Struan 1962 - Adm.monash.edu.au

Eur id ice ..•Th e boy sat on the floor strumming his guitar and thinking of the girlhe had met the night before. As he played she seemed to appear before him ,just as he had first seen her, with her beautiful sensitive face and her greatwistful eyes that seemed to share all his thoughts and dreams. He recalledagain the party, the laughter and gaiety that had seemed the only backgroundfor such a girl. He remembered driving her home early in the morning, andremembered the wonderful happiness when she agreed to see him the nextday - today. Finally he put down the guitar and, turning over a heap ofclothes on the floor, pulled out the jumper that was least crumpled.Slamming the door after him, the boy dragged out his keys and ranover to his dilapidated old car. As he drove toward her hou se he rememberedwith a smile the girl' s name - Euridice. His happiness clouded for a momentas he thought of her failure to share his amusement over a part he had oncetaken in a school play, as Orpheus; but she was probably used to such jokes,and he should have been more tactful.He drove Euridice down to the beach, where the departing sun had lefta luminescent glow upon the landscape, as thou gh the light it had soaked induring the long, hot day was now seeping out to prolong the fading twilight.Together they climbed down the cliff path to sit silently on the warm sand,suddenly finding nothing to say to each other. As the boy watched the oceansurging and withdrawing, pounding itself upon the inanimate rocks, it seemedto be like his own mind, seething with ideas that hurl ed him first one waythen another, yet were never able to fulfil themselves, or wholly to beexpressed. He turn ed to tell Euridice his thoughts, but stopped as he saw hergazing at the horizon, a bored expression changing the beautiful eyes to sulky,unseeing orbs. She wouldn 't have understood any more than the flea-bittenmongrel that was lumbering up the beach .'"Come on, let's go; you look bored stiff," he mumbled, as the dogpanted up to them , rubbing itself against the boy's leg."Yes. Is there another party? 1 only feel alive when there arc peoplearound," she exclaimed."We'll find one ."As she clambered before him up the path he watched her again . He hadbeen right: she was very attractive, and hers was a fascinating face . The---""--'lI og' ustrated-bar . a drowned by th revving-ear-engin e-s­__""""'_ '"""".....__................Page Thirty.Six STRUAN, 1962