Bush Ten (and back again)
by
Matt Zurbo
Tommy and Sam went fishing. All was quiet in the bush. No wind, no sound.
(Two kids walking to billabong jetty with rods.)
Not a single fish was found…
(Boys bored. Lines in water.)
Until…
1 drop of water,
(Falling off a blade of grass.)
caused 2 frogs to leap!
3 birds to take flight.
4 goannas to hiss in fright!
5 wallabies to jump high!
6 dingos to howl and cry!
7 bushrangers to wave good-bye!
(Seven Ned Kellys running away, one of them knocking flames of billy fire.)
8 eagles to fly, fly, fly!
(Fanning flames with wings.)
9 possums to play dead,
(Possums spinning and falling like ten pins.)
10 crocodiles to bolt from river beds!
(Tommy and Sam fishing. Bodies still bored, but eyes wide. Rumbling appears beneath them.)
STAMPEDE!
(Boys being bowled over by running animals and bushrangers.)
Hey, hey, hey! 10 galahs crawed; “Calm down.”
(Boys and animals all in the billabong, up to their noses. A fish or two jumping out of the water. Frog or two on heads. Ten Galahs flying about above them, looking down.)
9 kangaroos put out flames on the ground.
(Pouches filled with water, stomping on flames.)
8 volunteer fireman fighting, and peace was found.
7 koalas climbed down from trees.
6 crows brought with them a cool breeze.
(Clouds behind them bringing rain.)
5 echidnas once more turned the soil.
4 bees to pollinate and toil.
3 snakes to slide back into their dens.
2 kids re-baited their hook ends.
(Bush restored, kids back to fishing.)
(Sam, finger over lips, “Ssh…” other hand pointing for Tommy to see…)
1 wombat to laze under a tree,
as if still and quiet is as happy as you can be!
(Wombat, lazing/sleeping.)
And a big BOOM of lightening,
to get them going again!
(BOOM! Tommy, Sammy, fish, kangaroo, and wombat all leaping in wide-eyed fright.)
The End
365 kids books in 365 days 