She waited to see if the water would help clear the black pall of smoke, but it didn’t. It was going to take a lot more water than that to stop the city burning. But rain seemed like a dream on a swelteringly dry day like this. Bel didn’t believe in God, but she had never been more tempted to try a prayer just for luck.
She had reached the edge of the green and could see an outdoor activities shop. Its front window was broken but it seemed to have escaped the flames. She got up and strode purposefully towards it. It was time she got some boots. Her sandal-wearing days were behind her, she decided.
As she walked, she took her phone out and tried to call Ben. She couldn’t get through. After a few tries she had to give up. It was hardly surprising. There were probably a half million other people all trying to place calls at the exact same moment.
Bel put the phone back in her pocket. Where was
Ben? Had he managed to land somewhere safely?
How would she ever find him again in all this chaos?
Chapter Fourteen
In the desert below, the railway line snaked up to a small cluster of buildings. ‘I can see a station,’ said Ben. ‘And a couple of huts.’
Kelly consulted the map on her knee. ‘It’s Coober Pedy.’
‘I think we should land,’ Ben said. ‘We can ask if the police have found my mum or your dad.’
Kelly mulled over the idea, biting her lip. She seemed reluctant.
‘If we don’t land here,’ said Ben, ‘how far are we going to go? All the way to Darwin?’
Kelly straightened up in her seat. ‘OK, give me control. I might be able to land.’
Ben was surprised she was going to try it. He was a bit disappointed too. He felt he had got the hang of flying and was looking forward to trying a landing. With a sigh he took his hands away. Kelly reached for the controls.
As soon as her left hand touched the stick her mouth twisted with pain. She folded her arms into her body, hunching over them protectively.
‘No good. My hands are too painful,’ she gasped.
‘That’s another reason for landing. There ought to be a doctor around here.’
‘One station building and two huts? You’re being optimistic.’
Ben shrugged. ‘At least they’d have a proper firstaid kit. Look, can you talk me through landing?’
Kelly thought about it. Instead of answering, she said, ‘You’ve got control.’
‘I’ve got control.’ Ben took back the stick and the throttle. He felt a bit guilty, but all the same he was pleased to get the chance.
Kelly straightened up. ‘Landing is the most dangerous part of flying and it’s difficult. You’ve got to do exactly as I say.’
Ben gave her a withering look. She certainly knew how to wipe out any ounce of sympathy he might feel. ‘Do I ever not do as I’m told?’
Kelly looked out of the window. ‘Let your altitude drop to five hundred feet. We’ll aim for that flat stretch of road there, so bring her around in a big circle while I check it out.’
Ben tilted the stick left and balanced with a little rudder. He executed a perfect turn to the left, then glanced at the altimeter. It said eight hundred feet. He now felt completely at home manoeuvring the little craft in the air. Landing would be a cinch. He put the nose down.
‘That’s too steep!’ shrieked Kelly. ‘We’re going too fast. Ease off the throttle and that’ll take you lower. You don’t need to point the nose down.’
A bit shocked at being shouted at, Ben pushed the throttle down to decrease the revs.
‘Not too slow! You might stall. Don’t let the speed get below fifty knots.’
‘All right,’ Ben retorted through gritted teeth. ‘No need to screech about it.’
‘Throttle!’ she said.
In a moment, thought Ben, I might throttle you.
Kelly looked out of the window again.
‘What are you looking for?’ said Ben. ‘I thought you’d decided where to land.’
‘I’m checking to see how bumpy it is. And that there are no obstacles like trees or telegraph poles.’
Ben glanced out of the other side. All he could see was a few scrubby buildings: a shed and a petrol station with a dust-encrusted flag hanging limply on a flagpole, then the railway station a little way away. ‘Don’t be daft, there’s nothing for miles.’
‘Yes, well, I’m telling you how to do it properly. Making assumptions can get you killed. Right, there’s no wind and we’re at five hundred feet. Keep that height and fly over the path you will take, just to check everything is safe.’
Ben turned and took the microlight over the makeshift runway at exactly five hundred feet. He remembered to check the plane was level.
‘That’s good,’ said Kelly. ‘Go round to the start again, and as you go, point the nose down — just a touch — so we descend.’
Ben could tell by her voice that this was it. Butterflies were building up in his stomach.
By the time they reached the start of the runway, they were at two hundred feet.
After spending so long seeing only sky on each side of him, it was rather disconcerting to see the ground so close.
‘Turn here,’ said Kelly. ‘We’re going to land.’
One hundred feet. The runway was ahead of them, taking up nearly half the windscreen. Their speed was 60 knots. The butterflies in Ben’s stomach clumped together in an uncomfortable lump. 60 knots felt rather fast. The ground shot past underneath them. Would that spindly undercarriage take it?
‘Put the nose down just a touch more,’ said Kelly. ‘Close the throttle down gently. We want to be slow — fifty knots — but we don’t want to stall. You’re going to continue coming down like this then put the heels down and she’ll land.’
Ben eased closer to the ground. He saw small rocks whizzing past and felt all his confidence draining away fast.
‘Put the nose down more,’ said Kelly. ‘And don’t look at the ground, look ahead or it will all come up too quickly.’
Ben looked ahead. As he did so, a kangaroo hopped into the road, stopped and sat on its haunches.
Ben looked at Kelly in alarm. ‘Where’s the horn?’
‘Pull up!’ yelled Kelly. ‘If we hit it, we’re toast!’
Ben opened the throttle again. The engine roared. The kangaroo blinked at them, then the view changed to deep blue sky again.
Kelly leaned out of the window as the microlight soared upwards. ‘Stupid thing’s still sitting there. Come round again and we’ll land to one side of it.’
Ben’s heart was pounding. The aborted landing had really shaken him. His mind went blank. ‘What do I do?’
‘Ease off the throttle and bring her down.’ Ben did as he was told.
They came round again. ‘Get straight and level,’ said Kelly. ‘Then point the nose down until I tell you to bring it up.’
The kangaroo was still sitting on their runway, blinking at them gormlessly. At this altitude it looked like a man in an oversize rabbit suit.
‘Don’t you dare move, Skippy,’ said Ben. Sweat trickled down inside his suit.
‘Don’t look at the stupid kangaroo,’ said Kelly. ‘Look where you’re going! Right, you’re at thirty feet — ease the nose up — slowly. Keep her level, you’re wobbling. We don’t want to touch down with one wheel. Just relax.’
Relax? When he was sitting here being bombarded by instructions? When the ground was whizzing past only metres away? His hands were so slippery with sweat that he could barely keep his grip on the stick.
‘Bring the nose back a bit more.’
Ben tweaked the stick back.