Borderland, p.18
Borderland, page 18
I felt my totem stirring under my ribcage.
I approached the toilet block and heard a familiar raucous sound. My heart leapt and a memory flashed through my mind of men, a skull ring and pain. Those men had cut me down and called me a coconut. I remembered those moments of gasping for air on the hard concrete floor. I’d felt worthless. I remembered the anxiety that followed and the thoughts of dread. I remembered the taste of blood in my mouth.
I stopped in my tracks and braced myself. This time, as magpies circled overhead, I felt ready. I breathed in; my feet solid on the ground. I balled my fists, prepared for whatever came.
I turned around and was shocked to see Norman standing there in the bright sun, dressed in his flanno and wide-brimmed hat.
‘You’re a long way from home,’ he said, and smiled.
‘How are you here. . .What’s going on?’
‘You didn’t think I’d let you off that easy? We’ve got work to do.’
Graham Akhurst, Borderland
