wait for me. The only thing you have to look out for is debris that might be washing down. Big logs and stuff. That’s the dodgiest part.’
The creek was still a brownish colour but in a few days it would be clear. I stepped closer to the water and pulled off my skirt, flicking it over one of the lower branches. I was wearing undies but Hamish didn’t seem to know where to look. ‘I can’t swim in a skirt!’
Hamish nodded, not meeting my eyes, and after a few seconds he stepped up and took off Mum’s big floppy top, hanging it over the branch. He was the whitest man I’d ever seen, tall and strong-looking, but the paleness of his skin gave him an odd kind of delicacy.
‘Ready?’ I asked, trying not to look at his shirtless chest.
He nodded and I stepped into the water. It lapped around my ankles, fresh and cool, but the day was warm and the walk had made me hot. In the shallows, I moved gingerly ’cause it was easy to get off balance, especially with my foot. The secret tree spot was the part of the creek farthest upstream from the bridge that was still on our property. The front of our land was bordered by the creek. It snaked around, each bend creating a different kind of waterhole. Some of them were more open—wider and deep. Other sections narrowed right down, became more like tinkling streams. Where the paddocks had been cleared for grazing, camphors had sprung up along the banks. In some places the trees were quite thick, almost forest, but even at the more open stretches there was usually a shady place to sit.
At the secret tree spot the current was relatively gentle, and I waded out deeper, holding onto my board.
‘Come on, flood guy!’
Hamish laughed from the bank but he didn’t get in. The water lapped around my belly, and the bottom of my singlet spread out around me. I dipped down until it was up to my neck.
‘I’m going to go under. It’s better if you’re all wet,’ I called out, and then I plunged deep, feeling the water rush at the skin on my face, feeling my scalp prickle with the coldness, feeling the current stream by. I loved that first plunge, and I stayed there a few seconds just to let the water soak right in. When I broke back through the surface, Hamish had his feet in the shallows, watching me. I moved closer to him, holding onto my board.
‘It’ll be okay once you get in,’ I said, aware of my shirt sucked against my skin. If I was with Anja we would have gone topless. Being naked was part of the thrill. ‘You lie down on it like this.’ I lay across the board to demonstrate. ‘And you just hang on. The creek does the rest.’
It took some coaxing, but after a few minutes I had him in the water and lying across his board. He was a bit wobbly but alright.
‘Ready?’ I asked.
‘Ready.’
‘What are the rules?’
He thought for a minute and then he replied, ‘Hold on tight. If you lose your board swim to the side. Make sure you’re off before the bridge.’
‘And watch out for giant logs!’
I kicked off with my feet. Hamish followed a beat behind me and we were away.
At first the water carried us along quite gently. Hamish stopped clutching the board and looking grim. He actually started to smile.
‘Okay, there’s a rough patch up here—keep your knees high,’ I called back to him. The boulders beneath the water made it bumpy, and every so often you jammed one of your knees on a rock. Hamish was heavier than me—I could only assume he would come out a bit banged up.
The current started to quicken and the water bounced us around. We were pushed along so quickly it was hard to think about anything much. I heard Hamish grunt behind me and knew he’d scraped a rock. Riding the creek always made me feel a touch light-headed. It was kind of a thrill. I started giggling, and then I couldn’t stop. We went round a few sharp bends, ducked beneath a couple of branches and then the bridge was in view, way off in the distance.
‘Start swimming to the
The creek was still a brownish colour but in a few days it would be clear. I stepped closer to the water and pulled off my skirt, flicking it over one of the lower branches. I was wearing undies but Hamish didn’t seem to know where to look. ‘I can’t swim in a skirt!’
Hamish nodded, not meeting my eyes, and after a few seconds he stepped up and took off Mum’s big floppy top, hanging it over the branch. He was the whitest man I’d ever seen, tall and strong-looking, but the paleness of his skin gave him an odd kind of delicacy.
‘Ready?’ I asked, trying not to look at his shirtless chest.
He nodded and I stepped into the water. It lapped around my ankles, fresh and cool, but the day was warm and the walk had made me hot. In the shallows, I moved gingerly ’cause it was easy to get off balance, especially with my foot. The secret tree spot was the part of the creek farthest upstream from the bridge that was still on our property. The front of our land was bordered by the creek. It snaked around, each bend creating a different kind of waterhole. Some of them were more open—wider and deep. Other sections narrowed right down, became more like tinkling streams. Where the paddocks had been cleared for grazing, camphors had sprung up along the banks. In some places the trees were quite thick, almost forest, but even at the more open stretches there was usually a shady place to sit.
At the secret tree spot the current was relatively gentle, and I waded out deeper, holding onto my board.
‘Come on, flood guy!’
Hamish laughed from the bank but he didn’t get in. The water lapped around my belly, and the bottom of my singlet spread out around me. I dipped down until it was up to my neck.
‘I’m going to go under. It’s better if you’re all wet,’ I called out, and then I plunged deep, feeling the water rush at the skin on my face, feeling my scalp prickle with the coldness, feeling the current stream by. I loved that first plunge, and I stayed there a few seconds just to let the water soak right in. When I broke back through the surface, Hamish had his feet in the shallows, watching me. I moved closer to him, holding onto my board.
‘It’ll be okay once you get in,’ I said, aware of my shirt sucked against my skin. If I was with Anja we would have gone topless. Being naked was part of the thrill. ‘You lie down on it like this.’ I lay across the board to demonstrate. ‘And you just hang on. The creek does the rest.’
It took some coaxing, but after a few minutes I had him in the water and lying across his board. He was a bit wobbly but alright.
‘Ready?’ I asked.
‘Ready.’
‘What are the rules?’
He thought for a minute and then he replied, ‘Hold on tight. If you lose your board swim to the side. Make sure you’re off before the bridge.’
‘And watch out for giant logs!’
I kicked off with my feet. Hamish followed a beat behind me and we were away.
At first the water carried us along quite gently. Hamish stopped clutching the board and looking grim. He actually started to smile.
‘Okay, there’s a rough patch up here—keep your knees high,’ I called back to him. The boulders beneath the water made it bumpy, and every so often you jammed one of your knees on a rock. Hamish was heavier than me—I could only assume he would come out a bit banged up.
The current started to quicken and the water bounced us around. We were pushed along so quickly it was hard to think about anything much. I heard Hamish grunt behind me and knew he’d scraped a rock. Riding the creek always made me feel a touch light-headed. It was kind of a thrill. I started giggling, and then I couldn’t stop. We went round a few sharp bends, ducked beneath a couple of branches and then the bridge was in view, way off in the distance.
‘Start swimming to the
Similar Books
