Page 18 - Homestead By Ann Newhouse

I woke from a restless sleep, to a misty haze as the sun had not yet appeared. I searched in my rucksack and found a small piece of beef jerky. My heart felt lighter as I chewed it, not caring how long it had been hidden there. It awakened the senses in my mouth. I left my cave getting a head start before the sun came up. My rucksack had become much lighter as I had eaten all my provisions, and my billycan was all but empty. I kept seeing in my mind’s eye a large bowl of my mother’s vegetable stew. I could even smell it, as I walked.
I had started to see little clumps of greenery sprouting out of the dried earth, and mirror like patches scattered around in the distance. I was hoping it was not a mirage, as I was sure I was dangerously dehydrated. The rough terrain seemed to become a little friendlier. I could feel the sun burn through my hat as the temperature soared. Climbing over a ridge I spotted in the distance, a herd of cattle and a couple of horses drinking from a river. Quite a few big birds I recognised as sandhill cranes, swished about looking for food. They have a triumphant trumpet call that would break the sound barrier, and wings that spanned up to six feet. Magnificent creatures. I hoped I was in luck, and there would be a source of water, food and, perhaps, a friendly cowboy in the vicinity.
My feet had started to weep blood through my worn boots, the soles were virtually non-existent. I was losing the will power I’d had, when I first started out on this journey. I walked in a daze. I wished I had the strength to grab a horse and ride bareback to civilisation, which I hoped was on the other side of the pass between the two mountains. I dropped to my knees at the edge of the river and gulped down the cool, but rather murky water, unconcerned about the large birds and cattle that surrounded me. Standing upright and feeling a little better, although a little shaky, I spotted a cloud of black smoke gliding towards the sky from a distant building. I was elated.
Believing there to be some sort of settlement ahead, I continued towards the smoke. I put one foot in front of the other with great difficulty. I heard voices in the distance and a dog barking.
A bell rang loudly and seemed to make my head spin. I couldn’t focus and there were flashing colours and shadows. Suddenly the ground came up and punched me in the face; darkness took me.