The curtains of day draw across the stage, an arena of personalities wraps around my feet. Several puffs of white converse with a breeze and over fissures in creased dunes the wind wheezes a salty breath, letting known his existence. From the top a rug of shrub is thrown across the hills, he rolls to his beginning with the beach. Greeted by a ribbon of the west coast, a man from across the ditch makes a visit. I watch as friendships are born.

I sit above the quiescence in awe of the way the sea and sky blend with such fluidity, in admiration of the beauteous place I call home. From my perch atop this hill I watch a slither of land curl around the bay, unraveling for miles to the tail of Te Ika a Maui. I hug my knees and wait for twilight to fall.

Clouds blow across the sky, blanketing the east. The air cools as darkness sets, lit only by the evening star and a scattering of houses far distant. A mozzie lands drunkenly on my calf but I needn’t swat him away; I am at peace with my surroundings.

I wait for the moment… I’m struck! An avalanche of pride churns my insides; my heart convulses as a smile is unleashed. I live here! Content, I turn towards the hills and stab my gumboots with the foot pegs. I steal one last look at the untouched sanctuary I have, all for my own, before thumbing the starter.

The engine thunders to life with a throaty roar. With a kick of the stick I send him revving into motion. His husky voice booms through the silence that once was. I hurtle towards unknowingness, relentless. I wake the headlights, they blare ahead. Bounding over knolls the lights dip then rise, divulging secrets of the inky night sky.

Two watery spheres hover far ahead. The intermittence of my accelerations is held in abeyance as I clout the throttle. A small brown hare crouches, threatened by the impending encounter. Fear swells in her eyes for she is fixed firm in my sights and I in hers. Her whiskers quiver but she is rooted to the spot, death is inevitable.

I am defiant, I will not be beaten. I near the mark, I lower my body in anticipation; I’m going to nail this bastard! The confrontation was piquing; my pupils dilate, absorbing the target. One last rev… In two wholesome bounces I am catapulted skyward. Remorselessly I snatch a handful of it and heave a punch of triumph above me. I beam a celebratory smirk distorting my once ‘at peace’ face.

With a glint of malevolence in my eye I slow, wrenching the handlebars to the right. I thumb the throttle as the rear of my bike swings out, drifting around to follow suit. I bring Suzi to a halt a paw short of my victim. She lies there. Her body tyre-marked and lifeless. Her eyelids draw over her teary eyes. I stand over it, I am superior, I am victorious.

Balanced on a line of foot pegs I ride the track down to the beach, with every bump reliving the confrontation.