By Adam Cass

Memo: Early Spring, +34 years.

To: Jake (or whoever’s in charge there these days). 

Location: Melbourne Forever Survivor Depot.

From: Dan Central Vic.

Location: The Big Lakes about 2 days walk up the old Calder Highway from you guys.

Courier: Josh. Wants a hot cuppa as payment on your end when he gets there.

Subject: The lakes have got water in them.

Content: Jake, as advertised, a few of the lakes up here have suddenly got water in ‘em. I dunno how, because unless I’ve been in a coma and somehow missed it, it hasn’t rained. I remember hearing stories about Lake Eyre in the very old days, about mirages which made it look like the water was back, but this isn’t that. There’s really water there. Also heard about how life would just spring up out of nowhere when the water did come back to Eyre and it’s done that here, too. There are birds, Jake, and fish, and frogs, and snakes, and I think I saw a bloody croc. And so many effing insects. I know this sounds like bulldust, but seriously mate, I promise it’d be worth your time to send some of your people up here to take a look. As well as do some hunting and fishing and all the rest of it, of course, because trust me, there’s enough to go around, so bring something to take it all home in.

Jake, I don’t know if you know, but the lakes up here are bloody big. When they’re just salt, and some of ‘em still are, you couldn’t cross one in a day unless you set off first thing.

I know this all might be a lot to take in, and hopefully you’re already thinking about who and what you’ll send, but there’s something else, too. Maybe something bigger. My missus Jacqui told me that the night before the lakes filled up, she heard a sort of engine in the sky. She’s old enough, like you and me mate, to remember planes. She said it wasn’t like that, not really, and definitely not like a helicopter. It was higher pitched and made a sort of whirring sound, but slowed down, she said, like it was in slow motion. She came to wake me up, but by the time she’d got to me, it had stopped, and in the morning the water was there.

I don’t know what any of this means, mate, but it’s obviously pretty interesting. I’m gunna let you and your mob do all the speculating, as you’ve got the brains. All I am is the eyes, and as you know I’m always happy to pass on anything interesting that I’ve seen. Remember last year or so, mate, when I told you about the lights in the sky? It might not be related, but I think I told you that they’d circled the lakes night after night for what, maybe a month? There’d been no engine sounds, but I dunno, what if that was a recon team? Do you think that might be right? No need to answer, of course, just come up and we can chat about it.

Jake, what if this means there’s something or someone out there that doesn’t want us to just disappear? I’m not a religious person, and I don’t mean anything like that. But, well, something more real than that. I’ve lived on the edge of the big salt ever since the first day. Before the first day, this place was pretty green, and things grew here pretty well. It wasn’t an easy life, but we made it work. My heart’s been broken for all these decades, mate, but I’ve persevered. We’ve all just done our best. What if somebody has noticed that and is out there trying to tell us, “All right, blokes, you’ve suffered enough.”

Wouldn’t that be a thing.

Hope this gets to you soon, and I hope you hurry up, because there’s life here, Jake, and hope. See you soon. Dan.

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