THE RIVER

THE RIVER   By Tessa Harvey     The doctor's eyes twinkled as he saw the youngsters. "Let's have lunch. Anne actually asked me to invite you. Is that possible?" He quirked, his eyebrows comically at Blue and Joe and then looked at Elizabeth, warmly.     "Fine," she smiled. "We have missed you both and we can all catch up. "     Elizabeth's anger faded. Her resentment against the doctor and his wife had been unreasonable. She knew that, but thoughts circled and twirled endlessly in people's minds until the facts and truth were blurred.     Soon they were back at the Harpers' place. The circumstances today were so much happier than when she had been trying to think how to rescue Josiah.     The children were overjoyed to run into the house as though they belonged and to smell delicious cooking smells of frying mushrooms, sausages and vegetables lighly cooking.          Anne was a well-built middle aged very we...

THE RIVER  By Tessa Harvey     The tired, gaunt-looking woman standing before Joshua suddenly lifted her head accusingly. "You left with your wife and family to some god-forsaken arid land. How dare you just walk in and lay down your law. I did my very best alone!"     Her fists were clenched, tears sparkled in her still beautiful dark eyes.     Remorsefully, he noticed grey strands appearing faintly in her cropped auburn hair. He sunk down into one of the deep charcoal grey lounge chairs, taking command of his thoughts and emotions. At last he said, "I am sorry. It's true. We hardly spared you a thought. My father was very ill..."     Joshua lapsed into silence remembering the prayers, the anguish as his dad fought hard against his illness which day by day had cruelly taken his mobility and finally his life. But Joshua still believed.     "My father died." He saw her flinch.     "I too was angry, blaming whatever God ther...

THE RIVER  By Tessa Harvey     So he firstly assured her that Josiah had been merely worn out by being in the col water. His early symptoms were merely stiffness.     "They need to be out more," the physician stated firmly. "I gather Joe had to practically rebel to leave school and gain an apprenticeship as a carpenter." "Amy is almost of her high school age," he continued more gently. "What will you do. You cannot live in the past - tortured, tormented by fear. The kids shouldn't be afraid to even bang the flyscreen door occasionally!"     Elizabeth felt beleaguered. "What if it wasn't an accident when my brother.....?" But the broken refrain sounded forlorn now, even to her.     Fear had indeed crept up and bound her in strong chains, gaining a stronghold in her mind. Why had she so isolated herself and the children, sequestered them apart from others, from life?     She flushed, thinking of the burner phone. It seemed rather ...

THE RIVER   By Tessa Harvey     The sergeant quickly distracted her, bringing her back to the present. "We are reporting all this. There will be an investigation." She hesitated, her tone softening. "You seem decent people. It would help you when"  (the word was heavily emphasised), "a senior officer returns if your residence was not quite so unusually defended."     The woman turned quickly, catching the young police officer smirking. He flushed a deep crimson to his great embarrasment, and followed his superior out to their vehicle - like mummy duck and baby. Joe thought this very funny, but Bluey caught his eye in warning.          All this time, Joshua had been quietly, patiently observing. He was far from happy.     "Could we talk alone, Elizabeth?" he asked, frowning.     More than happy to escape, Joe hustled to his beloved motorbike, assessing his, as yet, small collection of tools and parts.   ...

THE RIVER   By Tessa Harvey     Doctor Harper had negotiated a break for the family while they dressed and readied themselves for the day.     After her shock of seeing police once again in the house, Blue had perked up, thrilled at the idea of visitors.     Elizabeth had begun to realise just how much she had confined the children.     Joshua had prepared warm drinks and toast in the cosy kitchen, sunlight shining on copper pans hanging in an irregular row near the stove.     The smell of toast softened the expressions on the faces of the police. They had been told improbable tales of the recluse in the woods.     Over coffee the sergeant asked Joe about the necklace. "I found it in the gutter," he hesitantly explained, "Brian was with me." He smiled at the memory. "He teased me asking me if it was for my girlfriend."      His aunt looked at him a little sharply and he flushed. "I'm sixteen, Auntie, not six...

THE RIVER   By Tessa Harvey     A large man barrelled towards  the hesitant young officer. "Excuse me," he abruptly asked as a formality, already inside and heading towards Amy's room. The blond, tall officer called after him, remembering somewhat belatedly his police training.     Amy had already stopped screaming, awake now from her nightmare. She flung herself at the man, "Uncle Joshua."     "He patted her back. "Well, Blue," his tone was stern, "no regressing, fear cripples. We talked about that."     He turned to the adults. "I am Doctor Harper, a friend of the family. How may I help?"     He carefully hugged Elizabeth, noting she was in pyjamas and robe. "Where is Josiah?"     Joe struggled in at that moment, barely able to walk, wearing a blanket.     The senior policewoman angrily stated "we came about the theft of a priceless necklace. Now we find a little girl screaming and a youth half crippled. W...

THE RIVER  By Tessa Harvey     Eventually they struggled back to their house, using the blankets in the bag Elizabeth had carried. Wrapped in these had staved off some of the cold.     Joe remembered silly days at the beach in his early teens with his mates, falling in the sea fully-clothed, then struggling, shivering uncontrollably into a hot shower. It was easier then to remove his clothes under the steaming jet.     Amy, less wet, was helped into her pyjamas and bed. Then Elizabeth, seeing Joe already asleep in his room, also had a hot shower.     All wet clothes could wait - sleep first.     Minutes later, or so it seemed, the doorbell chimed and then again. It was the exact moment Joe realised he could not get out of bed. It was the precise instant.     Amy began to scream, something she had not done for over a year and a half.  Disheveled, uncertain, Elizabeth opted to open the door. There were two police office...

THE RIVER  By Tessa Harvey     Within ten minutes, Elizabeth had driven down a narrow dirt track leading to a minor road. Carefully she edged down the Harpers' driveway hidden by scores of trees. She knew they were away. As soon as she parked, Blue woke up. Her large deep blue eyes looked afraid - she twisted strands of her white-blond hair, and began to cry. "Come, there's no time," Elizabeth ordered peremptorily. They left the car, Elizabeth hefting a large black rubbish bag over her shoulder, shining the torch as little as possible.     Leaving the last trees behind, they crossed the narrow road, opened a small gate and slithered down a grassy slope. Below them was Riverbend, where the swift river flowed, leaving a large deep semi-circle. All sorts of driftwood tangled there, a floating mat in the calm water.     They flicked the torch over the debris systematically, hardly daring to hope. "There," cried Blue, "Joe is just there!" Tears of reli...

THE RIVER  By Tessa Harvey     Elizabeth settled her niece into her pop-orange Kio Rio car. Already the girl was half-asleep, reassured they were on their way to rescue Joe. The woman switched on the engine, waiting as Bluey's eyes closed.     Quietly she left the vehicle, checking by torchlight firm steel screens on windows and doors. The boot was stuffed with all they needed. Shielding the torch, she checked under the car. No tracker.     The woman flung her phone into the river and made her way back and into her car. There was a burner phone in her emergency pack. Her brother had worked in law enforcement and somehow became entangled in something dark and menacing. The accident that had killed the children's parents was treated as accidental. She and her friend had believed otherwise.     Both kids had been devastated. Joe had recovered sooner than Bluey, who had retreated into silence. The weekly fun gift, usually lollies, spinning throug...

 THE RIVER By Tessa Harvey     Joe drifted, praying no snags or broken branches would obstruct his passage. It was like floating in ice cubes, even though it was only summer's end. His life did not flash before him, only disbelief that he had been pursued so relentlessly for some worthless, shiny bauble.      Fine, so the world was not all sweetness and light, but to deliberately drive into his bike seemed to him extreme. Earlier he had been going to Brian's place in town, down a narrow back street and snatched the necklace from the flowing gutter, just before it caught on a drain.     Brian had laughed so hard, dark hair flopping over his forehead. "Whatcha got?" he crowed, "summat for your girl?" Joe had flushed, then laughed also. "No, it's for Blue." Brian had said "well it's pretty, pretty worthless." Then seeing his friend's look, patted him awkwardly on the shoulder and declared "wee Blue would be made up delighted...

 THE RIVER By Tessa Harvey     Deliberately the car hit the back of the motorbike. It veered left into a ditch. Joe was flung high over the road and straggly bushes into the river. He disappeared.     Blue scrambled hard down her tree. The temperature had dropped with the onslaught of rain. Icy spicules stung her cut cheek, but she hardly noticed. Slipping on moss and lichen, the girl almost fell from the tree and ran for help.     She burst through the screen door of the darkened house.     Despite her fear and haste, she held the screen door softly so as not to bang, a habit firmly instiled over the last two years.     Elizabeth caught her niece, holding her tight. She had been waiting . "Joe went in the river," she sobbed. "A car hit his bike on purpose. It was a car...." The woman bit her lip. "Right, this is what we do...."

THE RIVER   By Tessa Harvey     At last the faint stutter, stutter of her brother's motorbike came, swelling to a roar...     Bluey scrambled higher up the sprawling oak, peering through the warm, green summer leaves, waiting. Then Joey's right arm shot up and he hurled this week's gift - a glittering, shining necklace, whirling, gloriously through the gathering gloom of evening.     The young girl reached out and stretching dangerously, snagged the treasure on two fingers. It whirled, heavier than expected, catching her on the cheek.     But Bluey hardly noticed. Something was wrong. Her brother was going far too fast and now rain had swirled in, making more treacherous the gritty road. The sharp bend near the swift river was frighteningly close - and a car, shrouded in darkness was driving far too fast, not far behind.     Bluey never forgot what happened next....