The Moa Cave (8 page)

It was light when Mandy woke for the last time. She’d had a rotten night’s sleep. She hated storms, especially thunder and lightning, and there had been enough of that to last a lifetime. Hine and Alice had been no help. She’d called out to Hine at one stage, only to be ignored. And Alice had been making those funny noises all night as if she couldn’t breathe properly.

She peeped out through the gap in the curtains. It sure had rained. Yet now the sun was shining through a thin layer of cloud. It looked like it could be a nice day later on. That would be good. Then she remembered they had to go home today and the unhappiness she’d felt in the night returned.

Home was not fun during the holidays. In fact home wasn’t even home. She had to spend the day at the shop. Sometimes she was given something to do, but most of the time she was told to stay in the storeroom and keep out of the way. It soon got depressing sitting in a room full of old things.

She would have preferred to stay here with her two friends. They were just starting to get to know each other. She was beginning to like Tyler even though he was a little strange. When he’d been nice to her yesterday, she’d even found him attractive. Now it was too late to see if anything could have developed.

Hine was a bit bossy, but nice in a motherly sort of way. Mandy felt they probably had more in common than they had discovered. That was because of the game. They should never have played it. Whenever they were getting close to each other the game would get in the way. Well, today that would finish too. After Tyler’s turn it would be hers again. It wouldn’t be too hard to trick the others so that she won. Not that she cared any more.

She glanced at Hine’s bed, wondering if she should wake her. But Hine wasn’t there. She must have got up earlier. Then she saw the sleeping bag was missing, and her pack. The bed was covered with unpacked clothes.

Mandy stood thinking for a while: something strange was going on here. Then, with a feeling of annoyance, she walked through to the boys’ dorm. Tyler wasn’t there either; nor was his sleeping bag or pack. The bare mattress was a dump of dirty clothes.

She sat on the bed going over the events of the previous day. Slowly it dawned on her: Tyler’s talk of spending the night in a cave was a dare. He had tricked her. She had been so impressed by his sympathy that she’d missed it. But Hine hadn’t, and somewhere they’d spent the night together in a cave. She felt a surge of jealousy and then anger. How dare they trick her? It was her game; she was the one who made it up. It was so unfair.

Then she calmed and started thinking of revenge. The easiest thing was to tell the adults. That would cause all sorts of trouble. Yet, Tyler and Hine hadn’t told about the night when she got ‘lost’. So how would she feel if she told on them? Probably lousy.

Plan B was to make out she didn’t know they’d been missing and ask for proof. They might have forgotten that.

Plan C was to declare the dare cancelled because they’d
already had a cave dare. She’d make up a new rule. That would do it. Tyler would get angry and run away, then Hine would get all narky and support Tyler. All she had to do was get everybody mad. She might even be able to take away their final life and win the game. However, the first thing was to find them—catch them in the act of returning, or, even better, find the cave and surprise them when they came out. That would be the last thing they would expect.

While the storm had gone, the power was still in the sea. The waves were bigger than any Mandy had seen. They broke as a wall of water before roaring towards the shore. It was brown with silt from the flooded stream, and large rafts of yellow foam drifted around in the chilly wind.

Mandy removed her shoes and crossed the stream. It was still muddy and swollen and took a different course than she remembered. Her destination was the base of the cliffs at the end of the beach. That was the only place where she could imagine caves.

Unfortunately any telltale footprints had been removed by the rain or the waves. The most likely spot looked like a small cove with a few flax bushes. Something about the way the rocks jutted out suggested there was a cave.

There wasn’t. Yet behind the flax she found a spot that looked flattened as if someone had been lying there. She knelt for a closer look. Yes, it definitely was squashed down. Then she saw something metallic buried under the dead plants. It was Tyler’s magnifying glass. She was right: he had been here. But whether it was the night just past or sometime earlier was hard to tell. Still, the magnifier could be useful, if only as something to tease him with.

She walked around the base of the cliff, planning to climb the goat track. There was a possibility of some sort of rock shelter up there. Tyler could have found it when he was searching for her.

It all seemed different to the last time. Sand was now piled up against the cliff and the stream flowed much closer. It was all squishy and she thought it might be quicksand. She stopped when she saw some sand had collapsed into a hole at one place. It would be stupid to go any further. As she watched, a crack formed and more sand slumped into the hole. It was definitely dangerous to go on. She went back to where she could safely cross the stream. Looking for a cave without having any idea was futile. She might as well sit by a warm fire and wait for them to sneak back. It would be better if she was there when they arrived. After all, they had to come back sometime.

If only Mandy had known that for a moment she had been just a few metres from where Tyler lay in the sand…

Hine was beside him, sobbing gently. Their situation was now plain: they were trapped in a cave with only one way out, and that was blocked. Sooner or later the air would run out and then they would be in real trouble.

Tyler opened his eyes and looked around for the first time. Hine had her head in her hands. She looked so miserable that his heart reached out for her. ‘Thanks, Hine,’ he said.

In the soft light he watched her head rise. Tears were streaming from her cheeks.

‘There’s no need to cry now.’ He added, ‘I’m all right.’ He knew that was an overstatement: his chest and head ached and his body was cold and weak. ‘How long has it been?’

Hine glanced at the clock. ‘It’s just after ten. About three hours I think. Oh Tyler, I thought you were dead.’

‘I would have been if you hadn’t pulled me out.’

‘That was the hardest part. The sand seemed to be sucking you in. Once I got your head clear it was easier.’

‘Was I breathing?’

She shook her head. ‘I had to resuscitate you.’

‘I’m glad you knew how.’

Her face lightened. ‘Auntie made me learn. She wouldn’t let me go on the boat unless I did. She said it’s not right to expect people to save you if you can’t save them in return.’

‘I must thank your Auntie sometime.’

Hine nodded slowly. There was a long pause before she asked, ‘What was it like? Do you remember anything?’

Tyler closed his eyes, trying to recover the images and thoughts of the cave-in. ‘There was no tunnel with a bright light at the end, if that’s what you’re asking. I remember the sand and water falling. I wanted to reach down to my pocket to get the pendant, but my arms wouldn’t move. I don’t remember anything after that.’

‘You got the pendant. You were holding it when I pulled you out. That helped me think you were still alive; you were holding it so tightly.’

Tyler pulled his hand out from under the sleeping bag. Yes, he could feel it now. He opened his palm to see the white fossil glowing in the dim light.

‘Do you think we should give it back?’ he asked.

‘I was thinking about that when you woke. I don’t think taking the pendant caused the entrance to be blocked. But it may have helped keep you alive.’ She thought for a moment. ‘If we get out of here then I’m sure you can keep it.’

If not, thought Tyler, it will stay here with him anyway.

A long time later Hine asked, ‘Why did you call him Ata?’

‘I don’t know. I just liked the sound of it.’

‘Do you know what it means?’

‘No.’

‘It’s the name given to the reflection of a person in water or a mirror. I think that’s why you chose it. You and Ata are reflections of each other—reflections across time.’

‘How could that be? I didn’t know what it meant.’

‘No. But he did.’

‘Hine, that’s scary.’

‘I know.’

However when Tyler thought about it, he liked the idea. Two people with the same interests separated by four hundred years—reflections of each other. Would they be true reflections? Would right become left? He pictured the boy lying on the ledge and realised the gizzard stones were in Ata’s left hand; yet he was right handed. He smiled to himself. It must be a coincidence, yet if it wasn’t…

Half an hour later Tyler felt strong enough to sit up and eat something. There were still some cookies left, two packs of chippies and a large bar of chocolate. They weren’t going to starve to death; which made him think of the penguins—they didn’t have a supply of food. How long could they last? He turned the torch towards the nest. Mopsie was snuggled down, but Hopi had gone.

‘Where’s Hopi?’ he asked.

Hine seemed surprised. ‘I don’t know.’

With growing hope he scanned the cave. There was no sign of the bird.

‘There must be another way out!’ Quickly he got to his feet. That was a mistake. He almost keeled over. After sitting on a rock for a moment he tried again. He still felt woozy but managed to stay standing until it passed.

He went to the nest. Mopsie squeezed down tighter, eyeing the boy suspiciously: she was not going to move for anyone. Though he searched closely, Tyler could find no signs of tracks on the bare rock. If Hopi had escaped, he had done so without leaving a trace.

‘Can you find anything?’ asked Hine anxiously.

‘No. We’ll have to wait until he comes back.’

Hine didn’t want to spend any longer in the cave. ‘We must be able to find it.’

‘I’ve looked. There’s so many bits, it’ll take ages.’

‘What else have we got to do?’

It didn’t take long to find. Hopi had left a sign for them after all. He’d squirted the contents of his bowels onto the rocks before moving deep into one of the clefts. The white deposit was like an arrow saying ‘This way’.

The passageway was high and narrow at first, scarcely wide enough to allow a human to pass. Later it broadened and steepened into a climb that ended in a small chamber with a dusty bottom. Hopi’s prints could be seen heading across the floor towards a dim glow on the other side: it was daylight.

The last part was the hardest. It sloped down at an awkward angle and was so low that Tyler could only move forward by crawling on his elbows. At one stage he thought he would never get to see what lay beyond. But a few pushes from Hine helped and finally his head was out. He pulled himself free before turning to help Hine.

They were on a small ledge partway up a rocky bluff. Below them was a tiny cove. Flax bushes tried to grow where the tide never reached. The walls were high, steep and slippery with dripping water. There would be no escaping by climbing round these. They could try and work their way down to the cove but even then the only exit would be via the sea, and that looked impossible. The water was a surging mass of foam and kelp. At first glance it seemed there was no entrance. Then Tyler saw a wave rush through an opening in the opposite wall just like at the Jacks Bay blowhole. The cove was joined to the sea by a tunnel. Whether it was totally submerged or not was unclear. What was clear, however, was that they were still a long way from being free.

There was also something else to worry about. The air was filled with the stench of dead animals coming from the beach
below. Carcasses of dolphins lay everywhere. There must have been ten or more. Each had been butchered and filleted just like a fish. The remains had been left for the birds and the sea. Gulls fought over the choicest bits and crabs scuttled around picking up the scraps. Some of the remains were little more than skeletons.

Neither of the youngsters had seen such carnage before. It was worse than anything on TV. Hine turned away to vomit over the edge. Tyler just stared, his face white with horror. He could never have imagined that anyone could do such a thing. But they had, and he knew without doubt who they were. The question was, would they return? And if so, what would they do? Would they offer to rescue them? Tyler thought not. They were more likely to make sure their secret was never revealed.

It was eleven before Mandy told the adults about Hine and Tyler. Up until then she had covered by saying they had gone for a walk. But as the morning progressed her thoughts changed from revenge to concern.

‘I went looking for them at the beach but all I found was Tyler’s magnifying glass. There were no footprints or anything.’

‘And you say they planned to spend the night in a cave?’ asked Molly. Mandy nodded. ‘But there aren’t any caves, are there, Bill?’

Bill shook his head. ‘They’d have to go a long way to find a cave. But you know kids. They can turn anything into a cave. It could be a cave in flax, or one of the old buildings.’ He nodded to himself. ‘I bet that’s where we’ll find them; in one of the old huts. They’ll have gone in to get out of the storm. They’re probably still asleep after being up so late.’

But Molly insisted that he call Jonno at the police station. Jonno’s advice was to organise the neighbours into searching the buildings on their properties. In the meantime he’d let Search and Rescue know. If they weren’t found by two o’clock then a full search would be organised.

After making the phone calls Bill left to check the sheds on his farm. Molly began preparing food for the searchers she
hoped would never be needed. Alice had the job of ringing the parents to tell them their child wouldn’t be home this afternoon as planned.

Mandy watched and listened as Alice first rang her boss at the magazine. While the illness had gone she was now a nervous wreck. Her hands were shaking and her voice wavered as she spoke about the missing pair. Her boss must have been sympathetic for she was calmer when it was finished.

Her second call was to Tyler’s home. This quickly turned ugly. Mandy gathered it was Tyler’s mum on the other end and Alice was being blamed for not looking after her son. The shaking was back when she hung up after promising to keep them informed.

The third call was to Hine’s home. Mandy heard a loud ‘Hello’ as the phone was answered.

‘Is that Mrs Smith, Hine’s auntie?’

‘Yes.’

‘Hello, Mrs Smith. It’s Alice Brownley here from
Nature South
. I’m looking after Hine for the week.’

‘Oh yes,’ said the friendly voice at the other end.

‘I’m afraid Hine and another child have gone missing.’ She went on to explain the situation in detail.

When she had finished there was a long pause before Auntie replied.

‘Oh dear. That doesn’t sound too good. But Hine’s a sensible girl; I trust her to do the right thing. There’ll be a good reason why she hasn’t come back. You just try and be calm. Worrying never fixes anything. We can’t change what went wrong, but we can do the right thing now.’

‘We will, Mrs Smith.’

‘And if she’s not found by night then Jack and I will come down and give a hand. You give us a ring when it gets dark.’ After brief farewells they hung up.

Then it was Mandy’s turn to call home. She rang the shop. Her mother answered. ‘Make it quick, Mandy, we’ve got customers.’

Mandy had hoped to talk about things. Instead she made it quick: the other two kids in the group were missing and she wouldn’t be home until they were found.

Her mother seemed relieved by the news. ‘I’m pleased you had enough sense to stay out of trouble. Let us know when you’re coming back. I must go now. Love you.’ And then, before her daughter had a chance to reply, the phone clicked.

Mandy held on to the phone. She felt so scared and alone. The way she’d described things was cold and unfriendly, as if she hardly knew ‘the other two kids’. Yet they were her friends. They had done crazy things together like swimming with dolphins and walking with beasts in the black of night. Now they were lost, perhaps hurt, or even worse…

She tried to picture them but the images wouldn’t form, and that frightened her even more. She searched her memory for any clue that might help find them, yet there was nothing. Eventually a buzzing from the phone broke her thoughts. She replaced the hand-piece and moved through to the kitchen to see if she could be any help there.

Tyler and Hine clambered down to the sand, their arms laden with things from the cave. Their bedding was left behind: if they had to spend another night, they would do so in the cave.

Hine marched past the carcasses with her eyes fixed to the front. Tyler followed, glancing at the animals as he passed. They were in various states of decay as if they’d been killed at different times, maybe even weeks apart.

After trying several spots Hine chose a rock well clear of the dolphins and where the wind would carry the smell away. She tried her phone. After staring at the screen for a while, she turned it off and placed it on the rock.

‘Nothing?’ asked Tyler. She nodded her head. ‘Mind if I try a few other spots?’ In answer she handed it to him.

For half an hour Tyler climbed rocks, walked in the sea and paced the beach. At each spot he held the phone at various angles, hoping there would be a signal. There was nothing.

Walking back to the rock, he studied Hine with her head in her hands and her back to the beach. He was worried about her. She had hardly said a word since seeing the dolphins. All the spark had gone, as if she was now resigned to whatever would happen to them.

He had to stop her thinking about it. During his testing he had noticed lots of stones piled at the bottom of the cliff behind the bay. They were covered in white lichen making them ideal for messages on the wet sand. If Hine collected them, he would form the message and she’d avoid being near the dead animals. Hine agreed, and began picking up stones like a robot.

Tyler planned his message carefully. ‘HELP’ was the simplest to build and easiest to understand. Part of it would have to be in amongst the carcasses. That could be a problem, because the light parts of the remaining skin might make the message unreadable. He had to shift them.

After scratching out the message, it looked like only two would have to be moved. The first had been dead a long time. Parts of the tail fell off in his hands as he tried to haul it out of the way. The other hardly smelled at all. It was a fresh kill, possibly from when they saw Shifty and Grunty come ashore.

He had dumped it when something about its head made
him look a bit closer. There was a scar above the eye. It was the dolphin they had each held three days before. It had been so friendly, probably too friendly and too easy to catch. Once again anger welled in his head and he quickly reached for the pendant. This time the anger didn’t lessen, but changed into a determination that somehow he would make sure they paid for what they had done.

The sun had gone by the time the message was finished. Tyler was pleased with the job. He looked to the top of the cliffs. It would be clearly visible from up there, if anybody ever pushed through the thorn bushes to look. But more importantly it would be visible from the air, which was the most likely source of rescue. He ruled out the sea as you’d have to be mad to bring a boat through that until the waves were smaller.

They spent the last few minutes sitting on the rock, with Tyler trying out the radio. There was nothing in the FM band except hissing and crackling. A couple of places in the AM had voices, but too weak to be understood.

‘Come on, Hine,’ he said. ‘I think we should go inside now.’

Hine didn’t even look up. She picked up her bag and walked slowly to the other end of the beach. Tyler followed, worrying about what he could do to help.