Ellie's Adventures; The beginning.

On route, I've decided to write a fun new series and keep it posted here as a web-based story. I'll tell you more later, but basically it is based around a young woman travelling the East of Australia and the crazy, wacky adventure she has along the way. 

Enjoy! 

Prologue; The Beginning of the Adventure.

Ellie, A.K.A Elizabeth Stacia Montgomery, loved to fly. She'd filtered through different flight-skilled film and television characters over many years of childhood Halloween, and once declared to her cynic of a father that her dream was to fly away from the hot and dry of Western Australia to see the world. Or at least the rest of the country.

Now was finally her chance.

Oh, she'd been to Bali - Perth's Indonesian playground and retroactive destination for cheap tattoos and pirated films - plenty of times. She'd been across the water to Rottnest Island, and been up, down and around the Western Coast more times than she probably cared, but this was different. She rather never counted those, anyway.

Ellie, broken-hearted and desperate for some sort of new and fresh adventure, had put her paltry money to good use and booked a flight to the furthest point from Perth available: Launceston, Tasmania. Of course, she could have gone to Brisbane, or Sydney, or the Gold Coast to start and work her way down, but the beauty of the tiny Tasmania had called to her so strongly, it's voice almost startling her with a ghostly whisper, that she had picked it.

In the spirit of denial, as Ellie stared out of the window as the endless acres of white, fluffy clouds slowly began to give way to tiny houses and farmlands, she pretended she could almost feel the wind against her cheeks as if she were flying herself. She imagined she were Peter Pan soaring to Neverland with the wind rushing through her hair as the Mainland melted away.

Beside her, sat an elderly man in a smart-looking suit and shiny leather shoes. He had a bowler hat on his lap that shouted 'money' and the possibility of English heritage, and didn't seem remotely worse for wear although she garnered he was pushing eighty.

He’d noticed her buzzing excitement as the plane taxied from Melbourne, and occasionally glanced over at odd intervals of the flight to see how she was doing. It had been awhile since he’d seen someone so passionate for Tasmania.

“Have you been to Tazzie before?” He finally asked her, and she started a little at the sudden noise before shaking her head in negative affirmation.

“First time,” Ellie replied, brushing a strand of hair out of her eye. “You local?”

‘I’m from Hobart, actually, but my daughter lives in Melbourne with her husband. The rest live in Launceston.”

Ellie had never been to Melbourne either, and having only passed through this time around, endeavoured to be there next. “Were you there long?”

“Long enough. Too fast for me – not as young as I used to be.” He grinned. “What made you decided to fly to Tasmania?”

This time Ellie grinned, eyes lighting up like the evening lights of New York City. “Destiny.”

Benedict de Gusso was pleasantly surprised by the young woman’s answer. It had been a long time since he’d met someone so fresh-faced for adventure, and longer still since he’d seen anyone her age so interested by Tasmania. Ellie’s apparent enthusiasm warmed his heart.

“You won’t be disappointed, my dear,” he told her. “You have the attitude ripe for it.” Then something so amazingly perfect occurred to him, and the cogs of his mind spun quickly on the verge of a brand new bright idea. “I have a grandson in Launceston, different daughter, around about your age. He’s not doing too much lately except work, and he could do with the company. I’m sure he’d be more than willing to show you our beautiful Island state.”

That would surely lighten the apathetic little sucker up, he silently added, fighting a smile.

Ellie’s first reaction was to shrink back. Having recently succumbed to what was clinically referred to as ‘love sickness’, she considered telling him ‘no’ immediately. Alas, due to subsequent issues lately, Ellie was less than willing to let any boy near her that she didn’t already know and trust, let alone some stranger’s mysterious grandson.

But before she opened her mouth to do so, she stopped and mulled it over. It was supposed to be a new beginning, new life, new experience, and adventure like she’d never known. Not all boys were the same – she knew better than to generalise – and there wasn’t even any reason to immediately distrust him. She didn’t actually know him, and there was nothing to say romantic issues would even be a problem. So as long as she shied away from developing any kind of crush or emotional attachment to the man’s grandson, why not enjoy meeting someone new and explore Tasmania with a local?

“I’m Ellie,” she finally said, offering her hand to the old man.

He grasped her hand and smiled again, shaking vehemently. “Benedict de Gusso, my dear. Be sure to head down to Hobart with that grandson of mine, will you? His name’s Adrian – I’ll give you his number.”