Congratulations !
You have been awarded points.
Thank you for !
- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Action & Adventure
- Subject: Nature & Wildlife
- Published: 09/13/2012
Danger!
Born 2000, F, from NSW, AustraliaWhere I live, it is green, and brown, and fresh and moist. Where I live, gentle sunlight filters through the leafy canopy overhead. There are none of the loud, scary metal things Mum told me about. It is all I have ever known, our rainforest. It can be dangerous sometimes, but Dad says my brothers and sisters and I are lucky, for it is much safer here than anywhere else.
From where I sit, high on the twisted branches, I can see the river. Rocks and pebbles and stones lean on each other for support, struggling against the strong river current. Fern leaves trail on the surface, hanging over from the riverbank.
Rustle, rustle.
I look up. My brother, Understorey, is sitting next to me, and his long fawn bushy tail flicks my shoulder. He mouths something. “What?” I say loudly.
His tail whacks me again, signalling for me to be quiet. “Python,” he whispers.
A fat, brown snake is curling around the branches just near us, eyeing us with red slits. Pythons are one of the scariest predators of the tree kangaroo. With dingoes it is usually easy to tell when one is around by the scent, and the sly movements of these dog-like creatures seem almost clumsy in comparison to the way a snake can sneak up on you.
“Canopy! Over here.” Understory hisses, and I slowly and carefully edge away from the python towards him. We are nearing the edge of the branch now. “We can’t jump here,” I whisper.
“Why not?” Understorey shrugs. “It’s as good a place as anywhere else.”
“There’s a river with lots of rocks below,” I say, slowly and meaningfully.
The snake is edging closer and closer, getting ready to strike. There is no way out now.
Understorey crouches on his haunches, “Bon voyage, big brother,” and leaps.
I anticipate a sickening crunch or a splash as his body hits the water, but the crunch is more the kind of crunch when you bite into fresh leaves. Understorey has managed to land on a fern.
I don’t think twice when I leap after him. Up with the snake, there is no chance of survival. Though it is a slim one, there is a chance I may land on a plant like my lucky brother when I reach the ground.
In flight, I position my legs for a safe landing, but I can already tell my path is ever so slightly off hitting the bank. But I’m not headed for the water either. The hard, sharp, ever-so-dangerous rocks loom in front of me like sharks in the ocean. I use my long tail like a propeller, trying to avoid the rocks and head for the water.
My shoulder grazes the rock as I slide into the black, rushing liquid. The familiar overhead canopy is brown and blurred and crossed with fallen sticks. The last thing I see is Mum’s face, her big dark eyes anxious, and then everything goes black.
Itchy vines tickle my nose and a twig pokes my back.
“Canopy?” A hazy image of my sister Emergent appears, wavering and twisting. “He’s awake!”
The rest of my family crowds around and I squeeze my eyes shut, probing my memory for some clue of why I’m lying here. Little Forest-Floor has the answers. “You drowned!” she shouts, her chocolate eyes widening. “And now you’re in heaven and we’re visiting you.”
Understorey rolls his eyes. “No, he nearly drowned. But Mum and Dad arrived just in time.”
I remember most of what happened now, and like to think of it as an adventure. Mum says I am lucky to be alive since I hit my head pretty hard. As I said, the rainforest can be a dangerous place sometimes, but it’s my home and to me, it’s the best place in the world.
Danger!(Lily Madder)
Where I live, it is green, and brown, and fresh and moist. Where I live, gentle sunlight filters through the leafy canopy overhead. There are none of the loud, scary metal things Mum told me about. It is all I have ever known, our rainforest. It can be dangerous sometimes, but Dad says my brothers and sisters and I are lucky, for it is much safer here than anywhere else.
From where I sit, high on the twisted branches, I can see the river. Rocks and pebbles and stones lean on each other for support, struggling against the strong river current. Fern leaves trail on the surface, hanging over from the riverbank.
Rustle, rustle.
I look up. My brother, Understorey, is sitting next to me, and his long fawn bushy tail flicks my shoulder. He mouths something. “What?” I say loudly.
His tail whacks me again, signalling for me to be quiet. “Python,” he whispers.
A fat, brown snake is curling around the branches just near us, eyeing us with red slits. Pythons are one of the scariest predators of the tree kangaroo. With dingoes it is usually easy to tell when one is around by the scent, and the sly movements of these dog-like creatures seem almost clumsy in comparison to the way a snake can sneak up on you.
“Canopy! Over here.” Understory hisses, and I slowly and carefully edge away from the python towards him. We are nearing the edge of the branch now. “We can’t jump here,” I whisper.
“Why not?” Understorey shrugs. “It’s as good a place as anywhere else.”
“There’s a river with lots of rocks below,” I say, slowly and meaningfully.
The snake is edging closer and closer, getting ready to strike. There is no way out now.
Understorey crouches on his haunches, “Bon voyage, big brother,” and leaps.
I anticipate a sickening crunch or a splash as his body hits the water, but the crunch is more the kind of crunch when you bite into fresh leaves. Understorey has managed to land on a fern.
I don’t think twice when I leap after him. Up with the snake, there is no chance of survival. Though it is a slim one, there is a chance I may land on a plant like my lucky brother when I reach the ground.
In flight, I position my legs for a safe landing, but I can already tell my path is ever so slightly off hitting the bank. But I’m not headed for the water either. The hard, sharp, ever-so-dangerous rocks loom in front of me like sharks in the ocean. I use my long tail like a propeller, trying to avoid the rocks and head for the water.
My shoulder grazes the rock as I slide into the black, rushing liquid. The familiar overhead canopy is brown and blurred and crossed with fallen sticks. The last thing I see is Mum’s face, her big dark eyes anxious, and then everything goes black.
Itchy vines tickle my nose and a twig pokes my back.
“Canopy?” A hazy image of my sister Emergent appears, wavering and twisting. “He’s awake!”
The rest of my family crowds around and I squeeze my eyes shut, probing my memory for some clue of why I’m lying here. Little Forest-Floor has the answers. “You drowned!” she shouts, her chocolate eyes widening. “And now you’re in heaven and we’re visiting you.”
Understorey rolls his eyes. “No, he nearly drowned. But Mum and Dad arrived just in time.”
I remember most of what happened now, and like to think of it as an adventure. Mum says I am lucky to be alive since I hit my head pretty hard. As I said, the rainforest can be a dangerous place sometimes, but it’s my home and to me, it’s the best place in the world.
- Share this story on
- 10
COMMENTS (0)