It was something of a shock to arrive in Sydney International Airport from sleepy old Jessup’s Creek. There were so many people. They flowed along the wide walkways between gates like a river of people of every colour, culture and age. Groups of kids on school or sports trips, followed by harried-looking teachers and parents. Families with small children, pushing prams and dragging ladybug and dragon roller bags. Couples still on a wedding high and about to head off on a honeymoon. The list went on and Elle found herself filling in the time trying to work out where everyone was heading off to.

This was the first time Elle had travelled outside the country and she was battling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. So far she had completed leg one of her trip, flying from Armidale to Sydney, and now leg number two was approaching: Sydney to Dubai. After a brief stop there, she would board her final leg to fly to Edinburgh.

She had already killed some time browsing through the duty-free shops and purchasing gifts for her Scottish relatives. It was hard enough to choose for relatives she had known all her life, much less for people she had never even met. In the end, she figured she couldn’t really go wrong with a couple of pens, a few key rings, a set of decorative shot glasses with Australian animals on them and some stuffed native animals.

Gran had been quiet so far, and Elle had no idea what that might mean. Part of her was relieved; looking like a weirdo, talking to herself, would have been guaranteed to draw attention to herself and have airport security detain her—not an ideal way to start her trip. Perhaps it had something to do with being relegated to carry-on luggage. It had been surprisingly easy to transport cremated ashes. She had documentation from the funeral home stating what the box contained, and after placing them on the conveyor belt along with her backpack, shoes and jacket, it was a simple matter of screening and then collecting at the other end. Now, with the ashes safely packed back inside her backpack, there was nothing left to do but wait for the flight to be called.

When boarding finally commenced, Elle found her seat, smiled at the older couple sitting beside her and pulled out the book she had been saving for the flight. She decided the best way to handle the long trip ahead was to completely block it out of her mind. So, she did. After all, how bad could it be?

When would this nightmare end?