Elvira and the Pilliga Mouse

by Pat Clarke

  For my brother Bill

  First published in Australia in 2017

  by Little Steps Publishing

  48 Ross Street Glebe, NSW 2037 Australia www.littlesteps.com.au

  Text copyright © 2017 Pat Clarke

  Illustration copyright © 2017 Graeme Compton

  This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private

  study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.

  All rights reserved.

  A Catalogue-In-Publication entry for this book is available from the National Library of Australia.

  ISBN: 9781925117981 (hardback)

  Dewey Number: A823.4

  Printed in China

  Designed by Angel McMullan

  Index

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  CHAPTER ONE

  Elvira the wedge-tailed eagle looked down from her spot high up in the treetops. Down below, an eager crowd had gathered to watch the afternoon bird show. Right now it was her dear friend Monika the brolga’s turn to perform. Her dance routine always brought smiles to the audience, with her rhythmic head bobbing and bowing as she leaped into the air, flapping her wings and shaking all over.

  Elvira loved watching her. It made her smile just to see what a great time she was having. People believe brolgas dance in order to attract a mate, but Elvira knew that wasn’t Monika’s only reason. Dancing made her happy and the more she danced, the happier she was.

  Elvira, who was sometimes sad for no particular reason, wanted to learn to dance so she could be happy just like Monika. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get her wings to flap, her head to nod and her legs to jump all at the same time.

  ‘I think I’ve got two left feet,’ she told her friend.

  ‘I just can’t get the hang of it at all.’

  A loud burst of applause erupted as Monika’s performance ended. Ernie the sulphur-crested cockatoo now had the job of flying around, collecting coin donations from the audience and dropping them into the collection box. This was Elvira’s cue to get ready.

  She was one of the main attractions of the Taronga Zoo Bird Show and the final performer for the day.

  She shivered a little with cold. It was just as well the show was almost over. The weather, which earlier had been quite pleasant, was changing rapidly. The sky had darkened and the wind was whipping up. People were starting to wrap their coats around themselves and look about for shelter in case it got worse.

  Elvira’s bird handler, Shelly, looked anxiously at the skies but decided there was just enough time to finish the show. She gave a special hand signal and called Elvira’s name. As part of the act, the eagle did not stir but remained where she was. Shelly called again and when the bird still didn’t appear, she appealed to the audience — as if puzzled by the eagle’s reluctance to answer her call.

  ‘Looks like Elvira needs some encouragement. Maybe if all the kids in the audience call her, she’ll come on down. What say we give it a try?’

  ‘Elvira! Elvira!’ yelled the children.

  There was still no sign.

  ‘You need to shout louder!’ urged Shelly.

  ‘Elvira! Elvira!’ they screamed.

  And with that, the mighty eagle responded.

  Soaring down from the sky, she skimmed over the heads of the crowd, displaying her enormous wingspan and then, her long legs dropping down like an aircraft’s wheels, she landed on the arm of the waiting handler. There was much cheering and clapping at this exhibition and Shelly waited for the noise to die down. She rewarded Elvira with a tasty treat and then began her story.

  ‘Elvira came to us from the Dubbo Zoo. She was born in the Goonoo Forest and was badly burned in a forest fire.’

  At the mention of her name, Elvira once more demonstrated her flying skills, rising to the highest heights above the outdoor arena, floating lazily in the air currents, and then after zooming down and displaying her magnificent, glossy brown feathers and diamond-shaped tail, landing gracefully on the young woman’s outstretched arm.

  Shelly was wearing a long leather glove to protect her skin from the eagle’s sharp, curved talons. She stroked Elvira’s feathers gently.

  ‘Much of the wildlife of the Goonoo Forest was destroyed in that fire,’ she explained, ‘but Elvira was one of the lucky ones. A firefighter searching for injured animals came across a dead wedge-tailed eagle, with three tiny fledglings tucked beneath her wings. Sadly, only one of them was still alive. The rescuer wrapped up the tiny eaglet and took it to Dubbo Zoo for medical attention. Elvira’s injuries were so serious, they believed she could never return to the wild — so it was decided to bring her here to Taronga and see if she was suitable for free-flight training.’

  That was as far as Shelly got with her talk. Suddenly the heavens opened up and the rain pelted down. Thunder roared and flashes of lightning lit up the skies. Gusty winds tore through the trees and huge hailstones bombarded the audience as they ran for cover.

  Elvira launched herself from Shelly’s arm and headed for safety, but the fierce winds buffeted her about and made flying difficult. The ferocious gusts quickly spiralled into a circular pattern and Elvira found herself being carried off by a mini-tornado. Round and round she went, so dizzy from spinning that she lost her sense of direction.

  By the time she crash-landed in a clump of bushes, she was so exhausted that she fell into a deep sleep. Around her, the storm raged all night and most of the next day. When she finally woke up, sodden and muddy, Elvira was relieved to find that she had no broken bones and her wings were undamaged.

  She spent another day drying out her feathers and recovering her strength. But when hunger finally forced her to fly up in search of food, she made a terribly discovery.

  This was not the landscape Elvira had known all her life. Taronga Zoo was nowhere in sight.

  Nothing looked familiar.

  She was lost!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Night was falling and Elvira wished she was home, safe and sound in the zoo aviary, surrounded by her friends — instead of spending the night all alone in a strange place.

  ‘Boo-book! Boo-book!’

  The noise came from a tiny owl that had just flown in and settled on a nearby branch. Elvira recognised it as a boobook owl, because of its distinctive call. Her spirits lifted at once. Owls were known to be very wise. With any luck, he should be able to give her some advice.

  ‘I wonder if you can help me,’ said Elvira to the owl. ‘I seem to be lost. Can you give me directions to Taronga Zoo in Sydney?’

  The owl cocked his head to one side as if giving the matter a lot of thought, but after a few moments he shook it regretfully. ‘I can’t help, I’m afraid.’

  Elvira was disappointed. The boobook owl wasn’t much help after all. Perhaps she’d better find someone else to ask.

  ‘But ... I can tell you where you are now, if that’s any use,’ the owl offered. ‘I bet you’ve heard of the Blue Mountains.’

  Elvira nodded.

  ‘Well, that’s where we are — or at the start of the mountains, anyway. If you go over
the top and down the other side, you’ll find yourself in the country.’

  Elvira was curious. ‘I was born in the countryside, in a forest near a place called Dubbo. Is that anywhere close by?’

  ‘Why, yes, it certainly is. And there’s a zoo there, too. The Dubbo Zoo. If you call in, they should be able to help you find the zoo you seem to have lost.’

  Elvira thanked the boobook owl, who, after giving another ‘boo-book’ screech, flew off in search of his next meal.

  Alone once more, the eagle spent some time thinking over what the owl had said. Her heart had skipped a beat at his mention of the Dubbo Zoo. Now she couldn’t get the name out of her mind.

  Tears filled Elvira’s eyes. Something had always kept her from being truly happy. She had always felt lonely, and as if something was missing. Maybe it would help to visit the place where she had been nursed back to health all those years ago.

  The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.

  Rather than returning to Sydney right away, here was a chance to find out more about her family. She knew that her mother and two siblings had died in the fire, but what about her father? Had he survived? She remembered his name: Elvis. He came from the Goonoo Forest. Surely someone would have heard of him?

  This was such a wonderful opportunity to find out where she came from that Elvira made up her mind at once. She would spend two or three days on her quest and then return to Taronga Zoo, hopefully having found the answer to her questions.

  Elvira wiped away her tears, her heart pounding with excitement.

  She was going on an adventure!

  CHAPTER THREE

  Elvira had a good night’s sleep and was ready to set off on her journey at first light. The boobook owl had suggested following the main road over the mountains and this is what Elvira did for the first part of her journey. But after a while it became boring, looking down at the constant stream of traffic, so she decided to detour and do some sightseeing along the way.

  As she flew, Elvira couldn’t help comparing the landscape beneath her with what she was used to. She loved her home overlooking Sydney Harbour and enjoyed flying out over the ocean each morning and along the sandy white beaches. She loved the big, noisy city of Sydney, with the Opera House that reminded Elvira of a giant white cockatoo’s crest. She loved the Harbour Bridge, the tall skyscrapers, the hustle and bustle of trucks and trains and ferry boats that left white trails behind them. She had never wanted to live anywhere else.

  But this landscape was a completely new experience for Elvira. It was so very different, she could hardly believe her eyes. So many trees! So few people! The bush was teeming with wildlife and, from up high, looking down on the panorama laid out below, the beauty of it almost took her breath away.

  Elvira swooped down to drink at a nearby stream and was about to take off again when she heard a faint groaning noise coming from somewhere nearby. She couldn’t identify what had made it. Not a bird ... not an animal, she decided, yet this place was so isolated, surely it couldn’t be a human ...

  There it was again!

  Elvira investigated further and was surprised to come across a young boy lying on his side near the water’s edge. One leg was bent at the knee and the other was sticking out at an awkward angle. He was dressed in a school tracksuit, and a backpack lay a short distance away.

  ‘Shoo! Shoo!’ cried the boy when he saw the eagle. ‘Get away from me!’

  He looked around to see if anybody could help him, and started to sob when he realised he was all alone.

  ‘Where is everyone? Why haven’t they come looking for me? Am I going to die and be eaten by an eagle?’ He grabbed a small, round stone and threw it at Elvira. ‘Go away! Leave me alone!’

  Elvira jumped out of the way. There was no strength behind the throw and she wasn’t too worried about being hit. But what was this boy doing out here all alone? He seemed to be hurt and suffering a lot of pain. Did anyone know? Where were his parents?

  She wondered what she ought to do. It was getting dark, so any search party would probably be called off until the next day. During the night it could get bitterly cold, and if the boy’s injuries were serious he might not last until morning. The best way to help him, she decided, was to build a big nest around him to keep him warm. Then in the morning she would go and find someone to help.

  But how would she manage to do all that if he was scared of her?

  First she had to win the boy’s trust.

  She picked up the small stone that he had thrown at her and dropped it next to his hand. Then she scooted backwards, as if daring him to have another go at scaring her off. The boy aimed as best he could, but Elvira simply ducked and the stone missed her again. This continued a few more times, with Elvira fetching the stone and returning it each time, until the boy got tired of the game but was no longer afraid of her.

  Elvira’s thoughts then turned to the backpack. Perhaps it contained something useful, such as food or drink. The boy’s name was written on the top flap, ‘Tom Turner’, spelled out in large red letters, and underneath was an address and phone number. Elvira dragged the bag over and left it within his reach, but the boy didn’t seem interested. His eyelids were drooping and his cheeks looked very pale.

  There was no time to lose. She had to build a nest.

  Luckily there was a plentiful supply of materials to choose from, so Elvira set to work collecting and arranging sticks and branches all around the injured boy. It was important to finish before nightfall.

  Tom watched her for a while and seemed quite interested in what she was doing, but then his eyes started to roll and Elvira couldn’t tell if he was falling asleep or losing consciousness.

  From time to time, as she worked on the thatching, Tom woke with a start, yelling out and attempting to sit up. But each time he saw Elvira he seemed comforted and settled back down to sleep again.

  Finally the nest was finished. Elvira had never built an eyrie on the ground before, only high up in the treetops. She stood back and surveyed the results. Not bad, she thought. But just to make sure Tom was well protected from the cold, she dragged over a few more bushes and covered him as best she could.

  She then perched on the branch of a nearby gum tree and watched over him all through the night.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Elvira awoke early and noticed that Tom was still fast asleep in the nest. It was time to set out and find him some help. If she came across a search party she would need to attract their attention somehow. The boy’s school bag still lay where she had left it the night before and she thought it would be perfect for the job. Clasping the carry strap of the backpack in her strong talons, the eagle took off, flying as high as she could in order to get the best possible view.

  Her old injuries had left her with weak muscles and she could only fly short distances before needing to stop. But Elvira knew she had to hurry, so she pushed onwards, ignoring the pain in her wings and resting only when she could fly no further.

  After criss-crossing the countryside, Elvira’s sharp eyes spotted a small group of hikers in the distance. From their movements she could tell they were searching for something ... or someone! They were following the stream but were heading in the wrong direction — down into the valley, instead of upstream where they would find Tom.

  Elvira’s training for the bird show now came in handy. Diving down from the treetops, she skimmed over the head of the nearest man and dropped the backpack right in front of him. His cries of fright turned into cries of amazement once he realised what had just landed at his feet.

  ‘It’s Tom’s bag!’ exclaimed the man as his friends came running. ‘He must be around here somewhere.’ He looked up at Elvira who was now watching them from a tall gum tree. ‘Did you see what that eagle just did? I can’t believe it! Did anyone see which direction the bird came from?’

  ‘From back there,’ said one of the men, pointing upstream.

  ‘Well, come on then,’ said the leader of th
e search party. ‘Let’s go. Every single minute counts!’

  As if on cue, Elvira lifted her mighty wings and sailed from the tree, leading the way to Tom. She kept slightly ahead of the searchers, flying just twenty metres at a time and then waiting for them to catch up.

  At first the men were surprised by the eagle’s ongoing presence, but they soon accepted the fact that the bird was leading them somewhere — hopefully to the missing boy.

  Sure enough, within half an hour they spotted a large mound of sticks and twigs near the water’s edge and hurried towards it. As they got closer, they realised it was much more than a mound. It was a skilfully crafted eyrie, an eagle’s nest, although none of them had ever seen one on the ground before.

  When they discovered Tom lying snug and warm inside it, the searchers could hardly believe their eyes. They shook their heads in wonder and scratched their heads. Would anyone believe the tale they had to tell? A lost boy saved by an eagle? Surely it was a miracle!

  Elvira stayed and watched as the rescuers lifted the injured boy onto a stretcher. She wanted to make absolutely certain that all went smoothly.

  Just as the men prepared to leave, Tom raised himself slightly and beckoned the eagle to come closer. Then, holding out a clenched fist, he slowly opened his fingers to show what lay in his hand. It was the small, round stone. His fingers closed back over the object and he mouthed ‘thank you’ to Elvira before dropping back, exhausted, onto the stretcher.

  Knowing that the boy was in good hands, Elvira took her leave. She circled overhead, dipped her wings in farewell, and set off for the west.

  She had already used up one of the precious days she’d set aside for her big adventure and was keen to keep going.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  There were plenty of signs along the way and Elvira found the Dubbo Zoo easily enough.

  She had been looking forward to this visit so much, she found it hard to believe it could end so poorly.