July 1963 School Magazine

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July, 1963

Brisbane Girls' Grammc;tr School Magazine

July, 1963

elderly white-haired lady with the image she held of her, for Maria had her grandmother's diaries. Through these she saw her as a young girl, clattering down staircases, jumping puddles, riding through the scrub; in fact, doing all those things that Maria herself was · so fond of doing. And when Maria was afraid, there was one entry in particular that she liked to think about. It war. dated "July 24th, 1894" and now, slowly and softly, she began to sing to Arabella while she >.- thought of it again. '"Something\ decidedly strange happened to me today while I was out riding. It almost terrified me silly. (Maria liked that sentence especially). I left early, and only planned to be gone for an hour or so, but I just felt I couldn't waste such 9 beautiful morning. Father's used to my going off for a ride like this now. He says that after all I'm nearly twenty-one and that at my age my mother was already married and taking care of him, so I should at least be able to look after myself. "I set off towards the ravine because it is so quiet away up there, and I like to lie on the edge and wriggle up so I can see right down to the bottom. Never again! ..:'It had been raining earlier, and my damp boots were all warm from being dried in the stove. The sun was shining right on to the wet ground, giving the air an earthly smell, and when I left I could see my footprints in the dew. I felt decidedly contented. "As we neared the ravine I was sure I could see move- ment up ahead, and I reigned in to look and listen. All was deadly quiet, and the only movement came from a large magnificent spider's web, swaying between two branches. w~ moved on and I felt a little puzzled,. because I was sure I had seen someone, perhaps a prospector. On arriving at the ravine I found that I had been right. There was another horse tethered there, but no sign of a person. I began to feel a little anxious - not frightened yet, but that part is eerie, anc:J. the silence was so intense that I could hear my heart thudding. I tethered the horse and cautiously wriggled towards the edge of the ravine, telling myself that I was a co~pl~te idiot. I knew the ravine was steep. Nobody in the1r nght senses would even think of climbing to the bottom. "Apparently the man half-way down the side had lost his mind. Yet he looked sane. He also appeared to be so young and afraid that I held my breath as he missed his 42

footing and hung momentarily in mid-air. I couldn't call to him in case he fell, but it was worse to be lying there helpless. Accidentally I dislodged some stones, catching his attention. On seeing me, he stared in surprise, loosening his grip. I watched in horror as he opened his mouth to call something and ·moved one foot on 1o a loose rock. Dust and dirt fell to the bottom of the ;avine and he put his foot down hard into space, overbalancing. I only had time to see the terror in his eyes as he fell. My mouth was dry, but I think I screamed when he hit a narrow ledge a long way down. Rocks and gravel, loosened by his fall, followed, and almost covered him. There was silence. The sun shone on the yellow walls of the ravine and a lizard ran over the rock I was holding, as I sat there mezmerised, watching the one motionless boot, pro- truding from the rubble. Now I was terrified in the stillness, knowing only one thing: if he were ;Still alive, he was suffo- cating and I had to climb down and find out. The house was two miles away. In seconds I had thqught of every horrlble possibility and, feeling .sick and dizzy from the pounding in my head, I swung over the side, felt for a foot hold, and began to climb. I was sure of only one thing : it was a long way down. Once I stopped, conscious that I did not have the power to go up or down. Everything was silently sleeping in the sun and I heard myself sobbing with fear as i swayed backwards. Then I reached the ledge, and, lying half on it and half on air, I uncovered his face. He was gasping for breath. I don't remember how I got home, but Dad and Jack went back for him after I had babbled out his whereabouts. "He's in our guest room right now with his arm in a splint and I am too tired to sleep. Every time I close my eyes I become wide awake in an agony of terror again. He was climbing to the ledge to get a package which had fallen from his pocket. He is a prospector after all and there were two beautiful watches in the package; one was his mother's and the other belonged to his father." Here the extract ended. Maria's eyes shone as she recalled the remainder of the story, which her grandfather had told her. What an answer to be able to give when a grandchild asked, "Where did you meet grandmother?" Even though Maria had it in the diary, she .loved to hear how he gave grandmother the watch to wear as "something old" on her weddirlg day. 43