Saltwater

‘The Salty’, by Rodney Jensen

Originally contained in “Saltwater” an Anthology published by Manly Council, devised and edited by Zena Shapter in 2019, p. 93.

This award winning contribution by Rodney Jensen with artwork by Megan Barras is seen through the eyes of Jim Beales, publisher of Manly Biz and Environmental, a holographic news service started in 2045. His attention is drawn to the tracks of a saltwater crocodile and a mauled body in the vicinity of a housing estate near to Curl Curl lagoon. Following various local government shenanigans and developer intrigue, another sighting of the crocodile occurs even closer to Sydney Central in a wetland area backing onto Middle Harbour, where the remains of another body is discovered.

In the opinion of some experts, global warming will lead to more crocodile sightings well south of the Australia’s tropical zones in the years to come.