The Rainbow Opal

by Paula Harrison

  Luckily the king didn’t mind having an extra furry guest at the dining table and told Summer that she could keep the little koala on her lap while she ate. The queen frowned a little, especially when the baby animal sneezed again.

  “You must return him to his mother as soon as you can,” said the king, looking at his daughter over the top of his glasses. “He’s a wild animal, not a pet.”

  Summer dug her spoon into a bowl of cherry pie and custard. “Don’t worry. We’re going to look for her straight after lunch.”

  She lifted the pudding to her lips. Suddenly the little koala leaned towards the spoon and took a lick of warm custard. Then he blinked and smacked his lips as if he wasn’t quite sure he liked it.

  “Hey!” said Summer. “That’s my pudding!”

  The other princesses giggled and the koala looked so funny licking his lips that Summer had to laugh too.

  “This is what comes of having an animal at the table!” said the queen crossly. “Finish quickly, please, Summer, and take him back outside where he belongs.”

  The king looked amused. “He’s an inquisitive little thing! But koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves so I don’t think he really means to steal your pudding.”

  After lunch, Summer carefully handed the koala to Maya because her arms were getting tired. The princesses thanked the king and queen for lunch and headed back outside.

  “We should think of a name for him,” said Maya, stroking the koala’s furry coat.

  “How about Fuzzy? Or Flumpy?” suggested Lottie.

  “I think we should call him Custard,” said Rosalind, grinning. “It was so funny when he took a lick of your pudding.”

  They all agreed that he should be Custard the koala from now on.

  The princesses searched all afternoon for Custard’s mother, looking up into every tree top and underneath every bush. Kanga came to watch them with his bright black eyes but didn’t join in this time.

  Each girl had a turn at carrying Custard, who seemed much calmer now. While Lottie was holding him, he rested his head on her shoulder, closed his eyes and went to sleep. The princesses carried on searching. They saw plenty of possums and a kangaroo leaping away into the distance, but there was no sign of the little koala’s mother.

  “We’re getting nowhere. I’m really hot and thirsty, and there are scratches all over my legs from these spiky bushes.” Rosalind rubbed her knees grumpily. “How big is this wood anyway?”

  “It’s really big. It stretches all the way to the nearest farm thirty miles away,” said Summer. “I just didn’t expect the mother koala to have gone very far.”

  The wood lay before them, just miles of branches and leaves. Summer’s heart sank and she twisted her opal necklace. What were they going to do if they didn’t find Custard’s mother? He was too young to look after himself.

  “I think we should go back to the palace,” said Rosalind.

  “Let’s search one more place,” Summer said quickly. “The river’s quite close to here. Maybe that’s where the mother koala went.” She hurried down a slope and the other girls followed her. Twigs crunched under their feet. Another possum poked his head out to investigate the noise.

  They reached the river a few minutes later. It was a wide creek edged with trees whose branches dangled right over the blue-green water. The girls looked along the riverbank and the baby koala woke up and gazed around too. Then he shivered.

  “This is Rainbow Creek,” said Summer. “The water’s quite high because there’s been a lot of rain lately.”

  “It’s a rainbow river – like your rainbow necklace!” said Maya.

  “Actually my opal was found here. It was picked up from the bottom of the river and made into a necklace.” Summer held her opal up to the light and all the colours sparkled.

  “I still don’t see the mother koala,” said Rosalind with a sigh.

  The princesses looked all around but there was no sign of another koala. Custard squeaked unhappily and then sneezed.

  “Poor Custard! You must be hungry by now,” said Lottie, stroking his fur.

  Custard sneezed again and gave a little shiver.

  Maya looked alarmed. “He’s not hungry, Lottie. He’s ill. Just look at how he’s shivering!”

  Summer’s eyes widened. “You’re right! He doesn’t look well at all. Quick, we have to take him back to the palace!”

  The four princesses hurried back through the trees and across the palace garden, with Lottie carrying Custard. Kanga swooped over their heads and landed in a tree near the palace door. He watched the princesses run inside.

  “Mum?” Summer yelled up the stairs.

  The queen came down, her long purple skirt brushing the steps as she walked. “Summer! Please do not shout up the stairs like that. If you need to speak to me, simply come and find me.”

  “Sorry!” Summer dropped a curtsy, hoping it would help. “It’s just we’re worried that the baby koala’s ill.” She gently lifted Custard out of Lottie’s arms and showed him to the queen.

  “Oh dear!” The queen looked closely at the little koala. “He certainly seems worse than he did at lunchtime. If he’s poorly it would explain why he got separated from his mother. Perhaps he felt too ill to hold on properly and that’s why he got left behind.”

  Custard shivered again and clung to Summer’s arm. She held him tightly.

  “We’d better get someone to take a look at him.” The queen paused at the bottom of the stairs. “Herbert!” she called loudly. “Could you come here a moment?”

  Summer was pleased about getting help for Custard, so she didn’t point out that her mum had just shouted up the stairs too!

  The king appeared at the top. “Yes, my dear? Why are you calling?” He noticed the little koala. “Didn’t you find the koala’s mother, girls?”

  “We looked for ages but we couldn’t see her anywhere,” said Summer.

  “And now we think Custard is ill,” added Rosalind. “He keeps sneezing and shivering.”

  “Custard?” The king’s eyebrows went up in surprise.

  “That’s what we’ve called him,” explained Lottie.

  “I think Custard needs some medicine,” the queen told the king. “We must call for the flying vet.”

  While the king rushed from room to room looking for the right telephone number, Summer led the princesses to the kitchen. “Custard’s still a baby so he’ll want milk,” she said. “I just don’t know how we should feed it to him.”

  “Do you need a bottle, Miss Summer?” said the cook. “We used a bottle for that little kangaroo that fell out of its mother’s pouch last year. It’s in this cupboard.” He took out the bottle and handed it to Rosalind, who filled it with milk.

  “Summer?” said Lottie, frowning a little. “What’s a flying vet?”

  “Well, Mirrania is such a large country that it takes a long time to get around,” explained Summer. “The nearest vet is probably miles away. So he’ll fly here in a plane or a helicopter. I hope he can come straightaway.”

  Maya warmed the milk up and offered it to Custard but he only took a few sips. “Come on, Custard,” she said. “This will help you feel better.”

  Custard gazed at her sadly and shivered.

  “Let’s go outside where we can keep a lookout for the vet,” suggested Lottie.

  They sat down on the palace steps and Custard dozed on Summer’s shoulder, only waking up to sneeze. A little while later, the girls heard a whirring noise in the distance.

  “That sounds like a helicopter,” said Rosalind.

  The whirring grew into a deafening roar, and a green helicopter zoomed over the palace lawn like a gigantic bird. It lowered to the ground, sending swirls of dust into the air.

  At last, a young woman with a dark ponytail climbed down and took off her helmet. She pulled a black case out of the helicopter and hurried over to them. Summer noticed a yellow badge pinned to her green T-shirt with the words Forest Vets printed on it.

  “He
llo, princesses,” she said quickly. “I’m Lizzie, and this must be the sick koala.” She glanced at Custard. “Let’s go inside so that I can look at him.”

  They went into the drawing room. The vet put down her case and took Custard from Summer’s arms. The girls watched as she checked his mouth and ears. Then she took a stethoscope out of her black case and used it to listen to the little koala’s heartbeat. At last the vet sighed and shook her head.

  “This isn’t the kind of illness that’s easy to cure, I’m afraid.” She stroked Custard’s head. “I can give you some drops to add to his milk. That might help him get stronger. But I don’t have a medicine that will fix him straightaway.”

  Custard shivered and Lottie took him from the vet and cuddled him.

  “Thanks for coming to see him,” said Summer, trying to hide her disappointment. She’d hoped the vet would make Custard better at once.

  “You’re welcome,” said Lizzie, and she put a small bottle of yellow liquid down on the table. “I’ll leave the drops here. Put three of them into each bottle of milk and try to get him to drink regularly.”

  “Thank you,” said Maya, adding the drops to the bottle.

  The vet frowned as she put her stethoscope away. “Before I go I must speak to your parents.” She picked up her black case and left.

  Lottie held the milk bottle to Custard’s mouth. “Come on, Custard. Drink some more,” she coaxed. But the baby koala only took a few sips.

  “I wish there was something else we could do to make him better,” said Summer. “I thought the vet would do more to help.”

  Maya curled her plait round one finger. “I think she’s more worried about him than she said.”

  “I think she gave up too easily,” said Rosalind crossly. “And all she’s given us is a tiny bottle of medicine.”

  “We’ll just have to hope it works.” Summer twisted her opal necklace in her hand. “I’m going to find a little blanket to wrap around Custard and then we can take turns at holding him till teatime.”

  The princesses looked after Custard carefully. They fed him milk and put a small blanket round the little koala to keep him warm. Maya managed to get him to sleep again by gently stroking his fur.

  After a while they felt hungry and the cook brought them plates of cookies and tall banana milkshakes. The cookies were made with deliciously big chocolate chips. It didn’t take the princesses long to finish off every single one!

  “There must be something that will make Custard better!” said Lottie, pacing up and down in front of the sofa.

  “Shh! You’ll wake him up,” said Rosalind.

  Before Lottie could reply, the queen came in. “Good news, Summer!” she said, smiling. “The photographer’s back and his camera is completely mended. If you get changed quickly he can take your picture before dinner.”

  Summer’s face fell. “Oh! But we’re looking after Custard right now, so maybe I should have my picture taken tomorrow.”

  “Don’t be silly! You’re not holding him at this exact moment, are you?” said the queen. “Quickly, now! Get changed into your new dress.”

  Summer took a deep breath. She would have to tell her mum how much she disliked that dress. But before she could decide what to say, the queen rushed off.

  Crossly, Summer went upstairs and changed into the frilly dress. As she put it on, she cheered herself up by inventing horrible names for the dress like The Dress of Doom and The Frills of Terror. She wondered if the whole kingdom would get nightmares about a giant fruit after seeing her photo. Then she went back downstairs, the dress scratching her legs with every step.

  When she reached the drawing room, the queen was there with the other girls and Custard. Bill Fleck, the photographer, was staring round the room holding the camera in one hand.

  “Where has it gone?” said Bill. “I’m sure I set it up in here. I just don’t understand what’s happened.”

  “What’s wrong?” said Summer, trying to stand really straight so that the dress didn’t rub against her legs.

  “He’s lost his tripod,” said Lottie, putting on a serious face. Then when Summer frowned, she added, “You know – the metal stand that the camera goes on.”

  “Oh!” Summer gazed round the room. There was a suspicious-looking bulge behind the curtains. She looked at Lottie again and saw that her cheeks were pink and her mouth was shut tightly as if she was trying not to giggle. Maya and Rosalind were stroking Custard, who sneezed again.

  “Perhaps you left the camera stand in the car?” the queen suggested to Bill.

  “That must be it!” He shook his head. “I’m just being forgetful. I’ll go and fetch it.”

  The king came in. “Is everything all right?” He caught sight of Summer and turned to the queen. “My dear, do you think it’s the best idea to have Summer in a dress of that size and … er … magnificence for the photo? Surely she could wear something more ordinary.”

  Summer looked up hopefully. Maybe her mum would listen to her dad.

  “That dress is perfect!” said the queen. “I’m determined that this shall be the most elegant royal photo ever taken. We’re nearly ready now. I’ll just see if Mr Fleck needs any help.” She followed the photographer out of the room.

  The king sighed and scratched his head. Summer’s shoulders drooped. Her mum was never going to change her mind.

  Kanga flew in through the open window. Landing on the windowsill, he popped his head behind the bulging curtain and croaked loudly.

  “Shh! Don’t give it away!” muttered Lottie.

  The king looked at Summer over the top of his spectacles and glanced at her necklace. “I’m glad you’re wearing your rainbow necklace for the photo. I remember when that jewel was made for you when you were just a baby. There was a strange story about the opal.”

  Lottie jumped up, her eyes bright. “What was the story, Your Majesty? Please tell us!”

  “I think I remember it,” said Summer. “Was it something to do with the creek?”

  Maya and Rosalind came closer to listen. Custard, who had been sleeping on Rosalind’s shoulder, woke up and watched them all with big dark eyes.

  “That’s right, the story was about Rainbow Creek,” said the king. “That was where the opal was found, of course. The jewel-smiths who crafted the necklace explained the story to me. They said that a wise old man had taken the opal from the bottom of the river and he’d told them: This rainbow jewel is a gift from the sky. Its healing powers will be released when it’s dipped back into the waters it came from.”

  There was a moment of silence.

  “So you see, like all the best jewels, it’s not just something pretty to look at,” added the king.

  Summer bit her lip. An idea was starting to grow inside her head. She looked over at Custard, who was shivering in Rosalind’s arms.

  The queen rushed back in, followed by Bill Fleck. “It is most incomprehensible!” she sighed, straightening her crown. “If you brought the camera stand in then it should be right here! Oh, I do want that picture taken today!”

  “Come, my dear!” The king took the queen’s hand. “Let’s go and get a nice cup of tea and leave Mr Fleck to find the stand. I’m sure it will turn up.”

  “I’ll check all the other downstairs rooms,” said Bill Fleck. “I bet I left it somewhere by mistake.”

  As soon as everyone had gone, Summer turned to the others with her blue eyes shining. “I should have thought of it before! Now I know what we can do!”

  “What do you mean?” asked Maya.

  “We can take my opal to Rainbow Creek.” Summer held up her colourful necklace. Kanga flew down to her shoulder and tilted his head to stare at the jewel.

  “You’re talking about your dad’s story, aren’t you?” said Rosalind. “If the opal really has healing powers, then that could help Custard. Healing means making people better.”

  “Exactly!” Summer smiled. “And we know that jewels can be magical, so maybe the story is true!”


  “So we need to dip the opal into the river just like the wise old man told the jewel-smiths,” said Maya.

  “We’d better hurry,” said Lottie urgently. “If we don’t go before the photographer gets back we’ll miss our chance.”

  Squawk! Kanga fluttered towards the door before returning to perch on Summer’s shoulder. There was a noise in the passageway.

  “What is it, Kanga?” said Summer.

  Lottie ran to the door and peeked round. “Your mum’s coming back. We need a way out of here!”

  Rosalind clutched Custard tightly and whispered, “All we have to do is climb out of the window. It’s one of the simplest ninja moves there is!”

  Summer ran to the window and opened it wider. Kanga flew out and soared into the cloudy sky. Lottie and Maya climbed out first. Then Rosalind handed Custard to Maya, before scrambling over the windowsill.

  Summer remembered the hidden camera stand and pulled it out from behind the curtain. She put it on the floor near the sofa. It would seem as if it had been lying there unnoticed all the time.

  Her heart raced as she heard her mum’s voice right outside the door. She hopped out of the window, nearly getting her legs tangled in her long frilly dress. Rosalind pulled her down on to the grass.

  “Stay low!” hissed Rosalind. “We must get away without being seen!”

  Summer crouched on the ground below the window with Rosalind beside her. She tried to keep still, even though the ground felt really hard and her dress was making her legs itch. Any noise might draw her mum to the window. From the corner of her eye she could see Lottie and Maya hiding round the corner of the house with Custard.

  “That’s strange! Where have the girls gone?” The queen’s voice drifted through the open window.

  “Oh crikey! There’s my tripod!” said Bill Fleck. “It must have been here all the time.”