The Ghost of Benanee

"Night gorgeous." Vicky wriggled back against Daryl, feeling the roughness of her pubic hair against her bum. This was a position she'd become used to when sleeping at Daryl's one bedroom flat. Occasionally things got hot, but usually they just held each other, happy with each other's company.

===

(Riverina Recorder 20 Dec 1930 - BENANEE

At it well attended meeting of the Settlers last Sunday arrangements were made for the holding of the annual picnic on New Year's Day, and on Sunday the 28th inst, a working bee, of all those interested in the success of the entertainment, will be held at the Lake to prepare the ground and have everything In readiness, thus saving a lot of labour on the morning of the event.)

"Maybe later, Daz. Too early." Vicky blearily opened one eye, wondering what had awakened her. A full moon lit the tent which had probably woken her up, but it was the memory of a hand caressing her head and a faint kiss on her cheek that lingered. She frowned, wondering why she had imagined the kiss. Daz had rolled over and was definitely asleep, by the sounds of her gentle snoring. Her bladder was starting to think about being inconvenient, but she told it to behave itself and wait for morning. Going out alone wasn't something she wanted to do.

'Just remember bladder, it's Halloween and a full moon. Time for bunyips to roam.' Vicky rolled over and hugged Daryl tight. She was a city girl, and the deafening silence outside was unnerving. 'You're a big brave dog...'

She pressed her face into Daryl's back and inhaled her friend's familiar scent, and slowly counted back from one hundred.

===

(Riverina Recorder 13 Feb 1932

THE PLIGHT OF THE BENANEE SETTLERS

Development Under Insurmountable Difficulties

A Foolish Policy of Land Settlement

At present, none other than a fool would take up land on the Benanee areas, and imagine that he could even as much as eke out an existence.)

Daryl gently lifted Vicky's arm off her and rolled on her back. She figured it was about 7am and the day had all the signs of being another hot one. 'Coffee. Need coffee,' she thought and crawled out of the tent. The sun felt good on her naked body, and she decided to stay like that until they had breakfast. It wasn't often she had the opportunity to wander around bare, and she wanted to make the most of it. She set up the gas stove to put the billy on and thought about the plan for the day. There were two other station sites to visit, Werimble and Koorakee, then the presumed pump station at Dry Lake, but just from her quick look around here, those plans would need to be revised.

"Is the coffee ready?"

Daz looked over her shoulder where Vick had crawled out of the tent, wearing only a white long sleeve cotton shirt. "Billy's nearly boiling. Have a good sleep?"

Vicky plonked herself in a chair and shrugged. "I think the moon woke me up, but it may have been because of a weird dream. I dreamt someone kissed me, and stroked my hair like you did last night."

Daryl sat up straight. "Umm, I didn't stroke your hair."

"Yes, last night in this chair. It was nice, I said."

"No, I had one arm around your bum and the other around your waist. Definitely wasn't me."

The two stared at each other. Vicky touched her cheek where she had imagined the kiss. "I must have got more sun than I thought. I could have sworn someone was playing with my hair. It seemed so real."

"Dunno. What can I say? It wasn't me. Here," Daryl said, handing her a mug, "get this into you and I'll make some toast. You'd better keep a hat on and stay in the shade as much as possible."

"Yeah, I think you're right." She slumped down into the chair and looked towards the concrete wall she had measured up. "Daz... Slowly turn and look at that wall."

Daryl frowned and slowly turned. Vicky had gone even paler, and her eyes were bulging out. There was a flicker of movement, an impression of someone or something at the edge of the clearing waving to follow it, then nothing.

"You see that?" Vicky whispered. "The woman waving? I'm sure that's the same person from yesterday."

"I think so. I'm not sure though."

"I don't want to stay here another night, Daz. Can we just do what you need to do and get the hell out of here? That's freaking me out."

"Yeah. Yeah, sure. No worries, I'll, umm, send the drone up to pick up the markers around the tank, then we'll move."

"You sure? What about everything else?"

Daryl took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Well, that's making me feel nervous. I think putting a few kilometres between us and them is a good thing. Plus, this is really just supposed to be a preliminary survey. I think we've ticked that box."

"Thanks Daryl. I don't know why, but... I just don't know what."

"Mmm, yeah. I felt odd, like I was watching something - impossible. I can't really explain it." She slapped her hands together and stood up. "Well, better throw some clothes on and get going. Can you pack up everything while I fly the area?"

Vicky nodded and glanced nervously to where the image had appeared. She was glad Daryl had suggested hanging around the car. It could provide a sliver of safety.

Daryl placed the drone in a clear spot and launched it. She had been really excited with the opportunity to use the drone, but the reality was disappointing. The computer in it took most of the drama out of flying, but it was a very good camera platform. All she had to do was use her iPad to define the area that it needed to fly, press go, and watch it...

"Oh, you shit. What is wrong with you?"

Vicky looked up from deflating the airbed. "Now what?"

Daryl pointed at the drone. "I didn't tell it to do that." The drone had dropped to just above the trees and was zipping between Daryl and the tree line. "I can't control it. Bloody thing is just doing what it wants."

"Oh, shit. Daryl..." Vicky placed an arm around her waist and pointed. "That is not a coincidence."

"Fuck no. What the hell is going on?" The vegetation directly under the drone shook violently, like an invisible person was pushing through it. The drone disappeared over the trees, then returned to the edge of the clearing.

"What's it doing?" Vicky asked.

"No idea, but I think I'd better follow it. Someone's managed to take control and it looks like they want me to follow it. It'll run out of battery in about twenty minutes, then I'll grab it and let's get the hell out of here."

"Well, you're not leaving me here. I'm coming too."

"Ok," Daryl said, watching the drone race to the north west, then slowly return. "Grab the pack with some water and your phone. You seem to have better reception than me."

Vicky quickly picked up everything while Daryl warily watched the drone. "Right, let's go," Vicky said.

Daryl nodded and strode out to the edge of the clearing. "If I find the person who's doing this, they'd better have a real good excuse before I break something important on them." The thought of losing a $4,000 piece of equipment outweighed her confusion about how someone had hacked the thing.

They worked their way through the trees, the buzz of the machine always just ahead of them. Occasionally Daryl punched the buttons of the controller and cursed when it didn't respond. After about fifteen minutes they broke through to a clearing where the drone had dropped to head height, then fell to the ground as the propellers stopped.

"Finally, the fucker is out of power," Daryl panted. She walked up to the drone and curiously looked at the remains of a stone fireplace. "Odd... Why here?"

Vicky hurried up to her and looked around. "I guess there was a house here years ago. I wonder what happened to it?"

"More to the point, why are we here?" Daryl cupped her hands to her mouth and boomed, "HELLO! ANYONE AROUND?"

Even more silence.

Daryl scratched her head and chuckled nervously. "Well, whoever took control wants us here, I guess. Let's have a quick look around before we fuck off and never come back."

"Sounds good to me," said Vicky. "This place is giving me the creeps, and I don't know why."

Daryl nodded as she examined the remains of the fireplace. "Yeah. I feel like something unbearably sad happened here, but that's impossible. It's just a... Hello, what's this?"

Vicky peered around Daryl as she took photos of the stonework. "Whatcha find?"

"This stone is loose. See, timber wedges, not mortar." Daryl carefully gripped the stone and tugged, revealing a cavity behind it. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" She took a couple more photos before lifting out a flat tin box.

"Wow. My Nan had a tin like that for her embroidery threads," Vicky said, "I was really disappointed it didn't have chocolates like those on the lid."

"If there's chocolate still in here, it's well past its use by date. This has to be a hundred years old." Daryl turned the tin over, and something clanked inside. "Definitely not chocolate."

"No. But why hide that? There must be something important in it."

"Guess so. Only one way to find out." Daryl delicately nudged the lid of the tin until it came off. "Oh wow. I didn't expect this," she whispered and held up three medals.

"A soldier lived here?"

"A nurse, I'd say." Daryl showed her a small black and white photo of two women, one with a cross on her white bib, standing in front of a tent. She turned the photo over. "Lemnos, 1915. I wonder where that is?"

"Greece, I think. Mum buys a Greek feta called Lemnos. Can I have a look?"

"Sure," said Daryl and passed the photo over.

"Wow, I wonder why... Oh, shit." Vicky gasped and pointed a quivering finger at the larger of the two women in the photo. "It's her. I. Saw. Her!"

"No, couldn't be. That's impossible."

Vicky slapped her friend's arm. "I know that, but I'm telling you what - who I saw, and she's it. A tall woman about your size wearing a long grey dress with what looked like a tank top, except it was that white bib!" She stared at the photo, desperately hoping it would magically enhance itself. "Who are you?"

"Clara Lucas, I'd say. This is her diary," Daryl said, holding up a book. She frowned and looked around the clearing. "Hey, is it just me or has something changed? It doesn't feel as - oppressive."

"Yeah, you're right. Huh." Vicky bit her bottom lip and also looked around. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but should we look around, or maybe read that diary. It might help figure out what's going on."

"I suppose. It is bloody strange the way things happened and I'd really like some answers."

"We saw a ghost?"

"No. We did not. Got to be something else."

"Ok. Let's find some shade and start reading."

===

15 Mar 1929

I hate diaries. I don't know why I started a new one now, except this will likely be the last chapter of my life and I will need something to fill my days in.

So here I am, waiting in our lorry while Harry meets the local representative of the Western Division. A few signatures and 1300 acres of mallee scrub will be ours to farm.

God help me.

2 pm

Well, Euston has more facilities than I expected for such a young village. I explored the shops while the men went to the pub to celebrate our future success. I was politely told I could not join them. Really? What idiot thinks that a 42 year old woman having a drink with her husband to mark their arrival would corrupt the local men? Probably those of the same mentality who sent thousands of boys to their doom fighting over a couple of yards of mud.

4.30

An affable man, Alf L'Hotellier, from the Benanee Progress Assoc. has kindly offered to show us to our lease. He was one of the original settlers in the first tranche of offers and seems to have made it his mission to make sure that all newcomers are made welcome. He made a point of mentioning all the works that the Gov. are performing to ensure our success. Harry is enthusiastic. I'm less so. Apart from the magnificent rail bridge over the Murray, there seems to be a lack of railway track. Similarly with the irrigation system which we will heavily rely on. I have worked in hospitals where we were promised the world and received a pittance. I sincerely hope my misgivings are wrong.

===

The two women looked at each other. A light breeze had picked up, and the area seemed much more pleasant.

"This is amazing," Daryl said, flicking through the notebook. "I can't wait to tell my professor about this. Every archaeologist dreams of finding a significant piece of a site's history, but rarely do."

"I can't believe a ghost led us here. That's really freaky."

"It wasn't a ghost," Daryl said firmly. "No such thing. And before you say something else, I don't know what. C'mon, let's get back to the car."

With that, a wave of infinite sadness descended over the two. To Vicky, it seemed like the whole clearing had faded to a desperate shade of magenta. She looked around, tears unexpectedly starting to form, and spotted a grey figure with her head bowed at the edge of the clearing. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Clara, we are just going to get some food. You know where we are camping. Visit us there, ok?"

The figure seemed to nod, and the pall of gloom dissipated.

"Explain that," Vicky said.

Daryl slowly shook her head. "I can't." She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Well, looks like you've made a new friend. Let's get back to camp. To be honest, I really don't care about looking at anything else now. This diary is more important."

===

17 Mar

Mylatchie. It doesn't look any different to the twenty miles of scrub we passed. Between Benanee and Koorakee we saw signs of industrious settlers going about their business. Plumes of smoke which Harry said was from burning of the bush, some ploughed paddocks, and a few rough houses. Alf said the first two selections were pretty much all taken up but in his opinion the land we have is some of the best in the settlement. Industrious farmers have achieved an av. return of around 7 bags of wheat per acre, which Harry thinks is quite good. I'll have to trust him on that. He's the farmer.

===

21 Mar

Our piece of Australia for only £25/2/6 per year. We have set up camp about 500 yards from the Mylatchie tank, which has recently been completed. It is about half full of clean water, so that's one of my concerns allayed. I've had enough dysentery caused by bad water to last a lifetime. Alf showed us a corner post for our property and said that a similar marker has been placed at each corner. I had thought about fencing it all first, but Harry laughed at me. He said there was about 11,000 yards of wire netting needed, and we didn't have the money for that. Our priorities will be a house site, our own water tank, and clearing a hundred or so acres to quickly get a crop in the ground. Before he left, Alf said that Harry should attend the next progress assoc. meeting and meet some of the other settlers. I am welcome to attend and mix with the other wives and make tea for the men. As we are just getting established, I don't have to bring a plate. That's good to know. My scones are like rocks. Good for throwing.

===

"Clara sounds a bit feisty, doesn't she?"

Daz smiled and slowly nodded. "Yep. She has lovely copperplate writing, but the implied sarcasm is strong with this one. I like her already."

"Me too. You know she's been hovering just at the edge of my peripheral vision?"

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. I've been getting the impression of someone watching us, so I figured it was her."

"So what do we do? Admit we are talking about a ghost and invite her over for a drink?"

"Something like that, I guess. I really don't know. I thought invitations only applied to vampires."

"Don't say that! Hey, a day ago I thought Ghostbusters was fiction. Now, I'm not sure." Vicky cleared her throat and looked towards the house site. "Hey, umm, Clara. You're welcome to, umm, sit with us. If you sit... Sorry, umm, whatever you want. Just hang out, I guess. If you want to. No pressure."

Daryl closed her eyes to barely a slit and slowly turned her head. "I can't see her. What about..."

"OH SHIT!" Vicky exclaimed. "She kissed me! Clara gave me a full on pash on the cheek! Fucking hell, that is so weird."

Daz's eyes snapped open and glanced around. "I think she must like you," she said, laughing. "Well Clara, welcome. I'm Daryl, and this is my good friend and obviously sexy redhead, Vicky. We're pleased to meet you. Umm, look, I don't know why you're still here, but we're doing some research on the old settlement for my university assignment. Also, I don't know if you know how much time has passed since you started writing this, but it's been about ninety years."

A slight feeling of depression came and went.

"How does she do that?" Vicky asked.

Daryl just looked back with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, point taken. I need a shot. Want one?"

"Oh yes. Better pour three. It would be rude to exclude our guest."

Vicky chuckled and retrieved the bottle of tequila. "I don't know if this was popular in your day, Clara, but it makes whisky look like lolly water." She handed a mug to Daryl and placed another on the ground. Vicky raised her mug towards the distant chimney. "To absent friends. Skol!"

The two alive women knocked back the harsh alcohol and coughed. "Smooth..." gasped Vicky.

"It was better off your booby," Daz said with a chuckle. "Oh, um, Clara? Just letting you know, we may get a bit more... friendly than what you were used to."

"Daz, I think it was Clara stroking my hair," Vicky said, tapping her lip. "It wasn't you, and that kiss proves she can interact. Who else could it have been?"

"I guess. I don't know what to think anymore. Anyway, there's about four years of entries in her diary. Will I just open it at random and read?"

"Yeah, although I get the strong feeling you should close your eyes and flick through it, and stop when it feels right."

"Ok, let's give that a shot."

===

22 April 1929

The house is coming along. I've had to learn carpentry skills, as Harry is busy either digging out the tank or clearing a paddock. At least I know how to use a saw. Cutting timber is much more pleasant than sawing through some poor man's limb that's been blown off.

Why do these thoughts keep coming back? I had hoped they would fade but they seem to have returned with a vengeance. At least Harry's night terrors seem to have calmed down. Moving out of Melbourne has definitely been good for his health and his sanity. The dutiful wife just follows, no matter what she thinks of the venture.

Reading back, I think I'd better hide this diary. Some of my musings are not what a prim and proper woman should be writing about.

===

27 April

It's fucking hot. It has to be over 80 with no breeze to be had, and we are supposed to be in Autumn.

There. I feel so much better. Anyone that doesn't like me swearing can FOQ.

My fireplace, my secret hole.

My hole...

Annie, I miss you.

===

Daryl looked up. "I wonder who Annie was?"

"Dunno. Maybe the other woman in the photo? I'd say they were Army nurses, going by that saw remark."

"Yeah, and the medals. They were World War One issue." Daryl shook her head sadly. "I think Clara was there at the start and made it through to the end. Poor girl. She must have seen some awful things."

"And her husband was probably a soldier. Hard to think of the horrors he went through. I wonder how they met?"

===

3 May 1929

Just over 110 acres of wheat planted. We borrowed a team from Mr. Davis, who has been here for some time. His team is in excellent condition, and Harry and he put in about 12 acres per day.