“The Reservoir was the end of the world; beyond it, you fell; beyond it were paddocks of thorns, strange cattle, strange farms, legendary people whom we would never know…”
Their parents had always warned them about going to the reservoir and how dangerous it was. The level of danger has been emphasized by comparing it to the end of the world. The children had been made to believe that when they went beyond the reservoir, they would never return. Like in a different world, the reservoir was described to be having only strange things. It is like nothing in the surroundings of the reservoir was normal. These are the same stories that every child is told by their parents about darkness, playing in the rain, and monsters. They have to be made to believe these stories so that they would stay out of danger. The reservoir was painted in a very dark way so that the children would never go beyond it unsupervised.
“Often we giggled and lingered even after the couple had observed us. If he didn't wear a Frenchie then she would start having a baby and be forced to get rid of it by drinking gin.”
The narrator was describing how they spent their time sometimes spying on couples along the gully. The quote lets the readers guess that probably these children were in their early teens and had started getting curious about sexuality. It also shows the myths and misconceptions they had about the termination of pregnancies using alcohol. The quote shows their level of knowledge about sex and ways to prevent pregnancy when they mention the use of a Frenchie. Children in their early teens often have all sorts of misconceptions and little truth about sex gathered from what they read or watch. It also showed their innocence and curiosity to know more about the topic.
“What was school like? It seemed so long ago, it seemed as if we had never been to school, surely we had forgotten everything we had learned, how frightening, thrilling and strange it would seem! Who would sit beside us, who would be our best friend?”
The children were on their summer break which had been so long, and the heat was too much they could not wait to go back to school. The narrator was imagining how much knowledge they still had left after such a long holiday. He was also thrilled about having to make new friends and have new desk mates. Whenever schools close so do the brains of learners in most places. They do not touch their books throughout the holiday so when the break is over, the knowledge they had acquired is all gone. The quote also highlights some of the norms that happen every time the schools reopen such as getting new desk mates and friends. These were some of the concerns of children their age about school.
“That our mother had not run away and caught the night train to the North Island, that our father had not shot himself with worrying over the bills.”
The narrator was having a very vivid imagination of a situation where both his parents were absent. This was probably a reflection of stories he had been reading or the movies he had been watching. The quote also highlights the fear that he had about being abandoned by his parents. Some of the readings and movies that children were exposed to traumatize their growth and beliefs. It shows some pressures that parents were facing to provide for their children. Bills have also been a worry to most parents and that is why some parents abandon their kids and run away or commit suicide when the pressure gets worse. Children are very sensitive and would know whenever a parent was worried about money or any other thing. The narrator was hoping that nothing like that would ever happen to him and felt relieved every time he went home and found both his parents.
