Take Cover from Tracy

"Are your parents' home?" Jake asked, as he and Jessie surveyed the door to work out how to get it open and not risk bringing down more rubble.

Again, the older boy spoke for his younger brothers. "No, they were at a party last night and Natalie was babysitting us. Can you get in there?"

"Oh, I think so," said Jake, he and Jessie succeeding at opening the jammed door. Jake climbed in through the small gap, Jessie behind him.

The boys were right, their older sister Natalie was indeed still in the laundry. The tall slim teenager with long dark hair lay on the floor flat on her back, the girl's face pretty enough for her to be a model when she grew into adulthood. Except that one glance at Natalie immediately told both Jake and Jessie that Natalie would never reach adulthood.

Due to their careers as a stockman and a Navy officer, Jake and Jessie had learned first aid, but it was obvious that their training would be of precious little use here. Still, there was the instinct to try and Jake knelt beside Natalie's body, feeling her wrist for any sign of a pulse. There was nothing of course, and all Jake could feel was rigor mortis setting in.

Jake and Jessie exchanged a solemn look, Jake sadly shaking his head. Feeling a lump in her throat, Jessie turned to the door when Natalie's three brothers came closer the older asking, "So is Natalie okay?"

Jessie looked behind her back, seeing Jake gently close the lids of Natalie's lifeless brown eyes, before retrieving a blanket from nearby and covering her with it. Jessie knew that the day may come in her job that she would have to deliver bad news to a person about their loved one, but she never in a million years dreamed it would be on Christmas Day and to three young boys about their big sister.

Swallowing hard, Jessie was about to open her mouth when the voice of an older woman was heard. "Are you boys are okay here?"

The woman, who looked to be aged about 60 walked in and stopped at the sight of the three boys and the unfamiliar figures of Jessie and Jake.

"Mrs. Andrews, did the cyclone wreck your house too?" the oldest boy asked.

"Well, yes it did but I'm more worried about you and your sister and brothers Kevin," said Mrs. Andrews.

"We're okay, but Natalie got trapped in the laundry," said Kevin. "But don't worry, this man and this lady are helping get her out."

Mrs. Andrews looked at Jessie, and immediately caught the look in Jessie's eyes. "Boys, I think I need to talk with this young lady in private."

"Can we go in there and see Natalie?" asked Kevin. "If she's hurt and can't get up, she might feel better if we talk to her."

Mrs. Andrews was completely composed and looked at Jake as he stood at the laundry door, but answered the boys. "Um that might not be such a good idea. It might be unstable, isn't that right?"

"That's right," said Jake, closing the door and standing guard as Jessie and Mrs. Andrews moved out of earshot.

"You don't have anything good to tell me, do you?" Mrs. Andrews asked.

Jessie shook her head. "Natalie didn't make it, I'm sorry."

"She's such a nice girl," said Mrs. Andrews, her face filled with sadness. "I mean, she was such a nice girl. When older people pass away you can understand it, but not a girl like Natalie, just 14 years old and in circumstances like this."

"We were going to tell the boys," said Jessie.

Mrs. Andrews shook her head. "The kids grew up across the road from me. I'll do it, and take care of them until their parents get back. I just pray they're okay."

"Are you sure?" Jessie asked.

Mrs. Andrews nodded. "Yes. I was a nurse back in the war, I've delivered bad news before. It's not easy. It's never easy, especially now."

"Thank you, I just couldn't face it," said Jessie. "I'm in the Navy, we're going back to the base now. I'll inform the authorities, hopefully they'll be able to get somebody out here."

"Thank you," said Mrs. Andrews, the two women returning under the house where Jake and Jessie began to leave, the boys watching them depart in dismay.

"Why aren't they staying to help Natalie?" Kevin wanted to know.

"Kids, take a seat, there's something we need to talk about," said Mrs. Andrews.

"Natalie's dead, isn't she?" Kevin asked.

Jessie and Jake were out of earshot of Mrs. Andrews' reply to Jessie's relief, who could not bear to hear it. The remainder of the walk into the city was filled with the sights of more destroyed homes, and shattered families surveying the damage or salvaging what they could.

Darwin's city streets had been torn to ribbons by Tracy as well, shops smashed open, offices torn apart. One particular place presented with quite a danger. The cyclone had destroyed the bowsers at a fuel station, and now petrol had leaked everywhere creating a worse hazard than usual as there was no water for firefighting. A group of men stood guard around it, preventing anyone from going too near it.

Jake and Jessie simply stared blankly ahead as they picked their way through the debris making for the waterfront. Again there were many bizarre things to see, such as a city hotel where a car had somehow ended up in a swimming pool. Further along, they passed the Darwin Town Hall and a church across the street. These two fine buildings had escaped the heavy bombings by the Japanese in the Second World War and had stood since colonial times but none of this had mattered to Cyclone Tracy, which had destroyed them with the same ease as she had the houses just outside of the city and the commercial properties in the main city streets.

The waterfront was only a short way away now, and down a considerable sloping road to get there. Jessie and Jake picked their way through a tangle of rubbish and tree branches, then stopped short at the sheer devastation which greeted them.

Like the rest of Darwin, Tracy had no issues with demolishing the Stokes Hill Wharf with amazing ferocity. The jetties were broken apart, the buildings shattered and a variety of boats – pleasure craft, yachts, fishing vessels and Navy boats – were either sank, in the process or sinking or smashed against rocks. Tracy's storm surge, while having receded now, had washed plenty of maritime debris ashore here.

Jessie's blue eyes went to one of the wrecked patrol boats that lay on its side, half submerged. She knew and was friends with men who served aboard this boat. Were they okay, or had they met their ends during the terrible night? How about men on the other boats further out at sea?

Jessie looked at the sky, and Darwin's beautiful morning sunshine. Normally it brought her happiness, but today it only added to the feelings of sadness and loss sweeping over her. Jake stood beside her, too numb to speak or move. Jessie could feel the lump in her throat forming again thinking about the situation here at Stokes Hill Wharf not knowing if many of her colleagues were dead or alive; of the complete destruction of Darwin and most of all the death of the young girl Natalie at the house on their way here.

Tears pricked Jessie's eyes and she tried to blink them away and swallow the lump in her throat, all to no avail to her frustration and anger. The girl tried to think of pleasant Christmas memories to try and compose herself, but all she could think of were sad memories, such as the year she was 13 and her beloved paternal grandfather, always the life and soul of the family Christmas celebrations, was not there and never would be again and she became even more choked up. Jessie did think up some happy Christmas memories but these only served to make her sadder still, and the pain from her injuries made it all the worse.

Finally, Jessie's attempts to prevent herself from crying proved fruitless. Her eyes welling up, she sat down on a bench which had miraculously come through the cyclone unscathed and burst into tears, sobbing into her hands as she scolded herself internally for becoming so emotional.

The sound of Jessie crying broke Jake out of his near-catatonic state and tore at his heart, seeing the girl who he had known less than three days but felt that he might be falling in love with in so much distress. He sat down beside her and noticed that there was a clean baby's bib on the ground nearby, probably blown here by the cyclone.

"Hey Jessie, it's okay," said Jake in soft, reassuring voice, handing her the bib so she had something to wipe her eyes with and taking her in a firm but gentle embrace, holding her as she cried.

"Sorry," sobbed Jessie, as she composed herself enough to speak.

"What's to be sorry about?" asked Jake.

"For crying like this. I'm a Third Officer in the Women's Navy, I'm supposed to be trained to deal with things like this, not fall apart and start sobbing."

"Jessie, you aren't trained to deal with anything like this." Jake gestured at the complete devastation of Darwin's waterfront. "Nobody in the world is trained to deal with anything like this, a whole city destroyed by a cyclone on Christmas Day. It's okay to cry."

"I don't see you crying, just me because I'm weak," Jessie lamented.

"Jessie, the last thing you are is weak," said Jake. "And with me, I guess I just feel numb. I just can't believe this has happened, I mean I know it has but I still keep telling myself any moment now I'll wake up with you in the motel room, and everything after midnight last night was a bad dream. People cope with things in different ways."

"I know, but it doesn't make it any easier," said Jessie as she wiped her eyes. "I just keep thinking about Natalie, the girl at the house. I didn't know her, I'd never met her, but all I can think about is how she should be having fun and enjoying Christmas today with her family, not gone at 14 years of age."

Again, Jessie felt the tears flowing down her face and once more, Jake held her to reassure her as she cried. Her grief overwhelming, the one comfort to Jessie was that she was in the arms of the nicest guy she had ever met, a young man whom she probably never would have met had things not taken an unexpected turn on Monday, a day just two days ago but which to Jessie felt like three days ago. Jessie would have done anything to change these last few days, but the one thing she would not have was her chance meeting with Jake.

While holding the crying Jessie, Jake felt the overwhelming urge to protect her, to shield her from harm and keep her safe. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead to try and reassure her more, and eventually her tears died away. Wiping her red, bloodshot eyes, her tear-stained face and then her nose, Jessie discarded the bib before Jake released her from his embrace.

Standing up, Jessie and Jake walked slowly hand in hand towards what remained of the Naval Base, not sure of what was awaiting them there or in the future. They were not alone in their uncertainty about their futures, thousands of Darwin residents who had been anticipating happy times for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years' had no homes, lost their livelihoods and in tragic cases like the family Jessie and Jake had met, lost their loved ones.

Jessie and Jake as they limped along through the debris were only certain of one thing, that if they stuck together it would ease the horrifying aftermath of Cyclone Tracy and her complete destruction of Darwin on Christmas Day, 1974.

*

EPILOGUE

Due to her position in the Navy, Jessie was one of the few women who remained in Darwin after Cyclone Tracy. Most women and children were evacuated in vast numbers to other cities, and many families left town for good. Jake, who before Christmas was contemplating his next move career wise, remained in Darwin to assist with the clean-up and rebuilding efforts.

Jessie and Jake have now been happily married for 40 years and live in Adelaide, making the South Australian capital city their home when Jessie was posted there by the Navy in 1976. They have three adult children – two daughters and a son – and several grandchildren and are enjoying their recent retirement. They have travelled throughout Australia extensively, visiting the rebuilt city of Darwin where fate brought them together so many years ago on several occasions.

Beryl and Harry and their family survived the cyclone in Darwin's badly hit Northern Suburbs, even Abbott and Dwayne despite Abbott's foolish attempt to drive during the storm. They re-built their homes and business, but of the immediate family only youngest son Dwayne remains alive today. Harry and Beryl have died from old age, daughter Sheryl succumbed to lung cancer prematurely despite being the only member of the family not to smoke and Abbott met a sticky end through his own stupidity by ignoring the crocodile warning signs and swimming in a river infested with the reptiles.

On December 25 2017, Jessie and Jake are planning a picnic lunch either along the banks of the River Torrens or at Glenelg Beach with their family. But it is just a picnic, not a Christmas celebration. Throughout school, Jessie and Jake's children were often asked if their parents were Jehovah's Witnesses or Jewish given the family never observed Christmas and that Jake and Jessie would always volunteer to be on the skeleton staff at work during the Christmas and New Year holiday period.

Christmas means a lot of different things to different people, but for Jessie and Jake whenever Christmas was mentioned all they could think of was howling winds, torrential rain, destroyed buildings, fear, injury, devastation and lives lost. They are aware that other Cyclone Tracy survivors do not feel the same way, but as not celebrating Christmas is the best way of coping for them, it is what they do.

THE END - PLEASE RATE AND COMMENT