they told him not to cry, for his mother was now happy and at rest in the big place in the sky. but being a young boy, words are very literal, and so he made it his ultimate goal to get there. He climbed the tallest gumtree in Burke, the western paddock. scrambling between its limbs, and trying not to slip on its smooth exterior or disturb the ants' assembly lines winding their way up its trunk, he progress up the tree. the leaves tickled his face as he near the top, and soon there were no more branches that would support his weight. so from there he reached, stretching out his finger hoping to grab onto the cloud that was obviously too far up. he sighed and looked out across the landscape, it looked like it was going to rain soon, dark clouds appearing from behind the hills, a cool breeze whipped across his face. he could see the clouds touch the summit of Mt Isa and soon he was down the tree and running for the hills. He jumped the fence between the Burke and Fraser paddocks, passing Mary-Lee, one of their finest milkers, that always distanced herself from the herd. she mooed, as if she was concerned, but resumed grazing as he ignored her. Rain started to gently splatter on his face, mingling with the sweat on his brow and trickling off in large droplets. The ground became muddy as the rain hardened and his bloodstones started slipping and sinking. His breathing was getting harsh, and his throat burned with every inhale. His pace slowed, but his mind was still focused on reaching the sky. Footsteps came slapping up beside him, with almost identical harsh breathing tones. The boy turned to see who was running after him, only to slide into a fall that finished in a puddle. Wiping mud off his face he looked up at his father, looming over his small body, getting his breathing under control.
"Where... do you think... you're running off to?" he said, but without the gruffness he usually spoke with. His eyes glistened with moisture as he looked at his son lying in a puddle of mud.
"I want to go see Mum..." he whispered, turning his head to the side and making no effort on getting up.
His father was silent, and with the same air of stillness that seem to obstruct the vivid, torrential downpour, he lent down and picked up his son in his huge arms.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he carried him across the paddock towards the house at a jogging pace, "but we can't do that now,"
The boy remained quiet, looking up his father's tired and worn face. the rain had plastered his hair to his forehead in a scraggly manner, and droplets of water fell from the tips. his lips showed little expression, laying apart without effort. hair had crept slowly from his chin to his neck and cheeks over the last couple of days, into a layer that was more than stubble, but less than a beard. his eyes looked off towards the house, but not at the house, like he wasn't really seeing anything at all.
As they reached the gate between Burke and Fraser the rain eased up. The boy looked at the water flowing from his father's eyes.
"Dad, did you get rain in your eyes?" the boy questioned innocently.
The father didn't reply, because his voice would have contradicted any of the strong words he could have said. somehow the boy understood and said nothing more, uniting his own tears with the Earth's and his father's...