Читать книгу The Adventures of Mu-Mu Lost in the Outback - Warren Day - Страница 6

As they were looking for seeds near the stream, Mu-Mu spied someone new on the water’s edge. This new animal was very long and green. It had a long snout and a long tail. Many humps and bumps ran along its back all the way to the tip of its tail. Mu-Mu started walking closer to get a better look. This was the most unusual creature he had seen in all his three days. When he was about ten feet away the long green thing opened its mouth and rows of long pearly white teeth shined in the day time sun. Mu-Mu saw right then that this was a dangerous fellow. Mu-Mu scurried back to where his father had found some ripe berries.

“Why are you running so fast Mu-Mu,” his father asked?

“There is a monster over by the stream. It has long pointy teeth and a tail with humps and bumps. It frightened me when it opened its mouth.”

His father spoke very seriously, “You should be afraid. That is Old Toothy the crocodile. He really is a monster, and is extremely dangerous. If you get too close to him he will gulp you down in one bite.

You must look both ways when you get to the water and be very aware. You never know from which way Old Toothy is going to appear. Your mother wasn’t careful enough. That’s how Old Toothy was able to hurt her.”

“Did he gulp her down in one bite?”

“No son, but he hurt her badly. She was taken to the people. They are helping her.”

“What are the people,” asked Mu-Mu?

“The people are animals that are different from all the animals you have seen. They walk on two legs like emus. They have fur that can be removed which covers their bodies. Some do not have fur except on their head. That type of people has lived in this land since the beginning of time. They have arms like Karrie, but they use them more than she does. They talk funny too. It is impossible to understand them. Another really strange thing about people is they climb into these smelly loud boxes with four and sometimes six round legs that can run faster than me.”

Mu-Mu was interested in seeing the people animals, but he had one more question about them. “Are the people dangerous like Old Toothy?’

“No. The people are nice to us. Sometimes they give us a sweet food and help us if we are injured.”

“I want to see a people. Where do they live?”

“Not far from here. They live toward the rising sun, just over that hill.”

“How long does it take to get there?”

“It takes an adult emu about two full days walking without a break to make it. I would take you one day, but it is too dangerous.”

Mu-Mu decided to ask about the people later. The berries, his father had found, were calling his name. He was really hungry. He started picking the berries and gulping them down. His was imagining what the people must look like. He also wanted to know what his mother looked like. One day he hoped to see both.

As Mu-Mu ate, his father continued to search for more berries and seeds. Elvin went a little farther and farther away from where his son was eating.