Lars took the lead.  He dismounted from the horse and removed the heavy saddle and hung it over the railing.  The horse was now free to wander off, and did just that heading for a feeding trough full of grain and oats.  “Welcome to Kurrajong, Miss Burns,” said Lars.

The station consisted of a few small barns and pens for the livestock, with a farmhouse in the center.  It was a quaint little farmhouse.  It was two stories tall, and was painted white, though the paint was fading with age.  While the farmhouse was charming, Kylie found the stench of the farm to be a bit overpowering.  She had not grown up around farm animals, and she tried to resist her natural urge to gag.

“Let me take your pack,” offered Lars.  Not wanting to object, Kylie handed the pack over to Lars, who took it from her.  He beckoned for both her and Mungo to follow her indoors.

The inside of the house, like the outside, was very quaint.  It was neat and tidy, and served as evidence that Lars was both a good stationer and a good housekeeper.  Still, it was easy to recognize that the farmhouse was old; easily older than Lars himself.  

He set her pack down in the main room.  “The kitchen is off to the left,” he explained.  “The bathroom is upstairs.  It should already have towels that you can use.  Your room is also upstairs, so feel free to take a nap.  Also, help yourself to anything from the fridge if you want a snack.  I’ll fix you some dinner when I get back.”

“Thank you, Lars,” said Kylie.

“Now if you’ll excuse us, Wirinun and I have some…things to attend to…”  With his somber voice, Kylie could immediately tell that they were going to pay their respects to Malena, whoever she was.  The two men exited through the front door, leaving Kylie alone in the farmhouse.  

Kylie made herself at home, while she waited for them to get back.  First thing was to have a shower.  She went upstairs to the bathroom, and got into the shower.  When she turned the knob the water did not come on automatically.  The plumbing made a screeching noise and eventually the water came on.

The water pressure was disappointing to say the least.  The water seemed to dribble out of the faucet.  Back at home, Kylie’s shower was quite powerful.  Also, the water wasn’t hot; it was just lukewarm.  Still, a shower was a shower.  After the day of hiking they just had, it felt good to wash the dust off.

With her shower over, Kylie put on fresh clothes and went off to explore the house.  Specifically, she was looking for any clues about Malena’s identity.  She wasn’t snooping, per se, but she was looking for any hanging photos that might give her clues.  Why?  It wasn’t like she was going to put it in her documentary.  Still, she wanted to know more about this person who was so important to Mungo.  She found nothing.  Perhaps that was just as well.

She made her way to the downstairs area.  There she found Lars’ bookcases.  She glanced over them, and found many books on history—particularly natural history.  Lars’ shelves were full of books on plants and animals of the world.  He also had photos on the wall of many plants and animals in their natural settings.  So Lars and Carl had something in common.  Small world, huh?

Kylie was not particularly surprised to find that Lars did not own a TV; it probably wouldn’t pick up any channels any way.  But he also didn’t own a radio, or stereo.  Kylie was not expecting high end electronics.  But not even a record player?  How did Lars weather the solitude?

She found her way to the kitchen.  Opening the fridge, she found it full of fresh vegetables and other good things to eat.  She was particularly tempted by a wedge of cheese and an opened bottle of wine.  The cheese was so fragrant, she wondered if it was home made.  It had to be.  After all, how far away was the nearest store?

Lars had said to help herself, and the rumbling of her stomach told her to do just that.  Still, Kylie did not want to impose, so she decided to wait for them to return home.

 About an hour later, Lars and Mungo returned both in good spirits.  Any sense of grief or loss was replaced by warm smiles and good hearted laughter.  It was like they were two long lost friends who had been reunited.

“Did you enjoy your shower?” asked Lars.

“Yes.”  It wasn’t an entirely true statement, but for the most part, she had.  

“Great, I’ll put some soup on,” said Lars, who went into the kitchen to start making dinner.  Kylie and Mungo followed him and took seats around the dining room table.  As Lars stirred the soup, he made polite conversation.  “So, Miss Burns, I couldn’t help but notice your camera…”

“Oh, yeah, I’m a TV news reporter.”  Why was she still using present tense? 

“That’s nice,” said Lars.  He didn’t seem to be particularly impressed, which was not surprising for someone who didn’t own a TV.  Most people, when they found out she was a reporter, were full of questions.  It was nice that Lars wasn’t.  “I’m documenting the walkabout,” she said volunteering information.  

“Ha!  Imagine that!  Our Wirinun, a TV star!  Next thing you know, he’ll be moving out to Hollywood and riding around in a limousine.”  Lars laughed heartily.  So did Mungo.  Kylie eventually joined them in their laughter.  After all, the image of “Hollywood Mungo” seemed laughably out of place.

“Well, he may not be a movie star, but I think he’s got a story to tell,” said Kylie trying to be a bit more serious.  

“Wirinun?  Sure he’s got a story, but it would take ages to tell,” said Lars.  “Not that I’m trying to discourage you.”  Kylie could begin to see why Lars and Mungo were friends.  They both seemed to have the same manner of speaking.  

“Soups on,” he announced, and dished up two bowls of beef stew.  

Kylie’s stomach rumbled loudly.  She eagerly ate a few bites of stew before looking over to see that Mungo had none.  “You’re not going to have any?”

“I’ll provide for meself,” said Mungo.  “It wouldn’t be in the spirit of the walkabout,eh?”  Kylie felt bad for eating, but Mungo said assuringly, “You have some soup though, okay?”

With Mungo’s blessing, Kylie hungrily ate her bowl of soup.  It was hot and filling.  “Wow, Lars, this is really great.”

“I’m glad you like it.  Would you care for some more?”

Kylie wanted to say yes, but was a bit uncomfortable.

“You oughta have more,” said Mungo.  “Keep yer strength up.  The trip ahead’s a lot more difficult.”  Kylie looked over at Lars to see him nodding in agreement.

“Alright then.”  She finished the second bowl as quickly as the first, but now she was quite full.

The group moved from the kitchen to the front hall.  There, Mungo announced that he would be going to bed for the evening.  He moved to exit.

“You’re not staying here?” asked Kylie.

“I’ll sleep outside,” said Mungo.  “You sleep indoors, in here tonight.  Rest up.”

“Yeah, yeah, it gets more difficult up ahead,” said Kylie anticipating what he would say next.  She talked a tough game, but was actually a bit scared of what lay ahead.  If the past few days could be considered “easy” then what did “difficult” feel like.

Mungo took his leave, and Lars retired to the bedroom downstairs.  Kylie went upstairs to her room, and laid down on the bed.  The soft mattress was a welcome relief from the tent.  It would only make going back to sleeping in the tent more difficult.  

She did not go to sleep immediately.  She lay awake, and then looked out the window.  She could see the smoke and light from a small campfire; Mungo’s campfire.  Knowing he was out there made her feel safe and secure.  After that, she fell asleep easily.

Again, she awoke covered in sweat.  Another nightmare?  It was rare that she ever had nightmares two nights in a row.  What had frightened her so badly?  She couldn’t recall any details.  She had this strange sense that in her dream she was that there had been someone watching her.  Was that what had caused her such a fright?

She went downstairs to find Mungo and Lars chatting in the front room.  They both took notice of her as she came down the stairs.

“Did you sleep well?” asked Lars.

“Yes, very well,” said Kylie.  Again, it wasn’t an entirely true statement

“Ya ready to leave?” asked Mungo.

“Yes.”  It was difficult to say.  There was no reason to prevent them from leaving, but the smell of bacon coming from the kitchen made Kylie wish they could stay for breakfast.

“You can leave yer clothes here if ya want,” suggested Mungo.  His suggestion caught Kylie by surprise.  “From here on in we’re hikin’ in undisturbed country.  You won’t need them, and it’ll lighten yer pack.  We’ll come this way again on our trip home.”