The greasy café window is ready for the show A hundred different stories drifting by Keep your eyes on the shadows lurking on the pavement Cause no-one has any faith in the sky They’re all actors on the stage Nothing appears, as it would seem I like my coffee black, no sugar I like my coffee black, no cream There’s too much make-up on the waitress So many places she’d rather be She’s a masterpiece of abject sorrow Her demons will never set her free She moves around tables taking orders She moves around a broken dream I’ll take my coffee black, no sugar I’ll take my coffee black, no cream She won’t listen to the wisdom of the young She really doesn’t care what those boys think There’s a secret buried behind her eyes Runs darker and deeper than her ink Just more soul food for the demons of this underworld Veiled behind a curtain of rising steam She pours my coffee black, no sugar She pours my coffee black, no cream I like my coffee black, no sugar I like my coffee black, no cream ‘My Love Has No Limits’ by Carole Kelly, narrated by Bryan Cutts. When Sarah went missing, of course Dave was the first to notice. He'd been watching her all night. Sarah's sleek blond head, lit by the flickering firelight, had been a beacon that had sustained him throughout the disappointing evening. Dave had hoped that by joining the Adventurous Singles he'd have a chance to meet someone compatible, but so far all that had happened was that he'd fallen desperately in love with beautiful, unobtainable Sarah. This camping trip to the Blue Mountains was going to be Dave's last outing with the group. They'd hiked all day to find this amazing camp-site and by the time tents were erected and the campfire lit, the Adventurous Singles were ready to party. Under a cold canopy of starlight, they quickly settled into the small cliques that had been formed over the past few weeks. None of these included Dave who hovered uncertainly on the edges, never quite accepted by any of them, although most of the thirty somethings were unvaryingly polite to him. At over six foot and built like a rugby prop he commanded respect, but his lack of fashion sense and a face best described as plain, didn't make him attractive to most women. Anyway, Dave had no eyes for anyone but Sarah from the moment he first saw her. Tiny, not even up to his shoulders, and delicately formed, Sarah's elfin face and silky blond hair had captivated him completely. Sadly, she had formed an allegiance almost immediately with Mike, a fast talking good looking real estate agent. Most of the evening they'd been cuddled together under a blanket and sharing a bottle of scotch. When Sarah staggered off to find some privacy for her much needed bladder relief, Mike had passed out and was gently snoring. After Sarah failed to return to the campsite half an hour later, Dave became worried. He shrugged on his sensible heavy jacket and picked up a torch, before beginning to check out the surrounding bush, looking for Sarah's distinctive pink Puffa. As soon as he moved away from the camp-fire's light the shadows became thick and the uneven ground littered with debris. Sounds of animals moving in the dense bush around the site made him nervous. As a city boy, everything sounded threatening and he soon realised that he had little chance of spotting Sarah by himself. Returning to the camp-site, he quickly marshalled the more sober members of the group into a search party, then grabbing his backpack he began to explore the area methodically. It didn't take long to establish that Sarah was nowhere close to the camp and had probably wandered off in the wrong direction. Dave was really worried now and began to extend his search further afield. He soon walked out of sight of the other parties who were still stumbling around the camp and calling Sarah's name. The darkness was almost tangible here and the beam from his torch was feeble and ineffective. A loud call from an owl made him jump and trip over some exposed roots. As he fell the torch flew out of his hand and he heard it fall noisily down a cliff. At the same time, he thought he heard a faint cry for help. "Sarah is that you? Can you show me where you are?" After a moment a faint wavering light could be seen flickering from over the edge of the cliff. Dave shuffled closer to the edge, aware that he couldn't clearly make out where the fall-off began. Then he was able to see Sarah's pink Puffa illuminated by the weak torch light she held in trembling hands and the narrow ledge on which she was crouched. "Help me please, I can't get back up. I've hurt my ankle and I'm really scared." She finished with a sob that tore Dave apart. "I'll have to go and get help to pull you up but I promise I'll be back as soon as possible."/ "No! Don't leave me!" "Sarah I have to, I can't lift you up by myself." "Please, please try! I can't bear to stay here any longer by myself." Sarah's voice was becoming hysterical and Dave began to worry that she'd fall even further. "Okay, I'll try and pull you up if you are able to grab hold of a branch or something. Let me have a look around." Trying to ignore Sarah's plaintive sobs Dave foraged around in the undergrowth and managed to find a sturdy branch that looked as if it would do the job. Wiggling back to the edge of the cliff he talked her through the rescue operation with some trepidation. He thought he could manage to hold the weight of her slight figure but he was concerned about her ability to move her way back up the cliff. It soon became apparent that his concerns were valid as Sarah appeared to be frozen in fear. Encouraging her as well as he could, Dave shuffled precariously closer to the edge. With a loud crack, the ground on which he was laying broke under his substantial weight and he toppled over the cliff face. As he hurtled past Sarah he instinctively grabbed hold of her body and held her protectively close to his own, as they fell heavily through scrub and bush before landing at the bottom of the cliff. With a groan of pain Dave managed to sit up and look around for Sarah who'd fallen out of his arms. With relief, he found her lying close by, but unconscious and the damaged ankle was swollen and clearly broken. He took a moment to assess his own injuries and was surprised to find that other than a bump on the head and multiple bruises, he was in fairly good shape. They appeared to be lying in dense bushland, and under the faint glimmer of stars, that was all he could see in every direction. The top of the cliff was lost in shadows and it was obvious that a search party would have no way of guessing where they'd fallen. Putting those concerns to one side, Dave staggered to his feet and was pleased to see that his backpack had also made it down the cliff, being stuck in a nearby bush. An ex-Boy Scout, Dave was always prepared and he hoped that the contents of his backpack may be enough to help them survive this ordeal. Unfortunately Sarah's torch had been lost, but there was just enough moonlight for Dave to retrieve his belongings. Only one plastic bottle of water had survived the fall and he took a careful sip, aware that fresh water may not be available close by. Dave knew that it was imperative that he found shelter for the pair of them. Already temperatures were dropping and there was a hint of crisp frost in the air. Nights in the Blue Mountains could be bone chillingly cold and Sarah's fashionable Puffa wouldn't be sufficient to keep her warm. Scrambling around in the bush, he soon found a shallow natural cave that had been formed at the base of the cliff. It would provide some degree of protection, and Dave made a rough bed for them with bracken, hoping he wasn't going to disturb any snakes, being a bit hazy about their nocturnal habits. Then he carefully carried the unconscious Sarah into the cave. He knew that she may have internal injuries but thought that she'd have a better chance of survival here in shelter. There was a nasty cut on the back of her head where her blond hair was matted with blood, so he tenderly wrapped his scarf around it, then holding her close to his body heat he prepared to wait out the night. At some point he fell asleep, waking to find Sarah moving restlessly in his arms and the first light filtering through the trees. "What happened? What am I doing here?" Sarah asked weakly as she tried to sit up. Dave quickly explained and discouraged her from moving around as he wanted to have a better look at her injuries. In the pale morning light he could see that the cut on her head had stopped bleeding but there was no possibility that she was going to be able to put weight on her broken ankle. They shared a frugal breakfast of trail mix from Dave's backpack and a few sips of water, then discussed their situation. Dave suggested that he leave her in the cave and try to hike out of the bush to find help, but Sarah became so upset over the thought of being left alone that he had to agree to stay. It was becoming apparent to him that his adored Sarah was used to being cared for, and was rather selfish, but it didn't make him love her any less. Sarah agreed to let Dave search for water because their one bottle wouldn't last very long. The only food that had survived the fall was the trail mix, and half a slab of squashed chocolate from Dave's bag, which also contained a Swiss army knife and an old t-shirt that he used to make a bandage for Sarah's ankle. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find any water in the densely wooded area around them. The morning chorus of kookaburras and other birds he couldn’t identify seemed to mock him, as he returned to Sarah in despair. She was hobbling around with the use of a stick he'd found for a crutch but again refused to even consider his leaving her, or to try and hack their way out. It appeared that they were destined to stay where they were and hope that rescue parties, surely underway, would find them. The day passed slowly. Sarah slept in restless phases, and on waking demanded water and food. Dave tried to ration out the water, but Sarah wasn't used to being refused and easily became teary, which made him more anxious. He wondered if the head injury was affecting her cognition and thought she was developing a fever. Restricting himself to only a few sips of water and foregoing any of the food, he managed to eke out their supplies. As the sun dropped the temperature quickly became colder and they soon took refuge in the cave. As Sarah slept again, her blond head snuggled trustingly on Dave's broad chest, his heart swelled with love and he vowed to protect her with his life. Over the next two days both of them quickly became weaker. Unable to find water, Dave attempted to gather some dew overnight on the spread out plastic bag that had contained the trail mix. Unfortunately it proved unsuccessful, providing them with only a mouthful of moisture which he gave to Sarah. He was worried about her rapid deterioration. Sarah spent most of her time sleeping and her forehead was hot and dry. She'd stopped asking for water or food and every hour seemed to be slipping further away from him. Dave was in better shape, although the lack of water was beginning to affect him too, but his only concern was for Sarah. As it grew dark again, he gently roused her from her heavy slumber. "Sarah darling, I need you to drink this." He held up the water bottle to her dry cracked lips and urged her to swallow. A viscous red liquid oozed down the sides of the plastic and into Sarah's mouth. She grimaced but obediently continued to drink until the bottle was empty and immediately fell asleep again. Dave tenderly kissed her pale face and slumped beside her. By the end of the third day Dave was no longer able to spill his precious fluid into a bottle, but Sarah willingly drank from his wrist. To Dave's tired eyes she seemed a little stronger. His only thought now was to keep her alive until help came, and to that end, he was willing to sacrifice everything else. Day four arrived hot and blustery. By this time Dave was unable to move from their small sanctuary or to open his veins to provide Sarah's nourishment, but under his direction she confidently wielded his Swiss army knife to fend for herself. With further coaxing, she also managed to cut a small piece of flesh from his biceps and to force it down. When day six arrived, Dave's martyred body was lifeless and cold but Sarah still lay huddled close to him in a stupor. Her matted filthy hair and sunken eyes meant she no longer looked like the beautiful waif with whom Dave had fallen in love. When she first heard her name being called she thought she was hallucinating, but then it came again. Slowly through her mental fog, Sarah realised that rescuers were coming and somehow she found the strength to call back, as she crawled weakly from the cave. The harsh morning sun filtering through the trees made her eyes smart and she instinctively raised a hand to wipe them, and to try and smooth down her tangled blond hair. But as she did so, Sarah noticed in remembering horror that her hand was covered in dried blood, and as the first of the search party rushed into the clearing, she began to frantically clean them on her soiled Puffa. Almost quietly at first, she began to cry, and as her worried rescuer tried to give her water, sobs turned into screams becoming louder and louder, until the bush was filled with the sound of her unbearable pain.