Koalaland or The Great Koala Novel - Volume I: The Making of a Kingdom

by David Bolton

  Part I: Eucalyptus Grove

  The Dangers of Disobedience

  (Shortly before the beginning of summer)

  As Joey, the young koala, walked across the grassy, open field separating the two groves, he enjoyed the feel of the sun's rays warming the fur on his head and back.

  It had been an exceptionally moderate spring, and the hot days of summer were definitely just around the corner, which meant that he and his friends would have all the more opportunities to bathe in the stream that ran along the eastern edge of Eucalyptus Grove, and even venture out beyond it, to cross the field to old Koalaville. The weather was, even now, warmer than he had expected, and he was wishing he had worn lighter, summer overalls. This blue pair, that his mother had given him to put on this morning, was fine for spring, but made him sweat on a day like today.

  Old Koalaville, less than a hundred yards ahead of him, always was a place where they could find entertainment. Though virtually abandoned for a couple of months, there were still many things there waiting to be discovered by young adventurers such as himself: left-behind cups, plates, and cooking utensils, slightly damaged, and therefore not thought worth taking along to the new grove back when the great migration had occurred; pieces of wood, now left to rot, that never did become parts of the objects for which they were originally cut and carved; even the remains of a platform in a tree, the foundation of a tree house never completed. The last one the carpenter koalas had begun in that grove, it no doubt would end up covered with dead, brown leaves from the branches above it by the end of the year.

  Today, he and his friend Koby were going to climb up to it and see whether they could find anything of interest on that platform. Koby wouldn't be able to get there for another hour or so, but Joey didn't mind. Once he got to Koalaville, he'd go to that tree with the platform, climb up and pick a few leaves for a snack, then take a little nap until Koby arrived.

  Still walking at a leisurely pace, he suddenly felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up, and began to sense a fear that soon gripped him entirely even before he was fully conscious of that ominous sound in the sky above: a harsh shriek, still somewhat distant, yet whose slight crescendo revealed that it was getting closer – the shriek of a huge hawk, one of the koala's most formidable natural enemies.

  It's hard to say whether it was the instilled memories of his parent's warnings, or just sheer instinct that now made Joey act in the way that would most increase his chances of survival. Without even taking a second to look up – for what good would that do? – Joey broke into a frenzied run, dashing towards some bushes right next to the nearest tree on the edge of Koalaville. Between him and that grove, there was no place to take shelter, not even as much as a small rock, or a hole in the ground. His only hope was to reach those bushes, burrow his way into them, and hug the ground.

  A second shriek was considerably louder than the first; the hawk had already halved the distance between itself and its terrified prey. Joey was running for dear life, when this second cry of the savage bird made him realize that he would never be able to reach the bushes before being grabbed by the iron-like grip of the predator's claws. He nonetheless kept on dashing at full speed, though his thoughts, paradoxically, now became almost calm.

  Despite his frantic pace, Joey felt that everything was going in slow motion. It was as if it would take an eternity to cross the forty yards or so now separating him from the bushes, but in his mind, time became blurred, with events from the past now intruding into his present. His legs were carrying him faster than they ever had, but he didn't sense any strain, only a tranquil, yet all-pervasive, sadness.

  In his mind's eye, he was much younger now. It was dark in his mother's pouch, and so nice and warm! He reached up, grabbing hold of the rim, and slowly pulled himself upwards until his little head cleared the top of the pouch. Looking up, he saw his mother looking down at him, smiling, the love in her eyes filling him with happiness. He wished he could freeze the moment, and remain there forever, yet abruptly, the vision changed, and he saw both his mother and father. Joey himself wasn't there. He seemed to be watching them from a few yards above. His mother was weeping; the fur on his father's face was damp with the tears he had been shedding. He knew why they were crying. They had just received the news that he, Joey, their only son, had been carried away by a hawk.

  Why hadn't he listened to the adults? How could he have been so careless as to cross the open field, especially on such a clear day? Hadn't he heard again and again about the sharp eyes of the hawk, who could spot even a small koala from a great distance, and who would then swoop down at an almost unbelievable speed, to sink its claws into your shoulders, sweep you off your feet, and carry you off into the sky, off to some distant mountaintop, perhaps, where you would then become dinner for the evil fowl and its hungry young ones? Other koalas had been carried off before, but it could never happen to him – or so he had thought.

  A rush of almost unbearable sorrow filled his being. He had had so much to live for, there were so many things he wanted to do in his life, so much to learn, to see, so much beauty in this world from which he was now about to be mercilessly torn away.

  All at once, Joey was jolted out of both his melancholy visions as well as his remorse by another bone-chilling shriek of the hawk, now just a few yards above him. But this time, it was rather a sharp, pained cry, whose sound revealed that the flight of the bird had been abruptly arrested. A sort of desperate, optimistic curiosity momentarily overcame his natural instinct to simply keep staring straight towards his goal. He turned his head, looking upwards, and saw that the hawk, flapping its wings somewhat helplessly, had twisted around and was already beginning a slow ascent into the sky, up and away from him. Joey stopped to watch, suddenly flushed with relief and unexpected joy.

  "Don't stop now! Get yourself over here before that bird has second thoughts!"

  Joey looked again at the bushes towards which he had been hurrying, and saw the lone figure of Handy, holding his slingshot, primed with another stone, just in case the hawk decided to return. Joey scurried over to him, though he knew he was in big trouble.

  Handy was not someone you'd want to cross. An adult koala in his best years, he was lean and strong, and had a no-nonsense approach to just about every task he tackled. Those traits, coupled with his common sense, strength of character, and scrupulous honesty, were perhaps the reasons why the elders of the Council in Eucalyptus Grove, of which Handy himself was the youngest member, had convinced him to take charge of security matters in that part of Southern Koalaland. His dark brown overalls seemed to underscore his uncompromising personality, and if Handy had a sense of humor, Joey had never seen any signs of it. Now, he looked sterner than ever.

  "Why, you little rascal! What were you thinking of, leaving Eucalyptus Grove and walking over that open field, in plain sight of every creature that might want to eat you alive! Don't tell me you didn't know better: I know your parents well, and they taught you not to do such fool things. What do you have to say for yourself?"

  "Oh, well, sir, I... You see, I thought... Well, I was just..." Joey stammered.

  "That's what I thought. No excuse at all! And what did you want over here in Koalaville, anyway? You know that children aren't supposed to come over here without their parents,” Handy scolded.

  "Well, my parents never want to bring me over here, and there are a lot of neat things here, and..."

  "Yeah, well, when your parents hear about what happened today, they aren't even going to let you leave your tree for a good month or so."

  "Ooooh,” Joey whined, knowing that Handy was right about that.

  "This isn't the first little koala that has thrown caution to the winds, and crossed that field alone,” a third voice added.

  Both Joey and Handy looked over at the Judge as he approached them. Judge Grandaddy, as he was known, due to his advanced age, was one of the elders of Eucalyptus Grove. His fur was largely whitish-gray now, yet he was in remarka
bly good physical condition, though he did need a pair of spectacles for reading. Very few koalas had been around long enough to remember a time when Grandaddy was not aged, yet he kept going, year in, year out, and never really seemed to get any older than he already was. His dark gray overalls gave him a somewhat somber appearance, yet this wasn’t the reason he preferred them. He simply felt that the color of one’s clothing should match the fur on one’s body. Grandaddy knew that several generations before, koalas had worn no clothing whatsoever, so he figured it would be mere foppery to flaunt colors that nature had obviously not meant for koalas to display.

  "Really?” Joey asked, now perking up. "You mean I'm not the only one who did such a dumb thing?"

  "Why, of course not!" the Judge replied with a smile. "As a matter of fact, it seems like just yesterday that some other foolish young koala did the same thing you did. We were living here in Koalaville back then, of course. The little fellow made his way over to Eucalyptus Grove, and then walked back here after a few hours. He crossed that field on a clear, summer day, and was attacked by a hawk. That one was even bigger and meaner-looking than the one that almost got you."

  "Wow!" Joey exclaimed. "Did the hawk get him?"

  "No, he managed to dive into a ditch, just to the right of that tree over there, if I remember correctly. The young rascal was really lucky, if you ask me!"

  "Yeah, I guess he was!" Joey agreed. "What was that koala's name, Judge?"

  "Uuh, this is no time for long conversations, and you certainly aren't going to change the subject,” Handy interrupted sternly. "Joey, you climb that tree over there, eat some leaves, and take a little nap until the Judge and I are finished our business here in Koalaville, and then we'll take you home."

  "Oooh, all right,” Joey moaned, sulking as he walked over to the tree.

  "Grandaddy, you shouldn't tell him stories like that,” Handy said.

  "Why not? It's true, isn't it? You were just as foolhardy as he was when you were his age, and if it hadn't been for that ditch, you would have been bird-feed right then and there,” Grandaddy replied.

  "Yeah, I know. The truth is, I see a lot of myself in that little Joey. That's why I worry about him sometimes. Sure, his parents take good care of him, but when a young koala has an adventurous spirit, it can get him into all kinds of trouble. And I'd just hate to see anything happen to him."

  "Yes, Handy, I understand. But maybe you shouldn't be so hard on him. You don't have to tell his mother about today, do you? You know Hana. She'll give him a hard time, and his life will be miserable for weeks."

  "Well,” Handy drawled, "I guess I wouldn't have to mention it. Though I should, you know."

  "Hey, I'm the Judge. Let me decide what's best, okay?"

  "Right, sir, I'll keep quiet about it,” Handy promised, bowing to the authority of the older koala. "I'll go put that wood in our wagon, and then we can have a snack before we head back to Eucalyptus Grove."

  "Yes, you do that,” Grandaddy replied. Then, as Handy began to walk away, the Judge, his voice softening, added with a hint of a smile, "That was one heck of a shot. The bird didn't know what hit him. Good job, Handy!"

  "Thanks, Judge,” Handy smiled in reply.

  “Oh, and Handy. About what you and I saw when we were up in the forest…”

  “You mean that big round thing?” Handy supposed.

  “Yes, that… whatever it is. I’d like to ask you to keep quiet about it for now. Don’t mention it to anyone, you hear?”

  “Not even to the King?” Handy asked, feeling the monarch should be informed of what they had seen.

  “No, not even to him. I’ll inform him about it myself. I don’t want anyone else to know yet, not a soul, understood?”

  “Understood, Judge. I won’t say a word, I swear,” Handy replied.

  “Now, why don’t you go get a little rest before we head back,” Grandaddy suggested.

  “Good idea, don’t mind if I do,” Handy smiled slightly and walked away to find a good branch on which to take a nap.

  Grandaddy didn’t feel like napping. The day had given him a lot to contemplate. Joey had almost been killed, and that would have been a terrible tragedy. Lucky Handy had been there! But he was thinking even more about what they had happened across in the forest an hour before. He wasn’t able to figure it out, but he sensed that its significance went far beyond what the koalas – even he himself – could ever imagine.