Chapter 19

A day later, Henry called. “Have you seen the paper?” he began.

“Again?”

“One of the Kamchatka volcanoes is erupting!”

“Is that unusual?”

“Yes and no.”

“Thank you for that unequivocal perhaps.”

“Sorry.”

“I should be saying that, I snapped at you.”

“Right. Anyway, there a bunch of volcanoes and they do go off fairly frequently and there are also earthquakes. But with the events at the other end of the Eurasian plate, this might be ominous.”

Kliuchevskoi is Kamchatka’s highest and most active volcano. Since its origin about 6000 years ago, this beautifully symmetrical, 4835-m-high basaltic stratovolcano has produced frequent moderate-volume explosive and effusive eruptions without major periods of inactivity. There was a large eruption in 1994 and over 30 smaller ones from 2005 through 2021.

“Anything else?”

“Lake Baikal is rumbling away. There was a long pause, then there were over 50 tremors in 2021 and there was another pause and now the area to the northeast is quaking again.”

“It certainly sounds as though the powers are ill at ease. What does the science net say?”

“Nothing much yet. I’m waiting for a seismologist and a volcanologist or someone in plate tectonics to sit together at lunch. Once there’s a remark, the electrons will be moving.”

“Well, I think it’s like any other area. How often to people in different departments or areas talk to one another?”

“Right. Now, explain about this Russian lake.”

“Lake Baikal is the crack or cleft where the Eurasian plate abuts the North American, as I understand it. The lake gets bigger by the year. At the same time, Australia jams up against India and India hits the bottom of Eurasia, making the Himalayas. I know there’s a lot more and I’m sure I got some of that wrong.”

“So Russia will break in two?”

“I doubt it. But there might be a long rift.”

“But there’s activity along the north of the Mediterranean, the north of India, the western edge of the Pacific and the midst of Asia?”

“Right. And that volcano in Africa and those events here in Australia.”

“Warning signs. Lots of omens. I wonder what’s next. A volcano in Iceland? A piece off the Ross shelf?”

“Why those?”

“Henry. Think of the map: further north or further south. Fire in the north, ice in the south.”

“What should we do?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“What could you do? Do you have any influence over Greek or Italian volcanoes? Over a Siberian lake or a flood in Queensland? We do what we can. The powers do what they want. You take care of yours; I of mine.”

“Guess so. Like Canute.”

“Right! We’ve no power against ‘nature,’ whatever for it takes.”

Sam thought a bit and hunted up Tessa. The twins were being passed around like tokens in some children’s game.

“Got a minute?”

“‘Course.”

“Henry called about disasters again.”

“And?”

“And I told him the powers would do what they wished without us. But when I got off, it struck me. Were Baiami and Bunjil to be bent on destroying all. Or nearly all. They’d be no purpose in Koordop and Burralga, in my joining with Rita ... or others in the future.”

“Right.”

“So we can assume that Gabbaitch will survive.”

“That’s plausible.”

“So I am being – uh – spurred to increase the bunjil-factor among the folk.”

“A place of no tribe and of all tribes. The twins are Australian, European and Asian. And if Rob joins Tela, their genes will be a further mix. You know, Darwin and the ‘out of Africa’ theory lead us to derive everything from a single origin.”

“Almost like Adam and Eve.”

“Yes,” Tessa laughed. “A black Adam and a black Eve. But what we’re doing is reblending.”

“Well, I guess it’s time for me to get back to work.”

“Who’s next?”

“Bilbie. The grass-widow.”

“That’s Nancy. Shall I fetch her?”

“No. I think I need to. Where is she usually?”

“In the dairy shed. She is learning about milk and cheese.”