Tales from Down Under Read online

  ‘Hey there, I almost hit you,’ called out an unfamiliar voice. ‘Watch out where you’re going!’

  ‘Sorry!’ Peter called back. ‘I’m travelling to Oakland, but I’m nearly blind and I think I’m lost.’

  ‘You’re in the wrong terminal,’ the driver answered. ‘You want the building beyond this one. I’m going that way so get in. I’ll drive you down there.’

  Peter breathed a sigh of relief, but the driver sounded worried as he said, ‘I think your plane may have left. Let me call in and see if we can still make it.’ After a short, excited conversation he turned to Peter.

  ‘Buddy, you’re in luck. The plane was ready to go but they are holding it for you. I told them you were cleared for take-off and you are partially blind. They’ll have a wheelchair at the ready. As soon as you get aboard you’ll be off and in the air.’

  ‘Am I glad I met you,’ Peter answered. ‘Thanks so much for this.’

  ‘Not a problem. Take care and have a good trip.’

  Moments later Peter was wheeled into a huge plane then strapped into his seat. His relief was so great he immediately began to relax, to doze and suddenly he dropped blissfully into the arms of Morpheus—deeply, totally and soundly asleep.

  ***

  When Peter awoke everything seemed very strange. The entire plane was in darkness. All the passengers were wrapped in blankets, sound asleep. His Oakland flight should have taken only a few hours, but here on board it appeared to be very late at night. He caught sight of a stewardess and waved her over to him.

  ‘I’m confused,’ he whispered. ‘Where are we?’

  ‘We’ve just passed over the Fiji Islands and our pilot has changed now to his southerly flight pattern,’ she replied. ‘You’ve been sleeping soundly for nine hours. We couldn’t even wake you to check your boarding pass or to serve your dinner.’

  ‘Miss, I think I’ve boarded the wrong plane. I was travelling to my home in Oakland, California.’

  ‘Oh Mr. Bolcombe, I don’t know how to tell you this, but the plane we’re travelling on is heading for Auckland, New Zealand. We’ll be arriving there in another four hours.’

  Peter spent the next few minutes in a complete daze. First he moved into denial and then a deep and terrible shock set in. Stunned and shaking he said aloud to himself, ‘Well here I am now, halfway around the world without my glasses, a ticket, my luggage or a passport. This has been an absolute bugger of a weekend!’

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Mary Mageau is the author of four historical novels for young adult and older readers: In the Eye of a Storm, The Trousseau, An Antique Brooch, and Vanquished. Born and educated in the United States, she has lived in Australia since 1974.

  Her writings in the Japanese verse forms of haiku, tanka and haibun are published in the United States by Red Moon Press, Kei Books and MET Press. Mary’s poetry also appears in American, Canadian and Australian anthologies and literary journals. Twenty of her haibun poems are published in Triptych Poets, Volume I (Blemish Books, 2010). Her eBooks are available through the Amazon kindle library.

  Enquiries:

  email: [email protected]

  website: marymageau.wordpress.com