THE CHASM Part 4- Fire In The Lion By Tessa Harvey Dylan kept reading and his surroundings faded, time seemed to stand still. He felt as though he was part of the events portrayed. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Lamb slain, so real he could smell the dust, hear a lion roar, limned in fiery light, thousands - countless thousands singing paeons of praise. There was a knock, the bedroom door opened, his uncle came in. The other world disappeared, like Narnia. Dylan tried to tell his uncle but the older man had another agenda. "I will pay for college for you," he coughed, clearing his throat. "I have been remiss and want to say sorry." But Dylan had to say, "I found my other family, uncle. I just suddenly met them in the street. And I want to be in touch." Gavin looked as though someone had hit him. "You are an adult, son - and someone needs to bridge this chasm." Ariella was very interested, even excited with ...
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THE CHASM Part 4 - Fire In The Lion By Tessa Harvey The young boy's voice wavered, one moment like a child, then deepening, causing him even more embarrassment. Having endured when his voice was changing, Dylan felt his bond to Jono deepen. Then a lovely lady swept up, followed by a man who closely resembled Dylan's uncle. Jono was accompanied to the school sick bay for a rest. Then he could rejoin his classmates if well enough. The other children dispersed to their form rooms; happy their big brother was fine. Margaret gave Dylan a motherly hug but had to go to her work at the hospital. Her husband, Nikko walked to work with Dylan. "We have tried so hard to trace you, Dylan, over the years, then I was given a transfer to this town. i work as an electrical engineer. A friend in the police force intimated you were in the area. Could I meet Gavin?" Mike was happy to see Dylan. It was a source of deep happiness to ...
THE CHASM Part 4 - Fire In The Lion By Tessa Harvey Still annoyed, Dylan moved away to get to work, thinking of the table he was working on at the carpentry shop, wondering how his friend Mike was doing, annoyed about Jackson. A family of children came towards him. Deep in thought, Dylan moved to veer around the children, but became they were all staring at him. "Not again," he thought. Usually nobody noticed him. Resigned, he paused. There was a shy little boy hiding behind two older children who were identical, a boy and a girl. They looked Italian, but Dylan scarcely noticed. He was staring in his turn at the older boy. It was just like looking in the mirror when he was about fourteen, and thinking how great he was being almost grown-up. Then the boy swayed and became very pale. A slightly bigger girl tried to hold him. "Livia," she said, "call mum, dad if you can't get her. "Mischa, do not run away. Hold on to ...
THE CHASM Part 4 Fire In The Lion By Tessa Harvey Jackson Blakeley sauntered down the street. He liked to walk using the balls of his feet to swagger. He has practised and now this was habitual. People usually stepped around him, some even taking to the gutter, which he saw as his right as king of the neighborhood. A young man and woman were approaching. He dismissed the young bloke as weedy, but liked the look of the girl - long soft hair, lovely face. Jackson stopped and waited. The couple moved to pass him, but he blocked the footpath. They stopped. "Hey, I am Jackson Blakeley. You have heard of me, right?" They looked at each other and said, "no." "You don't know who I am?" His voice was indignant. "We are students," Ariella answered, placatingly, "but move!" Dylan stated firmly. Ari rolled her eyes. Two males sizing each other!! She tried to move beyond them both. "Hey!" Jackson ventured, "could ...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey Gavin looked at his nephew. He felt unaccountably tired. The boy, no the young man - he corrected himself, had not been the perfect replica of an ideal son he had expected. When first Dylan had asked about his parents, he remembered sitting down next to the eight year old on his small bed, placing an arm across the small shoulders. The boy had flinched, which had both annoyed and troubled him. They died in a car crash. It was cold, icy. They lost control on a steep corner of a mountain bend. That bend was so bad, it was called 'Devil's Elbow.' Silent sobs had shaken the little boy. Over the intervening years, Dylan had asked for more details. Now he wanted to know about other relations. Gavin swore harshly in his head. "You know something, don't you?" "Yes," snapped Dylan, "you have kept a whole family from me, and from yourself. Why?! Because my cousins are not perfect? Jonathan has epilepsy. Is tha...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey Driving into the school parking lot, Margaret saw her eldest loping towards the car. "Mum! I'm to represent the school in the Science Fair next week. Charlie, Joe and me with out spinning, adjustable wind tower. One of the two in our shopping centre never works, or barely. Isn't it great?!" Eva arrived next with Mischa between Luca and Livia. They had all had a good day and her smallest was smiling. "Jeus love us," said Mischa in a clear high voice. The family were astounded and all fell silent. Mischa was on the autism scale. After a few months at school, he was looking people in the eyes and beginning to smile. Margaret did not minimise all the care the whole family had showered on Mischa, but now he was coming on in leaps and bounds. And now she had some more wonderful news, but that could wait for Nicholas. Ariella was perched on the edge of the hospital bed, swinging her feet like a child. Her par...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey Margaret realized she was day-dreaming. This young man was not her little boy, though Jono was almost her height now - and still growing! "Are you a friend of Ariella?" she asked the young man. "Sorry," he apologized. Yes, friends a long time. I am Dylan." Margaret felt a little faint and felt for the solid door frame. "Gavin's son," she whispered. "You are my nephew." He looked stunned, joy and sadness at never knowing were reflected in his young face. An older lady pushed by. "Excuse me," she spoke impatiently. "My sick mother is in the ward waiting." Both apologized and allowed her to pass. Ariella looked eager to see Dylan and he looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I nearly lost you," his voice broke. To hide his emotion, the young man said gruffly, "You can't keep doing this every few years, you know!" Ariella smothered a giggle. She was p...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey 10 Years Earlier Jono was in Kinder. He was so happy, His name was on a pretty stone. 'Jontan?' He could write the Jon part! The girl next to him could do her name 'Eve.' She wrote it very carefully, tongue poking out a little over baby teeth. There was a model wombat on a shelf and in a clear plastic box, real wombat poo! It was shaped like a cube. Then the teacher read a poem about 'The Elf and the Doormouse.' A man called Oliver Herford wrote it and it was on the internet. It was all about how an elf used a mushroom as an umbrella to fly home. "That's how umbrellas were invented," read the kind teacher, flicking back her long, curly black hair and smiling. And little Jonathan (Jontan) wanted to invent lots of things too!!
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey Margaret paused, framed in the doorway of the single hospital room and assessed the young woman lying propped up on a pillow. Her eyes were closed, she was pale with oxygen prongs in her nasal passages, and a drip anchoring her to the bed. :Hello, Ariella," she said softly. The girl looked at her. "Are you my paramedic? Thank you so much." "How did you know?" Margaret was puzzled, thinking the girl had been too ill to remember. "I was aware of you and the other one at times. He helped me too, but," she hesitated, "he didn't like me." Just then, she saw Dylan and her face lit up. "What were you doing out in the smoke?" He looked upset. "I didn't realise," Ari replied, coughing a little, "too busy praying." "No excuse," he replied, "but thanks. What happened was amazing." "Are you Gavin's boy?" asked the older woman suddenly. Dy...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey Soon Eva sauntered over. At eleven, she was growing fast. "Where is Jono?" she asked. "Coming, we hope, and hello to you, Eva." "Oh, sorry, hi mum, hi kids." Margaret hid a smile. Eva had obviously decided it was teenage time. A tall boy hurried up. Like his siblings, he had many of his mother's Italian features, but his hair was more auburn like his Irish father and his eyes a stunning blue, not a lovely toffee brown. "Mum, the principal wants to talk to you. Someone rang up to ask about us." "Then it will be later, son. We have to eat." "Yum, what's for tea!" "I'm starving," several voices asked. "I could eat a horse," Luka said. "How did you guess?" responded his mother, laughing. Margaret hastened down the corridor dodging visitors, doctors, hospital trolleys, tea and coffee volunteers. She saw a young man ahead of her and slowed, puz...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey The twins were chattering excitedly. There was a sports carnival soon. Children and adults swirled around them like the patterns of a kaleidoscope, but Margaret was missing a small one. "Luka, Livia, where is Mischa?" The eight year olds looked upset. "Oh no," they chorused in unison, "we forgot. Sorry, mama." "Stay here in the van. Don't touch anything at the front, ok? I will go." The children watched as she strode away, anxiously. Quickly Margaret headed to the kinder class. Relieved to see a teacher was holding her little boy's hand, she was amazed. Mischa wasn't a one for much physical contact. Thanking the teacher, she crouched down, gently lifting her son's chin. Patiently she waited until he looked at her. "The children forgot," she said. "We are all sorry, Mischa." The teacher helped her hoist the little boy onto her back. It was less babyish for her ...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey The senior paramedic bent over the young woman, her gloved hand clearing the girl's airways, and calling for oxygen and a drip. Hastily, she filled a syringe with an ampoule of aminophylline and injected it. Her partner returned quickly and helped her with the mask and drip. He didn't seem happy. Casting around for some form of identity, he had glimpsed a minora - a seven branched Jewish candlestick, on the dresser. Passionate and devotion to his country, Palestine, meant everything to him. Margaret left a contact card. They had to get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible. She picked up the girl's phone for contact details and let Kahlio drive with full sirens and flashing lights. The paramedic sat with the girl. Her colour seemed a little better, but she was barely breathing. It would be close. She radioed with an acute emergency rating to try to avoid a fatal ram...
THE CHASM By Tessa Harvey Dylan was very disbelieving. Stuff like that didn't happen. But people who still had some coverage were taking photos on their mobiles. In the photos, what was mostly invisible to the adults was clearly revealed. Tall beings with flaming swords were beating back the fire that had threatened to engulf them entirely a short while ago. Then his mobile suddenly rang. "Dylan, help me. I can't breathe." It was Ariella's voice, hoarse and very afraid. "Where are you?" he called, frantic. "Home - can't get help." The voice faded - his phone was dead. "Help," he cried, in his turn. "Please, has anyone a phone that's still got some charge?" Betty hobbled forward, leaning on her cane. She handed her phone to Dylan with unsteady hands. He knew emergency services were being stretched. Quickly he explained the urgency to a despatcher and gave Ariella's address. Finally, ...