Wandering.
Chapter One.
Geoffrey Owen was ten years old. It was 1980, and they had just moved to Verwoerdburg where his father had found new work. They had been moving around from town to town since he was born.
His father was an aeromechanic, and was now working for a big firm in this town. His mother was a primary school teacher and was still looking for work since they had moved. They lived in a small three-bedroom house at number 724 Monument Avenue, which his father rented. He was an only child. It did not look as if his parents planned to have more children.
His best friend was Toon van Tonder. Toon was larger than himself, but he was not the brightest. On the contrary, sometimes he could be down right stupid. The two of them loved playing all along the Hennops River, also called Ses Myl Spruit. They played and fished all along its banks, from Irene golf course, right down to Clubview, and the Swartkops gholf course.
But today they were playing at their favorite spot, under the bridge that passed over the river, at the bottom of Doringkloof. The N1 highway passed over this bridge. There were numerous nice secluded spots next to the river here where they would camp, play and fish. The fish along this part of the river grew quite large for river fish such as carp and yellow fish. The carp could grow up to ten kilograms in weight.
They fed on whatever vegetable matter was drifting in the river, and their favorite feeding spot was next to the mushroom farm, about a hundred meters downriver from the bridge. At the mushroom farm there was a drainpipe that emptied into the river. All the waste matter from the mushrooms was washed down this pipe into the river. The fish fed on this vegetable refuge, and subsequently became very large.
From here these fat carp swam up and down the stream, to where they bred and lived. The boys occasionally caught one, but their primary objective was always in their games, which they played on the riverbank. They would throw knives into a tree, build a fire and cook some tin food, wrestle and jostle with each other. They would play klei-lat, which entailed throwing each other with mud slung from a thin sapling branch. These small wet clay projectiles could hurt and sting when they struck you.
Sometimes they just lazed on the banks of the river next to their camp, and entertain themselves with the loose talk of children. They looked at the crude graffiti on the walls of the underside of the bridge. There was a large black drawing of a man and woman having sex, on the gray concrete wall. Next to it was several lewd slogans. Close by someone had written; "you will all burn in hell.
On another part of the wall there was written "for a good time, phone Mary on 63 1967. The walls were covered in these slogans written by primitive little artists. Their handiwork showed their mutual talentless and brainless artwork
As Jeff looked over the brown river it rushed on past. The masked weavers were building their nests in the branches of the trees that hung over the river. They were lovely yellow finches with back faces, which looked like masks. They darted up and down with grass stems, which they collected in their beaks. With these they built their little round nests, which hung from the branches.
They hung upside down on the outside of the nests as they built them, weaving the grass with their beaks. They built the nests for their females, who came and inspected the completed nest. If she was unsatisfied with it, she would rip it to pieces, and he would have to start building all over.
There was many other bird species around, such as swallows who built their mud nests under the bridge. There was also the indigenous robin, called a mossie. Turtledoves called in the trees throughout he day. The large black hadidas came down in their flock to the river to drink, and look for insect food. The world was alive with numerous bird life, and they sang as they flew.
He looked over the brown river, and thought about the crabs and frogs in it. What did they feed on? Probably insects and small hatchling fish. And what insects bred in the water? Probably thousands of variations and species. The river gave life to all these creatures. Food and a home. The river was their daily sustenance, and their refuge. In much the same way it was a refuge for the boys.
The wind stirred the leaves in the trees, and the white fleece clouds were scattered in the sky above. The sun shone brightly, a small yellow-white disk in the sky. The broad brown river flowed on, taking its waters swiftly along its current. Jeff was brought out of his reverie as he sat on the riverbank by Toon's efforts to build a fire.
"What did you bring for lunch? he asked.
"Bully beef and beans, answered Toon.
"Cool, he said.
They built the fire between the two of them, and cooked their food in the clearing next to the river.
After primary school the two boys went to the local Afrikaans high school. Here they made another friend called Louw Smit. They now where a group of three.
Louw was of average build and intelligence, the same as Jeff. But Louw was quite handsome, as was apparent to everyone. He was also very naughty, and innovative in his naughtiness. He got the other two into all kinds of mischief for which they were almost always subsequently punished. They played hookey from school, down at the river. Occasionally they would play a prank on someone.
Whenever they got into trouble at school, they were sent for a hiding at Mister Haaspoes. Haaspoes was the metalwork teacher, and the hardest hitter of them all. He prided himself in the fact that he used to cane juveniles for the police. He was a true sadist, with the character and temperament to match. He was big, dumb and ugly. He got great satisfaction at caning little boys half his size. He himself thought he was a real man.
He was also in charge of subscripting the boys at school when they turned sixteen, for the army. Louw and Toon got called up to the infantry. Jeff missed a few days at school when he was sick with pneumonia, and did not receive his papers when Haaspoes dished them out. Throughout the next few years Haaspoes tried to issue the call up papers to Jeff, but he always managed to dodge him somehow.
As such Jeff never officially received his call up papers, and through this technical loophole, managed to avoid getting drafted. His two mates were always so jealous of this feat that they used to curse him for it in jest. He just laughed back at them whenever this happened. He was free, and he was not planning on going to the army at all.
The boys met girls, and had various girlfriends, but they were still only kids so it was never anything serious or lasting. They also knew many girls with which they were only friends with, and for whom they harbored no greater aspirations. Being friends with a girl was much as being friends with a boy. Relationships came and went.
Louw started experimenting with grass when he was seventeen, and introduced his two friends to it. Jeff loved smoking grass, but had to be very careful because his father was very strict. He never smoked at home, or came home stoned or drunk. Still, he did do these things on the sly, and enjoyed it.
In their final year they always met behind Sabre Café near the English High School, when school came out. Here they smoked grass and talked about their plans. They wandered around the streets in the afternoons, looking to score a bit of grass.
Verwoerdburg was a small town in the 1980's. Everyone knew everyone else. And they knew the doings and coming and goings of each other as well. The boys knew everyone in town, and the latest gossip, which surrounded them.
In the afternoons the boys wandered the streets, especially in the area surrounding the small holdings (plots) and river. It was here that they might expect to find people and places to buy grass.
There was a mama on a plot in South Street that ran a shebeen and sold grass. On the plot opposite, they were building a new cricket stadium. One could buy grass from the workers there. Verwoerdburgstad, a shopping mall, had recently been built down the river, between Lenchen and HF Verwoerd drives. There was a chicken farm on the corners of Lenchen and West streets near which they could buy grass. This was the area they roamed.
But always they could buy grass from the black guys at the back of the mushroom farm, next to the river. Here they could sit and smoke as well, and relax and make small talk amongst themselves. Occasionally they would have a few beers with their grass as they sat next to the Hennopsriver.
On a day they were lazing about, having just purchased their grass, and smoked it. The river ran silently passed, as they watched the workers in the mushroom farm, and listened to the hum of machinery. They were not fishing today, but was just sitting around contentedly stoned in the shade of the trees.
Suddenly a cop van with to uniformed policemen drew into the clearing of the veldt next to them. The cops knew they came here to smoke grass, and were out to catch them. Louw had the matchbox of grass on him, and quickly stood up and strew the contents out over the river. The stream swiftly washed it away.
"What are lyties doing? Smoking grass? asked the one policeman.
"No, they all lied in unison, "Just hanging around.
After the cops had frisked them and searched the area, they found nothing, and had to let the boys go.
"You be careful, one of these days we're going to catch you, said the senior of the two policemen.
Then they got back in their yellow police van and sped off, leaving the boys behind, grateful for their narrow escape.
They had numerous close calls like these, involving the police and authorities, but always they managed to get away without being caught. They kept on being friends and getting up to no good amongst them, throughout their final year. When they finished school they all passed with average marks. Louw and Toon went off the army, and Jeff found work through the newspaper in Bloemfontein.
He was going to be a driver for a small bearing company there. On the day his friends had to leave for the army, he went and said goodbye to them at Voortrekkerhoogte, where they boarded the train for 3SAI.
Afterwards he went and collected his belongings at home and said farewell to his folks. At eight in the evening he boarded the train for his knew home in Bloemfontein.
Chapter Two.
When he arrived in Bloemfontein he went to see the owner of Industrial Bearings, where he was going to work as a driver. The man's name was Jones, and he was average for someone in his mid-forties. His employment was confirmed and he set out to find a place to stay.
He found a small room in the back of an old lady's garden. Her name was Mrs. Hoskins, and she was a kind old woman, although he did not get to see much of her. She was out almost all the time working. She sold Tupperware for a living. She was a widow with no children.
The only other employers at the bearing company were two more drivers and a secretary. The drivers he did not see much of, but he saw Ms. Myburg all the time, because she issued the delivery dispatches.
She seemed kind at first, but he soon found out that she was a selfish and conceited young woman. She thought herself exquisitely beautiful, but actually she was plain to ugly looking. She was also convinced of her intellectual superiority over her fellow mortals. This was also a mistaken assumption. She was no genius.
She issued the delivery orders handed down by Mister Jones, and the drivers delivered the bearings to their destinations. Jeff drove all over Bloemfontein during the days delivering. He took bearings and sprockets out the factories in the industrial area. Or sometimes he was sent out to the flourmills to make a delivery.
He drove all over town, and even out to the farms sometimes. Always delivering bearings, sprockets and chains. There was also just the everyday deliveries to small businesses, enterprises, and individuals. He drove in the heavy mid-day traffic of Bloemfontein, and got to know the city well.
He made enough money to pay for his small room, and to keep himself going. He smoked grass in his room and listened to music on his radio. After a while he bought himself a cheap guitar, and thought himself a bit of music. He just did this as a hobby, and had no aspirations to become great singer. Playing guitar and listening to the radio gave him something to do in the evenings.
Sometimes he went for long walks in the town. His favorite walk was up and down the banks of the river. Or down Main Street, just to look at the people and shop displays. He would get something small to eat at a café, along with a 'Coke'. Then he would go wandering aimlessly through the streets again, until it was time to go home.
Sometimes he would go to the pub, and have a few beers, and maybe play a game of pool or darts. He made a few friends, but mostly kept to himself. He wrote to Toon and Louw who were busy with their basic training in the army. He met a girl once, but their relationship only lasted a month, and he soon forgot her.
He kept on working at the bearing company, and making his deliveries. He stayed in his small room at nights, and played his guitar to himself.
Bloemfontein was a pretty city. The avenues and streets were clean; the parks were well kept and safe to go to.
The city center had numerous prosperous businesses, and the streets were alive with people and cars. The air was crisp and clean, and almost always a pleasant breeze blew over the town. The sky was clear and blue above, as the white clouds drifted lazily around.
Tempe, a large army camp was situated on the outskirts, and was a hive of activity. Troops, tanks and armored cars swarmed up and down. Whenever Jeff passed by here he thought of how lucky he was to be able to avoid getting called up. He would think of how mad it must make old Haaspoes, and smiled.
One of his favorite places was the public swimming pools, where he could relax and occasionally meet people. There was always pretty girls, and the prospect of maybe one day hooking up with one, kept him going back.
There were lovely shade trees, and lush green grass that was well kept, around the pools. It was an ideal place to come and relax for a day. And he could always smoke a joint on the sly in the corner, without being noticed. It was heavenly to swim in the pool when he was stoned. The cool water was soft and gently on his skin as he swam.
Another favorite place of his was the Modder River just north of town. It was a beautiful river, and ideal for fishing. Some weekends he would hike out there with a small fishing rod, and go and try his luck. He caught some nice fish there.
The river was a muddy brown, and the surrounding grassland was beautiful and rich in thorn and other indigenous trees. The highway passed with a bridge over the river.
At night Bloemfontein shone with electric light and the headlights of cars. The 'jollers' and the 'gooses' partied at the 'Pink Palace', and the ladies of the night strolled the streets.
Occasionally the subdued bustle would be interrupted with the sound of wailing sirens. Police cars and ambulances. Once the noise was passed, the restless milling of people and cars would resume.
The city shone brightly in the night amongst the veldt, and underneath the brilliant heaven of moon and stars. Somewhere in his small room, Jeff lay sleeping.
Chapter Three.
On a day Jeff was again out fishing at the Modder River. It was a cloudy and rainy day, and he did not know why he had come out here today in the first place.
The clouds were thick above and there had been plenty of rainfall in the area recently. He trod up and down the riverbank and contemplated going back to town. Today would be no good for fishing.
The brown river was rushing down, and the water rose up the banks. The stream became stronger and broader. It was raining somewhere upstream. Logs, driftwood and other debris was being washed down the river. It was flowing broad and strong.
A young boy and girl was attempting to cross the river near where Jeff stood. They were in the middle of a flat area, and the river flowed broadly around them. Suddenly the waters began to climb and rise. It was flooding upstream, and now the water had reached them.
The water rose and took the two children from where they were standing, and swept them along. The boy swam as strongly as he could, and with his efforts, and the force of the river, he managed to reach the side. The young girl was swept away by the river.
Jeff took off his shoes and dived into the river. He was a fairly strong swimmer. He swam with powerful strokes to the middle of the river as it swept him along. At a point near the middle he managed to intercept the little girl, and with her clinging to him, he swam for the farther side.
The flooding river rushed powerfully along and dragged them with it. Still Jeff kept swimming toward the bank with strong strokes. Eventually he managed to get out of the central flow of the river, close to the side. From here he could manage to reach the shore. He swam until he reached the side and then he took the little girl from the water.
The small group of people that awaited them on the bank were frantic with joy. The river rushed on as they were given blankets and taken care of. Afterward Jeff met the parents of the girl whom he had saved. They were Sam and Busi Khumalo, and the little girls name was Thandi. They were overcome with joy, and could not thank him enough.
After all the excitement he managed to get a lift back to the other side of the river to collect his belongings. Then he headed back for town where his room and a hot shower waited for him.
When the rain abated over the next few days, the swollen banks of the river slowly sank back to its normal river. The river was as it had always been, brown, broad and strong.
His heroic feat made a small local newspaper, and he became fairly well known in Bloemfontein. He kept on working at the bearing company for a while, and staying at old Mrs. Hoskins.
During the days he drove around with the company bakkie delivering bearings, and seeing the town and surrounding areas. At night he was mostly in his room smoking grass, listening to the radio, and playing his guitar.
Life was easy and relaxed in Bloemfontein. The people were laid back, and there was a country atmosphere about the place. People were not rushed here, as they were in other big cities, but went about their everyday lives in a relaxed way. People greeted passersby that they met on the street, even if they didn't know them.
He stayed in Bloemfontein for almost a year, before he started to get restless. He developed a need to travel. He had to see more of the country and the world. He would look for work in another town. Maybe closer to the sea, or a city at the sea. Yes, he was moving on.
He gave notice at the bearing company and worked his last month. In the newspaper he found a job as an apprentice locksmith in Oudtshoorn. It was not far from coast, only about two hours drive. He looked forward to making the move.
When he collected his last paycheck he said goodbye to everyone. Ms. Myburg did not seem sorry to see him go. He certainly was not sorry at seeing the last of her. Then he went home and said goodbye to Mrs. Hoskins, and collected his belongings. At seven in the evening he boarded the Greyhound bus for Oudtshoorn.
As darkness fell the large passenger bus headed down the black stretch of tar. The stars and moon came out and shone brightly above in the purple dark sky. The headlights of cars flashed as they passed by the bus in the opposite direction.
Jeff thought about his knew home in Oudtshoorn, and how it would be there. It was sure to be a country place, even more so than Bloemfontein. It was hot there, he knew. The Karoo was a beautiful place. He knew he would be happy there.
And the large silver bus sped down the highway taking him to his new home, as he fell asleep with his head leaning against the window.
In his dreams he dreamt of peace and happiness. Of finding a girl and settling down in small house, in a small place somewhere. He dreamt of love.
And he was happy in his dreams, as he knew he would be happy one day. A small pace, a small town, and a girl to love. Maybe some children. A good job. It was time to think of settling down. But he still had so much to see. Perhaps the two of them could travel together.
And so he slept and he dreamt of the girl he would meet, and the life they would share, as the Greyhound sped on towards its destination.
Chapter Four.
Oudtshoorn was a pleasant town. The air was crisp and clean, and the people were friendly, as only country folk can be.
He found a place to stay and learned the locksmithing trade. He mostly cut keys, but occasionally he had to open a car or house. The qualified locksmiths opened the safes that needed to be opened. All in all it was an enjoyable job.
He stayed in Oudtshoorn for a while, and went on weekends to the surrounding areas. Once or twice he went to the caves, which were beautiful. The collections of stalagmites and stalactites were amazing.
On other occasions he went to the crocodile farm, or one of the many ostrich farms. On weekends he went to the beach at Knysa, usually hitchhiking the short distance down to the coast. He stayed in Oudtshoorn until his curiosity was satisfied, and then he decided that he would move on.
He found work in Port Elizabeth as a driver for a courier company. They were called Samuels and Krige. Samuels was the handsome one of the two, but they were both hardworking and efficient.
He drove all over the eastern Cape making deliveries, and sometimes he had to drive down to Cape Town. The eastern Cape landscape was barren, but also, breathtakingly beautiful. Lush green farms were spread out along the roadside, and beautiful tall aloes grew everywhere.
Small Karoo bushes dotted the veldt, and the sky was a brilliant blue. Scattered clouds made promises of rain that never came. The farms were large, but most farmers were not wealthy. They farmed with sheep and goats. A few farmers had game farms, which were popular with tourists.
He spent weekends down at the beach, or out by the Swartkops River. Port Elizabeth was good place to be, even though the wind always blew here. It was just that the money was not much around these parts, and most people were poor. Fortunately the living standard here was lower than in the big cities of the Transvaal.
And so Jeff traveled from the one town to the other, moving from one job to the next. At one point he left the firm in PE and moved around again in search of employment. He traveled through the small towns of the eastern Cape, back up the Karoo, until he came to the Freestate again.
He spent a few months looking for employment, and finally got a job at a small maintenance firm, owned and ran by an old man Baxter. He was given a small crew which he had to supervise, and went around renovating old houses. The pay was not to bad, and he found a room near the center of town, which he could rent cheaply. It was good to be back in Bloemfontein, and he quickly settled in.
He drove around with his crew, and did his work. A night he stayed in his room and smoked grass, relaxing and listening to the radio. On weekends he went for long walks along the river. Or he went fishing out at the Modder River. But his favorite place was still the public swimming pool, where he could cool down and maybe meet a girl
And one day he did meet a girl at the pool. She was a brunette with long black hair and dark eyes, and her name was Suzaane van Wyk. After all his travels he had found a girl to love.
Chapter Five.
When he had met her at the swimming pool, she had walked passed him and said; "Hi handsome.
He had responded by saying; "Hi.
Then they became acquainted and soon found that they were attracted to one another. She started sending time over at his place, and he started spending time at hers. She rented a small townhouse in town, which had a little garden.
She worked as a secretary at a real estate agent, and was still in her early twenties. She was beautiful, and had sensual body. Jeff moved in with her, and in the evenings they made wild and passionate love. He explored her heavenly body, and loved her so much that he worshipped her.
And she was responsive to his affections. She gave him all the love she had inside her. They made love each night into the early hours of the morning. Once or twice the early morning broke, with them having made love the entire night. They loved each other, and one another's young bodies.
And Jeff loved her with his entire being. He could not bare to be separated from her, when they had to leave for work in the mornings. And he could not wait to get back to her at night. She was the whole meaning of his existence, and he loved her to the fullest extent.
They spent weekends down at the swimming pool, relaxing in each other's arms, or playing in the water. Some nights they went to watch a movie at the theater, or they went to eat out. They were always happily in love.
They planned on having children in a year or two's time, and looked forward to being a family. Their young lives with filled with possibility, and full of love for each other. In the evenings they watched television from the sofa, and lay in one another's arms. Afterward, when they went to bed, a wild night of lovemaking would again follow.
They had the same tastes and interests, and seldom squabbled over an issue. They planned on staying married until they were old, and would never be separated. They loved each other with the purest and most true love.
They loved each other for all eternity.
And Suzaane was beautiful to him, he thought about her all the time. He thought of her lovely black hair and dark eyes. Her sharp nose, and even sharper wit. To him she was beautiful beyond compare.
She was headstrong and willful, but it suited her. She could get up to all kinds of mischief and no good. But it was always in her playful way. And when she got angry, she was sexier than ever. He loved it when she became angry. Sometimes he would do or say something to upset her, just to watch her temper get aroused.
She was beautiful and had a wild spirit. She attracted attention of all the men that met her, but she always stayed true to Jeff. She never gave in to any advances that other men made on her. She loved him only.
Her dark hair smelled pure and sweet, and her eyes told him that she loved him. When she moved her body underneath him when they made love, he could feel the affirmation of her emotions. She gave him everything she had when they made love.
And she in turn loved him. She loved his brown hair and his soft brown eyes. She loved the way he looked at her. When he looked at her like that, she knew that he loved her, and only her.
She loved is gentle temperament, although he could occasionally give in to a small fit of anger. But with her he was always gentle and patient. And she knew he was true to her only. The way he made love to her, and gave her his all, told her that he could never love another woman as he loved her.
It was this that made her truly happy. She would always be his first one, and his only one. He loved her completely. This mutual bond of love tied them and they were inseparable. Neither one ever contemplated the thought of life without the other. They were soul mates, forever.
They kept on staying in the townhouse, and made plans for their future. She wanted to go and study dentistry, which meant that they would have to move back to Pretoria. Her father was willing to pay the tuition fees.
Until the final preparations were made they would stay on in Bloemfontein, and keep their respective jobs. They still went out on weekends, but now they traveled around in a little car, which they had bought second-hand.
It was a little yellow Mazda 323, and it had quite a few kilometers on the clock. Still, it was in fairly good running order, and it took them everywhere they wanted to go. They drove with all over Bloemfontein and surrounding countryside, and enjoyed their last few months in that city.
Their young lives were filled with love, and they looked forward to the future together.
In the veldt land that surrounded the city, the maize grew tall and succulent. The sun shone brightly overhead, and the wind stirred the clouds above.
The breeze also rustled through the tall grass and maize, as the birds darted about in the sky. Isolated clumps of trees were to be seen here and there.
The veldt as at peace. It brought wealth and prosperity to the people of the land. It was rich in abundance.
And under the hot yellow sun, the wind kept bending the grass to and fro.
Chapter Six.
They went out with the Mazda one night to a party on a farm outside of town. They had a good time, but Jeff only had a few beers and was not drunk. He drove home.
The farm was about seventy kilometers out of town, and he drove fast to cover the distance quickly. The yellow Mazda cruised smoothly over the black tar in the night.
They were talking and he had his head turned towards her while he was driving. There was a wet patch on the road from an earlier shower that he did not see. The car skidded on the wet patch and went careering off the road. They were traveling quite fast and the car hit a ditch and smashed into a large rock. It was a bad accident.
When he had recovered he saw that Suzaane was not conscious. He took her from the wreck and laid her out on the grass next to the road. He waited for the paramedics and they did not take long to arrive. They examined her, and after a while a large paramedic called him aside and said; "I'm sorry, she's dead, there was nothing we could do.
The shock was too great for him to bear and he shouted out her name in grief. In the following weeks he was burned with guilt of her death, as he would be all his life. He thought of her constantly, and wept at her memory. He had lost the only woman he had ever loved, and it was his own fault. He was responsible for her death.
He went out drinking in the town some days, but the alcohol could not numb his memories and his pain. He quit his job, and moved out of the townhouse back into a small room at the back of someone's garden.
He sat around days moping in the small room, with only a bottle of whisky to console him. He missed the woman that he had loved so, and could not bear living without her. If only he had been watching the road, she would be right there beside him. She would no have died.
He carried his guilt around with him, and yearned for love that they had shared. Suzaane was gone, and he was alone.
Chapter Seven.
He moved back to Verwoerdburg, which was now called Centurion. He rented a small room at the back of a house in Amkor Street. His parents were now staying in Pretoria North, and he stayed in touch with them, visiting them occasionally.
He found work as a driver for a courier firm in Pretoria, and drove all around his old haunts. He went down to the mall, or went shopping in one of the new shopping centers. He went for long walks on Smuts koppie or along the river.
And then he always went to his favorite old spot, down by the bridge at the bottom of Doringloof, sitting next to the river. The river was still the same, but the environs had changed.
The mushroom farm was torn down, and the enterprise had moved somewhere else. There was a security estate further upstream now, towards the Irene golf course. Only the little stretch of water between the to, where the bridge lay, was unaltered.
He would go here and reflect on his life. He would sit next to the flowing river and think about all that had happened to him. Once he had saved a person's life, then he had been the cause of the loss of the life of his loved one. I could he reconcile the two opposites?
His life seemed impossible and hopeless as he sat there on the riverbank. But he knew he had to carry on. There had to be a meaning and purpose to it all. He thought about his life and his future, as the brown river flowed on.
And this little stretch of river was as it had always been. The masked weavers wove their nests high up in the branches of the trees that overhung the river. The turtledoves called from their nests on high, and the air was alive with bird life.
Under the surface of the water there were numerous crabs, and large fish swam by unseen. The river flowed on eternally and gave life and sustenance to all who lived in it. The river flowed on unchanged.
The End.
"Mud can make you prisoner, and the plains can make you dry,
Snow can burn your eyes, but only people make you cry,
I was born under a wand'rin star,
A wand'rin, wand'rin star.
Lerner/Loewe.
JP Brown ' 29/03/2006.
