As soon as Poppa had parked the
caravan Gran made him a cup of tea. Caitie anxiously stood alongside her
Poppa hoping he would soon finish sipping, but he would always have a
second cup. Caitie would have to wait a few minutes more before the
adventure would truly begin. She put her hands on her hips and stared at
him as Poppa would do whenever he wanted her to hurry.
“Let’s put your bathers on!” Gran
smiled as she tugged at Caitie’s jacket pulling it over her head. Caitie,
who had only just begun to talk, pointed to the river. She knew what
Gran’s idea was but the water was smelly, murky and grey. “Yes Caitie, we
are going to have a swim in the river and cool off. Here put on your
floaties.”
Caitie had been to visit the long
white beaches along the coastline. She had been tossed and flipped over
onto her back by the cool, crystal clear waters and had tasted the salty
water she unfortunately swallowed. But the murky water in the river did
not look inviting. Caitie looked into her Gran’s eyes searching for more
information about what she intended for her.
“Come on Caitie Kilroy!’ Poppa
laughed as he ran into the river and began splashing water over his head.
“No!” Caitie declared and she
shook her head and stood near the bank determined not to enter the water.
Poppa swam around and around and dived under the water and popped his head
out and blew bubbles at her. Within seconds Gran had also jumped into the
water and was floating on her back.
“Come on Cait! The water is
beautiful!” Gran tried to entice Caitie nearer the edge.
“No!” Caitie insisted. High above,
nestled amongst the leaves of an old river red gum, were two cheeky
kookaburras. They began laughing at Caitie who by this time was so hot and
flustered she decided to put one toe into the water. She did not like
being laughed at either.
“The kookaburras think you’re
silly Caitie!” Poppa shouted.
“Not silly!” Caitie pouted and
slowly walked into the river. Gran helped her and then dragged her by her
arms into the deeper water. Caitie turned onto her back and the floaties
safely supported her tiny body. The river water was still and cooled and
calmed her as she bobbed about in the gentle rippling waters.
Suddenly Poppa came closer to
Caitie and pinched her bottom. She screamed and Poppa and the kookaburras
laughed loudly together.
“It was a yabby Caitie!” Poppa
smiled but Caitie knew he was the culprit.
“No Poppa!” Caitie pointed at her
mischievous grandfather then looked up scornfully at his accomplices high
in the trees. Poppa then floated on his back and began telling Caitie a
story.
“The Aboriginal people who have
lived at this place, Caitie, for many many years think bunyips live in the
river. Bunyips are monsters that catch naughty kids and drag them back into
the river and eat them.”
Caitie’s attention was now totally
upon her adoring storyteller.
“If the kids do not do as they are
told to do then the bunyips will sneak into the people’s camps at night
and steal them. Their mums and dads would not know anything about it. They
only know their kids have gone and that the bunyips must have come and
taken them because they had done bad things.”
Caitie fearfully shook her head
then looked over her grandfather’s shoulders across the river to the other
bank on the opposite side where a group of Aboriginal children were
happily playing. She wondered whether these children would become the
bunyips’ next meal.
“The mums and dads tell their kids
not to leave the camp at night or go to places that are dangerous. You
must always stay close to us Caitie and never never go near the river
without us. Immediately the kookaburras cheerfully sang their song as if
they were mocking her grandfather’s warning.”
“Kookabuggars laugh at me!” Caitie
announced pointing her finger in their direction. Poppa smiled and added:
“No it’s kookaburras Caitie!” But
Caitie didn’t know she had mispronounced their name. Caitie didn’t care
either as her imagination was busily creating all kinds of pictures in her
head. She had never seen a bunyip or a picture of one and had certainly
never heard of them before. What could these terrible creatures be like?
Later that night when the sun had
sunk below the horizon and magical red lights filled the darkening skies
Caitie lay on her mattress in the caravan. Her busy day and adventures
with Poppa has exhausted her. Slowly her tiny weary eyes closed. The
kookaburras chorussed and crickets accompanied with their melodies. Caitie
was soon in a deep deep sleep.
Caitie began dreaming: in her
dreams the river was dry and the majestic red gums that lined the banks
were stark and leafless. Creeping out of the cracked mud were the menacing
bunyips of all different sizes and shapes and they were moaning and
groaning, grumbling and bumbling along. Without the river water to conceal
their whereabouts they began walking along the river bank and were heading
towards Caitie. Still dreaming Caitie shouted loudly to them but they
didn’t hear her. They just continued to walk towards her and stared into
her eyes.
“No!” Caitie screamed. “Go way!”
Poppa, who was snoring loudly, didn’t hear her fearful pleas. Gran was
very absorbed in her own dreaming adventures, ones that did not involve
mischievous bunyips, that was for sure. Soon the bunyips’ sad and sorry
eyes were staring straight into Caitie’s. They surrounded her bed and
stood motionless waiting for her to run. Caitie was so scared she froze.
Unable to move a muscle, whimper or whine she curled herself into a tiny
ball and began to tremble.
What
do you think happened next????
Ending 1
Ending 2
Ending 3
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