Wombat, Mudlark and Other Stories

by Helen Milroy

  ‘I haven’t been able to find my own family,’ Whale explained to Penguin. ‘I thought if I turned myself into a blue whale instead, I might be able to have a new family. I have seen some blue whales swimming past and I thought I could join them.’

  Penguin felt so sorry for Whale. ‘I will help you find your family,’ said Penguin, ‘but you must stop taking the blue from Sky. Look up, Whale. The holes in Sky are getting bigger and soon the emptiness will take over and we will all be lost forever!’

  ‘I am so sorry,’ said Whale, ‘I didn’t realise I was destroying Sky. I thought there was so much blue that Sky wouldn’t notice.’ Whale started to cry.

  ‘It’s all right, Whale. I understand. But we will have to find a way to put the blue back,’ said Penguin. ‘If I am going to find your family, all the things in Sky must be in their rightful place.’

  ‘I have an idea,’ said Whale.

  Whale told Penguin what to do. Penguin climbed onto Whale’s back and started scraping the blue off his skin. Penguin put the blue carefully into the breathing hole on top of Whale’s head.

  ‘Let’s see if this works,’ said Whale. ‘Stand back, Penguin!’

  Whale took a big gulp of water and a deep breath. With all his might he blew the blue out of the blowhole up into Sky.

  ‘Wow,’ said Penguin, ‘that was amazing!’ They continued painting Sky until all the emptiness was gone. Sky looked beautiful and everything returned to its rightful place.

  Sky was so relieved and happy. ‘I am glad everything is back to normal,’ Sky said with a big sigh.

  ‘Not quite,’ said Penguin. ‘Now we have to find Whale a family.’

  ‘I can swim long distances and am quite fast,’ said Whale. ‘I can help.

  ‘Of course you can. We will find them together. We are family now too, you know!’ said Penguin.

  ‘I seem to remember watching a small grey whale swimming around in the Southern Ocean just a few days ago,’ said Sky.

  ‘Let’s hurry,’ said Whale, getting quite excited.

  ‘Now everything is back in its place, I can easily navigate our way across the ocean,’ said Penguin.

  Penguin and Whale set off across the ocean as fast as they could, but they had a long way to go.

  Whale started singing his beautiful whale song full of hope and love. Sky had an idea. He sent a gentle breeze to cradle the whale song and lift it up into the heavens. The fastest winds of all lived up there and they agreed to carry the song ahead of Penguin and Whale. This was much faster than leaving the song to travel through the water.

  Sure enough, there was a small grey whale gently lolling about in the Southern Ocean. Small Grey Whale had been feeding and was preparing to swim the long voyage north. She was just about to set off when Sky sent the breeze down from the heavens to swirl around her.

  She stopped and looked around. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing! She, too, had thought she was the only whale left. She was almost too scared to hope there was another.

  ‘Maybe I am dreaming,’ she thought to herself. She dived deep into the water but when she surfaced she could still hear the song.

  ‘It must be real,’ she thought. She frantically searched nearby but could not find another whale.

  She was just about to give up hope when she felt the vibrations of the whale song through the water. She looked up and saw the strangest sight. A penguin was sailing across the water at great speed on the back of a big grey whale! Over the next few days there was great rejoicing and celebration.

  ‘I will never stray again,’ said Whale.

  ‘No, you won’t, because you will have me by your side,’ said Small Grey Whale.

  ‘And if you do,’ said Penguin, ‘you will always have me and Sky to find you.’

  BROLGA & LITTLE STAR

  Some children are like the brolga in this story. They have a great energy and enthusiasm for life. They are inspirational children, always encouraging others to embrace what life has to offer.

  Brolga was a very energetic bird. She was always running around and getting into trouble.

  ‘Please stop fidgeting,’ said the other birds. ‘You are so clumsy, you are driving us crazy!’ Brolga was upset. She just wanted to help but she always seemed to get in the way. Brolga decided to go for a long walk. She was skipping and hopping and jumping along the path when she came across a fallen star. The star was losing its sparkle and turning grey.

  ‘What is the matter, Little Star?’ Brolga asked.

  ‘I have fallen from the sky and I am not sure how to find my way home again. I can’t stay on earth for too long. I need the heavens to renew my sparkle otherwise I will turn to stone,’ said Little Star.

  ‘That is very bad luck,’ said Brolga. ‘Perhaps you can come and live with me and I will look after you until we can find your way home.’

  ‘Oh, thank you,’ said Little Star. So off they set, back to Brolga’s nest.

  Little Star watched Brolga for some time. Brolga was always moving about and didn’t always seem to know what to do with all her energy.

  ‘Have you thought about dancing?’ Little Star asked Brolga.

  ‘Me? Dance?’ Brolga giggled. ‘Dancing is for the graceful birds. I am too clumsy for dancing.’

  Little Star felt sorry for Brolga. Brolga was kind and strong, full of life and always trying to help others, but she wasn’t happy.

  ‘Well, Brolga,’ said Little Star, ‘just try swaying in time with my sparkles.’

  Little Star started sparkling very slowly and Brolga stretched out her lovely wings and swayed back and forth.

  ‘Now, try tapping your feet,’ said Little Star, as she started to sparkle a little faster. Brolga tapped her feet and waved her wings.

  ‘This is great fun,’ said Brolga, as she added in turns and leaps and swirling motions to her movements.

  Little Star started clapping. ‘Bravo, bravo, Brolga, you are a wonderful dancer.’

  Brolga took a deep bow and laughed to herself. Maybe I can dance after all, she thought.

  ‘Thank you so much for teaching me, Little Star,’ said Brolga. ‘Tomorrow we will start looking for your way home.’

  Every morning Brolga and Little Star went searching for a way into the sky, and every night they danced and danced. But as time passed, Little Star became homesick and her sparkles faded more and more. Soon she would be too weak to sparkle at all. Brolga was worried for her friend.

  ‘Do you think we will ever find my way home?’ asked Little Star.

  ‘I am sure we will,’ answered Brolga. ‘We just need to stay strong.’

  Now the other birds had been watching Brolga and Little Star come and go each day and had grown curious. In the evening, they could hear Brolga and Little Star laughing and jumping about.

  Brolga and Little Star always seemed to be having so much fun, the other birds were jealous.

  ‘What are you and Little Star up to?’ asked the other birds.

  ‘Why don’t you come and see for yourself,’ said Brolga. ‘Meet us down on the mud flats tomorrow night and we will show you.’

  As the sun set, all the birds gathered together to wait for Brolga and Little Star.

  ‘What is taking so long? Where are they?’ the birds muttered amongst themselves.

  Suddenly they all went quiet as they could see a light sparkling in the distance. Even though Little Star was getting weaker and weaker, she used all of her strength to help Brolga dance. Brolga appeared and began walking slowly and gracefully across the mud flats, then as Little Star’s light flickered faster and faster, Brolga danced and danced and danced! The moon and stars looked down to see what all the commotion was about. Suddenly all of the stars in the universe started sparkling in time with Brolga’s dance, and the whole sky was set alight in a joyful celebration. All the birds were amazed, they had never seen anything like it before. While the whole universe was dancing together, a remarkable thing happened. Brolga’s wings had swept up the dust from the mu
d flats and it began to swirl around, reaching up towards the night sky. At the same time, the shimmer from the stars descended down towards the earth. Together the earth dust and the stardust formed a stairway to the heavens.

  ‘Quickly,’ said Brolga, ‘here is your way home, Little Star. Climb up the stairway and dance along the shimmering light until you reach your place in the night sky.’

  ‘Thank you,’ said Little Star, but she was too weak to move. She had almost lost her final sparkle.

  Brolga scooped Little Star up on her shoulders and ran towards the swirling stardust. She pulled out her largest flying feather and gave it to Little Star. Little Star, with her final spark, leapt up onto the stairway and Brolga’s feather carried her into the heavens.

  ‘Goodbye, Brolga!’ she shouted as she found her way home.

  The other birds stood with their beaks gaping in awe.

  ‘Can you teach us how to do that?’ asked the birds.

  ‘Of course,’ said Brolga.

  The very next night, all the birds gathered together with their finest feathers and all the stars greeted Brolga with their sparkles. Little Star was the brightest of them all.

  ‘Everybody ready?’ asked Brolga. ‘Let’s dance up a storm so all the fallen stars can find their way home.’

  GECKO & BIG ROCK

  Some children are just like the gecko in this story. They are brave and courageous and love sharing their discoveries. They are amazing children and inspire others to reach past the bounds of possibility.

  Gecko loved exploring and finding new places. He was an adventurer, and had a great deal of knowledge about how the earth was put together. Whenever he returned from a journey, he insisted on telling all the animals about his travels. The animals grew tired of hearing Gecko’s stories and told him he should spend more time at home instead of gallivanting around the countryside. But Big Rock loved Gecko’s stories, and often sat with him on the top of the hill, gazing out across the land and wondering what lay beyond the horizon.

  Gecko and Big Rock loved lazing in the sun during the day. At sunset, Big Rock glowed and sparkled from all the heat he had absorbed into the crystals surrounding his heart. Because of this, Gecko stayed close to Big Rock at night to keep warm.

  One day a great cold descended across the earth. The sky turned grey and the sun seemed to completely disappear. Snow started to form across the earth and sky, and the rivers and oceans became still, trapping the water creatures beneath a blanket of ice. The birds and animals were very worried, they had never known anything like this before. It was too cold to venture outside, and even Gecko got frostbite on his toes trying to visit Big Rock.

  Something had to be done. All the birds and animals got together for a meeting. The birds suggested flying through the clouds to make a path for the sun to shine through. So the next day, the strongest birds flew together in an arrow formation high into the sky. The clouds were so thick with frost and snow, the birds could not get through no matter how many times they tried. They fell back onto the frozen earth, exhausted and cold. Big Rock had been listening and watching the animals and wanted to help. He told everyone of a way to break through the clouds.

  ‘If we get all the biggest and strongest rocks together, they can form a mountain high above the earth that will be able to pierce the clouds and find the sun,’ said Big Rock.

  ‘How are we going to find enough rocks to build a mountain?’ asked the animals.

  ‘I know where all the rocks are,’ said Gecko. ‘I have made friends with many of them on my travels. I’m sure they will help us,’ he said.

  ‘But it is far too cold for you to travel,’ said the animals. ‘How will you survive?’

  All the animals offered warm fur and feathers to keep Gecko safe. The next day Gecko ventured out to find the biggest rocks across the landscape. However, after only a few days, Gecko had to return. He was almost frozen and needed to be nursed back to health before he could try again.

  ‘I must go back out,’ said Gecko.

  ‘No,’ said the animals. ‘It is too dangerous. We will have to think of something else.’

  But Gecko was very brave and determined to find the rocks. That night Gecko and Big Rock talked together about what they could do.

  ‘I think I can help,’ said Big Rock. ‘ I still have some heat left deep in the crystals around my heart that can keep you warm on your journey. I will take out some of the warm crystals and put them in a special pouch. If you keep it close to your heart, it will give you the strength you need to complete your journey.’

  Gecko was very grateful to Big Rock and knew of the deep sacrifice Big Rock was making to help him and the others. Gecko tucked the pouch of warm crystals inside the fur kangaroo had given him to wear and set off to gather as many rocks as he could. All of the rocks were surprised to see Gecko arrive wrapped in fur but were very happy to help. They too had been worried but didn’t know what to do.

  Soon rocks from all over the land began arriving and gathered at the top of the hill. All of the birds and animals worked together with the rocks to build the mountain. Big Rock was too ill to take his place with the other rocks. The deep scar created from giving Gecko the crystals had left him weak and brittle.

  The mountain grew higher and higher, forging its way through the clouds. But when the final rock took its place, it was not quite tall enough to reach the sun on the other side. Something more had to be done. No one had ever climbed so high before, but Gecko summoned up all his courage and bravely made his way up the mountain to reach the very top.

  Gecko stood as tall as he could on his hind legs. He reached up through the clouds, stretching out his arm holding the pouch containing the warm crystals. When the crystals broke through the icy clouds, rain began to fall. The rain melted away the frost covering the earth. The grey clouds lost their colour and quickly disappeared as mist into the sky. The sunlight found its way through and warmed the earth. A beautiful rainbow settled over the landscape. All the animals cheered and the rocks rumbled in great relief and celebration.

  Gecko scampered down the mountain as fast as his little legs could carry him. He knew he had to help his friend Big Rock. Big Rock was sitting by himself at the top of the hill. Big Rock was very cold and weak. Gecko gave Big Rock back the pouch, and the crystals were returned to their rightful place. It took some time, but eventually Big Rock got his strength back.

  From then on, the mountain stood tall in the clouds, so the sun always had a pathway to the earth to warm the landscape. And Gecko continued on his adventures, returning to rest with Big Rock in the sun to regain his strength and share his stories.

  PLATYPUS & RIVER

  Some children are just like the platypus in this story. They have a thirst for knowledge, searching patiently for answers to solve the conundrums of life. They are incredible children and are always willing to share their knowledge.

  When Platypus was a little platypup, he was always thinking about so many things that he felt muddled and couldn’t get to sleep. River noticed him tossing and turning.

  ‘Come and have a swim,’ said River. ‘Let the water calm your mind and help you to sleep.’

  River was right. After a long swim, Platypus could think clearly and had the best sleep ever. Platypus would swim for hours studying all of the waterways. Platypus always told River what he had learnt on his journeys and River was fascinated by his great knowledge.

  One day River was troubled and didn’t know what to do. There was a stream that kept flowing the wrong way. Little Stream wouldn’t follow the path that was drawn for him by the ancestors. This made the waterways muddy and salty and all the animals were complaining. Even the fish couldn’t find their way anymore and kept bumping into each other.

  ‘We can’t drink from the waterholes anymore, River,’ said the animals. ‘What has happened to your beautiful water? We will all die from thirst if Little Stream keeps being naughty.’

  ‘I am so sorry,’ said River. ‘I don’t know why
Little Stream is so headstrong. I think he wants to grow up too quickly and be a big river instead of a little stream.’

  ‘Well, if he doesn’t behave soon, we will have to build a dam and stop him altogether,’ said the animals, very upset.

  ‘Oh, please don’t do that,’ River pleaded. ‘He will become a dry old river bed if you stop him running. I will talk to him and see what I can do.’

  River tried talking to Little Stream, but Little Stream wouldn’t listen.

  ‘You are just a big old boring river,’ said Little Stream rudely. ‘I want to run to the ocean and see the whales, then everyone will follow me instead.’

  ‘But that is not the way it is meant to be,’ said River. ‘The land and the animals depend on us to bring them fresh water.’

  Little Stream didn’t care and turned away from River, forging a new path through the bushland.

  Platypus was swimming along River when he heard the animals complaining. Because Platypus was so clever, he was the only one who could still navigate safely through the muddy waters. Platypus knew all the waterways and understood how the whole river system worked together to nurture the land and the animals.

  A few days later when Platypus was checking on some new water lilies, he came across a black lake he had never seen before. At the bottom of the lake slept a beautiful serpent ancestor, the biggest serpent of all time. He had slumbered there for centuries after creating all of the streams and rivers. But the lake was sick. There was no fresh water coming into it anymore and the water that was in the lake was disappearing. Lake asked Platypus for help.

  ‘Platypus,’ said Lake, ‘can you find out why none of the streams have come to visit me? I am waiting for fresh water to replenish the waterhole. I don’t want to disturb the serpent from his dreaming.’