Page 52 of Lost In Kakadu

“Well, for example, I saw a Kakadu plum right next to the other half of the plane.”

“Can we eat it?”

“Yes. As a matter of fact, the fruit is considered to have the highest known concentration of Vitamin C.”

“Excellent. What does it look like? I’ll get some tomorrow.”

“Actually, we’re a bit lucky with our timing. The fruit should be ready to eat right now. You’ll easily see the shrub. It has several bunches of plums; they look like miniature avocados.”

Mackenzie recalled a bunch of green berries on a shrub he saw near the back half of the plane and made a mental note to bring them back to show Charlie. “What else?”

“Another plant we should see is the native cranberry. I don’t know its nutritional value off the top of my head, but I know wild pigs love them.”

“Great. We’ll be eating pig food,” Abigail groaned.

Mackenzie raised his eyebrows at her. “Abigail, you’ve seen what I can do with a can of beans and a scoop of flour. Wait till you see what I can do with a pig.”I wonder how hard itis to catch one.

Charlie patted his journal like it was a silky kitten. “I have all the details here in my journal. Anything you want to know about edible and, of course, noxious plants in Kakadu is right here.”

Mackenzie realised their good fortune. Charlie’s journal would be their bible of survival.

Abigail yawned, creating a chain reaction of yawning from Charlie and Mackenzie. Mackenzie rolled his head. The muscles in his back and neck were like tightly banded wire and although he’d been trying to loosen them, he was going to be sore tomorrow.

“I’m going to try to sleep.” Abigail covered her mouth as she yawned again. “But would you mind staying here while I go to the toilet first?”

“Sure.”

Abigail left them and several minutes later, when she returned from the bush, her steps were calm; no longer the frantic scramble from the scrum she’d done the first couple of days.

She crawled into the space beside Charlie. “Good night.” She rolled onto her side with her back to them.

Mackenzie rested on his elbow beside Charlie and whispered, “Do you really think we can survive once our supply of beans and flour runs out?”

“Of course. Aboriginal people have lived here for over forty thousand years. Kakadu is known for its rich plant and animal life. Did you know there are over two hundred and eighty known species of birds and over fifty-five fish varieties in Kakadu?”

Mackenzie let out a heavy sigh. He couldn’t fathom how to catch a bird and he’d never been fishing in his life.

Charlie’s white eyebrows gathered. “What’s wrong?”

“There could be a million types of birds here, but that doesn’t mean we can catch them. And my idea of catching a good fish is being at the fish market when the doors fly open first thing in the morning.”

Charlie huffed. “You need to have faith in yourself. A man who’s determined to survive will resort to creative and if necessary, desperate measures. Stepping outside your comfort zone is the key to survival. I think you’ll be surprised by your ingenuity.”

Mackenzie nodded. He knew full well of his own ability to adapt in order to survive. Although the first two times his life was on the linewere before he’d even turned seventeen. Now that he was approaching thirty, he wasn’t so sure of his resilience.

“Do you know what man needs to live?” Charlie asked.

“Well, obviously we need food and water and sleep.” Mackenzie counted them out with his fingers.

“Yes, all of them. But it’s been proven, time and time again, that the most important key to survival is a positive attitude. People who give up cannot possibly adapt to their environment.”

Mackenzie’s mind flashed to Grace, the first girl he’d ever kissed. They’d both run away from tragic home lives, but her abuse didn’t stop when she got to Kings Cross. By the time Mackenzie got to know her, she was already on a downward spiral of depression and drugs. She was only sixteen when she gave up. And nothing he did helped her.

Charlie tried to stifle a yawn pulling Mackenzie back from his thoughts.

“You’re right, Charlie. We need to look to the future and not worry about the past.”

“Precisely. I still have one mission before I die, and I’m determined to do it.”

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