Barbara Hannay - Her Happy-Ever-After Family

And the scenery was stunning—long stretches of low hills green with wheat and lucerne. Here and there a river or stream gleamed silver-blue amid the landscape. There were ridges of land dotted with scribbly gums and sheep, and brown fields enclosing brown cattle, muddy dams and dandelions. It was warm enough still to leave the window down and the air was fresh and green, if occasionally dusty.

‘Fluffy thinks that’d be the best spot for our picnic,’ Krissie announced, pointing to a stand of Kurrajong trees up ahead.

The trees formed a natural glade that sloped down to a river. Tess glanced at her watch. They’d been driving for just over an hour, and, if her sense of direction was anything to go by, they should’ve nearly completed the loop that would take them back into Bellaroo Creek.

They’d taken the road west out of town and the plan had been to circle around and come back in on the town’s northern side. According to her calculations, they couldn’t be more than a couple of kilometres from the township.

And it was nearly lunchtime.

And she was starving!

She pulled the car to the side of the road. ‘Well spotted, Fluffy. This looks like a fabulous picnic spot.’ She hoped whoever owned the land wouldn’t mind them trespassing. ‘Watch out for cows,’ she hollered as the children and animals spilled from the car and raced towards the river. ‘And don’t get too close to the water!’

She was out of breath when she reached them. And, truly, it was the prettiest spot. They all gazed at it in silence for a moment as if to just drink it in. ‘Beautiful,’ Tess breathed.

Krissie slipped her hand inside Tess’s. ‘Do you think Cam has a river on his station?’

‘I haven’t the foggiest, chickadee, but I expect so. You can ask him next time you see him.’

‘At judo class!’

Both children were excited by the after-school activities on offer, but especially Cam’s judo class.

‘Ninja!’ Ty executed a high, flying kick that made Fluffy flap her wings.

‘Food,’ Tess countered.

They spread out a blanket and devoured their picnic—sandwiches, fruit, date scones and bottles of water—sharing it all with Barney and Fluffy. By the time they were finished, Tess wanted nothing more than to curl up on the blanket and doze in the sun.

‘Barney wants to explore,’ Ty announced.

‘Of course he does,’ Tess said, suppressing a grin, a sigh and an eye-roll all in one movement. She glanced at Krissie.

‘Fluffy wants to sleep.’ She sighed.

Lucky Fluffy.

‘Right, well, we’ll take our picnic things back to the car and put Fluffy in her cage to sleep.’ Tess had thankfully had the foresight to pack the cage and some newspaper. She left the rear door of the car up and wound down all the windows. ‘Okay, which way does Barney want to go?’

They walked beside the river. With the children and puppy racing off in front of her, leaving her momentarily chatter free, Tess was at leisure to enjoy the peace. After only five minutes of walking, they rounded a bend and a low sandstone and wrought-iron wall brought them up short.

Krissie turned back to her. ‘What is it?’

Tess glanced over the fence. It was so overgrown it took her a moment to make out what it was. When she did her stomach gave a queer little jerk. ‘It’s a cemetery,’ she said, watching both children carefully.

Neither recoiled, and she let out a breath.

‘Can we go in?’

Shielding her eyes against the sun, Tess followed the sandstone wall around until she found what she was looking for. ‘The entrance is over there.’ She pointed. If they’d driven a little further on they’d have happened upon this spot in the car—it was the very end of the road. Her lips twisted. In more ways than one, she supposed, but she determinedly left the gallows humour behind as she walked through the gate.

‘Ty, Krissie.’ She gestured to the children. ‘There are some rules we need to observe in a cemetery. It’s very bad manners to walk on a grave, so please keep to the paths.’ And there were some, even if they were terribly overgrown in places. Someone was doing what they could to maintain this little cemetery. ‘If you want to look at the headstones walk beside the graves, okay?’

Both children nodded solemnly. ‘What about Barney?’

‘Puppies are exempt, young man.’

They turned in concert to find an elderly woman, half hidden in the shade of a Kurrajong tree, sitting on a camp chair beside one of the graves. ‘I hope we’re not disturbing you,’ Tess ventured.

‘Not at all, lovey.’

Tess moved towards her. ‘I’m Tess Laing and this is my nephew and niece—’

‘Tyler and Kristina, yes, I’ve heard about you folk and I’m real pleased you’ve come to settle in Bellaroo Creek. I’m Edna Fairfield. I meant to make it to your luncheon, but my knees aren’t as young as they used to be. My husband, Ted, and I own a pocket of land just back that way.’ She nodded back the way Tess and the children had come.

After shy hellos, Ty and Krissie raced off to explore. Tess sat on the grass next to the older woman and Barney settled at her feet to nap. ‘I’m afraid we’ve been trespassing on your land. I’m terribly sorry.’

‘You’re welcome to wander through our holding whenever you want, lovey.’

They sat in silence for a while. Tess finally gestured. ‘Is this a private cemetery?’

‘Lord, no, it’s the Bellaroo Creek cemetery, but folks these days prefer to scatter the ashes of their loved ones on the land. Hardly anyone comes here any more.’

‘But you do?’

‘My dear mother and father are buried just over there.’ She pointed to a nearby grave. ‘And this here—’ she touched the edge of the grave she sat beside ‘—is where we buried my darling boy, Jack. He was only a tiny tot—eighteen months—when croup took him.’

Tess read the dates on the headstone and a lump lodged in her throat. Edna had been coming here for sixty years to sit by her beloved baby son. ‘Oh, Mrs Fairfield,’ she whispered. ‘I’m so sorry for your loss.’

‘Don’t you go wasting your sympathy on me, young Tess. Ted and me, we raised three healthy children and sent them out into the world—good strong folk we’re proud of. Into every life there comes some sorrow.’ She might be old but her eyes hadn’t faded and they glanced shrewdly at Tess now. ‘I understand there’s been some recent sorrow in your lives too.’

She nodded. Into every life…She glanced at Ty and Krissie, carefully walking around the graves. ‘I’m thinking, though, that moving out here means we can start focusing on good things again.’

Please, God .

‘I don’t doubt that for a moment.’

She couldn’t help smiling at Edna’s no-nonsense country briskness.

‘But, lovey—’ Edna sighed after a moment ‘—I can’t help wondering who’ll come here and tend my Jack’s grave when Ted and I are gone.’ She shook her head. ‘It’s a silly thing to worry about, I know, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about it.’

‘I don’t think it’s silly.’

She didn’t think it was the slightest bit silly. She went to say more but suddenly found Ty and Krissie standing in front of her. Holding hands, no less! ‘Everything okay, poppets?’

‘Can we bury Mummy here?’ Krissie asked without preamble.

Whoa!

Okay.

Um…

She glanced at Edna. ‘Is it still possible to arrange a plot here?’

‘I expect so, lovey. Lorraine Pritchard would be the person to ask. She’s the president of the Residents Committee.’

‘That’s Cam’s mum,’ Ty said to Edna. ‘He’s our friend.’

‘He lives right next door,’ Krissie added.