Crossing the Creek

" Mum said I can go", I fairly shouted out the door to Pommy and Trev. A quiet but firm voice stopped me in my tracks,1

" Just a minute, young feller! You know the rules. You be back here in time to get your jobs done before dark" Mum slowed me down for about a second. I knew that I had to cut the wood for the stove, get the kindling in to start the fire in the morning, and water the vegetable garden. With a "Yes Mum" I took off.2

Pommy, from next door and Trev from across the street were waiting and both already had permission. We were at that age, 9-10, when adventure was a must, but we did need permission. Mind you we had not been exactly honest about our probable destination when we asked could we go. We had permission to go to the paddock behind the sports ground and do some rabbiting.3

What we planned was to walk from the bridge over the creek on the main road down to the railway bridge and then across that and back home again. More or less anyway. There was a nice big hole in the creek where we could swim with safety and security, it was ours.4

We reckoned it was about 7 miles travel all told, round trip. We were young, invincible energetic and excited, we had all day, nearly, so it was going to be a breeze.5

We set off up the street, across the now vacant sports field, over the hill and round the back of the cemetary to meet the mainroad close to the bridge. It was an old wooden bridge built below the level of the road and was flooded when we had a big one.Pommy led the way, soft peaches and cream complexion, ginger hair and a hat; he got sunburned easily. Trev and I followed; two scrawny kids with brown hair and complexion and no hats, T shirt, shorts and canvas shoes with rubber soles. All of us very agile and each had a love of open spaces and no supervision.6

There was water in the creek from recent rain, brown muddy looking stuff full of rubbish floating by. We didn't cross but followed Pommy's lead down the bank and along the grass near the waters edge. We went downstream talking and throwing sticks into the water to watch them float in the currents. We sang and shouted just for the joy of it. We were close to our swimming hole and I could almost feel the cool muddy water flowing smoothly over my bare skin.7

Fifteen minutes later we were all naked as the day we were born, swimming and splashing in the place we thought of as our own. Not today though. We had only been there for ten minutes or so when an old man came in sight over the bank. No problem, but then the two little girls with him came in sight. Skinny things they were, carrying towels. Bloody hell! They were going to swim in our swimming hole. Then it dawned on us, they had swimming togs on and we had zip, nothing. How to avoid great embarrassment and the gossip that would follow. How the blazes were we going to get to our clothes without being seen in all our natural glory. We eased our way as close as possible to where our clothes were stashed. Coincidence was on our side. The rest of the swimming party must have called out or something and the two girls went back from the edge of the bank. It took us all of five seconds to grab our shorts and put them on in the water. Within a minute or so there was a whole raft of people on the top of the other bank.We figured we were outnumbered and so we finished getting dressed and moved off to continue our adventure.8

We soon came to the other road crossing and found it covered with water and very slippery and treacherous. The road was closed so there was no traffic to bother us. We had to cross somewhere so we could walk back over the railway bridge and maybe hop on one of those platform things that stick out from the bridge if a train happened along while we were there. It was good fun to stand there with a train shaking the daylights out of the bridge as it crossed over. The creek narrowed a bit here, and there was a big log lying across the water. There was a thin stream of water going over the log but most passed underneath. We decided to cross there. It was a bit slippery, but we were full of confidence and bravado. She'll be right mate. We never thought of falling and all three of us started over in single file only a step apart. Pommy went first followed by me then Trev. We were going well and over the worst part when I slipped and grabbed for something to help regain my balance. Yep, I have two hands and grabbed the other two, one each way. I did not regain my balance, I simply took the other two with me over the log. With squeals and shouts we all fell into that brown smelly muddy water. Whoopee! Now we were for it. We would have to walk home in wet clothes, for a while, anyway. We climbed out,dripping liquid muck from our clothes and laughed, just laughed.9

We scrambled up the bank and scrabbled our way onto the railway lines, homeward bound. The walk across the railway bridge was eneventful, no trains, no one fell in between the sleepers and no one chased us away. We started to think what we could say about the state of our clothes when we got home. All our excuses must match or there would be hell to pay. The red mud in the water was clay in suspension and would not wash out easily. Our clothes were all the same colour now, a muddy colour. We laughed and joked about our excuses and what might happen until we turned the last corner into our street. Aggreement was reached as to which excuse we would use and we split up and went into our homes. The days trip was over.10

So to the chores; I figured I would have less hassles with Mum if the chores were done. I did not figure on how late it was in the day. I grabbed the axe and started chopping the wood. Mum came to the back door and stood there, a foreboding sight for me.11

" You're late. Make sure you get plenty of water on the lettuce, it's been a hot day. If you haven't finished by the time tea's on the table I'll put yours in the oven." My reply of "yes Mum" was nowhere near as enthusiastic as the same words had been that morning. I cut the wood, carried it in and filled the wood box by the stove, I cut the kindling, carried that in too. By this time Mum and my two sisters were eating their tea. I kept silent and went outside to get the watering can. We only had tanks, the modern thing of reticulated water had not reached us then. Some time later I completed what I knew I could get away with and went inside. I got the old dish out and washed my hands. And so to tea.12

It was pitch dark by now and all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep. I took my tea from the oven and ate it. 13