The Orchard and The Chook

2.The Orchard And The Chook

Driving down the now asphalt road, a now young twenty  year old man turns down a still lengthy, bumpy, gravel driveway. Rocking up to a little, off white cottage, the man hops out of his car. Exiting his cottage an older man comes out to greet his son. Walking to the back of the home, overgrown bottlebrushes verge on blocking the path. Eucalyptus sprouts pop out around their parents, reaching to steal some of the sunlight. Father and son walk the path following the rusty pipe, looking over at Sid’s hen house where chooks peck at the ground. His prized silkie stands proud, more noticeable than the other chooks in the yard. Amelia. Sid’s favourite chook. Arriving where the old rusty pipe cuts in, father and son can now see the outcome of years worth of throwing pips into the ground.
Looking towards his father the young man grins, “I can't believe they grew!” Turning towards his son, the older man nods his head, agreeing. As the bright blue sky of the day turns to the beauty of the evenings orange hue, the two call it a day and return to the cottage called home. 
The deep blue night sky comes alive with billions of suns, their lights travelling from millions of light years away, passing through the atmosphere, twinkling in the sky.  The crescent moon creates a scene from Van Gogh's Starry Night. Orange and yellow light paint the sky, trying desperately to break through the line of gum trees protecting the ancient hills. Despite arriving home the day before, the young man exits the cottage, dressed in his grey disruptive pattern uniform, he heads off to the base. He hopes he won't be too long, promising he'll cook tucker that night. As he takes off down the long driveway, the sun just begins to peek over the tree line, watching the young man head off to work.