The night feels darker in the Pilbara and the stars shine so much brighter. You don't realise how much light pollution affects the night sky until you are further south. The Pilbara is where the Milky Way kisses the naked eye and the smoke of the fire caresses your skin. The smell of the saltwater breeze and the sound of the waves crashing in the distance is hypnotising. After the sun sets and you're no longer scorched by the heat, your mind starts to drift into the never-ending void of stars that cloak the night sky. You ignore the scratches on your legs from chasing wildlife through the bush. Alan Jackson plays through the speakers and the voices of your loved ones yarn away with no worries of western civilisation. No thought of the past or future, just right there in the moment, the spinifex flowing in the wind for miles on end.

The thought of leaving this place aches my heart. I know I've outgrown this town, but I'll never outgrow this land. The dry heat, like you just opened your oven door, is balanced by the cold bulldust, soft as feathers.

 

 

 

© Daniel Pitt. From Twice Not Shy: One hundred short short stories published by Night Parrot Press.

 

Daniel Pitt is a Torres Strait Islander (TSI) man, whose family originates from Erub (Darnley Island) and Waiben (Thursday Island), but who grew up mostly in the town of South Hedland, where he is connected to the many TSI families who continue to live in Hedland, as well as with the local Aboriginal families. His own experiences with racism, trauma, disenfranchisement, and the damaging effects of patriarchy that colonisation has left TSI/Aboriginal peoples to face, together with the many strengths within TSI/Aboriginal communities, has steered Daniel to study at UWA and pursue a career in education, as a means to teach and reinforce to the next generation of the importance of change.

 

Rest In Peace, Daniel Pitt: 7 February 1999 to 29 November 2020.

 

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