THE CHASM

THE CHASM  By Tessa Harvey     Near the end of the lunch break, Dylan went over to the Science Block. The teacher was young and very enthusiastic. He taught Evolution but to Dylan's surprise, there was little real evidence to support the position. Dylan had been looking forward to lots of examples and exciting data. There weren't enough for him.     The teacher was writing on the whiteboard and lit up when he saw Dylan. He loved questioning minds - young people who wanted answers. His marker pen slipped on the board with a screeching sound. Dylan flinched. "Sorry!" said Mr. Thomas, flashing a genuine smile. He looked beyond the boy and saw Ariella. "Greetings young gentleman, young lady.!" He made a sweeping bow and the children laughed together.     It was wonderful having teachers who were clever, but not dry or humourless, who knew how to share, not condescend.     The lesson went very well. At one point a student asked, "But sir, how can ...

THE CHASM  By Tessa Harvey     At first Brodie captivated Dylan. He had no idea that the spiritual world was so real. It felt exciting and dangerous. But then Dylan began to feel uneasy. He felt Brodie was going down a dark path and tried to tell him this. The other boy would not listen, determined to try out little spells and tricks to try to torment staff or pupils he had issues with.     Then he became almost possessive about Dylan, demanding more of his time and attention. Dylan sensed a growing darkness in Brodie. The boy kept stalking him. Finally Dylan talked to his form teacher, a sensible man in his early forties. He listened patiently, a small frown puckering his brow.     "Step away," he cautioned Dylan. "Only God can master evil. Practicing witchcraft will destroy you. It is foolish and dangerous.     The staff member also talked to Brodie with the same warning, but also encouraging him about his gifts in sports, building him up....

THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey     The   first year of High School, Dylan was asked to sing the part of a crippled boy in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors. The school would perform the musical for parents and the general public. It was an honor to play Amahl. At first he was very nervous, but his uncle said, "you have the talent. Do you have the character?" Dylan felt he did.     Ariella was playing the violin in the small school orchestra. The senior mistress said Dylan had "the voice of an angel."     The girl who played his mother was also very good as were the three kings - the Night Visitors. Baby Jesus healed the crippled Amahl!     It was a success and Ariella gave Dylan a Bible. Reading the book, he realised Jesus really only began his miracles and healings as an adult. Trouble loomed in the person of his uncle. Fury came.     Dylan stood, slowly pushing his chair back. He bent to put the Bible among some other books on the...

THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey      The man blanched slightly as more soil crumbled away near his feet. He smiled at her and he was gone. The girl waited, keeping as still as possible, not moving even when a harness appeared near her, and then there were strong men either side of her. Infinitely slowly, they wedged themselves and helped the child into the harness, gripping her very firmly. Finally she was secure. The men signalled, and soon she was being hauled to safety. The men followed. An ambulance was waiting and her mother climbed in to go to the hospital with her, while her dad drove after them.     The doctors kept Ariella in overnight for observation. The weather had been mild and there no signs of hypothermia. Her asthma was now stable. The doctor complimented her for using the inhaler cannister to flash light. It was how the searchers had found her.     Both children returned to school after the weekend. Dylan had come with his uncle to apologize...

THE CHASM  By Tessa Harvey     Ariella   had no breath to answer, even though she had used her inhaler. She knew the boy cared, his sadness for her etched on his soul. Soon the people will come to rescue me and I can kick away this bush and perhaps call out now, she thought.     So she waited in the small cavity for voices and lights, but none came. Eventually, cramming the roots into a crevice, the girl felt secure enough to fall asleep.     Embarrassed, even though alone, Ari woke before dawn, scraping a small hole to relieve herself, then pushing dirt over the patch and then rubbing her hands on clean clay.     In her backpack she found an uneaten sandwich and some of her water. A beautiful dawn broke. She heard voices and called, waving the bush frantically. Undoing her inhaler, she pulled out the metal canister and held it to catch and flash the sunlight. She did this over and over again, then heard loud reassuring shouts. Thank Go...

THE CHASM  By Tessa Harvey     Perhaps she had somehow crawled back up the slope and gone home without telling him. Perhaps.     That hope ended when a message came in the Math class for him to go to the principal's office. "Well, Dufaye," queried the head, "what have you got to say for yourself?" His uncle was also in the room with a police officer. Spread on the desk were the wonderful photos of Ariella  and the setting sun - and one he had failed to notice. The girl, terror-stricken, beginning to fall.     He had no words to answer.      Eventually his uncle took him home pending further investigation. Then the child's parents came.      "What were you thinking?" whispered the mother, Mrs. Colvan.  "Tell us what happened," demanded the father, white-faced with anger.     Ariella's backpack had caught on a small twisted bush a few metres below the edge. She looked up, breathless as more dirt cascaded ...

THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey       Excited, he carefully helped her turn around, moving back as the sun lit up her pale, blond hair as it swirled around her face, shining and bright. Dylan aimed the camera carefully. The sun blazed into his eyes, confusing him. "Just a little to the right," he called." "Perfect!" The boy took a few more pictures, both young people totally unaware the ground, dry for far too long, was beginning to crumble and give way.     Ari gave a shrill squeal, flinging up her arms. In shock the boy, reflexively clicked again before moving to try to grab the girl.     But she was gone. Just like that.     Sickened - he crawled and looked over, choosing a more stable piece of ground. There was no trace. A few birds flew up from the trees far below and that was all.     Dylan crept home, eventually arriving there long after dark. His uncle was waiting and immediately noticed his tear-streaked face. "Bullied again!" he...

THE CHASM  By Tessa Harvey     Ariella walked along the path, Dylan following close behind. He had told her that this was a quick way home, but she was beginning to be anxious. The trees seemed to be hemming them in, closer and closer and she could see the sun was close to setting.     They came to a clearing and Ari realised that on one side the land dropped sharply. She pressed close to the trees on the other side, suddenly afraid. "I want to go home,"  she whispered.     The boy made a placatory gesture with one hand, reaching for her with the other. "Look," he said, "let's crawl to the edge together. It's awesome looking down. Then we'll go. Promise!" "Alright," she replied. Carefully, they crawled near the edge.  It  was a deep - very deep chasm.     Despite herself, Ariella was amazed by the beauty. Red cliffs went down and down. Below there were treetops and a thread of silver, a river.     "Look," Dylan said, ...