As he entered the village, he was surprised by the lack of noticeable activity.   Usually the women would be sitting round outside their huts or lean-toes weaving grass mats, sowing and darning, grinding wild maize into flour to make home-made bread.   Instead the sight of a seemingly empty village greeted him: the corrugated-iron huts looked like the ramshackle remnants of a long deserted ghost town.   ‘Surely they couldn’t have all packed up and gone walkabout in the less than a week that I’ve been away?’ thought Ernie.   But then as he got deeper into the village he heard the sound of a woman’s wailing from one of the huts and thought, ‘My God, there’s been another attack on a hunting party!’   This time much closer to the truth.   But it was only when he finally reached Debbie Bulilka’s hut that he learnt the whole, dreadful truth.

At the door to Debbie’s hut Ernie hesitated, unsure what his reception would be.   After a moment’s hesitation he opened the door and stepped inside.   He found the hut in darkness, the three small windows covered by black drapes.   At first he thought no one was home, but then seeing a dark outline through the doorway he stepped into the back room and found Debbie and Garbarla huddled together on the floor in a corner of the room, both seemingly in a state of shock.

Horrified by Garbarla’s listless state, Ernie said, “I…I think I’ve found the answer.”

“Found the answer?” repeated Joseph Garbarla listlessly.

“I think I know how to stop Mamaragan.”

To Ernie’s amazement, instead of the joy that he had expected, his words brought only loud wailing from Debbie and wracking sobs from Garbarla.   ‘Oh, my God, what have I done to cause this?’ wondered Ernie.   He watched Garbarla and Debbie, sitting rocking from distress, hugging each other for comfort, and wanted to hug them both to comfort them, but didn’t want to intrude upon their grief.

Finally Garbarla’s sobbing slowed enough for him to say, “Too late…you’ve come back a day too late.”

“I don’t understand,” said Ernie, kneeling on the dirt floor of the iron hut.