wove deeper into a corridor of sandstone.
At first she thought her ears were playing tricks on her, when she heard the bubbling, gurgling, gushing, rumbling roar of running water.
Behind her was nothing but rock, as she followed Ash’s horse out of a honeycomb pocket. Instantly cooling down the air, a fine spray of sweet fresh water brushed against her skin. Her jaw dropped in awe at the towering waterfall, spilling over the rocky ledge to then flow down to meet the lush collection of palms and cycads, to create a hidden oasis. How could something exist like this, trapped in a rugged world of ancient sandstone walls hundreds of metres tall?
‘We’ll stop here and have a breather. Give the horses a chance to drink some water.’ Charlie swung off his saddle and walked his horse through the powdery soft, white sand.
‘What is this place, Charlie?’ Harper had never seen anything like it. A few small birds whizzed past, skimming over the crystal-clear rock pool, where the water disappeared down a channel of stone.
‘This is Grass Tree Creek.’ He pointed to the exotic tree that had a thick black trunk topped with long-limbed branches that sprouted from the top like grass. ‘We’ll have lunch now, but we’ll be heading for Dinner Camp Tree where we’ll really put on the nosebag.’
‘Here, let me help you down.’ Cap held his hand out to Harper. Ash was up further, getting off the horse with Mason.
‘Thank you, Cap.’ Her legs were like rubber and she struggled to walk straight in her new boots. ‘What did Charlie mean by nosebag?’ She followed Cap as they led the horses to the glistening pool, where the dogs eagerly jumped in for a swim.
‘Tucker. Food.’
‘Oh, right? Charlie has some funny sayings.’
‘They’re Aussie slang terms that are sadly disappearing.’
She stopped for a moment to truly take in the scene. The cattle dogs wore huge grins as they paddled like puppies playing in the water. The Riggs brothers joked with each other, wearing handsome smiles that shone beneath their hat brims, while being gentle with the horses, ensuring they all got a drink.
The coiled stockwhip hung from Charlie’s belt, as his spurs on the back of his riding boots clinked like coins being jiggled in his pocket. He poked back the brim of his sweaty hat with the crocodile band, and helped Bree lead her group of horses to water.
Bree removed her gloves as she approached Harper. ‘So, what did you think?’
‘Terrifying.’ Removing her hat, Harper swiped away the dusty sweat from her forehead.
‘Well, that was the worst of it. The next part has the view.’ Bree pointed to the deep pass ahead that only showed the shadows of the stony trail. ‘We’ll be going downhill.’
‘And you and Charlie did this by yourselves, with all those cows?’
‘Just a walk in the park. Come on …’
‘Where are we going?’
‘To find a nice quiet canyon corner to pee.’ Bree held up a toilet roll.
‘Oh.’ She crossed her legs, in need. ‘I’ve never …’
‘Nothing like a lesson in getting back to nature.’
It was like this trip was one big lesson, and they hadn’t even made it to Wombat Flats. She peeked over her shoulder to check on Mason with Ash.
‘Let his father take the reins, Harper. Ash needs to learn. Like you’ve been learning to ride again.’
‘You’re right.’ She needed to take the reins on her own life, too. She’d made it this far on her own. Even if it was completely unplanned, she’d done it. Today she’d faced a new kind of terror and pushed past it to find paradise.
She gazed up at the stunning waterfall, admiring the rich colours in the rocks, and acknowledging the secrets she felt being whispered by the wind. Here, there was no ugliness in the world, just the sky, the simplicity of stone walls, fresh spring water, and the bubbling sounds of a child’s laughter. It was a hidden treasure that she hadn’t expected to find in the outback—it was pretty close to paradise. ‘Let the next outback lesson begin …’