from Samuel.’
Meg stared. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘It belongs to you. He was keeping it safe until you came to claim it.’
Meg shook her head, struggling to comprehend the old soothsayer’s intent. ‘I don’t have anything to do with him. He’s not related to me, or anything. Why would he give this to me?’
Emma got up and threw back a shutter to let the midday light into her cottage. ‘It’s always too dark in here,’ she said. ‘It needs more air, don’t you think?’
A dark shape scampered across the top of the books on a shelf. ‘There’s a rat!’ Meg exclaimed. The animal stopped at the end of the shelf and sat up to clean its whiskers.
Emma simply went to the front door. As she opened it, Sunfire rose expectantly. ‘Let’s take a walk,’ she suggested, looking at Meg. ‘I have more to tell you.’
‘But the rat?’
‘Later,’ Emma said, dismissing the question. ‘Come.’
Meg followed, glad to be out in the open because Emma’s cottage was claustrophobic and the smell of lavender was overpowering. The old woman led her around the side of the cottage, and across the back garden of herbs, vegetables and fruit trees towards the forest. She wanted to ask where they were going, but she walked in silence, remembering the old woman’s lesson on patience. Sunfire padded steadily ahead, his nose scanning invisible scents, almost as if he knew where they were going, but the old woman, leaning on her walking stick heavily, made the progress slow. As the threesome passed into the mallee scrub that crept down to the edge of the pasture dotted with Harry Bridgekeeper’s sheep, the black and white cow belonging to Kevin Potter lifted her head to watch them pass. Sunfire paused, waiting for Emma to choose one of four paths that diverged into the bush, and when Emma chose the one that climbed towards Samuel’s cave, the dingo trotted ahead eagerly.
Irritated by the old crone’s tedious pace, Meg dawdled. She thought that everyone’s petty attempts to divine the future were over with the sealing of her mother’s reluctant promise, but here she was climbing the hill yet again to visit Samuel. She fingered the crystal and the fine gold chain impatiently, feeling the tingling shimmer along her spine, and wondered why Samuel had passed to her the possession that he’d appeared to be manic about keeping.
They crossed the tiny brook bordering the glade outside the old soothsayer’s cave, and Meg noticed afresh earthen mound. A grave. Sunfire sniffed the dark brown earth before he wandered towards the brook, searching for a patch of soft grass to lie on. Emma hobbled through the sunlight and shade to the graveside. ‘Whose grave?’ Meg asked as she stood beside the old woman.
‘Your great-uncle’s,’ Emma said slowly.
Meg stared at the side of the old woman’s head. ‘I don’t have a great-uncle.’
Emma turned and said, ‘Samuel was your great-uncle on your father’s side, your grandfather’s brother.’
‘Samuel? The old man is dead? No one ever told me that. What’s all this about? Why didn’t anyone tell me this?’ Emma ignored Meg’s bluster of questions as she headed into Samuel’s cave. Confused, Meg trailed after. The interior of the cave was dark, until a dull light glowed in Emma’s hands. ‘Where did that come from?’ Meg asked. Again, Emma didn’t reply, but the scene the light exposed diverted Meg’s attention. The cave was a chaotic tangle of smashed and overturned furniture and scattered belongings, as if someone had torn the entire place apart in a frenzy. ‘What happened here?’ Meg whispered, nervous.
‘Evil,’ Emma replied. The light in her hand faded and as the darkness returned, broken only by the daylight behind in the cave mouth, she grabbed Meg’s arm. ‘Can you help me to sit on the stones outside in the shade?’
Stunned by these strange and frightening events, Meg led the old woman outside to the brook and helped her to rest. ‘Sit
Meg stared. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘It belongs to you. He was keeping it safe until you came to claim it.’
Meg shook her head, struggling to comprehend the old soothsayer’s intent. ‘I don’t have anything to do with him. He’s not related to me, or anything. Why would he give this to me?’
Emma got up and threw back a shutter to let the midday light into her cottage. ‘It’s always too dark in here,’ she said. ‘It needs more air, don’t you think?’
A dark shape scampered across the top of the books on a shelf. ‘There’s a rat!’ Meg exclaimed. The animal stopped at the end of the shelf and sat up to clean its whiskers.
Emma simply went to the front door. As she opened it, Sunfire rose expectantly. ‘Let’s take a walk,’ she suggested, looking at Meg. ‘I have more to tell you.’
‘But the rat?’
‘Later,’ Emma said, dismissing the question. ‘Come.’
Meg followed, glad to be out in the open because Emma’s cottage was claustrophobic and the smell of lavender was overpowering. The old woman led her around the side of the cottage, and across the back garden of herbs, vegetables and fruit trees towards the forest. She wanted to ask where they were going, but she walked in silence, remembering the old woman’s lesson on patience. Sunfire padded steadily ahead, his nose scanning invisible scents, almost as if he knew where they were going, but the old woman, leaning on her walking stick heavily, made the progress slow. As the threesome passed into the mallee scrub that crept down to the edge of the pasture dotted with Harry Bridgekeeper’s sheep, the black and white cow belonging to Kevin Potter lifted her head to watch them pass. Sunfire paused, waiting for Emma to choose one of four paths that diverged into the bush, and when Emma chose the one that climbed towards Samuel’s cave, the dingo trotted ahead eagerly.
Irritated by the old crone’s tedious pace, Meg dawdled. She thought that everyone’s petty attempts to divine the future were over with the sealing of her mother’s reluctant promise, but here she was climbing the hill yet again to visit Samuel. She fingered the crystal and the fine gold chain impatiently, feeling the tingling shimmer along her spine, and wondered why Samuel had passed to her the possession that he’d appeared to be manic about keeping.
They crossed the tiny brook bordering the glade outside the old soothsayer’s cave, and Meg noticed afresh earthen mound. A grave. Sunfire sniffed the dark brown earth before he wandered towards the brook, searching for a patch of soft grass to lie on. Emma hobbled through the sunlight and shade to the graveside. ‘Whose grave?’ Meg asked as she stood beside the old woman.
‘Your great-uncle’s,’ Emma said slowly.
Meg stared at the side of the old woman’s head. ‘I don’t have a great-uncle.’
Emma turned and said, ‘Samuel was your great-uncle on your father’s side, your grandfather’s brother.’
‘Samuel? The old man is dead? No one ever told me that. What’s all this about? Why didn’t anyone tell me this?’ Emma ignored Meg’s bluster of questions as she headed into Samuel’s cave. Confused, Meg trailed after. The interior of the cave was dark, until a dull light glowed in Emma’s hands. ‘Where did that come from?’ Meg asked. Again, Emma didn’t reply, but the scene the light exposed diverted Meg’s attention. The cave was a chaotic tangle of smashed and overturned furniture and scattered belongings, as if someone had torn the entire place apart in a frenzy. ‘What happened here?’ Meg whispered, nervous.
‘Evil,’ Emma replied. The light in her hand faded and as the darkness returned, broken only by the daylight behind in the cave mouth, she grabbed Meg’s arm. ‘Can you help me to sit on the stones outside in the shade?’
Stunned by these strange and frightening events, Meg led the old woman outside to the brook and helped her to rest. ‘Sit
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