I moved past Nicky to grab the bucket that sat on the sink. Draught was a condition farmers feared most but ours was not the usual sort of draught. A mining magnate set up operations on the very edge of the farming territory eating into the supply of clean water and electricity. Farm living has been reduced to rustic in the extreme.

My mum and dad had not been the complaining sort and neither had I been until very recently. Afterall water was an essential one couldn't do with out. But my blow up with every level of management that of the mining concern and even the local council was to no avail. So here I was reduced to fetching water from the outdoor tuber that siphoned water from the underground reserves up with a pump. The pump itself like the farm was fired up by solar power. Mum and dad had manufactured a self-sustained cacoon in the middle of nowhere.

A fact I was happy to note but otherwise unhappy to operate. I doubted I could have managed this place on my own not without Brian and Nicky's constant help.

"Here I'll get that," offered Nicky instantly but I shook my head. My dreams of last night was still vivid. Lucian's eyes had glowed molten gold then swirled to pitch darkness.The torment in his eyes had been for more than my blood. It had been for my very soul. It was not something I could easily brush aside. I needed some physical exertion to take my mind of it. So I took the pail along with the bucket and went off to fill both to the brim.

I stopped by the door to tug on my work boots and shrug into a thick jacket. It was not quite winter yet but the winds were chilly and strong across the empty plains. I would be chilled to the bone in an instant if I stepped out without suitable coverings. Covered up I wemt even further to tug on a beanie and some leather gloves.

Then I was off through the door and out into the dawning sun. The heat from the direct sun was piercing a complete contrast to the chilly weather. But that was the oddity of Australia. The sun here burnt. Scorching all in its path with its intensity. Forest fires and grass fires bloomed up every summer. But this was autumn so those dangers were well over.

I shuffled over to the lone structure in the courtyard. A motored pump house. It was the one nearest to the house. The other was based at the back with the livestock and that was automated to pump out an amount of water daily at certain intervals to feed the lifestock.

I fiddled with the switches when the pump remained dead. The electricity must have been out all night. Yesterday had been cloudy so the solar storage of power was at a low too. I instantly regretted not having accepted Nicky's offer of help. But then I had wanted the exercise so I placed my hands appropriately on the manual handles of the pump and begun to work it slugging out torrents of water with each downward thrust of the handle.

I watched the water flow in with some satisfaction and was surprised to find the sun had shot up in the skies in the short while it took for me to be done.

I was halfway back to the house carting my two heavy pails of water when the sound of rubber rolling over loose gravel touched my ears. Looking up I found Nicky already there staring straight past me to a sight I couldn't as yet see.

I hurried foward spilling precious water as I went till I was at his side but he nodded me on. It was clear he wanted me out of site. I didn't hesitate but rushed to comply sloshing water as I went.

I slammed my way indoors locking up behind me as I went till I reached the kitchen. Leaving the pails there I rushed back to the living room wanting to be there to see what was coming.

"Brian! Back to bed!" I exclaimed instantly on seeing him at the door clad in his pj's.

But the look he turned to send my way was ferocious and far too adult like for his age. I found myself freezing where I stood..not fearfull of myself but for Brian. I knew I was no match if he decided to go vamp on me so how the hell was I to protect him from what's out there.