Page 115 of Lost In Kakadu

They continued to walk with the river on their right-hand side and often risked a refreshing, albeit brief, splash in the water at the end of a hard day. They ate well as they travelled up and around many small waterfalls. Mackenzie expertly speared fish, frogs and eels in the rock pools at the bottom.

At the end of one hot afternoon, Abi heard a deep rumble in the distance and looked to the sky with trepidation. It’d been a couple of days since the last downpour, and she preferred to sleep in a dry bed. She frowned at the scattering of white fluffy clouds across the clear blue sky, but the rumbling continued to gain depth and consistency.

Light water spray hung in the air like a morning fog.We’reapproaching another waterfall.Her anxiety was replaced with relief, and she picked up her pace. One of the pleasures of following the river was stumbling upon a waterfall. They often used it as a rest stop and she likened it to watching a fire, as she could relax and stare at both for hours.

“This one must be a biggy!” Mackenzie read her mind.

An enormous bowl revealed itself below them. Abi stood at the top of the rocky ledge looking down into the enchanting scene. The river tumbled over a natural rock wall into a large pool about thirty metres below. The water then cascaded down yet another waterfall before it carried on in an aquamarine-coloured stream that stretched as far as she could see.

“Looks like a nice place for a skinny dip.” Mackenzie raised his eyebrows at her.

“You’re on.” Abi melted at the thought of clean, fresh skin.

They navigated their way down the steep cliff by traversing along a narrow track and Abi wondered if the paw prints in the dirt were from a dingo. At the bottom, Mackenzie helped her over the last rock hurdle and onto a flat rock at the lagoon edge. The bottom of the pool was easily visible even though the water was an interesting aqua colour.

“It looks good,” Mackenzie yelled above the roar of the tumbling water. “Come on, get your gear off.” He tore off his filthy clothes and stood naked before her. She never tired of looking at his well-toned body. His physique was a work of art with sculpted muscles and flawless skin.

Abi stripped off. Her clothes fell in dirty clumps onto the rock.

Mackenzie stepped into the pool first, steadied himself and then reached up for her. She glided into the water and welcomed the embrace of the cool, refreshing liquid. The weightlessness was heavenly on her aching back and she stretched out, floating with her pregnant belly protruding from the water like an island. Mackenzie duck dived, briefly showing his white bottom cheeks before he disappeared beneath her.

She closed her eyes, letting the water wash away weeks of dirt and rejuvenate her weary body. Mackenzie popped up beside her spouting like a whale, and laughing, she splashed a wall of water over him.

“This is magic.” He swam toward the waterfall and vanished in the cloudof fine spray.

Her rough hands were the perfect scrub for removing embedded grime and the return to clean skin was like a youth potion. She raised her left leg and marvelled at how long and dark her leg hairs were as she scrubbed her knee and calf free of sweat soaked dirt. A shimmering object on the side of the pool caught her attention and frowning, she swam toward it. Her eyes widened as she recognised what it was.

“Mackenzie.” She turned to where she last saw him. The moment he resurfaced she called out to him again.

He wiped his hair out of his eyes.

“Come look at this.” As he arrived at her side, she pointed at the object.

“A can! Jesus, Abi, you know what this means? We’re nearly there.”

She grinned at him. This was the first sign of civilisation they’d seen in months.

“Yee haa!” Mackenzie splashed heavily into the tepid water.

But Abi didn’t share his excitement. She wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to be found. Although she’d welcome a hot shower and a soft bed, she didn’t want to go back to the pathetic existence she had previously called her life.

Mackenzie swam up beside her. “Excited?” His boyish grin was barely visible beneath his overgrown beard.

She shrugged her shoulders.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. It’s everything. I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“We’ll be all right.” He blinked at her, his eyes soft and caring.

She tried to lighten her mood. “But we’ll never skinny dip again.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Or be stuck wedged against each other in the middle of the night.”

“I bet we will. We’re so used to it now; we won’t be able to sleep any other way.”

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