“Forget the hopping contest, Annie,” Jack called. “She can out-hop you by a mile.”
He pulled out his notebook and wrote:
The kangaroo began stamping her feet again.
“What’s wrong?” said Annie.
The kangaroo froze.
Grrrr! Teddy growled from Jack’s backpack.
Some nearby bushes moved.
A moment later, three dogs crept silently into the clearing. They were sand-colored and mean-looking.
Teddy growled once more.
But the dogs crept toward the kangaroo.
Suddenly, the mother kangaroo sprang into the air, away from the dogs.
The dogs chased after her.
“Stop!” cried Annie. “Stop! Leave her alone!”
As the kangaroo jumped, she turned in midair and landed facing a different direction. She then zigzagged over rocks and bushes.
Howling, the wild dogs raced after the kangaroo and her baby.
“Oh, no!” cried Annie. “We have to save her!”
She took off after the dogs.
Arf! Arf! Arf! Teddy barked over Jack’s shoulder.
Jack ran after Annie with the book under his arm. He ran over the dry, cracked ground, past scrubby bushes and scattered gum trees.
Jack kept his eye on Annie, running ahead of him. He saw her stop suddenly. She turned and dropped to her knees.
“What happened?” he shouted.
“Come look!” she said.
Jack reached Annie. Beside her in the grass was the baby kangaroo. It was trembling.
“Don’t be scared,” Annie was saying. Then she looked at Jack. “Where’s his mom? Why did she drop him?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack.
He put his pack on the ground and opened the Australia book. Teddy jumped out of the pack.
The little dog tried to sniff the baby kangaroo.
“Don’t scare him, Teddy,” Annie said.
Teddy sat back and watched politely.
Jack opened the Australia book and found a picture of a baby kangaroo. He read:
The biggest enemy of the kangaroo is the dingo, the wild dog of Australia. When a mother kangaroo is chased by dingoes, she may throw her joey out of her pouch. Without the extra weight in her pouch, she can leap faster and farther. She then leads the dingoes away from her baby. If she escapes the dingoes, she returns to the joey.
“Oh, Jack,” Annie said sadly. “I hope his mother escapes from the dingoes.”
“Me, too,” said Jack.
“Hi, Joey,” said Annie. She gently patted the baby kangaroo. “He’s so soft, Jack.”
Jack knelt down and touched the brown fur. It was soft, the softest fur he had ever felt.
The shy little kangaroo stared at Jack with big brown eyes and trembled.
“Don’t be scared, Joey,” Annie said. “Your mom’s going to come back for you.”
Joey jumped away from Jack and Annie. He hopped toward Jack’s pack, which was sitting on the ground.
The baby kangaroo took a giant leap and dived headfirst into the pack! His whole body went inside, but his big feet stuck out. Then he turned himself over and peeked out at Jack and Annie.
They both laughed.
“He thinks your pack is a pouch!” said Annie. “I know. Put it on backward. It will feel like when his mom carries him.”
Jack put his Australia book on the ground. Then Annie helped him put the pack on his chest instead of on his back. The joey was heavy!
“There,” Annie said. “You look just like a mother kangaroo.”
“Oh, brother,” said Jack.
But he patted the baby’s soft fur.
“Don’t worry,” he said to Joey. “You can stay in there till your mom gets back.”
“Here, Joey, would you like some grass to eat?” asked Annie.
Annie scooped up a handful of grass and gave it to the kangaroo.
He munched the grass, keeping his big eyes on Annie.
“I hope his mom comes back for him soon,” she said worriedly.
“Yeah,” said Jack.
He looked around the dry forest. There was no sign of the mother kangaroo.
But Jack saw something else.
“Look,” he said to Annie.
The wisp of smoke in the sky had turned into a big black cloud. Jack noticed the smell of burning wood was much stronger.
“What are those campers doing?” said Annie. “Are they making a bonfire now or what?”
A feeling of dread came over Jack.
“What if … ” he said. “What if … ”
In the distance, a tree suddenly burst into flames.
“We’re looking at a wildfire! ” he said.
“Wildfire?” said Annie.
“The woods are so dry, everything’s starting to burn!” said Jack. “We have to get out of here.”
“We can’t leave Joey,” said Annie.
“We’ll take him with us!” said Jack.
“But what if his mom comes back for him and he’s not here?” said Annie.
“We don’t have a choice,” said Jack.
Just then, the kookaburra flew through the sky, cackling.
The emus raced by at top speed.
The air was getting smokier and smokier. The fire was spreading quickly!
“Come on!” said Jack. “We have to get back to the tree house before it burns down!”
“Which way’s the tree house?” said Annie.
“I’m not sure,” said Jack.
Smoke hid the treetops. Jack’s eyes stung.
“Forget it,” he said. “Let’s just get away from this smoke. Come on!”
Jack and Teddy turned to go. The baby kangaroo hid his head inside Jack’s pack.
“I’ll catch up!” said Annie. “I have to get something!”
“What? ” cried Jack.
But Annie had dashed off in the other direction.
“Come back!” Jack shouted. “Annie!”
Branches cracked and fell from the trees. Smoke billowed everywhere.
Arf! Arf!
“Annie!” Jack cried.
Jack choked on the smoke. He coughed and rubbed his eyes. The air was getting hotter.
He had no choice. He had to run.
Arf! Arf! Teddy barked from somewhere ahead.
“Hurry, Annie!” Jack called helplessly. Then he took off after Teddy.
He stumbled blindly through the brush. All he could do was follow the sound of Teddy’s barking. His pack felt heavier and heavier. He held it up with his arms and kept going.
Suddenly, Jack heard Annie calling him.
Jack stopped.
“Here! Here! Here! We’re here!” he shouted. “Come on! Follow us!”
Annie appeared through the haze of the hot smoke. She was coughing. Tears streamed from her eyes.
She was carrying the koala!
“Come on!” Jack cried. “Follow Teddy!”
Arf! Arf!
Jack and Annie carried Joey and the koala. They followed Teddy’s barking through the smoky, fire-filled forest.
Finally, they came to a giant rock.
Arf! Arf!
Teddy was standing on a ledge. Behind him was the mouth of a cave.
Through the smoke, Jack could barely see the little dog.
Teddy barked again, then vanished inside the cave.
“Follow him!” said Annie.
Jack and Annie climbed onto the rock ledge and stepped into the cave. The air inside was cleaner and cooler than the air outside.
“I can’t see anything,” said Jack.
He patted the head of the baby kangaroo.
“Me neither,” said Annie.
Arf! Arf!
“I guess we’ll have to follow Teddy’s bark,” said Annie. “Let’s hold hands.”
She held out her free hand to Jack. Jack took it. Then he put his other hand out and touched the wall. The joey moved in his pack.
Jack and Annie wal
ked into the darkness.
Arf!
Teddy kept barking, leading them on.
Arf!
Arf!
Arf!
Arf!
Suddenly, Jack felt something thump against his leg. He stopped and gasped.
“What is it?” said Annie.
Arf!
It was Teddy! His tail was wagging and hitting Jack’s leg.
“What is it, boy?” Jack asked him.
Teddy let out a howl.
As he howled, an amazing thing happened.
A white line began to glow in the air. The glowing line grew until it looked like a giant snake. Then glowing handprints appeared below the snake.
Jack felt Annie squeeze his hand.
“I think it’s painted on the wall,” she said.
“But what is it?” whispered Jack.
“I don’t know,” said Annie.
She let go of Jack and put her hand inside one of the painted handprints.
Jack did the same.
Despite the glowing painting, the rock felt smooth and cool. It almost seemed to breathe.
A ghost-like whistling sound came through the darkness. Then a loud boom!
“What’s that? ” Jack quickly took his hand off the wall.
The boom came again.
“It sounded like thunder,” said Annie.
Arf! Arf!
“Teddy’s leaving!” said Annie.
She grabbed Jack’s hand. They turned back the way they had come and followed Teddy’s barking again.
Arf!
They followed the little dog until they saw a flash of light.
“Lightning,” said Annie. “Lightning and thunder! We’re at the front of the cave! Yay!”
Annie pulled Jack toward the mouth of the cave and out, into a pouring rain.
Rain fell on Jack’s head and on Joey’s head. Rain fell on Annie’s head and on Teddy’s head and on the koala’s head.
Annie opened her mouth and drank the rainwater.
Jack did the same. The water tasted better than any water he’d ever drunk.
When Jack looked back at the woods, misty steam was rising from the charred ground and burning bushes.
The heavy rain was putting out the wildfire.
“You’ll be safe now,” Annie said to the koala. “I’ll put you back in a nice gum tree. Then you can finish your nap.”
“I see a tree that’s not burned,” said Jack.
They walked over to the unburned gum tree. Annie placed the koala in the fork of two branches.
“Go back to sleep now,” she said softly. “Pretend the fire was all a dream.”
“Good night,” said Jack.
The koala seemed to smile at them. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep, as if he’d never been disturbed at all.
Jack sighed and looked around.
“Man,” he said, “we were lucky that a storm came.”
Annie smiled.
“It wasn’t just luck,” she said. “It was magic.”
“Magic?” said Jack.
“Yeah … the glowing hands and the snake,” said Annie. “Somehow they brought the storm.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said Jack.
Joey stirred in his pack. Suddenly, Jack remembered something.
“Hey, we have to get Joey back to the place where his mom left him,” he said. “Or she won’t be able to find him.”
“Where was that place?” said Annie.
“I don’t know,” said Jack.
He looked around at the rainy gray forest. Everything looked the same.
“Teddy can find the spot!” said Annie.
Without even a bark, the little dog took off across the wet, muddy ground.
Once again, Jack and Annie followed him. Jack’s back was beginning to hurt from carrying Joey.
Arf! Arf!
Jack and Annie caught up with Teddy. He stood over the Australia book! It was wet, but not burned.
“Hurray, we found it!” said Annie.
“That’s right!” said Jack. “I left our book in the spot where we found Joey!”
“Once again, Teddy helped us out,” said Annie.
She patted the little dog’s head.
“Thanks, Teddy,” Jack said.
He picked up the Australia book. The cover was wet, but the pages looked okay. The little kangaroo peeked out of his pack as Jack tucked the book under his arm.
“Don’t worry, Joey,” Annie said. “We’ll stay right here till your mom comes back for you.”
If she hasn’t already come … Jack thought worriedly.
Jack and Annie stood in the rain with Teddy and Joey and waited.
They waited and waited.
The rain turned to a drizzle. Then the drizzle turned to a light sprinkle.
Still, they waited …
Jack grew sadder and sadder.
Maybe the mother kangaroo had come and left. Or maybe she had been caught by the dingoes. Or maybe she had been killed by the wildfire.
Jack was afraid to look at Annie, afraid to say anything.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said finally.
Jack patted Joey’s head and sighed.
“Let’s wait a little longer,” he said. “If she doesn’t come back soon, we’ll take him home with—”
Arf! Teddy barked softly.
“Listen,” said Annie.
Jack listened.
The sound was very faint at first. But then it grew louder.
It was a squishy sound. It was a squashy sound. It was the sound of big feet slapping through mud!
The mother kangaroo bounded out of the trees.
She landed ten feet away from Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Joey.
They all were still for a moment, as if they all were holding their breath.
Then Joey tried to jump out of Jack’s backpack.
“Hold on,” said Jack.
He put his pack on the ground.
The little kangaroo leaped out.
He leaped again … then again … and dived headfirst into his mother’s pouch!
Joey turned himself over inside the pouch. Then he peeked out at Jack and Annie.
“Yay!” said Jack and Annie together. They laughed and clapped with relief.
“He looks happy to be home,” said Annie.
“His mother looks happy, too,” said Jack.
The mother kangaroo was gazing down at her joey. She patted his head with her small paws.
Then she looked at Jack and Annie with soft eyes.
“She’s saying thank you to us,” Annie said.
“You’re welcome,” Jack said.
“It was no problem,” Annie told the kangaroo. “You have a great joey.”
The kangaroo gave a little nod. Then she bent over and used a front paw to pick up a small piece of bark from the wet grass.
The kangaroo held the piece of bark out to Jack and Annie.
Jack took it from her.
“Oh, man,” he whispered. “It’s our gift from a kangaroo.”
The kangaroo then sprang into the air. She bounded gracefully away through the charred forest.
“Thanks!” called Jack.
“Bye!” called Annie. “Good luck!”
Arf! Arf! Teddy barked.
The rain stopped as Jack studied the piece of bark. There was a tiny painting on it. It was just like the snake painting in the cave.
“I wonder what the snake means,” said Jack.
Jack opened the wet cover of the Australia book. He carefully turned the damp pages. He found a picture of the snake painting.
“Listen,” said Jack. He read:
The first people of Australia are called “Aborigines” (say ab-uh-RIJ-uh-neez). They have lived there for 40,000 years. Their myths take place in a time they call “Dreamtime.” In Dreamtime, there is a Rainbow Serpent, who sends life-giving rain.
Aborigine artists paint the Rainbow Serpent on cave walls or on pieces of b
ark. In special ceremonies, they sometimes honor the Rainbow Serpent by painting their handprints on the magic snake.
“See?” said Annie. “That explains everything!”
“Explains what?” said Jack.
“We put our hands on the painting of the Rainbow Serpent,” she said. “It was like a special ceremony. So the Rainbow Serpent sent the rain to put out the wildfire.”
Arf! Teddy barked.
Jack frowned.
“But it’s not a real creature,” he said. “It’s in Dream time. Not real time.”
Annie smiled.
“Then how do you explain that? ” she said. She pointed at the sky.
The rain clouds were gone. The sun had come back out.
A rainbow curved across the blue Australian sky.
“Oh, man,” whispered Jack. Though the air was warm again, he shivered.
“Teddy led us to the painting,” said Annie. “We should thank him.”
“How did he know about the Rainbow Serpent in the cave?” Jack asked.
“I told you,” said Annie. “He has a touch of magic.”
They looked down at the little dog. Teddy tilted his head and seemed to smile.
“Hey, we have all four gifts now!” said Annie.
“Oh, yeah!” said Jack.
“Let’s go home and see if Teddy’s spell is broken!” said Annie.
Arf! Arf!
Jack put the bark painting and the Australia book in his pack. Then they all headed through the wet, steamy forest in the direction of the tree house.
“I hope the tree house didn’t get burned!” he said.
They went past the clearing, past the gum trees and bushes.
The tree house was waiting for them.
“It’s still here! ” said Annie.
She grabbed the rope ladder and started up.
Jack put Teddy in his pack and followed.
Inside the tree house, Teddy wiggled out of the pack. He pawed the Pennsylvania book.
Arf! Arf!
“Okay, okay,” said Jack. He pointed at a picture of the Frog Creek woods. “I wish we could go there!”
“Over the rainbow!” said Annie.
Dingoes at Dinnertime Page 2
