Forest Spirit by David Laing Page B

and ate his breakfast.
    Afterwards, he called out to Jars, who was standing alone, away from the group. ‘You can wash up and put everything away. The boys have done all the work so far. Now it’s your turn.’
    Jars picked up the plastic water bucket and headed towards the lake. On the way, she could not help thinking about what Tom used to say back at the cattle station. What goes around comes around. It was true. One day Quenton Quigley would really get what was coming to him. And it would be from his own actions. Not hers. Maybe that karma thing would come to punish Quenton once again. She tightened her grip on the bucket and continued to make her way towards the lake.

The car would not start.
    Jim KeIly thumped the steering wheel. ‘Damn!’ He flicked the interior bonnet switch and opened the car door, then, before sliding out, caIled over his shoulder. ‘You lot might as well get out too while I see what’s wrong.’
    Snook was the first to do so. ‘Does this mean we’re not going to town?’ he asked his father.
    Ignoring Snook, Jim collected a toolbox from the back of the car then buried his head under the bonnet. Jars and Quenton joined Snook and stood, watching.
    Quenton grabbed Snook’s arm. ‘I – I don’t like this. What if we’re stranded here? What if …?’
    Snook shook free. ‘Put a sock in it. Dad will get it fixed.’
    â€˜I don’t know about that.’ Jim extracted himself from under the bonnet. ‘It seems you were right. Our visitors last night certainly didn’t have friendly intentions.’ He held up the end of the fuel line.
    â€˜Why? What do you mean?’ Snook asked.
    â€˜I mean we’ve been sabotaged. Someone’s put water in the fuel.’
    Snook cringed at the anger in his father’s voice. Quenton, who had taken an involuntary step backwards, began to blubber. ‘I knew it. Now we’re stuck here. I should never have come on this trip. I should have …’
    Jars interrupted. ‘Quenton, calm down. My uncle will know what to do.’
    Jim Kelly joined in. ‘Keep quiet, you three; I need to think. I need to figure out how to get us out of this mess.’
    Shadow, who had been sitting next to Jars, tilted his head to one side and raised his eyes, as though curious at the goings on. Jars ruffled his ears. She was thinking about the lights, the footprints, the feeling of being watched after she had left the cave yesterday. And now this … sabotage. She frowned, not liking what she now knew to be true. All of these incidents had to be related. Someone, for whatever the reason, did not want them to leave the camp. She clenched her hands, feeling the bite of her fingernails digging into her palms.
    Quenton, desperation in his voice, looked from one to the other. ‘W-we could phone someone.’
    Snook threw his hands in the air. ‘Mobiles don’t work out here. Didn’t you hear the ranger tell us that?’
    â€˜Okay, okay, that’s enough,’ Snook’s father said, butting in, ‘bickering won’t get us anywhere. Now, here’s what we’re going to do.’
    When Jim had finished outlining his plan, Quenton, almost sobbing now, was the first to respond. ‘What? Leave us out here? On our own?’
    â€˜Look, someone has to get to town. We need fresh fuel to get this started.’ He slammed the bonnet down. ‘There’s no choice. I’ll have to walk into town. I’d say it’s about a twenty kilometre walk.’
    â€˜We could all walk, right Jars?’ Snook said.
    â€˜Not me,’ Quenton butted in, ‘it’s way too far.’
    â€˜That’s what I thought,’ Jim agreed. ‘You’d never make it. I don’t like doing it one little bit, but there’s no option. You’ll have to stay here.’
    â€˜No,’ Quenton sobbed, ‘I don’t want to do that either.