Mat?’
‘I…um…I need to get to Taupo…but I don’t know how…I was heading for the station, but that’s too far away now. And these people are…’
‘Chasing you? Don’t worry, I’ll help.’ She seemed to consider. ‘They will have thought of the station by now. Your best chance is to go to friends.’
Mat tried to think of someone who would help, but anyone he could think of would probably tell his father where he was. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that Tama was everywhere, knew everyone he knew…
‘I don’t know anyone else I can go to.’
She grinned. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll find new friends you haven’t even met yet.’
Just then, a whispering began again in his head… Mat…Mat… a cold shiver rippled over his skin.
Pania frowned and hissed, ‘Shush,’ and the whispering stopped.
He stared at her. ‘How did you…’
She looked back at him. ‘How did I what?’
‘Errr, nothing.’ He tried to think some more, but it was hard. This girl was so…distracting.
‘Well,’ said Pania eventually, ‘if you can’t think of anyone, perhaps you should hitch-hike to Taupo tomorrow. As long as you’re careful, you’ll be OK.’
Perhaps if he slept on the beach, and then in the morning walked to the north side of town and got a ride…he could be in Taupo before midday. ‘What do you think?’ he asked.
Pania looked thoughtful, while making circles in the gravel with her right shoe. Eventually she said, ‘I think if we walk round the port together, and you walk far enough tonight, come morning you can get a lift before they figure what you’re doing, and you’ll be ahead of them.’
He thought for a while. ‘I guess so. I could go round the port, and cross the bridge at the Iron Pot, then go out along Westshore Beach.’
Pania nodded. ‘If I were you, I’d go as far as the Esk River, then cut inland, and try and get a ride from in the Esk Valley. It’s probably further than they’ll think you can do, which is good. And you’ll be off the roads, where they’ll be looking for you.’
The walk around the Bluff Hill to the Iron Pot would take at least an hour, then it was about ten kilometres along the beach from Westshore to Bay View, and then a couple ofkilometres inland to the Esk Valley. ‘I don’t know if I can get that far in one night.’
‘You could, but you’d be dead on your feet come dawn. If you sleep somewhere along the way, you could walk most of it in the daylight and get a ride around mid-morning.’
‘Which makes it more likely they’ll spot me if they’re watching that far north…could I sleep at your place?’ He blushed as he asked.
Pania laughed. ‘Not possible, sorry. I don’t have a car either, before you ask.’
‘I guess it’s walking then,’ he sighed.
‘Yeah, I guess it is. Come on. When we get to the Soundshell, I’ll slip into town and get something for you to eat.’
They walked on, and once they were just past the Soundshell, Pania led Mat back up from the beach, and sat him in the glow of an illuminated fountain. Every few seconds the fountain’s pattern, and the colour of the lights, would change, sending a watery curtain of crystals dancing merrily into the air. Deep red, a luminescent green and a rich purple each played for half a minute then changed to another colour. Mat had been here many times before, with Mum and Dad, eating fish’n’chips and watching the water play. Pania led him to a seat beside a bronze statue of a beautiful, bare-breasted Maori girl, reclining on a rock. The statue of Pania of the Reef.
‘Wait here, and you’ll be safe,’ she smiled. ‘My namesake will guard you,’ she added with a laugh, then skipped away toward the city lights.
Mat’s eyes followed her until she was out of sight. There were couples wandering past, gazing at the fountain. A hundred metres south was the Soundshell, where kids on skateboards, who should have been home by now, were zooming around. The
‘I…um…I need to get to Taupo…but I don’t know how…I was heading for the station, but that’s too far away now. And these people are…’
‘Chasing you? Don’t worry, I’ll help.’ She seemed to consider. ‘They will have thought of the station by now. Your best chance is to go to friends.’
Mat tried to think of someone who would help, but anyone he could think of would probably tell his father where he was. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that Tama was everywhere, knew everyone he knew…
‘I don’t know anyone else I can go to.’
She grinned. ‘Don’t worry. You’ll find new friends you haven’t even met yet.’
Just then, a whispering began again in his head… Mat…Mat… a cold shiver rippled over his skin.
Pania frowned and hissed, ‘Shush,’ and the whispering stopped.
He stared at her. ‘How did you…’
She looked back at him. ‘How did I what?’
‘Errr, nothing.’ He tried to think some more, but it was hard. This girl was so…distracting.
‘Well,’ said Pania eventually, ‘if you can’t think of anyone, perhaps you should hitch-hike to Taupo tomorrow. As long as you’re careful, you’ll be OK.’
Perhaps if he slept on the beach, and then in the morning walked to the north side of town and got a ride…he could be in Taupo before midday. ‘What do you think?’ he asked.
Pania looked thoughtful, while making circles in the gravel with her right shoe. Eventually she said, ‘I think if we walk round the port together, and you walk far enough tonight, come morning you can get a lift before they figure what you’re doing, and you’ll be ahead of them.’
He thought for a while. ‘I guess so. I could go round the port, and cross the bridge at the Iron Pot, then go out along Westshore Beach.’
Pania nodded. ‘If I were you, I’d go as far as the Esk River, then cut inland, and try and get a ride from in the Esk Valley. It’s probably further than they’ll think you can do, which is good. And you’ll be off the roads, where they’ll be looking for you.’
The walk around the Bluff Hill to the Iron Pot would take at least an hour, then it was about ten kilometres along the beach from Westshore to Bay View, and then a couple ofkilometres inland to the Esk Valley. ‘I don’t know if I can get that far in one night.’
‘You could, but you’d be dead on your feet come dawn. If you sleep somewhere along the way, you could walk most of it in the daylight and get a ride around mid-morning.’
‘Which makes it more likely they’ll spot me if they’re watching that far north…could I sleep at your place?’ He blushed as he asked.
Pania laughed. ‘Not possible, sorry. I don’t have a car either, before you ask.’
‘I guess it’s walking then,’ he sighed.
‘Yeah, I guess it is. Come on. When we get to the Soundshell, I’ll slip into town and get something for you to eat.’
They walked on, and once they were just past the Soundshell, Pania led Mat back up from the beach, and sat him in the glow of an illuminated fountain. Every few seconds the fountain’s pattern, and the colour of the lights, would change, sending a watery curtain of crystals dancing merrily into the air. Deep red, a luminescent green and a rich purple each played for half a minute then changed to another colour. Mat had been here many times before, with Mum and Dad, eating fish’n’chips and watching the water play. Pania led him to a seat beside a bronze statue of a beautiful, bare-breasted Maori girl, reclining on a rock. The statue of Pania of the Reef.
‘Wait here, and you’ll be safe,’ she smiled. ‘My namesake will guard you,’ she added with a laugh, then skipped away toward the city lights.
Mat’s eyes followed her until she was out of sight. There were couples wandering past, gazing at the fountain. A hundred metres south was the Soundshell, where kids on skateboards, who should have been home by now, were zooming around. The
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