The camera spun around so Jasmine could wave – she was the one filming – and then it returned to Madison and Cierra as they walked to the edge of a cliff. It was a spectacular view. Jasmine showed the escarpment of the cliff itself: rugged ridges of rocks and eucalypts that stretched towards mountains in the distance, and then the camera panned up to show a beautiful sky, pastel blue and streaked with hazy clouds.

‘Tell us what we’ve learned, Madison,’ said Cierra.

‘Well, this cliffside is said to hold one of the gateways to the spirit world. Like a portal. Young men and women used to come here to test their courage, and try to speak to their ancestors on the other side.’

‘How?’ said Cierra. Jasmine pointed the camera over the edge again.

‘Well, apparently there were several ways: one was to hang over the edge of the cliff by your hands – a test of strength. But it was said that one young man who did this disappeared, and then when he returned some time later, he thought it was the same day: he’d fallen through time.’

‘No way!’ squealed Cierra.

‘There were other ways. Other rituals. It depended on what the spirits said, what time you were here.’

‘The spirits spoke to them? And it was this cliff only?’

‘No, but this cliff was special . . .’

The twins continued to speak, Madison chatting about the other portals, about the stories that the local people could tell, followed by the inevitable link back to the Hungry Man disappearances.

‘This is fascinating,’ said Gabriella.

‘It’s completely made up, Gabby,’ said Con. ‘None of those stories are real.’

‘Don’t call me Gabby, Cornelius.’

But then there was a hard cut in the video. It was night time, and Cierra and Madison were alone. Madison wore a fluffy white beanie and white lipstick, and Cierra a white curly wig.

‘We’re here, back at what we’re calling Sacred Cliff,’ said Madison. ‘We’re camping up here tonight. We’re going to try and commune with the spirits . . .’

Gabriella leaned forward with a melodramatic gasp. The girls sat in their tent and squealed at noises, telling ghost stories and legends of people encountering spirits in the mountains. Suddenly there was a strange light outside of the tent, the girls screamed, and the camera went dark.

Con snorted. ‘Notice how Cierra wasn’t in the shot when the light hit the side of the tent?’

‘Shhhh,’ said Gabriella.

Now the video moved to Madison and Cierra, lying in sleeping bags. Daylight streamed in through the open tent flap.

‘Guys, we saw something up here last night,’ said Madison, face pale, cheeks drawn. Her make-up was smudged. ‘We think that the spirits actually spoke to us – we think we have a way to reach the spirit world . . . but we aren’t allowed to talk about it yet.’