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, puzzled. Why was her own son here? She would know that long gangling walk anywhere. Even as a little boy, he had moved as though always late, yet with a strange hesitancy also as though unsure of the way at times.

    Margaret hurried. It was too noisy to call out. The young man paused at the entrance to the respiratory ward, which was actually her destination.

    The young woman patient, fighting so desperately to breathe, had made an impression on her, had touched her heart,

    Slightly out of breath herself, the paramedic paused and the young man turned around. It was not her son, but a young man so like her child but older. She stared as he spoke. "Can you help me find Ariella?"