Barricades: Based on a True Story

By Avia

This story unfolds on campus during an autumn university sojourn. An interesting array of characters unveil the barricades that need dismantling when students face a culture clash, specifically socio-religious-cultural barriers encountered by Muslim and non-Muslim communities. An in-house dormitory assault results in Muslims becoming the prime suspects. This contemporary and evocative piece of writing is based on true characters and a real-life experience undergone at a country university in Australia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Feb 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493133789

Avia

Author Avia has been a Tante or "Aunty" for 18 years and writes novella stories for all ages. Avia enjoys writing novellas and poetry. Avia travelled the world and writes about her journeys and experiences.

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Copyright © 2014 by Avia.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 02/21/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris LLC

1-800-455-039

www.xlibris.com.au

[e-mail]

529526

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Endnotes

CHAPTER 1

‘Australian universities are being filled with foreign students who are paying exorbitant fees to study in Australia. These students are travelling from countries like Pakistan, India, and Africa.’

‘Drink spiking has become a dangerous problem in Australian pubs, clubs, and universities. The perpetrators are slipping illegal substances into alcoholic beverages, causing nausea, vomiting, blackouts, and subconscious states.’

‘Australian rental apartments are being filled to the brim with international university students requiring local accommodation. Tenants are expected to pay high rents to landlords and therefore cram the apartments full in order to afford accommodation as they also struggle to pay their university fees.’

‘Universities could be harbouring terrorists.’

CHAPTER 2

‘I was assaulted. Flat 1, Blue Village, 20 March 2004. Can you pick him?’

Signing the postcard ‘Charlotte’, I swiftly posted it to Carter.

Walking up the stairs of the austere blue concrete building, I wasn’t sure what was going to be before me.

After knocking gently, the counsellor flung open the door, and there was a perfectly tidy room with an Australian flag flying above the desk. The room had a nationalistic mood: serious and still.

‘Charlotte?’ she asked.

I nodded.

‘Come in,’ she requested.

The back wall was complete with psychology and law books facing a spotless desk. Sitting down carefully, I looked around the tidy room. My eyes moved nervously, absorbing the surroundings, then fixated on the counsellor. There was a moment of silence.

‘This is a free counselling session for two hours, Charlotte, and you have to tell me all that happened with the assault,’ the counsellor informed me.

I recalled that the papers I had received had advised me of this prior to going there. Two hours of free counselling and a meeting with an ARW (authorised report writer). I began to think hard about the visit. I didn’t know this lady after all. She was a stranger to me. I knew she was there to help, but who to trust ? After all I had been through, I gasped for air. I knew the visit was to be for my benefit, so I started to think seriously about how to word everything.

‘Charlotte,’ said the counsellor.

‘Yes, I’m sorry, I’ll try to remember everything,’ I said.

My tear-filled eyes looked down—like I had lost someone, not knowing where they were or what they were doing—and my mind wandered back to the country roads, the crisp clean air, the autumn- coloured leaves, the young students; and I began to recall.

CHAPTER 3

After a short lunch in the country town, Mum, Dad, and I drove steadily towards the university grounds.

A vista of a tree-lined street led up to the concrete university buildings that held presence, next to the adjoining bushland. There were parking lots full of student cars neatly lined up, surrounding the little village I was to stay at.

On arrival, the warm wind blew softly, and the fresh air wafted into the six-bedroom dormitory apartment, giving me a taste of the country ambience. Mum and Dad were helping with the boxes full of pots and pans. Unpacking was not an obstacle with all this help; however, little did I know that the smell of freedom was to become, for want of a better word, a series of barricades—or let’s just say, obstacles—to a single girl that was used to living at home. Starting a new job was one thing; starting internal university studies was quite another.

The university apartment was empty except for some basic, functional chairs and a simple table in the dining lounge area. The layout was unsophisticated and practical.

The fresh smell of warm country air complimented the country views of sun-dried bush grass and deciduous trees that graced the park-like environment. The panoramic-meadow view surrounded tree-lined liquorice-black roads that led to different parts of the concrete buildings and university grounds. Late afternoon shadows fell on one side of the line of trees leading up to concrete buildings full of empty chairs, tables, and forgotten memories of glory and failure.

The brown cows grazed and chewed the cud as their pretty big eyes raised to me while I stood staring out the open glass door viewing the bush paddock.

‘They