Page 107 of Lost In Kakadu

She opened her eyes, rolled to sit up and cried out.

He crossed the cave in three long strides and crouched down next to her.

Distress flickered over her face. “I’m all right.” She massaged the sides of her knee.

Pride swelled inside him at her clenched jaw and piercing eyes. “It’s okay.” He ran his hand down her arm. “We’re not going anywhere today, so you can get plenty of rest.”

A mischievous smile lit up her eyes. “How can I rest when you keep ravishing me like last night?”

He cocked his head. “Do I detect annoyance?”

“Not at all. I am but your humble servant, take me as you wish.” She opened her arms.

He pressed his lips to hers for a brief kiss. “You’re a bit cheeky for early in the morning.”

“I had the best sleep.”

“Me, too. Everything’s always better in the penthouse. Here let me show you.” He helped her to her feet and led her to the edge. Leaning her shoulder against him, they surveyed the valley below.

Mackenzie pointed northwards. “See the river? It’s showing us the way.”

“Really?”

“You’ll see. At least it’s heading north.”

Mackenzie led her back to bed and busied himself making breakfast. The fire sprang to life with the help of the sun’s intense rays.

As Mackenzie ate his meal, a wisp of smoke drifted into a tunnel at the back of the cave. He pointed it out to Abi. “See that?”

She followed his outstretched finger and shrugged her shoulders.

“The smoke’s going into that gap at the back.”

“So?”

“So, I bet there’s an exit to this cave. It might lead us to the top.” He pushed to his feet and took her empty plate from her.

“It might also trap you in a maze of tunnels for all eternity.”

“Thank you, Miss Positive. You’re just jealous you can’t explore with me.”

She nodded her head. “What am I going to do? I’ll be worried about you.”

He knelt beside her and placed his hands on her face, drawing her eyes to him. “You, my sweet, need to rest.”

Her shoulders sagged.

“Read Charlie’s letters.”

She lowered her eyes and he saw her disappointment. “I won’t be gone long.” He kissed her forehead, placed Charlie’s letters next to her and stood up again.

He plucked a long stick from the fire, but with the flames blazing along most of the length, he wouldn’t get very far before it burned his hand. He tossed it back into the fire and picked through the pile of unused firewood until he found a stick so thick that his fingers only just wrapped around it.

Using the axe, he cut a cross into its jagged end and prized the slits apart, careful not to snap the carved pieces off. In the slits he wedged small twigs, alternating direction each time. The resulting torch looked like a caveman’s club, rough but effective. He made two more.

He picked up several small stones and tested their chalkiness by marking the cave wall. Then he tossed the best two into the backpack along with water and the axe.

In a deep caveman voice he said, “I’m off to explore the mighty cave.” He held up the unlit torch and beat his chest.

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