Chapter 4 No.4

"Yes, " I answered shyly.

"Gwen, it's me." Ria's voice sounded distant as if she were calling from another planet.

"Where are you?" I asked, really hoping she wasn't on another planet.

"I'm in Sydney, Australia."

Australia? She might as well have been on another planet.

"Where are you?" she asked back.

"I'm in Pakistan. But how did you get there so fast?" I asked, relieved to hear she was OK. Still holding the receiver, I grabbed the bottle of whiskey and had a sip to celebrate Ria being safe.

"I was hoping you could tell me."

"I'm thinking teleportation, alien abduction or space-time distortion, " I joked to make Ria feel at ease.

"Did I teleport myself or someone sent me here?" she seriously inquired.

"I'm not sure. Let me drink about it." I reached for the bottle, had another sip and lay down on the bed.

"How come you still have alcohol?" she nagged.

"I don't know, but what if, I mean just what if, " I said, letting my alcohol-fueled creativity take over, "you were abducted by aliens, and when they were about to start experimenting on you, their spaceship got abducted by a more advanced race of aliens which decided they didn't need you because they were only after your abductors."

"And they casually dropped me off on a different continent?"

"Yes, they didn't know where you lived so they left you in a random place."

"Well, at least they tried."

"You know, when you left, one of the goats left as well, is she there with you?"

"She was, I left it with an Australian family."

"You did what? How could you? That goat was the only good thing in my life."

"Was it? What happened to the other two goats?"

"They are here. But I liked that one the most, " I whispered, covering the receiver so the goats wouldn't hear me.

"Can you come to Australia?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, I've only got Pakistani money with me. My credit card is in my handbag together with my passport, use it to buy the next ticket to Perth - sorry, I meant Sydney. I'm going to start walking to the airport now, so I will wait there until you arrive. Is that OK?"

"Fine, I'll do it."

"Thank you. See you soon, I love you."

"Me too. Bye."

After we stopped talking I sat on the bed, holding the gun and replaying the conversation in my head. Australia. Of all the places, why did she have to go to Australia? I had to go there as soon as possible, to save her ass. I had no choice, but what could I do with the goats?

I left the gun on the bed and had some whiskey because life was too scary otherwise. A knock on the door echoed through the room. I covered the gun and the bottle with the towel that I had used to cover the phone minutes before and opened the door. Terra was standing there smiling charmingly, wearing her fedora hat while holding a six-pack of beers.

???

125 - Ria

"Me too. Bye, " said Gwen, who then sighed and hang up. I called the shop attendant to thank her for her kindness.

"No worries darling. Have a wonderful day, " she replied as if pulling her answer out of a drawer. She grinned as I slid the five dollars bill I got from Olivia into the donation box next to the till.

I had at least twenty-four hours to kill until her flight arrived and with no Australian money. I could try to find a bank and ask them if they could exchange the Pakistani money for me but I had the feeling I should better lay low until Gwen arrived with my passport at least.

The heat was intense. It was dry and real. I looked up at the sky to see if it was any different from the sky in the northern hemisphere. The sun was on the opposite side of the sky, of course, and the wind felt odd as well. There was not a cloud in the sky which was strange, as there's always at least one cloud somewhere. Being in Australia without money or a passport was a surreal experience. I looked at my hands again just in case I was dreaming.

Twenty-four hours, and no money. As I walked, I kept thinking of it. Twenty-four hours and no money. What to do. Twenty-four hours and only Pakistani money. Twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes and no Australian money. And no phone. And no food. And no purpose in life.

I kept walking and walking, for about two hours, being wary of myself and my environment, taking in everything my senses allowed me to. People were strolling as if it were a Sunday. I guessed in Australia every day was a Sunday. Every day it was hot, every day they drank beer and relaxed like people usually do on Sundays.

It was true, I didn't have food, money, passport or anything, but those were not my most valuable assets. The most valuable thing was still with me. My mind. I was still good at talking, finding stuff and solving problems. I bet I could talk my way into a free meal at least. It was time for me to concentrate. I kept walking in search of a good target while scanning my surroundings for a safe place to spend the night.