Chapter 2: A Primer, of sorts…
“It is not!” Rain yipped indignantly.
“It is,” Belle’s voice was smug in her certainty.
Their mother looked up from where she was cleaning up a corner of their enclosure in preparation for the upcoming move. “Is there a problem, girls?” she asked softly.
“Mommy, Belle says Australia is so big that it would take days to run across… but I looked at the thing Daddy showed us, and it’s only a few toenails wide. That wouldn’t take very long…”
Mommy fox chuckled. “Oh, my darling. Daddy brought that map so that you could see how far we had to go, but a map is only a small picture of a really big place. Still, Belle’s wrong, too. It would take more than a couple of days to run across Australia. It would take weeks, maybe even months.”
Both kits’ eyes grew wide. “Weeks?” Rain repeated.
“Months?” Belle echoed, stunned.
“Australia is really big, girls, and it’s really far away. It’s so big, it’s hard to really understand.” She paused and watched them for a second. “And it’s so far away that the animals and plants are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Would you like me to tell you a story that will help give you an idea about some of the places and things you will see?”
The two kits yipped in delight and lay down at their mother’s paws. With an amused look, Mommy Fox sat down and curled her bushy red tail around her perfect little paws. “Alright, girls. I’m going to tell you a story…
*
Tonight I am going to tell you a story about a little kangaroo named Joey. Now Joey is a sweet, kind, and gentle kangaroo, and he is very much in need of a friend. He really hopes you’ll be his friend and go with him tonight as he and you begin to slip softly into the stillness and silence of silken sleep.
Tonight, Joey’s mother smiles over at you and Joey and says, “This evening, Joey, I want you to take your sleepy friends out to say good-night to all the sleepy animals who live here in Australia with us. Can you visit with Kelly the Koala, who lives inside the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove? Then go see Benny the brown snake who lives in the Swishing Swooshing Savannah over the hill. He might be alone or he might be with Addy the adder, so say hi if you can see her, but remember that she likes to hide in the leaves. Don’t forget about Eddy the Echidna, who lives on the other side of the Swishing Swooshing Savanna, beside the Quiet Creek. After that, pay a visit to Candice the crocodile, who likes to sleep in the hot and humid Swampland of the North. On your way back, don’t forget to visit Fanny the Funnel Web Spider, who will be sleeping in the secret shadows.”
Joey turns to you and says, “Will you come with me to visit my friends before I come back to the meadow where we can fall asleep together to the sound of the cicadas?” You smile and nod, and think about the soft singing sound of cicadas.
Together, the two of you set out to visit Joey’s other friends. As you leave, Joey’s mother waves and says, “Remember to wear your hat, Joey. The sun can be hot, and you need to be careful. Also, remember to let your friends know you are coming by saying hello before you get too close.”
Joey hops ahead and then glances back at you, extending one paw. “Come with me,” he says softly. “And let us go into the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove, where Kelly the koala will be waiting.”
You adjust your hat, making sure it keeps the hot sun from shining on your neck and ears, and you take his paw; together you and he hop out of the meadow and toward the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove.
As you walk in happy silence, you look at the beautiful trees around you. The eucalyptus trees are tall and green, with long thin leaves that have a gentle curve. A smell like mint and honey fills the air, and you feel your shoulders relax as the smell and the sound of the wind in the leaves, rustling softly, ease you closer and closer to a sense of sleepiness. You look around in wonder as the sunlight filters through the leaves, like sparkling streams. Ahead of you there is a tree that looks taller than the others. There, sitting calmly on a branch and eating one of the leaves, is a tiny, furry little bear with soft round ears and wide, black eyes. He spots you and looks frightened until Joey calls out softly, “Hello, Kelly. I have brought a friend to say good-night.”
Kelly the koala smiles and says, “Hello, Joey. Hello, girls. It’s a fine evening, soft and warm. Do you like walking in the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove? The smell of the oil is rich and sweet, and it helps me to relax. Sometimes, when I’m tired, I close my eyes and listen to the way the wind rustles the leaves. It’s like a kind of music, and it often helps me to drift away, deeply into drowsiness.”
“We love the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove,” Joey agrees. “But now we need to visit the Swishing, Swooshing Savannah to see Benny the brown snake.”
Kelly smiles gently, and raises a paw in farewell. “Remember to make sure he knows you are coming because brown snakes get scared sometimes. And don’t forget to wear your hat, for the sun outside the Enchanted Grove is very warm.”
Together you and Joey walk out from under the rustling leaves of the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove. Before you stretches a vast and waving grasses of the Swishing Swooshing Savannah. “Is this a savannah?” you ask softly. “It looks just like a prairie or a grassland.”
“This,” Joey whispers dreamily, “is the Swishing, Swooshing Savanna. It’s full of long grasses, like a prairie. Many different animals live here. But right now, we are going to look for my friend Benny, the brown snake. Do you know what a brown snake looks like? They are brown, of course… sometimes a dark brown and sometimes almost tan. They can be long, sometimes longer than you are tall. They don’t like to be startled, which is why we are not walking quietly.”
Joey pauses and points ahead to a long rock in the grass, where a long brown form is laying, sunning itself in the fading light of the sun. “Brown snakes are more active in the daytime,” Joey tells you. “And all snakes need to use the sun to warm up.” He waves his paw and calls out, “Benny!”
The snake rises up part-way, looking startled, and Joey stays very still. “Hi, Benny!” he says more softly.
Benny the brown snake settles back down onto the rock. “Hello, Joey,” he hisses softly. “You surprised me. It’s a good thing you made some noise while you were far away. Be careful, though, since Addy is laying in the leaves just over there, and you wouldn’t want to step on her.”
You glance at the grass and leaves beside you, but at first you don’t see anything. Then Addy moves and you see her for the first time. She is a beautiful snake, with a triangular head, shorter body, and stunningly delicate stripes of light and dark brown along her back. She blends almost perfectly with the leaves around her. “Hello, Joey,” Addy whispers, slithering over to lounge beside the rock where Benny rests.
“Hello, Addy,” Joey says calmly. “I wondered if you would be out. I came by with my friends to say good-night.”
Addy and Benny lay quietly in the warm, slanting rays of sunshine. “We’re glad you came,” Benny hisses. “Have you spent any time listening to the soft, sleepy sound of the grass of the savanna? Sometimes, when I am sunning myself on this rock, I listen for hours and let the wind whisper wordlessly as I slowly slide into sleep.”
“Dreams,” Addy adds, “drift like dandelion seeds when you listen, slowly sifting through your thoughts, until you drift… drift… dreamily into darkness. I love listening to the wind on nights like this, don’t you?”
“I do,” Joey agrees. “But now we have to go. We promised my mommy that we would visit with Eddy the Echidna, far away on the other side of the Swishing Swooshing Savanna. I am so glad we saw you both to wish you good-night.”
“Don’t forget to walk loudly when you go, in case any of my family are in the grasses,” Benny advises you. “And look where you put your feet. You wouldn’t want to scare one of the snakes. Remember, we only bite people if we are scared or if you chase us.”
“And Joey,” Addy the adder adds, “Don’t forget to remind your friends to keep your hats on. The sun is getting lower, but it is still very hot and you need to have its shade.”
“I’ll remember,” Joey says, and gently takes your hand. “If you’re tired,” he whispers, “you can go to sleep right now. I will make sure you get home safely. If you aren’t quite ready to sleep, keep listening and come with me and we will go visit Eddy the Echidna on the other side of the Swishing Swooshing Savanna, beside the Quiet Creek.”
You smile sleepily at Joey, waving for him to continue through the long, waving grass. Every so often you glance around, making sure not to startle any snakes. Your eyes, growing heavy, glance at the ground, making sure no snakes are underfoot. He sees you being careful and smiles. “It’s smart to keep looking around as you walk,” he agrees. “Sometimes, when I’m hopping through grasslands, when I’m getting close to sleep, I stare up and watch the clouds drift like whispers across the sky as it slowly shifts from blue to purple to rose as the sun sinks lower. The clouds and the grass, swishing around me, help to lull me closer and closer into sleepiness.”
Before long a new sound tickles your ears. Somewhere nearby, you can hear the soft, relaxing sound of water moving. The gentle gurgle of the water makes you smile sleepily, and you begin to glance around for the source of the sound. Joey notices and points to where the grass grows even greener. “There,” he whispers, “is the Quiet Creek. I love the sound of the Quiet Creek. It flows like laughter over the rocks of the creek bed, and makes me think of the sigh of a happy child just before they fall asleep. I can understand why my friend Eddy, the Echidna, lives near here.”
Almost as though he had been called, a small, brown ball of spikes pokes his long nose out of the gently waving grasses. “Is that Joey?” the echidna asks, squinting up at the little kangaroo.
“Hello, Eddy. My mother asked me to come and visit you and wish you a good-night. Are you getting ready to go to sleep?”
Eddy smiles and yawns. “No,” he says softly. “I’m just waking up. I am more likely to sleep during the day, but I love the feeling of sleep… the way your body feels heavy and light at the same time… the way your eyes feel as you close them… the way your breathing slows down, getting deeper and deeper… sleep.”
Joey smiles wearily. “I know what you mean,” he responds. “The sound of the Quiet Creek, bubbling so gently behind you, is making me feel more and more tired. I wish I could go straight home and go right to sleep.”
Joey looks at you. “Do you want to go to bed and let the sweet, gentle sound of the cicadas carry you down, down, down into the drowsy realm of dreams? I love the way the night breeze whispering through the grass blends with the soft, rippling sound of the water over the stones. It makes me want to drift away.”
Eddy the Echidna wiggles his long nose and adds, “Sometimes, when I fall asleep, I dream that I can fly among the stars in the peaceful darkness of space. Wouldn’t that be nice? To float, freely, never falling… to drift and dance among the stars? To feel yourself so light you could float and fly?”
Joey’s smile is sleepy as he nods to Eddy. “I have the same dream, sometimes. But I think we have to carry on. We still need to visit with Candace the crocodile, and the walk to the Northern swamp is full of sleepy sounds. Goodnight, Eddy.”
Eddy smiles and wiggles his nose once more. “Good-night, Joey. Good-night, girls. I hope that sleep finds you soon, and that you have sweet, soothing dreams that carry you like the current of the Quiet Creek, gently down, down, down to the dawn.”
Together, you and Joey begin the long, relaxing walk to the Northern Swamp. The sun, which is sinking lower and lower towards the ground, casts long shadows of the trees that rise up among the still water. The churring of cicadas is distant and soothing, and the swishing of the grass and the rustle of the leaves create a sleepy melody that makes you think of floating in warm, still water beneath an inky sky filled with countless tiny stars, sparkling and shining happily down upon you. Joey glances over at you and smiles sleepily. “Soon,” he whispers, “we will get to the edge of the Northern Swamp, where my friend, Candice the Crocodile, lives. You have to remember to keep back from the edge of the water, though. Crocodiles will eat things that fall in the water, even little kangaroos or little girls. Candice is a gentle crocodile, and she would be very sad if she ate us.”
You nod thoughtfully, and glance around as the feel of the air changes, growing heavier and heavier around you. The heat of the day is beginning to fade, though the swamp before you seems to hold it close like a soft, welcoming blanket. The sound of flies and mosquitos add to the gentle sounds around you, lulling you even closer to sleep. As you get closer to the water, Joey calls out, “Candice? Are you here?”
Ahead of you, a long shape moves in the water, rising up so that the crocodile’s eyes and nose rise above the lapping waves. “Joey!” Candice calls softly, giving a toothy grin. “You came to visit? Are you here to say good-night?”
Joey smiles tiredly. “I am, and I brought my friends to say good night to you, too.”
Candice the crocodile smiles at you. “Hello, girls. Thank you so much for coming. And thank you, too, for standing away from the edge of the water. All crocodiles are instinctive hunters, and staying away from the edge of the water helps make sure you are always safe. Do you like my home here in the Northern swamp?”
You look around at the water reflecting the rich color of the setting sun, and the way the trees, with their pale trunks and broad branches, seem to grow down into the water as well as up into the sky. You smell the rich, earthy scent of the soil, and hear the gentle lap of water against the muddy shore joining with the soft hum of the insects and you nod.
Joey smiles happily at Candice. “I like bringing my friends to visit new and beautiful places. It give me a chance to share the happiness I feel inside whenever I am in places like this. The swamp gives me a sense of peace and tranquility, and it makes me feel calm and quiet inside, like the moments just before I fall into a gentle sleep.”
Candice smiles. “I hope you have a restful sleep, and dream about how the stars reflect off still water, making everything around you an ocean of space, deep, and soft, and quiet. But now, girls, I need to go. Walk home to your beds, and dream sweet dreams.”
Joey waves goodbye, and you walk together back the way you came, away from the swamp and towards the meadow where you began.
“I want to thank you,” Joey whispers as you walk. “I really needed a friend today, and you were there when I needed you. You listened to me and you spent time with me, and it made me feel loved and respected. That’s what real friends do. Thank you.”
Before you can respond, Joey points at a little shelf of stone you hadn’t noticed before. It is quite dark and sheltered under it, and in the shadowy recess you see a white, funnel-shaped web. “That’s where Fanny lives,” Joey tells you. “Funnel-web spiders like to live in shadowy places because the sun hurts them. You have to be careful, though, because if you reach in Fanny might think you are a bug and bite you, and her bite is very poisonous.” Joey pauses and smiles at you. “Remember that you should always treat a spider’s web with respect, since it’s their home. You wouldn’t want some giant to just reach into your bedroom, would you?”
You shake your head and Joey laughs a quiet laugh. “Fanny?” he calls.
A moment later, a black form, the size of a large coin rises up, it’s front legs raised defensively. Joey stays still and motioned for you to remain still. “Hi Fanny,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
The spider lowers her legs and looks at the two of you. “Hi, Joey,” she sighs. “I didn’t recognize you. You have brought your friends?”
Joey nods. “We were just going back to the meadow and thought we would stop by and say good night.”
Fanny bobs up and down on her web. “Thank you for thinking of me. I was just resting, waiting for the sun to go down so I could catch some dinner. It was good to see you.”
Joey smiles and waves a paw at her. “Good luck, Fanny.” He turns to you. “Let’s go home, so we can lie down in the soft grass and wish on the stars.”
The two of you walk quietly back to where Joey’s mother is waiting in the gathering darkness. She smiles when she see you, and beckons for you to lie down on the soft grass bed she has made. Above you, the stars are beginning to shine, and Joey points to one as you lie down. “Did you know,” he whispers, “that the stars make different shapes in the sky depending on where you live? Here in Australia, when we look up, we see that constellation there… it’s called the Southern Cross. I’m told that in Canada, you can’t see that, but you can see something else called the Big Dipper and the North Star. I wonder what they look like…”
Joey’s mother reaches down and brushes her paw through your hair in a gentle, calming movement. “It’s time,” she murmurs gently. “It’s time to let sleep carry you into the dreamland, where you can walk among the stars or swim with the tiniest of fish, where you can fly like dandelion seeds upon the breeze or flow like water down a stream, calmly, peacefully, and quietly. It’s time to walk among the clouds, and sail across the sky along a rainbow. It’s time to sleep.”
Joey smiles sleepily at you. “Thank you so much,” he whispers. “Please, come visit me again, soon.”
Now, little ones, close your eyes. Know that you are safe, you are home, and you are loved more than you know. Sleep, and dream.
So I will admit without a trace of shame that this story was written in the same style as “The Little Rabbit Who wanted to Fall Asleep”. I wrote it to help my girls sleep while also giving them an idea of what kinds of animals live in Australia, and giving them hints about what to do and not do while they are down there. I don’t know if all the unspoken advice is correct, but it’s what I’ve been told…
“It is not!” Rain yipped indignantly.
“It is,” Belle’s voice was smug in her certainty.
Their mother looked up from where she was cleaning up a corner of their enclosure in preparation for the upcoming move. “Is there a problem, girls?” she asked softly.
“Mommy, Belle says Australia is so big that it would take days to run across… but I looked at the thing Daddy showed us, and it’s only a few toenails wide. That wouldn’t take very long…”
Mommy fox chuckled. “Oh, my darling. Daddy brought that map so that you could see how far we had to go, but a map is only a small picture of a really big place. Still, Belle’s wrong, too. It would take more than a couple of days to run across Australia. It would take weeks, maybe even months.”
Both kits’ eyes grew wide. “Weeks?” Rain repeated.
“Months?” Belle echoed, stunned.
“Australia is really big, girls, and it’s really far away. It’s so big, it’s hard to really understand.” She paused and watched them for a second. “And it’s so far away that the animals and plants are unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Would you like me to tell you a story that will help give you an idea about some of the places and things you will see?”
The two kits yipped in delight and lay down at their mother’s paws. With an amused look, Mommy Fox sat down and curled her bushy red tail around her perfect little paws. “Alright, girls. I’m going to tell you a story…
*
Tonight I am going to tell you a story about a little kangaroo named Joey. Now Joey is a sweet, kind, and gentle kangaroo, and he is very much in need of a friend. He really hopes you’ll be his friend and go with him tonight as he and you begin to slip softly into the stillness and silence of silken sleep.
Tonight, Joey’s mother smiles over at you and Joey and says, “This evening, Joey, I want you to take your sleepy friends out to say good-night to all the sleepy animals who live here in Australia with us. Can you visit with Kelly the Koala, who lives inside the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove? Then go see Benny the brown snake who lives in the Swishing Swooshing Savannah over the hill. He might be alone or he might be with Addy the adder, so say hi if you can see her, but remember that she likes to hide in the leaves. Don’t forget about Eddy the Echidna, who lives on the other side of the Swishing Swooshing Savanna, beside the Quiet Creek. After that, pay a visit to Candice the crocodile, who likes to sleep in the hot and humid Swampland of the North. On your way back, don’t forget to visit Fanny the Funnel Web Spider, who will be sleeping in the secret shadows.”
Joey turns to you and says, “Will you come with me to visit my friends before I come back to the meadow where we can fall asleep together to the sound of the cicadas?” You smile and nod, and think about the soft singing sound of cicadas.
Together, the two of you set out to visit Joey’s other friends. As you leave, Joey’s mother waves and says, “Remember to wear your hat, Joey. The sun can be hot, and you need to be careful. Also, remember to let your friends know you are coming by saying hello before you get too close.”
Joey hops ahead and then glances back at you, extending one paw. “Come with me,” he says softly. “And let us go into the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove, where Kelly the koala will be waiting.”
You adjust your hat, making sure it keeps the hot sun from shining on your neck and ears, and you take his paw; together you and he hop out of the meadow and toward the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove.
As you walk in happy silence, you look at the beautiful trees around you. The eucalyptus trees are tall and green, with long thin leaves that have a gentle curve. A smell like mint and honey fills the air, and you feel your shoulders relax as the smell and the sound of the wind in the leaves, rustling softly, ease you closer and closer to a sense of sleepiness. You look around in wonder as the sunlight filters through the leaves, like sparkling streams. Ahead of you there is a tree that looks taller than the others. There, sitting calmly on a branch and eating one of the leaves, is a tiny, furry little bear with soft round ears and wide, black eyes. He spots you and looks frightened until Joey calls out softly, “Hello, Kelly. I have brought a friend to say good-night.”
Kelly the koala smiles and says, “Hello, Joey. Hello, girls. It’s a fine evening, soft and warm. Do you like walking in the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove? The smell of the oil is rich and sweet, and it helps me to relax. Sometimes, when I’m tired, I close my eyes and listen to the way the wind rustles the leaves. It’s like a kind of music, and it often helps me to drift away, deeply into drowsiness.”
“We love the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove,” Joey agrees. “But now we need to visit the Swishing, Swooshing Savannah to see Benny the brown snake.”
Kelly smiles gently, and raises a paw in farewell. “Remember to make sure he knows you are coming because brown snakes get scared sometimes. And don’t forget to wear your hat, for the sun outside the Enchanted Grove is very warm.”
Together you and Joey walk out from under the rustling leaves of the Enchanted Eucalyptus Grove. Before you stretches a vast and waving grasses of the Swishing Swooshing Savannah. “Is this a savannah?” you ask softly. “It looks just like a prairie or a grassland.”
“This,” Joey whispers dreamily, “is the Swishing, Swooshing Savanna. It’s full of long grasses, like a prairie. Many different animals live here. But right now, we are going to look for my friend Benny, the brown snake. Do you know what a brown snake looks like? They are brown, of course… sometimes a dark brown and sometimes almost tan. They can be long, sometimes longer than you are tall. They don’t like to be startled, which is why we are not walking quietly.”
Joey pauses and points ahead to a long rock in the grass, where a long brown form is laying, sunning itself in the fading light of the sun. “Brown snakes are more active in the daytime,” Joey tells you. “And all snakes need to use the sun to warm up.” He waves his paw and calls out, “Benny!”
The snake rises up part-way, looking startled, and Joey stays very still. “Hi, Benny!” he says more softly.
Benny the brown snake settles back down onto the rock. “Hello, Joey,” he hisses softly. “You surprised me. It’s a good thing you made some noise while you were far away. Be careful, though, since Addy is laying in the leaves just over there, and you wouldn’t want to step on her.”
You glance at the grass and leaves beside you, but at first you don’t see anything. Then Addy moves and you see her for the first time. She is a beautiful snake, with a triangular head, shorter body, and stunningly delicate stripes of light and dark brown along her back. She blends almost perfectly with the leaves around her. “Hello, Joey,” Addy whispers, slithering over to lounge beside the rock where Benny rests.
“Hello, Addy,” Joey says calmly. “I wondered if you would be out. I came by with my friends to say good-night.”
Addy and Benny lay quietly in the warm, slanting rays of sunshine. “We’re glad you came,” Benny hisses. “Have you spent any time listening to the soft, sleepy sound of the grass of the savanna? Sometimes, when I am sunning myself on this rock, I listen for hours and let the wind whisper wordlessly as I slowly slide into sleep.”
“Dreams,” Addy adds, “drift like dandelion seeds when you listen, slowly sifting through your thoughts, until you drift… drift… dreamily into darkness. I love listening to the wind on nights like this, don’t you?”
“I do,” Joey agrees. “But now we have to go. We promised my mommy that we would visit with Eddy the Echidna, far away on the other side of the Swishing Swooshing Savanna. I am so glad we saw you both to wish you good-night.”
“Don’t forget to walk loudly when you go, in case any of my family are in the grasses,” Benny advises you. “And look where you put your feet. You wouldn’t want to scare one of the snakes. Remember, we only bite people if we are scared or if you chase us.”
“And Joey,” Addy the adder adds, “Don’t forget to remind your friends to keep your hats on. The sun is getting lower, but it is still very hot and you need to have its shade.”
“I’ll remember,” Joey says, and gently takes your hand. “If you’re tired,” he whispers, “you can go to sleep right now. I will make sure you get home safely. If you aren’t quite ready to sleep, keep listening and come with me and we will go visit Eddy the Echidna on the other side of the Swishing Swooshing Savanna, beside the Quiet Creek.”
You smile sleepily at Joey, waving for him to continue through the long, waving grass. Every so often you glance around, making sure not to startle any snakes. Your eyes, growing heavy, glance at the ground, making sure no snakes are underfoot. He sees you being careful and smiles. “It’s smart to keep looking around as you walk,” he agrees. “Sometimes, when I’m hopping through grasslands, when I’m getting close to sleep, I stare up and watch the clouds drift like whispers across the sky as it slowly shifts from blue to purple to rose as the sun sinks lower. The clouds and the grass, swishing around me, help to lull me closer and closer into sleepiness.”
Before long a new sound tickles your ears. Somewhere nearby, you can hear the soft, relaxing sound of water moving. The gentle gurgle of the water makes you smile sleepily, and you begin to glance around for the source of the sound. Joey notices and points to where the grass grows even greener. “There,” he whispers, “is the Quiet Creek. I love the sound of the Quiet Creek. It flows like laughter over the rocks of the creek bed, and makes me think of the sigh of a happy child just before they fall asleep. I can understand why my friend Eddy, the Echidna, lives near here.”
Almost as though he had been called, a small, brown ball of spikes pokes his long nose out of the gently waving grasses. “Is that Joey?” the echidna asks, squinting up at the little kangaroo.
“Hello, Eddy. My mother asked me to come and visit you and wish you a good-night. Are you getting ready to go to sleep?”
Eddy smiles and yawns. “No,” he says softly. “I’m just waking up. I am more likely to sleep during the day, but I love the feeling of sleep… the way your body feels heavy and light at the same time… the way your eyes feel as you close them… the way your breathing slows down, getting deeper and deeper… sleep.”
Joey smiles wearily. “I know what you mean,” he responds. “The sound of the Quiet Creek, bubbling so gently behind you, is making me feel more and more tired. I wish I could go straight home and go right to sleep.”
Joey looks at you. “Do you want to go to bed and let the sweet, gentle sound of the cicadas carry you down, down, down into the drowsy realm of dreams? I love the way the night breeze whispering through the grass blends with the soft, rippling sound of the water over the stones. It makes me want to drift away.”
Eddy the Echidna wiggles his long nose and adds, “Sometimes, when I fall asleep, I dream that I can fly among the stars in the peaceful darkness of space. Wouldn’t that be nice? To float, freely, never falling… to drift and dance among the stars? To feel yourself so light you could float and fly?”
Joey’s smile is sleepy as he nods to Eddy. “I have the same dream, sometimes. But I think we have to carry on. We still need to visit with Candace the crocodile, and the walk to the Northern swamp is full of sleepy sounds. Goodnight, Eddy.”
Eddy smiles and wiggles his nose once more. “Good-night, Joey. Good-night, girls. I hope that sleep finds you soon, and that you have sweet, soothing dreams that carry you like the current of the Quiet Creek, gently down, down, down to the dawn.”
Together, you and Joey begin the long, relaxing walk to the Northern Swamp. The sun, which is sinking lower and lower towards the ground, casts long shadows of the trees that rise up among the still water. The churring of cicadas is distant and soothing, and the swishing of the grass and the rustle of the leaves create a sleepy melody that makes you think of floating in warm, still water beneath an inky sky filled with countless tiny stars, sparkling and shining happily down upon you. Joey glances over at you and smiles sleepily. “Soon,” he whispers, “we will get to the edge of the Northern Swamp, where my friend, Candice the Crocodile, lives. You have to remember to keep back from the edge of the water, though. Crocodiles will eat things that fall in the water, even little kangaroos or little girls. Candice is a gentle crocodile, and she would be very sad if she ate us.”
You nod thoughtfully, and glance around as the feel of the air changes, growing heavier and heavier around you. The heat of the day is beginning to fade, though the swamp before you seems to hold it close like a soft, welcoming blanket. The sound of flies and mosquitos add to the gentle sounds around you, lulling you even closer to sleep. As you get closer to the water, Joey calls out, “Candice? Are you here?”
Ahead of you, a long shape moves in the water, rising up so that the crocodile’s eyes and nose rise above the lapping waves. “Joey!” Candice calls softly, giving a toothy grin. “You came to visit? Are you here to say good-night?”
Joey smiles tiredly. “I am, and I brought my friends to say good night to you, too.”
Candice the crocodile smiles at you. “Hello, girls. Thank you so much for coming. And thank you, too, for standing away from the edge of the water. All crocodiles are instinctive hunters, and staying away from the edge of the water helps make sure you are always safe. Do you like my home here in the Northern swamp?”
You look around at the water reflecting the rich color of the setting sun, and the way the trees, with their pale trunks and broad branches, seem to grow down into the water as well as up into the sky. You smell the rich, earthy scent of the soil, and hear the gentle lap of water against the muddy shore joining with the soft hum of the insects and you nod.
Joey smiles happily at Candice. “I like bringing my friends to visit new and beautiful places. It give me a chance to share the happiness I feel inside whenever I am in places like this. The swamp gives me a sense of peace and tranquility, and it makes me feel calm and quiet inside, like the moments just before I fall into a gentle sleep.”
Candice smiles. “I hope you have a restful sleep, and dream about how the stars reflect off still water, making everything around you an ocean of space, deep, and soft, and quiet. But now, girls, I need to go. Walk home to your beds, and dream sweet dreams.”
Joey waves goodbye, and you walk together back the way you came, away from the swamp and towards the meadow where you began.
“I want to thank you,” Joey whispers as you walk. “I really needed a friend today, and you were there when I needed you. You listened to me and you spent time with me, and it made me feel loved and respected. That’s what real friends do. Thank you.”
Before you can respond, Joey points at a little shelf of stone you hadn’t noticed before. It is quite dark and sheltered under it, and in the shadowy recess you see a white, funnel-shaped web. “That’s where Fanny lives,” Joey tells you. “Funnel-web spiders like to live in shadowy places because the sun hurts them. You have to be careful, though, because if you reach in Fanny might think you are a bug and bite you, and her bite is very poisonous.” Joey pauses and smiles at you. “Remember that you should always treat a spider’s web with respect, since it’s their home. You wouldn’t want some giant to just reach into your bedroom, would you?”
You shake your head and Joey laughs a quiet laugh. “Fanny?” he calls.
A moment later, a black form, the size of a large coin rises up, it’s front legs raised defensively. Joey stays still and motioned for you to remain still. “Hi Fanny,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
The spider lowers her legs and looks at the two of you. “Hi, Joey,” she sighs. “I didn’t recognize you. You have brought your friends?”
Joey nods. “We were just going back to the meadow and thought we would stop by and say good night.”
Fanny bobs up and down on her web. “Thank you for thinking of me. I was just resting, waiting for the sun to go down so I could catch some dinner. It was good to see you.”
Joey smiles and waves a paw at her. “Good luck, Fanny.” He turns to you. “Let’s go home, so we can lie down in the soft grass and wish on the stars.”
The two of you walk quietly back to where Joey’s mother is waiting in the gathering darkness. She smiles when she see you, and beckons for you to lie down on the soft grass bed she has made. Above you, the stars are beginning to shine, and Joey points to one as you lie down. “Did you know,” he whispers, “that the stars make different shapes in the sky depending on where you live? Here in Australia, when we look up, we see that constellation there… it’s called the Southern Cross. I’m told that in Canada, you can’t see that, but you can see something else called the Big Dipper and the North Star. I wonder what they look like…”
Joey’s mother reaches down and brushes her paw through your hair in a gentle, calming movement. “It’s time,” she murmurs gently. “It’s time to let sleep carry you into the dreamland, where you can walk among the stars or swim with the tiniest of fish, where you can fly like dandelion seeds upon the breeze or flow like water down a stream, calmly, peacefully, and quietly. It’s time to walk among the clouds, and sail across the sky along a rainbow. It’s time to sleep.”
Joey smiles sleepily at you. “Thank you so much,” he whispers. “Please, come visit me again, soon.”
Now, little ones, close your eyes. Know that you are safe, you are home, and you are loved more than you know. Sleep, and dream.
So I will admit without a trace of shame that this story was written in the same style as “The Little Rabbit Who wanted to Fall Asleep”. I wrote it to help my girls sleep while also giving them an idea of what kinds of animals live in Australia, and giving them hints about what to do and not do while they are down there. I don’t know if all the unspoken advice is correct, but it’s what I’ve been told…