Outback Love

"To Mira!"

Blane groaned as he tried to get comfortable on the lumpy bed. He couldn’t sleep no matter what he did.

He couldn’t help thinking of Alan and Arthur still in the plane wreck. He felt like he was disrespecting them by not having their bodies moved.

He got up and dressed in the t-shirt and pants he’d had on earlier. He’d have to arrange for his suitcase to be brought from the plane so he could change.

He walked out into the bar and sat on a stool. The barman walked over, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Surprised you were game enough to show ya face out here.” He said, putting a glass down in front of Blane and pouring some of the cheapest, nastiest bourbon Blane had ever seen into it.

“On the house.” The man nodded.

Blane nodded his thanks and took a sip, trying to keep a straight face as he swallowed.

“Appreciate it.” Blane smiled. “I’m Blane.”

“Davo.” The barman replied.

“Can I ask you a question about Mira?” Blane asked.

Davo looked at him suspiciously.

“Is she mute? Was she born mute?”

Davo sighed. “There’s a bit of a story there my friend. Mira is a local legend, wrapped in a mystery and tied with an enigma bow.”

As Davo began his story many of the locals moved closer.

“We estimate Mira to be about 30 years old. She has been wandering in and out of the local communities for about 25 years now.”

“Communities?” Blane asked.

“There are a couple like ours and some of the indigenous population. Them fellas would be guiding the spirits of your friends home tonight.” Dave nodded. The rest of the bar nodded in agreement.

“When Mira first arrived here, I was maybe 10 years old. She walked into town one day with a handful of emus and roo’s. Never seen anything like it. Like they were family. She wouldn’t speak but she led me old dad and a couple of the other locals to a spot where they found a totalled van. Her parents were dead inside. Van had rolled a couple of times. To this day we don’t know how she survived. It seems they were photographers and took videos, ya know, like Richard Attenborough.” Dave continued.

“They made documentaries?”

“They did.” Davo confirmed. “From what we could tell they just travelled around. No one ever came for Mira. We only know her name cos it was written on a child’s picture they found in the van. Thing was, the parents had been dead at least a month, but maybe more. Mira had been wandering around in the outback, all of 5 years old on her own for at least a month. She was raced in to Old Doc, Docs dad, to be checked out. Fit as a fiddle. Not a thing wrong. Now let me tell you my fine friend, temps had reached 60 degrees Celsius. A five year old shouldn’t last 24 hours in that heat.”

“She truly is remarkable.” Blane breathed.

“So, a week or so later, some of our indigenous neighbours wandered into town for supplies. We order them in some things from time to time as they need them. We’d managed to settle Mira in with one of the local families while we tried to get someone from the welfare out to see her. Well, them fellas walked into town with a couple of the women and kids and Mira ran straight to them. We figured they must have been looking after her while she was on her own out there and that would explain how she survived. Well blow me down if one of those women didn’t walk up and ask her name. Old Doc spoke to them and asked if they had seen her before and they hadn’t. When they left, she tried to follow them, but she was brought back and put to bed. The family wake up the next day and she’s gone. Whole town searched high and low. Not even footprints.” For 7 days they searched and nothing.”

The other people in the bar nodded their heads.

“A month goes by and the indigenous folk wander back into town with her in tow. Old Doc asked them why they took her. They tell him she just turned up a couple of days ago, so they brought her back.”

“So again, she had disappeared into the bush and again she had survived?” Blane asked.

“Exactly!” Davo nodded, refilling Blanes glass. He was now so intrigued with the story he barely noticed the foul tasting bourbon.

“When the welfare people finally arrived, she was long gone. They organised a search party, but no one could find her. It was about a year before we saw her again.”

“Incredible.” Blane remarked.

“Been like that the last 25 years. She wanders into town, stays a while and disappears again. Sometimes she comes in with an injured animal in tow, sometimes she comes in to fix an injured animal. It’s like she sometimes hears or feels them.” Davo continued.

“I seen her tame a wild brumby one day. One minute its running along free as a bird, the next minute she’s riding it with no saddle. That horse followed her around for the rest of its days.” Another man piped up.

“This morning in the plane, I had a snake on me. I swear it was an Eastern Brown snake. I thought I was going to die. She just giggled and picked it up and played with it.” Blane replied.

“The Indigenous folk told us they’ve seen her at the watering holes about a day’s travel from here swimming with crocodiles. Those things will eat you soon as look at you.” An older woman added.

“But dammit if everyone don’t just love er to bits.” A woman who looked to be in her thirties added.

“Every damn thing does. Every bug, every creature every single person that’s ever crossed her path. She just has an energy about her. Anyone ever hurt that girl, they’d never find the body.” Davo winked.

“So is it possible her mutism comes from the trauma of the accident?” Blane asked.

“It is.” Doc began as he walked through the front door. Every set of eyes dropped to the floor.

“What can I get ya Doc?” Davo asked.

“Just a coldie Dave.” Doc smiled. Davo poured him a beer. The bar had turned deathly quiet.

“Around 5 years ago my son came for a visit. That boy fell head over heels in love with Mira. Between you and me, I would have been happy to see something come of that.” Doc smiled.

“Jack stayed on a little longer than planned and they had been spending some time together.”

Blaze was getting angry to hear of Mira with someone else.

“What happened?” Blane asked.

Doc stared off into space. “There was a fire. Whole damn country was on fire it seemed. Every state. We hadn’t seen fires like that in living memory.”

“I remember reading about them.” Blane said quietly.

“Well, when a fire happens everyone helps out. We don’t have much water here but there are some wells that tap into the Artesian basin and we rely on them for fire fighting and watering stock.” Doc continued.

Blane went pale.

“That’s the water you’ll be stealing to get ya mine up and running.” Doc confirmed. “Anyway, Jack joined the local fire service to help out. Story goes they came across Mira out there trying to save the animals. They stopped and got out to help her catch some. The wind changed and the fire changed direction. In such an event you would try to shelter in or behind the truck, but Jack was to far away. He got caught in the fire.” A tear fell down Doc’s face.

“What happened to Mira?” Blane asked.

“No one knows. She just disappeared again.” Doc finished his part of the story. Davo began refilling empty glasses as everyone sat deep in their own thoughts.

“I can tell ya something son.” Doc began, leaning in to whisper in Blanes ear. “She heals real quick, just like you do.”

Blane nodded his head. That would explain a lot of their stories if she was indeed a shifter.

“She had begun talking when Jack arrived, mostly to him. After he died, she stopped again.”

Blane sat there nodding his head thoughtfully.

“You know the funny thing is, we never seem to need her to talk but we always seem to know what she wants.” Davo mused.

Doc lifted his beer to Davo, nodding his head. “To Mira!” He called out.

“To Mira." they all responded.