The Botanical Flood

Miss Winnie Peeg and Sarah McGee set out early in the morning for Coffs Harbour’s botanical gardens. Sarah armed with note pads and pens and Winnie with her trusty plant identification guide for native plants. It was cloudy early on and the two of them had their umbrellas and rain gear. After about an hour they were forced back to the car to find their boots and raincoats and umbrellas.

The rain didn’t bother Winnie having been born in England rain was in her blood but Sarah was a little more apprehensive.

"I tell you Winnie it can rain buckets here and because the land is so parched and dry it just runs off and floods."

"I should think we have plenty of time to finish our tour," she said brightly.

After a stop for tea they continued on working their wet way through the gardens as the weather continued to worsen.

"What time is it Winnie I’ve forgotten my watch and you can’t tell by the sky."

"Oh my it appears its after lunchtime…we’ve missed our lunch…perhaps we should start back to the tea room before it closes."

They enjoyed a nice lunch and thought they might start for home before the roads got too bad. Winnie started her mini and drove carefully out of the car park onto the Pacific Highway. There was a lot of water on the road and her little car hydroplaned sometimes sideways.

"Oh dear…we’ve left it too late Sarah," she said as the water rose around the car now over the wheels.

"Winnie we’re going to drown in here…we must get out…Winnie…"

"I thought maybe there might be a place to pull off…but there is no off…Oh Sarah I am so sorry. I’m going to turn off the motor." The car sputtered and stopped then began to move on it’s own.

"What shall we do…can you get out the window?" Sarah asked

"Oh dear no its way too small…perhaps the door," Winnie unlatched her door and water began to pour into the floorboard."

"The top of the car…let’s make it to the top surely someone will see us and come to help…pull off your boots they will only drag you down." Sarah was pulling hers off and helped Winnie get out of her boots and they grabbed their handbags gave each other a look and Sarah opened her door. The water was running swiftly down the road but they were able to get good handholds and climbed from the front of the car to the top…handbags clutched tightly too their bodies they sat on top of the car and waited for rescue as the little Mini Cooper floated slowly down the highway.

"Should we call someone," shouted Sarah?"

"My phone is in the car," shouted back Winnie

"I have mine…I shall call Travis," Sarah shielded her phone as best she could with her raincoat and dialed Travis’s number.

"I can’t hear you where are you?" Travis said into his phone

"I said we’re on the pacific highway between Coffs and The Glen…it’s flooded Travis and we’re floating away."

"Ah shit," said Travis trying to think what they had that might make it out. "We’re flooded here too Mum…I’ll call rescue…where exactly are you?"

"He wants to know where we are exactly," Sarah shouted to Winnie.

"We’re about seven miles outside of Coffs I believe…well we were." Winnie felt terrible for getting them into this mess.

Sarah shouted into the phone seven miles out of Coffs and lost the connection. "Oh I hope he heard me," she shouted to Winnie.

Winnie was hanging on the area where the windshield fit onto the top and the car seemed to wobble about.

"I say Winnie we’re going to have to balance you know," shouted Sarah, "else we’ll be in the stew." She indicated the debris floating by. Water was now up to the windows and still rising.

It seemed like forever before they saw the two big headlights coming toward them. They belonged to a large wheeled rescue vehicle that stopped a little distance from them and waited for the little car to float within reach. When they were pulled off the car water was nearly to the top. They were soaked, cold and a little sheepish after being brought inside and wrapped in warming blankets.

"Didn’t ya know about the flood?" asked one of the rescuers

"Well no…we were in the botanical garden planning my borders," said Sarah with as much wet bedraggled dignity as she could muster.

"It came so quickly we really had no alternative but to hang on," said Miss Peeg her hair hanging in wet rat tails about her being.

"Could you call for me...my phone has flooded…call my son and let him know we haven’t drowned?" asked Sarah.

"Yes mum…we’ll take care of it all…you just get warm there…now what’s the number to call?"