Accent
First Love
Brushies
Conflict
Give Me Courage
Trip around Australia
Homeward bound
Haiku
Huon Pine
Life is a jigsaw
Images
What is a race?
The Fourteen Mile
Strings
Chronicle of a Tree
The little wallaby
Whale Watching
List of 2005 stories
|
The little wallaby
It's great living in this quiet little cul-de-sac on the eastern shore of Hobart, overlooking the
Derwent River. The only thing is, I can't have a pet here, as my villa is one of six and rules are
rules. Anyway, I like to travel a bit, but lately, things have changed, all of us in this group have
a pet to share. He's a little bit shy yet but I'm sure he will become more friendly as time goes by
and he gets used to us.
He's a lovely little wallaby and he's been living here with us for a few months. He spends most
afternoons in my back garden, sleeping under the tree in the corner that I call the New Zealand
tree. I don't know its proper name, but it makes a comfortable shelter for him, out of the sun and
rain. I leave carrot sticks and bits of celery for him occasionally, I know I shouldn't feed him,
but I figure if its only occasionally he won’t become dependent on me.
He's quite small, about half a metre tall. He's grey on the back and a pale yellow colour on his
belly, he has faint stripes on his sides that show when he's grooming himself. He looks so soft and
small and defenceless as he crops the grass on my lawn watching me with dark shiny eyes. He's quite
relaxed as long as I keep still, though I do talk to him quite a lot, I think he likes the sound of
my voice. It's with reluctance that I decide I must go inside now, and as soon as I stand up, ever
so slowly, he is immediately alert and heads down the garden to the gap under the fence. “Don't
go," I say, “I won't hurt you." He stops and regards me from under the rhododendron. I
don't mind him going, really, as I know he'll be back. He'll either go next door or up to Edna's,
she lives in one of the back villas.
It's great having him around. It amazes me that he would have had to come through another
cul-de-sac and down quite a lot of footpath in the first instance. What a game little fellow! or
maybe she's a girl.
|
|