Gazette No 82

Fear Of The Dark

A serial novel by Joe Lake.

(So far: A couple came in their Winnebago from Sydney and parked at Cooee beach. They met a masked woman in Burnie Park. Someone rocked the van as they were inside. John got his shotgun but stumbled and fell backwards against the table and became unconscious. Julie called the ambulance. The police came. A constable, on removing the shotgun, made it go off into the ceiling. Julie left the van on her Vespa. At the hospital there was no sign of her husband. On returning to the van, she found it, too, gone.)

“My name is Julie Jones.”

The policewoman at the station asked, “You had your Winnebago stolen?”

“Well, yes, no - I don’t know. My husband’s been stolen too.”

“Your husband?”

“As I’ve just told you: There was an incident in the park and at the van and my husband fell - the police and ambulance came and now you and the hospital tell me that there was no incident.”

“Have you ever been in a psychiatric clinic?”

“No!”

“There is no social worker here at the moment but you could go up to the hospital emergency department and they’d let you see a psychiatrist who will listen to your story. Maybe he can help.”

“I’m not crazy! What happened was we came from Sydney on the ferry. We went to Cooee and parked. We went into Burnie Park for a walk and were stalked by someone who looked like Barack Obama. It was a mask. At the van someone rocked it. John got the gun and fell and hurt himself. The police came and the ambulance, and then the gun went off and the ambulance took him away. When I went to check on him at the emergency department, he wasn’t there and you say that there was no incident. I’m not mad - that’s what you’re suggesting isn’t it?”

“Where is the van now?”

“That’s just it. It’s gone.”

“How did you get here?”

“We’ve got a Vespa and I unhooked it from the back before the van disappeared.”

“Do you want to make a report?”

“Yes, a missing persons-and-van report.”

“You can’t make that unless the person’s been missing for a few days.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Have you got family or friends?”

“We don’t know anyone in Tassie. We’re on a holiday.” She thought for a moment, “We know people on the mainland.”

“Why don’t you call someone and talk this situation through? If that doesn’t help, go up to Emergency, or book into a motel. In the morning it may all have cleared up,” the policewoman said. “Have you got a licence?”

“No, my husband drives but I have a bike licence.”

“Show me.”

(to be continued next month)