Two little wombats

Two Little Wombat's
Written by Elisa Sullivan


Chapter 1

It was a beautiful summers evening when two little brother wombats named Elliot and Victor awoke and came out of their little borrow to see the sun setting over the bay at Oliver's hill. They yawned and stretched, rubbed their eyes free from the sandman's dust. It was very peaceful in the little tea tree forest that they lived in. Every now and then a dog would come sniffing around, trying to figure out the unusual smell, but could never get in as there was blackberries growing very thickly around the wombats little borrow to protect them. The wombats would have their breakfast of some leaves and grasses and they would come out of their little hiding spot too watch the humans as they enjoyed the last of the summer's day.

Elliot was the eldest of the two little wombats, he loved to hear the stories about the humans. Their friend's Kenslee the magpie and her husband Reggie would tell them stories. The magpies loved the little wombats like they were their own. Kenslee told them stories of what she had seen when she was out hunting for food, of how the humans feared her and Reggie as they had relatives that didn't like the humans and would often swoop them. Pecking holes in their heads for coming to close to the nests. Some of the humans would wear silly hats with cable ties sticking out of them to help stop the magpies from swooping them. Kenslee had told them. They thought this must have looked silly and imagined that they looked like Victors friend William the Echidna.

Kenslee told the little wombats that not all the humans were very nice either as they would sometimes hit her family with sticks or use a pellet gun to kill the magpies that were just doing their job in protecting their young ones up in the gum trees. Although she didn't think that anyone human or animal should be nasty to each other and that everyone should live in peace and harmony.

Elliot would daydream about all the places he had heard of from listening to Kenslee and, wanted to go out into the world and see for himself what it was like. He wanted his brother Victor too also come with him, but didn't think he would wont to leave and he knew that Kenslee would not be happy about it either.

When he had been a young wombat his parents had told him "That if you want to know the answer, then you have to ask a question!" Elliot missed his parents. They had been tragically killed on the Nepean Hwy not far from their home, Victor had been too young to remember them.

Elliot was sitting watching all the humans down on the sand, playing in the sea, or throwing sticks to their dogs. He kept thinking about the adventure and wondered how to best approach is brother. Honesty is the best way he thought. He turned and looked at his brother and said with a sigh "I think we need a holiday!"

Victor looked at his brother with fear on his face "A holiday! Why would we need a holiday? he said nervously looking around like something bad was about to happen. We live on a beach in Frankston on the Mornington Peninsula. We have everything we could ever want here" said Victor, he loved it here, he had everything he needed and had never imagined ever leaving. Why would they want to? he thought

Victor the littlest of the two-little wombats, was not as excited about the stories that he heard from the others like Elliot was. It made him a little scared too imagine what it was like outside their safe little world. William the echidna, who would often roll up into a ball and put his spikes up if he heard the slightest noise was his best friend and they often talked about how safe and happy they felt hidden behind the blackberry bushes. They had everything they needed, fresh food, a safe place to sleep, they also knew that Kenslee and Reggie would always look out for them and would protect them from any intruders

Elliot sighed and rolled onto his back to give it a scratch while he thought about what he could say to Victor to help him understand what he had been thinking about, he said "There is so much more too see than just the same old beach with the same old humans and their dogs, every single day. Victor I love listening to Kenslee and Reggie telling stories of things they have seen or heard of in other parts of Australia. I would love to go on an adventure and see all of this for myself, but I couldn't do it without you Victor!

Victor looked at his brother and said Oh I don't know Elliot, at least with stories we cannot get hurt we are safe here in our little borrow by the sea.

Elliot huffed at his brother and turned to walk away, but turned and looked at Victor and said, but I have heard that there is a mountain called Cradle mountain in Tasmania, don't you want to know if it looks like a cradle? and what is a cradle?

Its what humans put their baby's in when they want them to go to sleep! said Victor glad that he had one up on his brother.

How do you know that? Asked Elliot impatiently.

I know, because I listen too, Kenslee told me about them. She had seen a baby in a cradle out on the veranda once and had to gone to see why the humans do that. She reckons that the humans have been copying the birds as the cradle looks a lot like a nest.

Elliot smiled and asked his brother do you know what Tasmanian devils are? Victor shook his head no, Elliot kept going as he could sense that his brother might be changing his mind. Did you know that there is a lake called Eyre in South Australia and that its dry and salty? That Western Australia has some of the most spectacular sights and is the largest of all the states of Australia. The Northern Territory has crocodiles roaming through the streets and that there is a place called Humpty doo. In Queensland, there is the Great Barrier Reef and cane toads. And there is....

What is a cane toad? Cut in Victor a little bit more interested.

Well if we go and have a look then we will know said Elliot.

I need to think about it Elliot said Victor, hoping that if he could talk to the others they might talk Elliot out of this silly idea.

Victor was sunning himself when he heard Reggie settled on his favorite branch. You will get burnt little wombat if you're not careful, the sun has a bite in it these days Victor, they say it's only going to get hotter and hotter. Victor looked at Reggie and wondered how he knew all these things.

Reggie! Asked Victor.

Yes, mate what is it? said Reggie as he plucked a caterpillar off the branch and ate it.

How do you know so many things? asked Victor

Reggie looked at the little wombat and said I fly all over the place and stop and have a yarn to family and friends that have come for visit. We also do sometimes take notice of what the humans are doing, as they are not always on the beach with their dogs. Sometimes we see them playing with big boxes and as we can look harmless, we can land on a branch or a fence and listen to what they are saying. Humans don't know that we understand them. It's a secret! laughed Reggie. Victor smiled and gave it some thought before he spoke again.

Elliot has asked me to go an adventure around Australia, said Victor.

Has he now? Said Reggie I thought he might have been thinking of something he has been acting a little strangely lately. I have seen him outside the Blackberry bushes and had wondered what he was doing. Now I know he is finding his courage to see the outside world. Victor looked shocked they had never gone out beyond the Blackberry bushes.

Do you think we should go on an adventure Reggie? Said Victor

Reggie looked at the little wombat and flew down to the ground and asked quietly, Would you like to go on an adventure Victor?

Victor backed up a little bit and Reggie could see that his little friend was scared about it. I don't know! Stuttered Victor. A little bit of me wants to and a little bit of me doesn't want to.

Reggie scratched at the ground and asked. If Elliot was to go on an adventure without you, would you be happy to stay here by yourself?

Victor thought about it and shook his head sadly. No, I would miss him very much.

Well we would all miss you and Elliot very much if you went away, said Reggie, but it is your decision, you and Elliot are getting big now and soon you must learn to look after yourselves.

Victor looked at Reggie with tears in his eyes. I would miss you all too. He said as he turned his head so that Reggie couldn't see his tears.

Come on Victor no need for tears, we would all still be here when you came back. Victor smiled at Reggie.

Well we better go find Elliot and tell him I have decided to go on the adventure with him. Reggie gave out a loud laugh and followed Victor back to the borrow.

Elliot, where are you? Called Victor.

I am here silly looking for our dinner. What do you want? snapped Elliot. Victor knew that Elliot was not in a very good mood when he talked like that.

What is wrong? Asked Victor.

Kenslee upset me and I don't want to talk about it! Said a very upset Elliot.

Kenslee could never upset us, she loves us Elliot. Said Victor.

Well she yelled at me, because she found me outside the Blackberry bushes, grunted Elliot.

She was just scared for you Elliot, she would not have upset you on purpose, smiled Victor.

Well I am a big wombat now I don't have to hide away all the time, came the small whine in Elliot's voice.

Oh! come now Elliot, said Reggie, you know that she cares and she would have been worried about you going out on the road and something happening to you.

I must learn to protect myself and I do not need any old magpie telling me what to do, said a defiant Elliot.

Any old magpie! Am I? said an angry look Kenlsee. You know what happened to your parents! I couldn't go through that again. She had been the one to find the little wombats parents on the Hwy and had vowed to always look after them.

Elliot looked shame faced and turned around, as it was not often that Kenslee was very mad at him or Victor and he felt ashamed of himself for saying she was any old magpie. He knew she was one of a kind and that she really loved them and they really loved her.

Tell me my little wombat, what is your fascination with going out of the Blackberry bushes? Asked Kenslee.

Elliot was quite for a while, and was not going to tell her.

That was when Victor piped up and said Kenslee! Elliot and I are going on an adventure around Australia.

Elliot's face changed into a huge smile when he heard his brother tell Kenslee about their adventure. He did not think Victor would go and that he would have stayed behind.

You really want to go Victor? Asked an excited Elliot.

Yes, I was talking to Reggie and he said that one day we must learn to look after ourselves, so why not go on an adventure and see what happens.

Kenslee flew down at Reggie and knocked him off his branch. What are you doing you stupid bird, you could have hurt me said a winded Reggie.

You idiot! Screamed Kenslee, why would you encourage our little wombats to leave here. They are not prepared for the outside world, there are too many dangers and I will not let them go! Do you understand me? said a very cross Kenslee

Come on darl, said Reggie we both know that we cannot always be here to look after them and they are growing into fine young men now. They need to learn what is what and how to do things for themselves.

OH! That is rubbish, they are only little they cannot leave yet. Cried Kenslee as she wrapped her wings over Victor to keep him close to her

We are not little said Elliot, I am nine and Victor is six, that's getting old for wombats. We have an uncle named Patrick he is twenty-nine years old and he lives in a zoo in Ballart, I don't want to ever live in a zoo, especially in Ballart as I have heard it gets cold there, and we don't like the cold! Do we Victor! Asked Elliot.

I don't know said Victor I have never really been cold before.

See Kenslee that is why we need to go on this adventure, Victor and I need to learn new things and when we come back we can tell you some stories instead of you and Reggie always telling us stories.

You will come back? Asked Kenslee doubtful as she had many chicks who had grown and never come back. Of course, we will, this is our home said Victor. Well I will think about it then, said Kenslee.

Elliot and Victor looked at each other and smiled they knew now they would be going their adventure, because whenever Kenslee said that they usually got their own way.

The two little wombats started making their plans for their grand adventure. How would we get to Tasmania? asked Victor. Which they had decided was the best place to start as then they could come back to the main land and then go west.

Well I know that there is a ship called the Spirit of Tasmania, I am sure we could get on that said Elliot.

William listened to the two brothers talking. Do you really have to go Victor? Why not stay here and just let Elliot go! He is bigger than you and you and I could share the borrow until he came back. Asked a hopeful William.

Why don't you come with us William? Said Victor I am sure we could all have a great time together.

Me! Go away from here? No never not in a life time. Said a scared little echidna.

Victor looked between his friend and his brother and said to his friend, I cannot let Elliot go on his own, he might get lonely. Plus, you will have Kenslee and Reggie to keep you company while we are gone and you can live in our borrow and keep it safe for us from the humans and their dogs. This thought cheered William up, he had always liked the wombats borrow better than his. It was much bigger.

Ok I will look after the borrow for you, but please don't be gone for too long as I will really miss you. Victor smiled at his friend and said I will miss you too mate.

On a clear afternoon, just as the sun was setting over Oliver's Hill in Frankston, the two-little wombats said their goodbyes to their friends.

Remember little wombats be careful and stay out of trouble, do you hear me said a sad Kenslee. Reggie put his wing on hers and softly said they will be ok, don't worry. She couldn't help herself though, they were her world.

Reggie patted their heads and said Now boys remember to stay clear of the dingos and if you get into any trouble remember to always help each other and there is no harm in asking for help, there are a lot of other animals and birds out there that will help you if you just ask. Said Reggie.

We promise we will said the two little wombats.

They waved as the set off on their adventure. Bye everyone we will be ok don't worry, we will be back soon, said Elliot.

Their friends watched as they went up the beach towards the Melbourne port where they could sneak onto the ship and hide behind one of the many cars going over to Devonport in Tasmania.