Tears of the Moon - Di Morrissey [86]
As Olivia turned to leave, she added, ‘Conrad sends his best wishes. Good luck.’
Tyndall watched Olivia and her son walk back along the wharf with feelings he didn’t understand. When he turned back to Niah she gave him a soft smile. ‘I give you a son too, Tyndall. You see.’
‘Not till we’re back safe in Broome, I hope!’ he laughed.
A few weeks later, while at sea, Niah and Tyndall lay in the night coolness on the deck of the Shamrock. The moon was full and hung plump and mellow, shining across the water. But instead of the unbroken path of light, the annual phenomenon known as the ‘steps of the moon’ was taking place. This occurred when some unseen atmospheric disturbance broke the silvery gold light into a ladder of steps leading across the sea and wound up to the moon itself.
‘We go walkabout up there, said Niah, pointing to the moon.
‘You’d never get up there. Too fat,’ laughed Tyndall, rubbing her belly. She snuggled into him and he put his arm around her. Feeling the shell pendant between her breasts, he idly asked, ‘Tell me about this.’
‘It’s my people sign. Very old. First girl gets to wear.’
‘Not the men, huh? And what does it mean?’
‘My mother mother come from here. Marry to Macassar man. Leave Australia, go far away.’
Tyndall was stunned by her casual revelation of her grandmother’s Aboriginal ancestry. ‘Niah, do you know which Aboriginal tribe this came from?’ he asked, touching the shell pendant.
She shook her head and looked wistful and Tyndall realised she was missing her family, especially with the birth so close. ‘They must have been coastal people.’ He said no more and they lay there looking at the steps of the moon shimmering on the water. Tyndall felt very contented, this simple girl made him happy, and the arrival of the child would make it complete. Such musings came as a surprise to him for he was disconcerted to realise that he too now wished for the security of companionship like Conrad and Olivia. Now it seemed to him having a child meant he would leave some footprint upon this place. Maybe it was one of the reasons why he’d lived so recklessly—he had no one but himself to think about. He leaned down and kissed her cheek and Niah smiled up at him.
Seeing his pearl earring catch the moonlight, she touched it. ‘What this one mean?’
‘I won it in a card game and I thought it so beautiful I decided to find lots more.’
‘This one tear of the moon,’ said Niah softly as she touched the pearl that perfectly matched the colour of the moon above. ‘My mother say these ones—pearls—when the goddess of the moon weeps, tears fall into sea and make pearls.’
‘That’s beautiful, Niah … tears of the moon. I like that.’
Niah stretched sleepily. ‘Baby and me go to sleep now.’
The Shamrock moored in the cove near where the ill-fated Lady Charlotte had been shipwrecked and where Tyndall had first met Olivia. Today the weather and sea were kind, so Niah and Tyndall waded ashore from the dinghy to picnic for a few hours.
He took her across the dunes and along the sandy scrub track to the low line of trees and a small spring-fed creek. They’d brought food and Tyndall settled himself in the shade with his journal. Leaving him to his jottings, Niah set off to explore the area.
Within a short time she noticed tracks and when she eventually came across a mound of discarded oyster shells and shellfish, she knew this was a regular camping site. Like Ohvia before her, Niah sat down in the shade near the midden and felt a great peace and sense of security steal over her. She closed her eyes and rested, almost falling asleep, but was awakened by a group of Aboriginal women calling out to her.
Niah had not expected to understand them but, astonishingly, some words and phrases were familiar, greetings taught to her by her Aboriginal grandmother. She repeated them with curiosity and immense excitement. Her mind was whirling as memories and questions flooded her thoughts. The women gathered around and asked