couldn’t she remember
what to do? For the first time in her life nerves got the better of
her. She looked sideways at Wade. His face seemed relaxed. Didn’t
he understand the danger?
The glider’s nose lurched upwards. Anneli
felt the wind move the ends of her hair.
“Now, jump,” insisted Wade.
The tone in his voice sounded totally calm.
He acted like he’d done this hang-glider thing every day for
years.
Anneli felt too nervous to know whether she
completed the command or not and Wade seemed too busy studying the
air to notice her wild gaze glued on him.
The glider’s nose rose steadily.
Anneli pushed both her feet into the loop
made out of the same strapping material which gripped her around
her waist. Watching the mud slip away, she quickly estimated they
were ten feet above the ground and climbing. Starting to relax she
ordered her brain to enjoy the ride, determining next time she’d
insist on her own glider.
“You can breathe now,” advised Wade.
His one line statement shocked Anneli into
breathing again.
“We’re now at a height of twenty feet,”
reported Wade, confidently.
“The breeze feels warm,” whispered
Anneli.
“We’re right in the middle of a thermal.”
The hang-glider rose steadily before leveling
off at one hundred feet. Wade steered out of the thermal,
navigating the glider towards Darwin.
Anneli felt she was looking through the eyes
of an eagle. Staring at the destruction below them, her heart fell
deeply troubled. The enormity of the situation made her feel
helpless.
When the glider approached suburbia they were
close enough to see the grief on the face of a young pregnant woman
who started to venture outside. The longer they floated towards
Darwin CBD the more of Cyclone Tracy’s destructive power became
evident.
Anneli shed a private tear.
Cyclone Tracy successfully wiped Darwin from
off the map. Christmas 1974 will go down in Australian history as
the storm which stopped Darwin from having Christmas.
Small fires were popping up everywhere.
People of all ages were leaving their hideouts, starting to move
about searching the rubble for missing neighbours. In the fifteen
minutes since they left the ground Anneli didn’t see a house still
intact.
“I want to check on Charlotte,” Wade
advised.
Anneli helped change course by shifting her
hands towards the right side of the cross bar. The glider gently
banked. The craft quickly rose to two hundred feet when it entered
another thermal before breaking free and changing direction towards
the sea.
Looking at Anneli, Wade said seriously. “Are
you sure you’ve never flown a hang-glider before?”
She gave a cheerful shake of her head. “No.
Why?”
“The way you handle the craft I thought you
were an expert.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Your words
mean a lot.”
Crossing over the sand Anneli saw at least
two dozen boats of various sizes strewn around the sea. Most were
beached; damaged beyond repair. Tears formed in her eyes when
Charlotte came into view. Her white broadside glistened in the
warming sun. The tip of the mast looked to be buried in the sand.
The Cyclone had left the yacht high and dry. Their cursory study of
the hull revealed she seemed intact.
“Charlotte must be at least forty feet from
the water,” Anneli reported.
“She must have broken free of her mooring,
ending up near the restaurant on the beach. Nice place to eat. They
did have a superb wine list. Margarita’s used to be their
specialty. Shame it’s gone.”
Anneli smacked her lips together. “My taste
buds are craving for a nice wine. I’m sure the liquid will go a
long way to quench my thirst. I’m drier than the Simpson
Desert.”
Wade chuckled. “The idea sounds good to me
too. We’ll land and grab a drink. If Charlotte’s fridge door is
still shut, we’ll have a cold one for sure.”
Anneli’s pupils danced at the thought.
Already she could feel the cool liquid sliding down the back of her
throat.
The sea
what to do? For the first time in her life nerves got the better of
her. She looked sideways at Wade. His face seemed relaxed. Didn’t
he understand the danger?
The glider’s nose lurched upwards. Anneli
felt the wind move the ends of her hair.
“Now, jump,” insisted Wade.
The tone in his voice sounded totally calm.
He acted like he’d done this hang-glider thing every day for
years.
Anneli felt too nervous to know whether she
completed the command or not and Wade seemed too busy studying the
air to notice her wild gaze glued on him.
The glider’s nose rose steadily.
Anneli pushed both her feet into the loop
made out of the same strapping material which gripped her around
her waist. Watching the mud slip away, she quickly estimated they
were ten feet above the ground and climbing. Starting to relax she
ordered her brain to enjoy the ride, determining next time she’d
insist on her own glider.
“You can breathe now,” advised Wade.
His one line statement shocked Anneli into
breathing again.
“We’re now at a height of twenty feet,”
reported Wade, confidently.
“The breeze feels warm,” whispered
Anneli.
“We’re right in the middle of a thermal.”
The hang-glider rose steadily before leveling
off at one hundred feet. Wade steered out of the thermal,
navigating the glider towards Darwin.
Anneli felt she was looking through the eyes
of an eagle. Staring at the destruction below them, her heart fell
deeply troubled. The enormity of the situation made her feel
helpless.
When the glider approached suburbia they were
close enough to see the grief on the face of a young pregnant woman
who started to venture outside. The longer they floated towards
Darwin CBD the more of Cyclone Tracy’s destructive power became
evident.
Anneli shed a private tear.
Cyclone Tracy successfully wiped Darwin from
off the map. Christmas 1974 will go down in Australian history as
the storm which stopped Darwin from having Christmas.
Small fires were popping up everywhere.
People of all ages were leaving their hideouts, starting to move
about searching the rubble for missing neighbours. In the fifteen
minutes since they left the ground Anneli didn’t see a house still
intact.
“I want to check on Charlotte,” Wade
advised.
Anneli helped change course by shifting her
hands towards the right side of the cross bar. The glider gently
banked. The craft quickly rose to two hundred feet when it entered
another thermal before breaking free and changing direction towards
the sea.
Looking at Anneli, Wade said seriously. “Are
you sure you’ve never flown a hang-glider before?”
She gave a cheerful shake of her head. “No.
Why?”
“The way you handle the craft I thought you
were an expert.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Your words
mean a lot.”
Crossing over the sand Anneli saw at least
two dozen boats of various sizes strewn around the sea. Most were
beached; damaged beyond repair. Tears formed in her eyes when
Charlotte came into view. Her white broadside glistened in the
warming sun. The tip of the mast looked to be buried in the sand.
The Cyclone had left the yacht high and dry. Their cursory study of
the hull revealed she seemed intact.
“Charlotte must be at least forty feet from
the water,” Anneli reported.
“She must have broken free of her mooring,
ending up near the restaurant on the beach. Nice place to eat. They
did have a superb wine list. Margarita’s used to be their
specialty. Shame it’s gone.”
Anneli smacked her lips together. “My taste
buds are craving for a nice wine. I’m sure the liquid will go a
long way to quench my thirst. I’m drier than the Simpson
Desert.”
Wade chuckled. “The idea sounds good to me
too. We’ll land and grab a drink. If Charlotte’s fridge door is
still shut, we’ll have a cold one for sure.”
Anneli’s pupils danced at the thought.
Already she could feel the cool liquid sliding down the back of her
throat.
The sea
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