In an Inland Sea Part 1

"What a damn fool thing for them to do on a day like this," Bill McGee exclaimed after hanging up the phone. "It’s a wonder they weren’t washed away and drowned."

"They’re okay now Dad wrapped up in warm robes with their dainties dripping over the shower rod." Travis had arranged for his Mum and Miss Peeg to be put up in a nice hotel in Coffs to wait out the rains.

He walked over and looked out of the front windows at the rain…it had been nonstop since early that day. There were flooding conditions all over and the school had called stating they were keeping the children overnight. He had talked briefly with Tee and was assured he would be all right at the school in Nana Glen which was cut off from the main road.

"It’s raining so hard you can’t see the drive," Travis observed and walked away from the window. He was worried about his stock. Kelp and his two men had garnered the mowers to help move the cattle to higher ground. They were out there now in the driving rain.

Jimmy Kelp kept an eye on the creek all the water was flowing into it creating a river. With the sluice gates closed that area would soon be underwater. He had no time to fool with it and called Travis.

"Hey Travis…reckon you and Kyle and your Dad could open the sluice gates…if ya don’t the whole lower pastures are going to flood before we can get the cattle out," his voice was loud in the driving rain.

"Yeah sure we’ll open both," Travis turned to his dad and Kyle, "Put your rain gear on we got a job t do."

Jan heard the last of his statement, "Travis surely you’re not going out in this?"

"I have to honey…don’t worry you stay dry." He kissed her and went to the back of the house to find his gear.

They found the gates crammed with debris and all three of them jumped in pulling branches away from the gate so it could be opened. The water was beginning to lake up around them by the time they got it clear enough to pull the wooded locks back to open the gates. It took all three of them to get the gate open. Water poured down causing the once gentle little stream to gush and overflow its banks.

"We’ve got to get to the lower gate," shouted Travis and they slogged their way to the vehicle wet to the skin.

The stream wound its way for nearly a kilometer before it came to the next gate…it was a race against nature as they sped across the sodden fields. Opening the first gate would allow Kelp and his crew more time to get the cattle rounded up and moved but if they didn’t open the second gate more land would be under water shortly.

Bruised and battered the three men once again had to clear the gate before the water could be released. It had been over a year since the gate had been opened and it didn’t want to cooperate. Already the stream had become a river of fast flowing water. What normally would have been a six foot drop from the gate to the stream below was now less than four. They worked frantically trying to open the gate finally Bill had to quit.

"It ain’t gonna matter Travis," he shouted out of breath, "look…downstream."

"We got to try," Travis shouted back as he jumped in again to move a log washed into the gate.

"TRAVIS!!!" yelled Kyle

Travis didn’t see it…the log coming at him.