Kandanga Falls - 4. Chapter 4

-- Chapter Four --

Lunch was served beneath the shade of the tarpaulins, once Danny had retrieved his shopping from the back of the panel van. On the timber bench that served as a counter, Danny laid out the makings of their Ploughman’s lunch.

Thick, roughly cut slices of bread were soon slathered with farm-produced butter, then topped with slices of ripe, farm-grown tomatoes. Sliced meat and farm-made relish were added, followed by cheese, and more salad. Crown that with another chunk of bread and you have a half-decent feed. Fuel for a busy afternoon ahead.

They sat and ate in what would eventually be the kitchen – once the walls were finished at least – with chatting about nothing much at all being kept to a minimum while they ate.

It was into this scene that a yellow, four-legged native arrived, sniffing the air and eyeing the three lads, before settling his gaze on the stranger amongst his friends.

Nate froze, not sure what to do exactly as the rangy, young dingo eyed him off. Jake and Danny chuckled quietly at the stand-off.

‘What is it?’ Nate asked.

‘Oh, that’s just Fergus,’ Danny replied. ‘He belongs to Finn Cantwell . . . or Finn belongs to him . . . we’re not quite sure of which. If Fergus is out and about, Finn will probably be here any minute now.’

‘He’s a purebred dingo, apparently,’ added Jake. ‘His mum had been hit by a car about a year ago and Finn found him on the side of the road, just a pup, sitting beside her dead body, so he picked him up. They’ve been inseparable ever since.’

No sooner than his having said that, the animal moved closer to Nate.

‘Just give him a bit of crust or something,’ Danny suggested. ‘He’ll love you for it.’

Nate pulled a piece of meat from his sandwich and held it out for Fergus, who snapped it up and swallowed it whole, almost taking Nate’s fingers with it. He then settled his jaw on top of Nate’s knee, looking up at him with eyes that were pleading for more.

Nate laughed, then broke off some crust and fed this to the dog as well.

‘There you go! Best friends for life, now,’ Jake enthused, as Nate dared to give Fergus a scratch behind one ear.

It was into this scene that a fourth man arrived, a guy who looked to be about ten years older than the friends, with dark hair and a swarthy complexion. He was of average build and height, but Nate was immediately struck by how good-looking the guy was, and when those piercing blue eyes settled upon him, he felt something quake inside.

Fergus immediately turned and trotted across to where his master stood, while rubbing his head on the man’s leg.

‘Finn! We knew you wouldn’t be far away,’ Jake greeted him. ‘We’ve just been entertaining Fergus . . . or something. Come in and meet Nate, our friend who is visiting for a few days.’

The newcomer ducked under the tarpaulin’s edge and walked across to Nate, who stood, before they shook hands.

‘Nice to meet you,’ Finn said. ‘Any friend of theirs, and all that.’

‘Thanks. Good to meet you too,’ Nate replied.

‘So what brings you to hippie country?’ Finn asked.

‘Oh, just a quick catch up with these guys before I join up. Seemed the best option to get a job and learn a trade while I’m in there. Nothing much going back where I’m from.’

‘He’s my best mate from Thompsonville,’ Danny added. ‘And we haven’t seen each other in a year or so.’

‘Ahhh . . . I’ve heard a bit about you. Seen a bit of you too,’ Finn said, while looking Nate up and down and offering a grin. ‘Got to say that you look better out of your civvies though.’

This instantly made Nate blush, before he then shot a glare at Jake.

‘What?’ Jake pleaded, while grinning back at him.

‘You can relax, Nate. All I saw was the half-finished painting of you and Danny doing the piggy-back thing up the beach . . . or at least that’s all I think you were doing . . .’

‘Alright, enough of that,’ Danny interjected. ‘We don’t want to scare him off on his first day here!’

‘No, you are right,’ Finn replied. ‘My apologies, Nate. It must be all the hanging around with these guys that has corrupted me. I’ll try to behave, from now on.’

Nate could only laugh, but he did have to admit that there was something about this guy that intrigued him.

‘Anyway, I think you’ve arrived just in time,’ Jake added.

‘Oh, really?’

‘Yeah. Nate is going to help us with doing some work on the shack while he’s here, so we thought we might get started this afternoon. No time like the present, and all that sort of thing.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ Finn replied. ‘Want me to gather some troops?’

‘Thought you’d never ask,’ Jake replied, while slapping Finn on the back.

‘Just give me half an hour,’ came the reply, then with a nod Finn disappeared, with Fergus hot on his heels.

* * *
 

As promised, the reinforcements began arriving half an hour later and continued to arrive as the next half hour ticked by. People appeared from paths that came from all directions, as if the bush had suddenly decided their presence was needed elsewhere. Nate was convinced that there must have been some form of bush telegraph operating, as it couldn’t have been possible for Finn to have gotten around all these people in that short time, especially knowing that all the humpies and wigwams were widely scattered around.

A woman with sun-bleached hair in two thick braids, with a baby on one hip and a toddler clasping her other hand, was the first to arrive. A bloke wearing camouflage army pants, topped with a rainbow tie-dyed singlet and a khaki-green bucket hat came next. A pair of teenage brothers wearing only denim cut-off shorts and all-over tans soon followed. They could have even been twins, and when Nate noticed how they greeted the woman with braids, he realised that they must be her kids. One of the boys had splashes of paint in various colours on his hands, so perhaps he was a budding artist? An older guy with straggly, grey hair and a beard came next, who looked like he may have even been one of Snow White’s elves at one stage in life. The fact he brought with him a bucket of salvaged and straightened nails, like they were a treasure or something, only seemed to hammer home that point.

An assortment of others who all seemed to blend into one then followed. Names were splashed about like loose change, but Nate couldn’t keep up. Besides a Finn – and Fergus, of course – there was a Mel, a Chris, a Phoenix, a Loz, a Sasha and a Bing, amongst others. The names didn’t seem to matter that much anyhow, as everyone just called each other mate, or dude, or guy, or some other abbreviated moniker. What Nate did quickly figure out, however, was that everyone was friendly, and everyone was happy to chip in and help. The members of this small community were there for each other, and Nate couldn’t help but be impressed.

After a quick meeting, to decide the order of business, the work began. One half of the roof was removed; the blue tarpaulin, leaving just the green one for now.

The construction crew measured and argued and measured again. The hills echoed with the sounds of hammers and saws, as they cut and framed. Nate found himself paired with Finn, who he noticed had a tattoo of a butterfly on the inside of one wrist, while on the inside of the other there was a symbol of three conjoined circles in a straight line, with a single line running through the centre of all three, from top to bottom. He made a note to ask him about them later on.

As they worked together, measuring and marking, Nate also noticed that Finn had a calm way of going about things. ‘Hold it there,’ Finn said. ‘No, just up a bit more. Good. Look at that. As square as your jawline.’

Nate grinned at him, then Finn became serious about a brace, and called for one of the twins to fetch a length of timber for them.

By mid-afternoon a break was called, and everyone collapsed under the shade of the green tarpaulin, while the woman with the thick braids filled cups and mugs with a cold, sweet drink and passed them around to the grateful workers.

Progress had been made, and the timber framework was pretty much finished on the first stage, so with any luck they would be able to complete the adding of the roofing iron to this section this afternoon.

Nate soon found himself with one of the twins beside him – the one with the painted hands – and they chatted briefly as they leant against the wall of one of the tanks. The boy’s name was Phoenix. Fourteen years old, and like his own friends, the boy was a budding artist, hence the splashes of paint on him. Judging by the interest he was showing in Nate, touching him whenever he could, without it looking too obvious, his curiosity was already just as well-developed as his teenage body seemed to be. The kid acted as if he was already besotted with Nate – even though they had only just met – which both flattered him and scared him a little.

Not wanting to offend the kid, but at the same time wanting to create a little space between them, Nate excused himself and got to his feet, then wandered over to the timber bench, where he refilled his cup. Moments later he was joined by Finn.

‘Seems you’ve made another new friend today,’ Finn said quietly, as he stood beside Nate.

‘Yeah. Seems that way. To be honest, it’s kind of unnerving.’

‘Don’t be too worried. He’s a good kid who is just figuring himself out. His parents have raised him and his brother to be up front about their feelings and not to be embarrassed by the fact they are growing up,’ Finn replied. ‘There is nothing dirty about a young person discovering and exploring their sexuality, and if two people that were only a few years apart in age wanted to see where that might lead, then nobody here would be judgemental.’

Nate looked at him, somewhat surprised.

‘It’s what this entire community is all about, Nate. A place where people are free to explore their own personalities and live as free as they can be, provided of course, nobody is being forced into doing anything they don’t want to do, or is being harmed in any way. Should that happen, then the entire community, would come down on them like a ton of bricks.’

Once again, Nate looked at Finn in surprise.

‘Those outside of here might look down on us,’ Finn continued, ‘and perhaps we might be bending a few laws that the general public outside of this community might have to live by . . . but basically, what happens here, stays here, and what the outside authorities don’t see, they tend not to worry about.’

‘Fucking amazing!’ Nate replied. ‘But the kid’s virtue is safe with me.’

Finn gave him a nod, then after a few moments quietly said, ‘So, can I ask you a personal question?’

‘I guess so.’

‘Are you queer, like Danny and Jake?’

Nate looked sharply at Finn, then across at his friends and noticed Danny studying him intently. When Danny realised Nate was looking directly at him, his face broke out into a smile, which Nate couldn’t help but return.

‘To be perfectly honest,’ Nate replied. ‘I don’t know what I am. I’ve only ever had sex with one girl, but I’ve loved Danny for as long as I can remember . . . and I think that is something I’ve only just come to realise in the last year that we’ve been apart. So maybe I’m . . . I don’t know . . . a little bit of both?’

‘I see,’ Finn replied.

‘Seeing Danny as happy as he is here though, there’s nothing I would ever do to jeopardise that for him. He loves Jake, and I’m happy for them. So that’s how it’s going to stay.’

‘You’re a good friend, Nate,’ Finn said, while giving him a pat on his shoulder. ‘They are both lucky to have you on their side.’

As he watched Finn walk away, Nate downed the last of his drink, then set the cup down on the bench. Moments later he was joined by Phoenix, who propped himself up against the bench beside him.

‘So, did the doc warn you about me?’ the boy asked Nate.

‘Doc? What did you mean by that?’

‘Finn is our local doctor. Didn’t they tell you that? He’s going to open a practice in town, apparently.’

‘No, I didn’t know that. And what is it about you that I was supposed to be warned about? You don’t have a disease, do you?’ Nate asked, while giving the kid a friendly bump with his shoulder.

‘What? No, I ain’t got no fucking disease . . .’ the boy replied, only to be cut short, as Finn clapped his hands together in the middle of the room.

‘Alright, break’s over, everyone,’ he decreed. Let’s see if we can get the roof on this afternoon, shall we?’

There were a few grumbles as people got to their feet, then thanked Harry – which was short for Harriet apparently – for the drinks, they once again picked up their tools.

Phoenix and his brother, Joaquin, were quickly designated as the passers of the sheets of roofing iron, and once a few of the workers were back up on their ladders, they began passing up the metal sheets.

Once again, the sound of hammers began to echo around the valley, as the workers quickly started to nail the iron in place, while a few of the others, Finn and Nate included, began to frame up some of the wall sections that were needed to complete the closing in of the main kitchen area. Within the hour, just before the sun began to dip below the mountains to the west of them, it was time for tools down, giving everyone a chance to get back to their own homes before it got too late.

It was only then that Fergus decided to reappear, having conveniently vanished when all the noise had begun.

Once everyone had packed away tools, and over another round of drinks, plans were made for a repeat effort the following afternoon, as well as for a gathering in what was referred to as the ‘Village Green’ that night, a space that was central to most of the dwellings, and explained to Nate as being where gatherings and festivities were often held.

Soon afterwards, most of the remaining workers slowly began to disappear back down the paths and tracks from which they had earlier come, with promises of gathering once more a little later. Phoenix and Joaquin were called away by their mother, being the last group to leave, and this only left the three friends and Finn sitting around outside Danny and Jake’s humpy, which now, from certain angles, was actually beginning to resemble a home.

Fergus came and sat down beside Nate and rested his jaw on the boy’s leg.

‘Well, that was an enjoyable afternoon,’ Finn said to them. ‘Nothing like getting hot and sweaty with friends.’

‘Settle down, Finn,’ Danny chided him. ‘Didn’t you hear me earlier when I said we didn’t want to scare him off on his first day?’

‘Oh, I think this one can handle himself,’ Finn answered. ‘But anyway, I think I’m going to need to head home and freshen up for tonight. I’m already looking forward to it.’

With that, Finn got to his feet, with Fergus doing the same, and joining his master.

‘We’ll see you guys later on,’ he said, then started off down a path, only to be stopped by Jake calling out to him.

‘Thanks, mate! We really appreciate all the help!’

‘Anytime, my friend,’ and then he was gone.

The three friends sat there just chilling out for a few minutes, just taking in the last of the direct sunlight. It wouldn’t be long before it was gone altogether, and the whole valley would be bathed in twilight.

‘So, speaking of freshening up, what do you guys say we hit the pool?’ Danny suggested.

‘The what?’ Nate asked.

Danny just grinned, then got to his feet and held out a hand for Nate, before pulling his friend to his feet, then moments later the three of them were heading down a narrow path through some dense scrub, with thin branches adorned with soft leaves accosting them as they went.

‘So where are you taking me?’ Nate asked, but only receiving a grin as a reply.

Nate could hear the sound of running water, and a few minutes later they emerged into a clearing at the edge of a decent-sized waterhole in the creek. They found themselves standing on a massive, flat rock, part of which overhung the water, while on the far bank lush grass grew right down to the edge.

The water ran clear over granite shelves, while the stony bottom of the waterhole was easy to see. After their hot and sweaty afternoon on the tools, the water certainly looked inviting.

Danny was the first to make a move, with boots and shorts soon being discarded and tossed in a pile, before running and jumping into the cold water. Jake soon followed, before finally Nate shrugged off his reluctance and added his clothes to the growing pile.

Nate went under and came up shocked and fresh and new, letting fly with a long howl of relief as he shook his hair like a wet kelpie, while Danny laughed and shoved him backwards. They wrestled for the rock in the middle of the harbour, like they were sixteen again, no longer boys, but still not quite yet men. There was still room to be both, wasn’t there?

As he hung onto the edge of the boulder, his elbows out of the water and his cheek lying on his arm, catching his breath, Nate became aware of Jake watching them from the bank, grinning.

As he grinned back at him, he noticed Jake slip into the water, cutting through it easily, before coming up behind Nate and placing his palms flat on Nate’s shoulders, friendly and warm, while the front of Jake’s body lay flat against Nate’s back.

‘Sir,’ Jake said gravely, ‘I think you are in my swimming pool.’

‘Your pool, is it?’ Nate said, his head turned and gazing into Jake’s lovely face.

‘I love something enough, it’s mine!’ Jake replied. It could have sounded arrogant, but somehow it only sounded friendly.

Nate laughed, before shrugging off the weight of his friend, then struck out for the rock from which they had earlier jumped. Danny and Jake quickly followed, and before long they were sprawled on the warm slab of rock, their goosefleshed skin slowly warming in the later afternoon air.

The bush shifted colour, gradually changing from gold to the deepening blue that would herald the first stars. When the first fruit bats screeched overhead, the beginnings of the nightly exodus, they knew they had outstayed their welcome. Getting to their feet they picked up their belongings, but nobody bothered to dress, other than pulling on their boots, then single-file they made their way back to Jake and Danny’s home.

A short time later, after a quick shower beneath sun-warmed water, they dressed and headed for the Village Square, where festivities awaited them. Nate felt like he was living through one of those Asterix the Gaul comics he remembered reading through high school, when he found a rough circle of logs and stumps around an open fire. All that seemed to be missing was the pig on a spit and a mountain of a man who could lift a menhir with one hand. Maybe he would emerge later from one of the many tracks that seemed to crisscross the bushland.

People drifted in and out, music came and went. A guitar seemed to get passed from knee to knee, with various sounds coming from it. The smell of wood smoke cut through everything else, drowning out all other scents from the day. Conversations overlapped, some soft and light, others loud and raucous, capped off with laughter that echoed around the square.

Danny sat a plate that was laden with food on Nate’s knee, and after that, things seemed to quieten around them. This was another world, like nothing he had ever seen before, Nate thought, as he looked around at the gathered throng. Some of the commune’s edges were showing themselves too: joints passed, a kiss that got both louder and quieter, a pair of people disappearing into shadows that weren’t all shadows, but nobody seemed to mind; not even Phoenix, who Nate found was watching him from time to time, with what seemed to be an almost sad expression on his face.

As he watched Phoenix on the other side of the fire, Nate wondered if perhaps the good doctor had passed on the message that he was unavailable? He gave the boy a smile, which was returned, but then the kid was joined by another boy with dark hair and pale skin that Nate hadn’t seen before. The new boy appeared to be about the same age as Phoenix, and Nate watched them talking for a few minutes, but then they got up and left, disappearing into the shadows, hand in hand.

It didn’t take an expert to figure out what was coming next.

Nate sat and stared into the fire for a while after that, watching sparks rise skywards on the hot air from the fire, before a short while later he felt a presence beside him. He turned and found Danny taking a seat on his log.

‘Hey,’ Danny said quietly. ‘You doing okay?’

Nate looked around the square, then back at Danny.

‘Actually, yeah, I am,’ he answered. ‘I can certainly see why you love it here.’

‘Yeah, it’s pretty unique, isn’t it?’

‘That’s one way of putting it, I guess.’

‘No pressure, man. We’re all just where we want to be, doing what we want to do. ’

‘I know,’ Nate said. He understood. He just didn’t know if it was for him. In fact, there were a lot of things that he didn’t know about or understand; about himself, or about the world. He was determined, though, that he was going to test some boundaries, before he finally decided just where his world was going to be. You only live once, right?

* * *

When they finally meandered home under a star-studded sky that Nate thought was impossible, Nate could feel the tiredness beginning to take over his muscles. It had been quite a day . . . actually quite a couple of days . . . and his body was beginning to give off that feeling that sleep was needed. Once back in the humpy, a kettle was filled and the gas stove lit, then before long the three friends were sitting around the kitchen bench, steaming mugs of tea in their hands, and a packet of Iced Vo-Vo biscuits open in front of them. Obviously, there were certain sweet indulgences that even hippies still enjoyed from time to time.

Eventually tiredness won out and their words ran to quiet.

‘Where d’you want to sack out?’ Danny finally asked. ‘Plenty of options available.’

Jake, blunt as ever, but still gentle with it, added: ‘You can join us if you want. Cuddles, just sleep, whatever you want. Or you can take the spare tank. Or we can set you up with a swag. There are no wrong answers here.’

Nate stared at his hands, still wrapped around the mug, as he weighed up his options. There were some small cuts that hadn’t been there yesterday, no doubt thanks to the afternoon’s work. Their year apart had raised questions he’d never thought about before, and now was the time for them to be answered.

‘I guess, I mean I may as well . . .' he began, as he looked up at his friends. Both of them were watching him like you might watch a skittish animal, no reaching out, just letting the critter make up its own mind.

‘There are no wrong answers here,’ Jake repeated. ‘It’s all up to you.’

‘Thanks,’ Nate said. ‘I guess . . . well . . . I may as well crash with you guys. If that’s okay?’

‘Always okay,’ Danny said, so softly that it barely qualified as sound, before he got to his feet and picked up their three cups, then placed them in the plastic dish they used as a kitchen sink.

Together they made for the tank, with the locals stripping off clothes as they went, until finally they stood at the entrance, naked, but with Nate standing between them. Slowly he pulled his shirt off and dropped it to the floor, before unbuckling his pants and stepping out of them. He was unsure of what might lie ahead, but he needn’t have worried.

‘Remember . . . no pressure here. Whatever you want is fine,’ Jake quietly said to him, before the three of them stepped into the tank.

The bed was more raft than bed; mattresses, beanbags and cushions covering the floor, covered with quilts and blankets. Every sound seemed to be echoed by the corrugations of the walls, in a way that made a whisper seem like it was larger than a shout.

Danny dimmed the light before joining them, and as the night quietly covered them in darkness, three bodies cuddled into each other.

* * *

Sometime later – it could have been minutes, or it could have been hours, he had no idea which – Nate surfaced from the darkness, finding Danny’s arm draped over him, his friend’s body pressed against his back, warm and surprisingly comfortable. The breath upon his neck was soft.

For a while he just lay there taking it all in, surprised by the comfort he felt, by the fact it didn’t feel like an invasion of his space. He shut his eyes again, but just before sleep reclaimed him, he picked up Danny’s hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. It was a tiny thank you that nobody needed to see or hear, but he felt better for it.

To be continued . . .