Carol was about to start her engine to drive away, when the words hit home. She looked out of the window at the women. ‘What video?’
‘The one on the news,’ Deb said.
‘And Insta. And Facebook. All the social media,’ added Val.
‘I really don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Val pulled her phone out of her pocket. ‘I bookmarked it. It’s the first time someone from the Ridge has been trending.’
Carol had never used social media, so she had no idea what Val was talking about. But she did recognise the scene unfolding on the phone that Val thrust in front of her. There she was on that tiny screen, running into the bush to rescue the koala. The swirling smoke parted long enough for the viewer to see her wrap a blanket around the animal and lift it into her arms. Then another figure ran into shot to help her. The camera stayed focused on the two of them as Justin helped her to her car and placed the animal inside. It became a bit wobbly then, as if the person filming was inside a moving car. The final shot was a close-up of her son as he directed the cars to leave.
‘Someone in one of the cars filmed it on their phone,’ Val offered. ‘It’s gone viral.’
Carol didn’t know what that meant either and she didn’t care. She just wanted to be left alone with that picture of her son.
‘Everyone’s wanting to know who the woman in the video is,’ Val offered.
Carol’s heart sank. The last thing she wanted was for her name to be spread about.
‘But it’s all right,’ the postmistress continued. ‘No one here is going to tell. Unless you want us to.’ She sounded hopeful.
‘No. No. Please. Don’t. I wouldn’t want—’
‘Of course,’ Deb broke in. ‘We won’t say a word. Will we, Val?’
‘No, absolutely not. If you don’t want us to.’
‘Thanks. I’ve got to go. I need to get these to Anna while they are still fresh.’ With a nod of her head, she indicated the eucalyptus boughs filling the back of the car.
‘Sure. See you around.’
Carol pulled away. As she watched the Ridge recede in her rear-view mirror, she wondered how she might get a copy of that video. She had a computer, but she was no expert. She’d try tonight. She wanted that video so much. The last photo she had of Justin and Ben was a school photo taken when they were almost seventeen. A few weeks before they applied for their learners’ permits.
A few weeks before her world fell apart.
***
By the time she pulled up at the vet clinic, Carol had her emotions a little more under control. She was glad she’d seen her boys, but nothing would come of it. Ben had made his feelings very clear all those years ago, and while Justin hadn’t been quite that angry and unforgiving, he had chosen his brother over her, as he always had and always would. They were gone now, and she had no more idea how to contact them than she’d had for the past few years. It was done. But she would find that video. At least she would have that. And maybe one day, when there was another fire …
She parked beside the small wildlife hospital and opened the tailgate of her car to reveal the eucalyptus branches filling the back. Their scent was powerful and an enjoyable reminder of her work. She started pulling them from the car onto the ground, already almost dry after last night’s rain.
The door to the main clinic behind her opened and Anna came out. ‘Hi, Carol.’
‘Hi, Anna. I’ve been leaf picking.’ It was an understated description of a morning spent scouring the unburnt hillsides, looking for the correct type of trees, then pulling away small branches of fresh young leaves in order to feed the injured animals she’d left at Anna’s clinic.
‘Good timing. I was just going out.’
The two women each gathered an armful of eucalypt and carried it through to the clinic.
‘How are they doing?’ Carol had brought in three koalas and one wombat.
‘They’re all doing fine.’ Anna added her load to the pile on a side bench.
Carol started sorting through the branches. She placed a couple of branches in the nearest enclosure. ‘Here you go,’ she told the occupant. ‘This will help get you back on your feet.’ The slow-moving koala pulled one of the branches closer and began nibbling. Carol smiled. This was the koala on the video. ‘She looks good.’
‘She does. Most of the damage was to her fur. Her skin isn’t too bad at all. I should be able to give her back to you early next week.’
‘I’ll keep my eyes open for a good place to release her.’ Carol wouldn’t return the animal to her previous home. There was nothing there now but ashes and charred tree trunks. The area would grow back and the wildlife would return, but not for a while. In the meantime, the koala needed a safe place to live, a place with plenty of food.
