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Authors: Stuart Vaughan
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replied.
‘Do you live around here?’ I asked.
Without answering, she tightened the towel around her breasts, then called over her shoulder, ‘Sorry, I have to go.’ In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
Why didn’t she want us to know where she lived? I was about to open my mouth when we heard voices. I turned to see Matt and Dad entering the clearing.
‘So this is where you two disappeared to—we’ve been looking all over,’ Dad bellowed. He was eager to get Erewhon on the move, so I offered to walk Mum back to the camp and get Aggie.
‘OK, Matt and I’ll attach a strop to the front bogie, and we’ll see if we can move this old lady when you get back.’
Mum retired to her hammock as I kicked Aggie into life and spun her around. As I pounded down the track, I caught a glimpse of Mic through the trees. I slammed the throttle shut and pushed hard on the brakes. Aggie groaned to a halt.
‘Hey, Mic!’ I called. ‘Why did you run off?’ I asked.
‘Too many questions.’ Mic smiled and sat down on a log, her bronzed body shimmering in the filtered light.
‘You’ve got me intrigued. What’s your connection with Erewhon and where do you live?’
Mic didn’t say anything for a minute, then seemed to come to a decision. She looked up at me, her eyes serious. ‘My name is Mercedes Muriwai, and my great-grandfather was Murdoch McAlister, the original owner of Erewhon. I’ve been living inthe Caribbean on a super-yacht for the past seven years with the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Last year I found him in bed with the owner’s wife, so I came home. I’ve been living around here for the last twelve months, getting myself back together.’
‘How can you be Mercedes McAlister’s granddaughter? She died childless, over sixty years ago.’
‘Nevertheless, I’m her granddaughter.’ She stood up and looked defiantly at me.
‘You need to meet Dad then,’ I said. ‘He’s passionate about Erewhon , and he’d love to meet a relation of old Mac. Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?’
Mic looked at me with those haunting brown eyes, and I could see she was trying to find an excuse. ‘I’ve got nothing to wear,’ she said finally.
‘Come as you are,’ I replied, with a cheeky grin. ‘That’ll get Dad’s attention.’
Mic grinned. ‘I’ll come as long as no one makes a fuss.’ She rose to her feet and was gone.
I carried on to where Aggie quietly chugged away and backed in about a yard or two ahead of Erewhon ’s bow. Matt and Dad were placing planks in front of one of the rear bogies.
‘About bloody time! Grab the end of this plank. We’ve got work to do!’
With planks in front of the wheels, Dad gave me the nod, and I climbed into Aggie’s seat. ‘Just take it quietly, Ben, until we see what gives,’ he said.
I slipped the gear lever into crawler and nudged Aggie’s throttle open. As we took the strain, the whole rig started to edge forward, and the hull groaned as the bogies climbed ontothe planks. The sleeping giant didn’t like being disturbed, but we were under way and inched the hull a yard or two ahead. Dad called a halt.
‘That’s enough. We’ll have to start turning her towards the water.’
The front bogie was fitted with Dad’s patent steering system, and he rolled in under the rig to fit the tiller. It was then just a matter of keeping the wheels on the planks as we crept forward. As expected, we weren’t breaking the land speed record, but at least we were going in the right direction.
It was good to have something physical to concentrate on—my mind was still buzzing after my conversation with Mic. Dad and Matt were beavering away, and I was dying to tell them about her, but it wasn’t the right time.
Despite Erewhon ’s protests, we managed to turn her giant hull towards the gap in the trees until her bow pierced the narrow opening.
‘Chow time!’ Dad called. ‘Wonder what the old girl’s rustled up this
‘Do you live around here?’ I asked.
Without answering, she tightened the towel around her breasts, then called over her shoulder, ‘Sorry, I have to go.’ In the blink of an eye, she was gone.
Why didn’t she want us to know where she lived? I was about to open my mouth when we heard voices. I turned to see Matt and Dad entering the clearing.
‘So this is where you two disappeared to—we’ve been looking all over,’ Dad bellowed. He was eager to get Erewhon on the move, so I offered to walk Mum back to the camp and get Aggie.
‘OK, Matt and I’ll attach a strop to the front bogie, and we’ll see if we can move this old lady when you get back.’
Mum retired to her hammock as I kicked Aggie into life and spun her around. As I pounded down the track, I caught a glimpse of Mic through the trees. I slammed the throttle shut and pushed hard on the brakes. Aggie groaned to a halt.
‘Hey, Mic!’ I called. ‘Why did you run off?’ I asked.
‘Too many questions.’ Mic smiled and sat down on a log, her bronzed body shimmering in the filtered light.
‘You’ve got me intrigued. What’s your connection with Erewhon and where do you live?’
Mic didn’t say anything for a minute, then seemed to come to a decision. She looked up at me, her eyes serious. ‘My name is Mercedes Muriwai, and my great-grandfather was Murdoch McAlister, the original owner of Erewhon. I’ve been living inthe Caribbean on a super-yacht for the past seven years with the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Last year I found him in bed with the owner’s wife, so I came home. I’ve been living around here for the last twelve months, getting myself back together.’
‘How can you be Mercedes McAlister’s granddaughter? She died childless, over sixty years ago.’
‘Nevertheless, I’m her granddaughter.’ She stood up and looked defiantly at me.
‘You need to meet Dad then,’ I said. ‘He’s passionate about Erewhon , and he’d love to meet a relation of old Mac. Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?’
Mic looked at me with those haunting brown eyes, and I could see she was trying to find an excuse. ‘I’ve got nothing to wear,’ she said finally.
‘Come as you are,’ I replied, with a cheeky grin. ‘That’ll get Dad’s attention.’
Mic grinned. ‘I’ll come as long as no one makes a fuss.’ She rose to her feet and was gone.
I carried on to where Aggie quietly chugged away and backed in about a yard or two ahead of Erewhon ’s bow. Matt and Dad were placing planks in front of one of the rear bogies.
‘About bloody time! Grab the end of this plank. We’ve got work to do!’
With planks in front of the wheels, Dad gave me the nod, and I climbed into Aggie’s seat. ‘Just take it quietly, Ben, until we see what gives,’ he said.
I slipped the gear lever into crawler and nudged Aggie’s throttle open. As we took the strain, the whole rig started to edge forward, and the hull groaned as the bogies climbed ontothe planks. The sleeping giant didn’t like being disturbed, but we were under way and inched the hull a yard or two ahead. Dad called a halt.
‘That’s enough. We’ll have to start turning her towards the water.’
The front bogie was fitted with Dad’s patent steering system, and he rolled in under the rig to fit the tiller. It was then just a matter of keeping the wheels on the planks as we crept forward. As expected, we weren’t breaking the land speed record, but at least we were going in the right direction.
It was good to have something physical to concentrate on—my mind was still buzzing after my conversation with Mic. Dad and Matt were beavering away, and I was dying to tell them about her, but it wasn’t the right time.
Despite Erewhon ’s protests, we managed to turn her giant hull towards the gap in the trees until her bow pierced the narrow opening.
‘Chow time!’ Dad called. ‘Wonder what the old girl’s rustled up this
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