Great Outback Swamp #2

The Great Outback Swamp woke up slowly most days. Today started out that way, too.  The sun rose over Miller’s Farm, Half Tree Swamp, the Pits and Big Elbow.  As the first rays of sunlight came to the clearing known as the Little Elbow the chipmunks and squirrels began their day looking for nuts and berries.  The sparrows and black birds were out hunting for the big fat juicy worms that lived underground.  A mist rose up off the swamp water as the sun warmed it.  It was very peaceful really and all things seemed right in this little part of the world. 



That is until Charlotte’s three babies woke up hungry.  Stanley, opened his eyes first and when he didn’t see his mother he began to squawk.  That woke Elvis and Rhonda and pretty soon the noise coming from their nest was enough to wake everything that lived nearby.



Winston, the owl, who lived two trees over, was the first to hear the racket.  Charlotte always tired to keep her little ones from disturbing the rest of the swamp and he wondered why they were making so much noise today. 



Harry, the alligator, was just sliding up out of the water when he too heard Stanley, Elvis and Rhonda.  He looked up into their tree and couldn’t see Charlotte anywhere.  He thought that she was out getting food for them and was taking too long.  Harry didn’t like all the noise this early in the morning.



Winston saw Harry looking up into the trees.  He knew that Harry was going to get upset if the little ones didn’t quiet down soon so he flew over to the nest and tired to quiet them.  They just kept hollering and squawking.  Nothing Winston did would stop them. 



Trixie, the spider, was weaving a new web in the tree just above the nest and said to Winston.  “Where is Charlotte?  She left just before the sun started to come up.  She’s been gone a long time.  I wonder what in the world is taking her so long.  I hope she is okay.” 



“Trixie, nothing I’ve done will quiet them down.  What should I do?  Harry is getting mad and pretty soon he is going to yell at me for not keeping Charlotte’s babies quiet?”



“Winston, you did everything except get them food.  That’s what they want, that’s what they always want.  Babies need to eat, and baby birds eat all day long.”  Trixie said as she attached a thread of her web to the branch right next to nest.

Winston always needed help with everything and she thought that she had better get closer to him to tell him what to do in case Charlotte didn’t come back soon.



“I know what owl’s eat but what do baby Tucan birds eat Trixie?”, Winston said.



“Worms, you silly, don’t you know anything?  Now go down there and find a nice big one.  That will keep them quiet for awhile.  Hurry up, all this noise is giving me a headache.  I’ll keep an eye on them until you get back.”



Stanley, Elvis and Rhonda saw Winston fly away and squawked even loader.



All the noise woke up the rest of the swamp creatures and animals and they came closer to see what the racket was about.  Harry saw Jennifer, the snake, slide out from her home in the hollow log.  MO, the swamp monster, moved closer to the water’s edge and popped his eyes above the surface.  Old Chief Light Feather came walking into the Little Elbow clearing.  Even the insects who usually didn’t come out until later, were up and buzzing around. 



“Good morning, my friends” said Old Chief. “What seems to be the problem this morning.  Too much noise, too early is no good for the spirit.”



“Charlotte’s babies are hungry and she didn’t get back yet.”  Harry said as he moved into the sunlight.  He liked being in the warm sunlight more than anything else.



Winston, who was having trouble catching a worm with his short little beak, said “I’m trying to get food for them.”



From up in the tree Trixie said, “I don’t know what is taking her so long.”



Now all the creatures and animals were asking each other if they knew where Charlotte was.  Some said she flew off towards Three Sisters, others said she was in the Deep Swamp and others still said she went out of the Great Outback Swamp to the cottage were Priscilla lived.  The last ones were right.  Charlotte had gone to hunt in Mrs. Walsh’s garden.  The worms there were the biggest and the best.  Stanley, Elvis and Rhonda really liked the worms she brought to the nest from there. 



Old Chief Light Feather told Harry to look for Charlotte in the Deep Swamp and sent MO to go and look in the Three Sisters and the Pits.  He was going to see about Mrs. Walsh’s cottage. 



Harry left with a loud splash as he went back into the water and swam away.  He thought it was way too early for such an adventure. Once he got to the place known as the Deep Swamp he looked everywhere for Charlotte, but she was not there.  Harry asked the creatures who lived there if they had seen her, but they had not.  Mo didn’t have any luck, either, Charlotte was not at the Three Sisters or the Pits.





As Old Chief got closer to the cottage he could see that the gate was open and so was the barn door.  He walked into the yard, passed the vegetable garden, went around the corner of the porch and headed straight for the barn.  When he got a little closer he could hear a voice inside.  It wasn’t very clear and he couldn’t tell who it was right away.  He peeked his head just inside the open door and tried to see what was going on in there.  It was very dark, with shadows everywhere. 







The barn had been built for horses and farm animals with stalls and feeding places against all the walls.  In the middle was an area where Priscilla’s father used to fix and repair things.  There was a big table made of heavy wood with really strong legs.  Standing at the table was Priscilla’s brother, Jonathon, holding a dirty cloth bag in both hands.  He was looking into the opening.  The bag jiggled and shook, there was something inside it. 



Old Chief walked very slowly and very quietly up behind Jonathon.  Jonathon was too busy looking into the bag to notice the indian chief getting closer.  When Old Chief was right behind him he said “What’s in the bag, son” in a really loud voice.  Jonathon screamed in fright, jumped and dropped the bag on the table because Old Chief had done a really good job of scaring him.  The jiggling and shaking inside the bag got worse but in a second out popped Charlotte.  Her feathers were all messy and dirty from being inside the bag.  And she was really mad.  She fluttered her wings straightening the feathers and shook her head to get the dirt off of her.  As soon as she saw Joanthon she flew at him and tried to peek him on the nose.  She was so mad she couldn’t speak and all she could think of doing was pecking the mean little boy. 



“Oh, there you are Miss Charlotte. We’ve all been looking for you” Old Chief had barely got the words out before Charlotte started to fly at the Jonathon.  “Charlotte, calm down.  You’re free, so stop being angry and go take care of your little chicks.  They’re making a racket in your nest. Maybe next time you will be more careful and stay away from the cottage garden.” 



“Well, I never” Charlotte said in a huff and took off to tend to Elvis, Rhonda and Stanley.



“Now Jonathon” Old Chief said as he turned back to the boy, who was just calming down.  “You have to stop bothering the animals of the swamp. You remember what happened the last time you tried to catch one of them in your trap.  You wound up running home crying like a little baby.  They don’t like being bothered.  They are all very peaceful unless someone tries to hurt one of them.” 



Old Chief picked up the dirty bag from the table and put it over Jonathan’s head.

Jonathan wriggled and shook but Old Chief held the bag there.  “Now maybe you can understand how Charlotte felt and how mean it was to put her in there.”



Jonathan began to cry because he was afraid.  Old Chief removed the bag and looked at the boy who had tears running down his cheeks.  “I’m, I’m, I’m sorry, sir” Jonathan said with sad face and a shaky little voice.



“I hope that’s true” said the Chief and left the boy standing in the barn.



Back in the Great Outback Swamp Charlotte returned to the nest to find Winston trying to feed Elvis, Rhonda and Stanley.  He wasn’t doing such a great job because he kept dropping the worm he had brought for them before he got it to the nest. 



The swamp creatures were glad to see Charlotte and even happier when she was able to quiet Elvis, Rhonda and Stanley and peace returned to the swamp.