Hatfield flew into the Weipa airport in a Bombadier Dash -8 passenger service aircraft the following afternoon and caught one of the two taxis in town to the Albatross Hotel which was firmly implanted and spread out all over the southern bank of Trunding Creek where it emptied out into the Gulf of Carpentaria.
He set up his room, which would be his base for the next few days and then went down to the lounge. After ordering an ice-cold beer he made his way out on to the huge western patio and sat down under one of the huge, slowly circulating ceiling fans, to drink the beer and watch the sun set over the ocean in the west.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" a silky female voice spoke from behind him.
He turned to see the waitress cleaning up the table behind him.
"It sure is. How come the sky is so red?" he replied.
She collected the empty glasses and deftly wiped down the table as she spoke. "They tell me that there's a volcano erupting in Indonesia – over that way," she stopped and pointed. "Every now and again the dust and ash from it disrupts flights in and out of here, but normally it just makes for great sunsets."
He turned back to the view and savoured it. As the sun touched the horizon, the sea shimmered.
"They say that as the sun disappears there's a green flash that happens, but I've never seen it," she said as she moved to the adjacent table.
"I've heard the same," he said. "I was in Darwin last year and they were saying the same thing at Mindel Beach because it faces west. Have you ever been there? That place is fantastic. It's like a gala occasion every evening. They have a jazz band playing on the beach and everybody drinking wine and beer and watching the sun go down."
"No, I haven't but I am going there after I go to Uluru," she said. She transferred the empty glasses to her left arm, slipped the cloth into the apron pocket in front and stuck out her hand. "Hi. I'm Amy. Amy O'Leary"
"Nice to meet you Amy. I'm Winston Hatfield." He shook her hand.
"Are you working at the mine?" she quizzed.
"No, I work for Border Protection. I'm up doing some work over Lockhart way."
"Okay," she said. "I've heard of it but I'm not exactly sure where that is. It's on the east coast, right?"
"Yes. You're not a local?"
"No, can't you tell from my accent? I'm from Ireland. I'm a trainee nurse and I've taken a year off from my studies to do some travelling. So I do a bit of part-time work here and see the place as much as I can. I've only been here for three weeks. What's at Lockhart?"
"Just some routine work," Hatfield lied. "How long until you go to Uluru?"
"Next week."
"Oh well, you'll get to see a few more sunsets."
"Oh I will," she said. "Are you driving to Lockhart or are you flying."
"I don't know," lied Hatfield again, feeling uncomfortable at the interrogation. "I'll work it out tomorrow." He turned his back on her and watched as the last sliver of the sun disappeared.
"Definitely no green flash," she said as she walked back to the kitchen with her load of glasses.
He drank a long, deep swallow of beer.
As the sky turned indigo, and the lights came on around the complex, she came back and sat near him on a stool. The apron was gone.
"My shift is finished," she said in her strong Irish accent. "I've got a favour to ask."
YOU ARE READING
Calypso's Mast
AdventureSomething smashed into her, knocked out all of her wind and spun her around. A vice clamped over her mouth and crushed her chest. A second later, she was behind a bush and looking eye to eye with Suzi. Suzi growled. "Shut-up, Suzi," hissed Banni...
