Moore River

Moore River shone brightly in the early afternoon. The sun was still high in the sky and the murky water lapped at the edges of the sandy shore in waves of foam.

Jack ran ahead of the rest of his family, his feet making trails in the sodden sand and his brown hair floating behind him in the wind, like boats on the sea. He couldn't see any boats today, but maybe that was because he was running too fast for his eyes to focus properly on the distant horizon. Although when he thought about it - Guilderton wasn't as busy as Perth.

Jack stopped running once he reached the water and he breathed in the fresh air, while taking in his surroundings. The river lay ahead of him and right in the centre, was a small jetty with people on it. To the right of the jetty was a sandbank, which at school he had learned was exposed at low tide. That was where the river and ocean met.

Yet, it was the other side of the river that had caught his interest. There were no people there, like those who surrounded him here, laying out towels and smothering each other in sunscreen.

It seemed peaceful and worthwhile.

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by his sister Grace who came scuttling across the sand, thongs in hand.

"We should go to the jetty," she suggested, peering out across the water.

Jack knew she'd say that. Grace was nine and there were a lot of things she couldn't do. He was fourteen and was sure he knew more than her about almost everything.

"Later," Jack replied.

He couldn't take his eyes off the other side. If he didn't know better, he'd think at first it was an island. This intrigued Jack. He found himself wondering what was out there.

Grace had since sunk to the ground, her feet buried deep in the sand and a frown etched on her face. Jack ignored his sister's sulky mood and instead looked around for their mother, feeling surprised that she wasn't behind right them.

He decided that she must be still helping Grandpa over the uneven sand - he was very old after all. Jack wasn't too phased when his mother had said Grandpa would be joining them for the holiday road trip. The old man was beginning to lose his memory - 'dementia' the doctors called it - but Jack knew very well what it was like to lose someone close to you. Grandma had left them the summer before, but she had been old and sick, whereas their father was never cut out for family life.

He was gone before Jack's sixth birthday.

Their mother appeared soon after, helping Grandpa along, and Grace asked her the same question.

"Yes, you can swim to the jetty only as long as I can see you from here. Stay with Jack-"

Grace was gone before she had finished. Grandpa laughed as Jack attempted to catch her up.

"You ain't got enough independence," Grandpa said, before going on to talk about other things that were different in 'his day'.

Things that Jack didn't have the time for.

*   *   *

The two of them swam towards the jetty that bobbed away in the current as if it were trying to break free. Just like me, Jack thought to himself. He entertained the idea of leaving Grace, so he could swim to the 'island' on his own, but he suppressed the feeling by remembering his mother's words.

They had to stick together.

The water felt cool against Jack's skin, refreshing and filling him with adrenaline that helped him finish the swim to the jetty. He saw the metal structure gleaming up ahead, but he couldn't take his eyes off the land behind it.