Chapter 1

Few things ever changed in the valley that was in the shadow of the mountain. The humming land seemed to almost glow in the afternoon’s sunlight. Tall eucalypts stood in calm lethargy among the carpets of bracken and leaf litter, over-shadowing the sudden juts of granite that leaned out of the mountainside like weathered escapees. Birdcalls trilled softly, as feathered forms argued and gossiped, flitting between shadows with wing flurries that were ignored by the insistent insects that toiled on, oblivious or indifferent to the many-coloured streams of life that swirled around them.

The scream shattered the stillness of the day’s warmth. Birds shrieked a counter-note of fright as the rag-doll form somersaulted down the mountainside, crying out each time it was raked by a low-hanging branch or grazed a tree or boulder. The woman suddenly grabbed a clump of bracken as it skidded by. The rustling descent was abruptly halted, as the bracken’s roots stubbornly kept their grip on the soil. For a while, the figure hung there, gasping for breath. Slowly, she reached for a low-hanging branch that hung just beyond her reach, conscious of the steep incline that began bare centimetres below her scrabbling feet.

Dimly, she heard the sounds of laughter coming from above, the voices of the people who had pushed her, ripe with mirth.

The branch turned out to be unattached, and its weight was suddenly upon her. She swore in panicked frustration.

Just then, bracken parted company with soil, and the woman slid down the remainder of the incline, before coming to a sharp stop when her hip hit the bole of a massive tree. With a slight shudder, she lay still but from the low moans that occasionally escaped her lips, she was still conscious.

The branch followed her down the slope, and slammed into her, causing her to double up as she was wedged tighter against the tree, hitting her head hard in the process.

Sounds of a vehicle sounded from further up the slope, and the malicious laughter disappeared from the awareness of the valley’s inhabitants.

The woman slipped wearily into unconsciousness.

The forest was quiet once again.