Dead Tree Forest Read Online Free PDF Page A

get to the lake and back.”
    “You know what they say about assuming,” Nathan said from behind.
    “Nathan, shut the fuck up or else,” Brian growled. To Ray: “But you had to go and get us a nig-nog that doesn’t know his arsehole from his mouth.”
    “No Aborigine knows this forest,” Chris said solemnly. “They know about it, how to get here, but nobody has been in the forest itself—at least, none that have come out alive. What did you expect? A tour guide?”
    Brian stopped.
    Ray stopped too, followed by Chris and Nathan.
    “What is it?” Ray said.
    “I don’t know man, I’ve suddenly got a bad feeling about this,” Brian said.
    “It’s this forest,” Chris said. “You can feel Ginnumarra’s pain.”
    “No, it’s called being worried about getting lost in this fuckin’ forest,” Brian said, eyeing Chris. “Are you sure you don’t know how to get to the lake?”
    Chris nodded.
    “Look, don’t worry about getting lost, okay?” Ray said. “We’ll be fine.”
    Brian dug into his pocket and pulled out his Nokia. He flipped it open. Grimaced. “Just as I expected, no coverage.” He folded the phone and stuck it back into his pocket.
    “This forest isn’t supposed to be all that large,” Ray lied. “Hell, we may even reach the lake before it gets dark.”
    The truth was, nobody knew exactly how big this forest was. No one had ever surveyed the area. All Ray knew about this forest came from the accounts written by the British settlers back in the nineteenth century, and they all talked about huge stretches of forest that took days to ride through. Of course, he couldn’t tell Brian this. He just hoped Chris kept his mouth shut.
    “You think we’ll get to the lake by nightfall?” Brian asked.
    “It’s possible.”
    Brian sighed. “Christ, this treasure better be worth it.”
    “It will be,” Ray said. “It will be.”
    They continued walking. As they wound through the maze of trees, it seemed to Ray that the deeper in they went, the more drained of life the trees appeared to be, their bark pale and withered. Compared with these, the trees on the edge of the forest were bursting with life.
    Creepy forest , Ray thought. Chris was right—there is a bad feeling in here. But I have to do this; I have to get that amulet .
    His mind turned again to his wife and kids; in particular Gemma and how she had looked when he left home yesterday morning—pale and sad. He thought about what was supposed to be lying at the bottom of the lake; how, if the legends were true, it could be her salvation. It would be the treasure of all treasures.
    It could also be all bullshit and then this trip would be for nothing.
    Chris seemed to think the stories about why the forest was cursed and, more importantly, about the girl and the treasure she had taken with her to her watery grave were true.
    Ray was never one to take an Aboriginal’s word as gospel, but both Sammy and Chris had told the same stories about the forest—so there must be some grain of truth to the legend.
    There had to be.
    Ray was counting on it.
    * * *
    Chris could sense death and pain all around him.
    The screaming had grown louder the closer they got to the forest. When they had rounded the bend in the meadow, it was like Ginnumarra herself was inside his head. The screaming had eased the moment they entered Dead Tree Forest. It became more of a pained weeping, and it was all around the forest, like someone had placed a hundred speakers throughout, high in the lifeless branches.
    He was certain Brian and Nathan couldn’t hear the weeping; he wasn’t so sure about Ray. Chris had a feeling Ray would be able to hear the crying if he listened closely—but the other two, they would never hear the forest’s pain.
    As Chris continued to be forcibly led through this barren wilderness, the rope rubbing against his wrists, burning the flesh, his stomach empty, he thought back on what his elders used to tell him about Boolool Kiambram . He