The Pole Shift

Mnem gets a Campervan

The idea of a road trip stuck. The city seemed dangerous and  oppressive, like bad dreams that linger.  She noticed things she had been oblivious to before. There were angry police everywhere, they brutalized and interfered with frightened people. But there were dangerous people too, she saw muggings and robberies, and sex, people were having sex everywhere. Eyes fell on her, followed her home. The road trip seemed like an escape.

                She had no money. When she spoke to her father he was angry. "Mnem we are worried! Come home love, be with us."

                "I need to buy a campervan, I want to visit the places of my childhood." There was a long pause, her father said something with his hand over the phone then returned.

                " Even if you can find a campervan for sale, and don't forget love, petrol is on ration, a road trip may not be feasible. People are more dangerous now, it's not the halcyon days you are remembering. Come home, get the train and come to Adelaide."

                "I'll come, but in a campervan. I need to find one, will you help?"

                "Love, I'll pay for one, but most likely they won't want money, they'll want something else, food, something they could use for pleasure now or survival tomorrow." Her father sounded alarmed. Then he said. "Give them the flat, I'll speak to Dave."

                "Dave?"

              "Your boss Mnem, his name is Dave. I'll speak to him and have him draw up the paper work to exchange the flat for a campervan. There's plenty of deniers out there, let's hope one has a campervan, a bloody good one!" She hung up the phone, she could swap the flat for a home on wheels, it made sense. The sparrows were squabbling outside, and the people were squabbling on the street. Things for things she thought, this for that, flat for van, sparrows for people. Her mind was already in the deserts where arbitrary connection meant something. She thought of the man from the park.

                "Man has van." She said, and opened the window. Some of the sparrows darted in, her little hen strait to finger.

                She searched in vain for a campervan. A lot of people had got it in their heads to go 'Walkabout." With free food, even in the smaller towns, there was a great swath of old and young looking to see the land with fresh eyes, nostalgic eyes. Eyes that would see the red dust, the ochres and ancient rocks washed thoroughly, with them in it, but she couldn't find a campervan to buy and despondent she returned from the used car sales.  The salesman warned that it would be hard to get petrol anyway but that just seemed stupid to her.

                When she arrived home, there was a small crowd gathered around the entrance to her apartment building. They had bunched about a medium sized vehicle of no fixed brand. It looked military in design, except that it had been painted pale blue. It had large mag wheels, raising it high off the ground so you could see through to the other side.  The cab was separate to the cabin, where you entered through a small doorway at the back. It looked like a pop up but she couldn't see the join of the cabin's roof.  You would be able to walk around in the back of the cabin when the roof was raised.

        "It's  the Van of Dreaming," mumbled Mnem  and in the driver's seat sat the man from the park, Macka.

                 "Get in Mnem, this is home now." He didn't bother asking her if there was anything in the apartment she wanted, nor did he think she'd be sentimental about leaving. In she hopped, and so did the little sparrow as if knowing they were heading out, migrating. The host of sparrows flew around and around the sturdy four wheel drive van, and when the engine started and the pale blue vehicle eased through the curious crowd, they followed in trebble helix.