It wasn't until one of the four wheel drives accelerated up beside her that Mnem realised she was being followed. A man in the passenger seat smiled wildly at her and gestured to her to pull over. He had an immense shovel beard but seemed young. He was swigging from a bottle, he ogled her and the van. He was excited, trying to peer into the cabin. He waved again madly, laughing, and the Suzuki veered away then back at Mnem dangerously. Body work touched, Mnem's Van of Dreams did not budge but the Suzuki veered away and onto the verge, before accelerating up again, this time there was no laughter in the bearded boy's face. The sparrow hen grappled at Mnem's hair, hanging upside down and looking at the intruders. Mnem and the hen watched the Suzuki from the corner of their eyes. A hill to her left had caught Mnem's attention, there was an obvious tree at the top, so big that it seemed a cliché. The Suzuki bumped her again, and in the moulded side mirror she noticed another vehicle race up. She giggled. The hen double barrel chirruped. The other vehicle gave her bumper a nudge whilst beeping and flashing its lights, again it came off second best, swerving madly after the contact. The pale blue van hardly budged.
The two pursuers, pulled back but did not go away, Mnem forgot them. The hill was racing passed her, she wanted to get to the top and stand next to the tree. Abruptly she veered left, bumping across a drainage ditch and crashing through a barbed wire fence. The astonished chasers swerved to a halt at the drainage ditch and got out of their cars. They watched Mnem crash through another fence, then follow the line of a creek before crossing it and climbing a steep bank.
"Impressive." Drawled the shovel bearded boy.
"A bit too Impressive." Replied an older man. He had a careful yet shrewd countenance. "She's taking the beauty up the hill. Hell of a vehicle, not normal. Did you hear that engine? Sturdy as hell. Military. " They were silent for a moment then the driver of the second vehicle mentioned:
"Pretty girl."
"A bit too pretty." The older man said, and they all laughed." Not sure what that lot up there will make of her." The mood turned darker, 'that lot up there' guarded their high ground very carefully and had made things clear the place was invitation only. The men got back in their cars and headed back into Ballarat
***.
'Mt. Beckworth. ' Read a bullet ridden sign, she had pulled up by a dam at the bottom of the hill. Some teenagers were swimming in it, they all stood up in the waste high water as the blue van parked on the edge, as if a strange beast had come to drink. Mnem got out.
"How do I get up to the top?" The teenagers all looked at each other, there was some movement at the base of the basalt hill.
"You're not allowed to." Said a girl who wasn't wearing a top.
"Why not?" Mnem felt no danger, it was like she had asked for tomato sauce when there was none, she was only disappointed not annoyed. She didn't notice the movement that had spread out. A young man spoke:
"This is our fucking hill. Fuck off." Mnem was hurt.
"You rude boy! How do I get to the top? I want to drive up to the big tree." The boy started cursing her but was cut short with a hiss by a man wearing a hat. The man paused before addressing Mnem:
"You're in the country now girl. No Pole Pigs here, we say what is. Why are you in that vehicle?"
"To survive the Pole Shift." There was an enormous pause, the kids in the dam all looked at the adults that had converged, finally the man smiled. He said:
"In that case, drive to the left, you will see a rough track that will snake up to the top. Looks like your van can handle it." Mnem thanked him as if someone had checked again and found tomato sauce, " See you up there." Said the man, his eyes travelling over her and the Van of Dreams.
YOU ARE READING
The Pole Shift
Science FictionEarth Crust Displacement, a theoretical and devastating geological event supported by Albert Einstein. What if it was about to happen, what if we knew it was upon us? What if some of us were being watched . . .
