Chapter 26

We didn’t get to go for two weeks. Duty at the mine ... discussions with Pater about the Uhaul, repairs to the Uhaul, a run out to Napoleon Reef to the widow at the place where we got the trailer and another of ‘those’ Dreams.

You know... dreams featuring the Cowfaces and Jim ... from next door. The dreams responsible for the magma tunnel mine and the 17 million dollar Ophir trust fund find. This time we were instructed to take Janna and Alice Li when we went.

David

Napoleon Reef has been mined, mined and mined again. I knew before we drove away there couldn’t be anything left ... but Abby. Yes ... Abby. Just like Ophir, Abby said ‘they missed a spot’ and we found that, indeed, they had. The dream directed us to the only place on the whle damn road with picnic facilities ... if a single table and grill welded to a post are facilities. The ‘facilities’ were surrounded by holes dug by other picnickers. This was the spot the dreams designated. I gave Alice a trowel.

“Have at it,” I said.

Alice laughed, but took the trowel.

“Where?” she asked.

“You choose.”

She tossed the trowel up in the air ... everybody ducked. I could have sworn the trowel took a right turn when it reached the peak of the toss.

CHINK

It bounced.

If it had been gravel the trowel would have stuck. The sound would have been more of a ‘snick.’

But No ... it bounced.

At the moment of “Chink” I could have been convinced to buy a bridge, any bridge. At the first chance I did buy a Monster Millions Lottery ticket.

I recalled a Far Side cartoon. The apprentice undergrad has uncovered a bone in the side of the trench and mentioned it to the departing Professor.

“Very interesting, Carstairs. We’re leaving.”

The complete skeleton of an as yet undiscovered and un-named dinosaur is buried in the sand just behind the uncovered bone. In SAND!

All the fossicking through the century by untold tourists ... all the mining by the prospectors ... all the thousands of ounces taken away from the Reef ... and they stopped an inch away from the mother lode. For that was what it was. A few hundred pounds of 99 fine gold in fist sized nuggets. Right in the bottom of a myriad of test holes. And the Gold Spot today was $2000 AUD.

Alice looked ready to explode ... we weren’t done with the newly 18 year old high school graduate.

Janna li and Myndee were on ‘walkabout.’ Physically sitting at the rest area picnic bench ... both of them were somewhere else together. Aborigne blood will do that. So ... they had no idea what was happening here and now. They had their thermos cups of coffee ... sipping now and again ... watching the sky, mountains and trees... somewhere else.

“Alice?” I said.

“What?”

“What are you going to do with your gold?”

The shock was just setting in. “What?”

“YOUR gold?”

“Why is it MY gold?”

“You found it ... Finders Keepers.”

“All I did was toss a trowel.”

“We ... Myndee, Abby and I have more than we can spend. Ask your mom.”

“Mom?”

“Alice?”

“I found some gold.”

“That’s nice, Alice ... I can make a little leather pouch for it. You can hang it around your neck.” She put out her hand. She wasn’t paying a lick of attention.

Nothing for it, David picked up a fist size nugget and handed it to Alice. Alice put the 10 0r 12 pound chunk of gold in her moms hand.

Janna Li was expecting a flake, a picker ... or some colour ... she wasn’t expecting to have her hand to hit the picnic table hard enough to leave a bruise.

“OW!” She exclaimed, “Alice? What...?”

Then she looked.

Back when Myndee found her forearm sized nugget, she bubbled over with excitment...”GOLD! Muhahha ... Gold!”

Janna went berserk.