redder,
a dark blood colour. He was blown away by the strength of
that colour. He said it made him think the worst kind of
thoughts. He tried to take a photo but all that came out was
the brightness of the sky.
'Weird place,' I said.
She looked at me. 'Gith.'
And suddenly I got an odd feeling. Somebody was around
here somewhere. Somebody had died, right near here, and
it hadn't been an easy death. There was a body in one of the
gullies along the side of this road. Was this what had made
Gith talk about the van girl?
'Let's go,' I said.
'Okay.'
We got back in the car and Gith reversed and turned,
moved towards the road. The mist was coming in quickly now,
swirling about the Riley like grey water. It was no more than
half a metre deep but it was enough to hide the surface of the
road. Our tyres popped over the gravel. Gith stopped, looked
at me, worried. What the hell were we going to do?
'Wait,' I said. 'If it covers us we might be able to see
better.'
We sat there and it rose round us. It seemed like we were
slowly sinking into the lake itself, drowning in the cold grey
water. In a few minutes we were below the surface.
It was easier to see but not easy enough. On my side of
the car we could just make out the gatepost, but there was
nothing beyond it. Gith turned on the lights but all that did
was fill the grey with brightness. I looked at her. I was scared
she might freak out but she seemed okay. Just worried like I
was.
'We could sit and wait,' I said, 'but we might be here all
night. Maybe if I walk in front of the car and you follow me
we could get ahead of it. Or below it.'
'Okay.'
'I'll walk along the left-hand edge of the road. Keep the
left wing behind me.'
'Gith.'
I got out. The car door sounded loud when I shut it. Nothing
now but the hum of the Riley's motor. I could see the ground though —
just. I guided Gith out of the car park and onto the road, and set off walking
along the edge of the lake. It was a good four k before the road veered left
over a saddle and dropped down into the valley towards Te Kohuna. Unless we
were moving faster than the mist it was going to be a long, long walk.
I could see nothing much on the right-hand side — vague
shapes of bushes, clumps of reeds along the lake's edge. To
my left the dark of the rising ground, covered in bush. From
time to time I could hear running water there, little streams
coming down through the gullies. I kept my eyes on the edge
of the road and walked on steadily about half a metre from
the narrow shoulder.
I was still thinking about somebody dying. A woman. Or
maybe it was Gith's mum in the car. I could feel the person
somehow. It was like there was a voice calling just out of
earshot or on the edge of my mind. The further I went, the
stronger the feeling got. It was like she was screaming and the
screams were getting louder, except that there was nothing to
hear. To my left up ahead was the sound of water, rushing. It
got louder and louder and the scream seemed to flow into it
and under it. I could feel the cold coming towards me, even
colder than the mist. Then the Riley's engine cut out.
I stopped, went round to the driver's side of the car. Gith
had the window down.
'You okay?' My voice had a kind of echo. The screaming
was still there but it was drowned now in the sound of the
water.
Gith was staring at me with big scared eyes.
'What happened?' I asked.
'Dunno.' She pulled the starter. The motor turned but
didn't fire.
'That stream over there . . .' I pointed. I didn't want to say
what I thought.
She pulled the starter again. Still nothing happened.
'Flooded,' she said.
'Can't be.'
'Crathy.'
I shivered.
'Look,' she said, pointing ahead of the car.
The mist there was growing lighter. For a second I had
the feeling that something real bad was coming towards us
— some bright white power that would blow us away — but
then the whiteness started to grow blue. The mist was peeling
back, the road opening up in front of
a dark blood colour. He was blown away by the strength of
that colour. He said it made him think the worst kind of
thoughts. He tried to take a photo but all that came out was
the brightness of the sky.
'Weird place,' I said.
She looked at me. 'Gith.'
And suddenly I got an odd feeling. Somebody was around
here somewhere. Somebody had died, right near here, and
it hadn't been an easy death. There was a body in one of the
gullies along the side of this road. Was this what had made
Gith talk about the van girl?
'Let's go,' I said.
'Okay.'
We got back in the car and Gith reversed and turned,
moved towards the road. The mist was coming in quickly now,
swirling about the Riley like grey water. It was no more than
half a metre deep but it was enough to hide the surface of the
road. Our tyres popped over the gravel. Gith stopped, looked
at me, worried. What the hell were we going to do?
'Wait,' I said. 'If it covers us we might be able to see
better.'
We sat there and it rose round us. It seemed like we were
slowly sinking into the lake itself, drowning in the cold grey
water. In a few minutes we were below the surface.
It was easier to see but not easy enough. On my side of
the car we could just make out the gatepost, but there was
nothing beyond it. Gith turned on the lights but all that did
was fill the grey with brightness. I looked at her. I was scared
she might freak out but she seemed okay. Just worried like I
was.
'We could sit and wait,' I said, 'but we might be here all
night. Maybe if I walk in front of the car and you follow me
we could get ahead of it. Or below it.'
'Okay.'
'I'll walk along the left-hand edge of the road. Keep the
left wing behind me.'
'Gith.'
I got out. The car door sounded loud when I shut it. Nothing
now but the hum of the Riley's motor. I could see the ground though —
just. I guided Gith out of the car park and onto the road, and set off walking
along the edge of the lake. It was a good four k before the road veered left
over a saddle and dropped down into the valley towards Te Kohuna. Unless we
were moving faster than the mist it was going to be a long, long walk.
I could see nothing much on the right-hand side — vague
shapes of bushes, clumps of reeds along the lake's edge. To
my left the dark of the rising ground, covered in bush. From
time to time I could hear running water there, little streams
coming down through the gullies. I kept my eyes on the edge
of the road and walked on steadily about half a metre from
the narrow shoulder.
I was still thinking about somebody dying. A woman. Or
maybe it was Gith's mum in the car. I could feel the person
somehow. It was like there was a voice calling just out of
earshot or on the edge of my mind. The further I went, the
stronger the feeling got. It was like she was screaming and the
screams were getting louder, except that there was nothing to
hear. To my left up ahead was the sound of water, rushing. It
got louder and louder and the scream seemed to flow into it
and under it. I could feel the cold coming towards me, even
colder than the mist. Then the Riley's engine cut out.
I stopped, went round to the driver's side of the car. Gith
had the window down.
'You okay?' My voice had a kind of echo. The screaming
was still there but it was drowned now in the sound of the
water.
Gith was staring at me with big scared eyes.
'What happened?' I asked.
'Dunno.' She pulled the starter. The motor turned but
didn't fire.
'That stream over there . . .' I pointed. I didn't want to say
what I thought.
She pulled the starter again. Still nothing happened.
'Flooded,' she said.
'Can't be.'
'Crathy.'
I shivered.
'Look,' she said, pointing ahead of the car.
The mist there was growing lighter. For a second I had
the feeling that something real bad was coming towards us
— some bright white power that would blow us away — but
then the whiteness started to grow blue. The mist was peeling
back, the road opening up in front of
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