Mister Cassowary by Samantha Wheeler Read Free Book Online Page B

into the middle of the road, and Dad couldn’t slow down in time.’ I crunched my hands into fists to stop myself from crying.
    Abby pushed her hair from her face. ‘Was it okay?’
    â€˜I don’t know. Dad said it was too dangerous to get out of the car. But he called the rangers as soon as we got here, and they said they were going to look for it.’
    â€˜Did they find it?’
    â€˜I don’t know.’
    â€˜Don’t you know anything ? Have you even told your dad about the chicks? If you do, he could call Cathy and ask if they’ve found the injured cassowary. If he tells her about the chicks, then she could—’
    â€˜I haven’t told Dad.’
    Abby’s lips were thin. ‘How come?’
    â€˜My dad’s funny about cassowaries. They’re not his favourite conversation topic. Anyway, I thought …’ My whole face grew warm. I hadn’t planned on sharing my idea, and here I was spitting it all out. ‘I thought, if Dad let me go to the working bee with you and Walter, then I could look for the cassowary we hit, and try to work out if he’s the dad of my chicks.’ There, I’d said it. I just wished my eyes weren’t feeling so prickly.
    Abby scratched her head. ‘How will you know he’s their dad just by looking at him?’ she said.
    I hadn’t thought of that. I shrugged while Abby brushed off her shorts and turned towards the swamp.
    â€˜You said the swamp, right? Let’s go check the chicks are okay first.’ She sounded just like my teacher.
    â€˜But Dad will be back any minute. He doesn’t like me to—’
    â€˜Come on. It won’t take long.’ Abby took off, with me trailing after her, my stomach twisting. Dad would never trust me again if he found out I’d been feeding cassowaries. I’d only just convinced him I wasn’t five.
    â€˜Wait!’ I raced around and stood in front of Abby. ‘If I show you, promise not to tell anyone? At least until we know for sure what’s happened to their dad?’
    The tractor throbbed in the distance. Dad was still busy. For now.
    â€˜Promise?’
    Abby tried to pass me, but I blocked her path.
    â€˜I don’t need you to show me,’ she huffed. ‘I’ll find them myself.’
    I held my arms out wide. ‘No. You have to promise.’
    â€˜Okay, okay! I won’t tell anyone. Promise.’
    Abby followed me through the long grass towards the swamp.
    â€˜They like to play hide-and-seek,’ I said when we’d found a dry place to stand. ‘Near those trees, over there.’
    We peered across the gravy-like pools.
    â€˜I can’t see anything,’ said Abby.
    â€˜Maybe they’re a bit further down.’
    The rainforest was much thicker past the swamp. It smelt of rotting leaves and mud and was crowded with ferns and palm fronds that twirled like windmills. The air was hot and heavy, like when I’d had a hot shower and forgotten to put on the exhaust fan. We stepped over fallen branches covered in green moss and ducked under hanging vines twisting like party streamers above us.
    I stopped, frozen, as something wailed in the tree above us. It sounded like a baby.
    â€˜It’s only a catbird, silly,’ said Abby, grabbing my arm and dragging me behind her.
    Thick tree trunks disappeared up towards the light. Down below, their winding roots were like octopus arms twisting around our feet.
    â€˜Watch out!’ cried Abby, pulling me away.
    In the tree beside me a mass of tiny green bodies seethed in the dim light. The hairs on my neck stood up.
    â€˜Green ants,’ Abby explained. ‘If you disturb them, the whole lot will bite you. It’ll hurt like crazy.’
    â€˜Thanks,’ I said as a loud crack echoed in the distance. ‘What was that?’ I whispered, my heart thudding.
    â€˜Riflebird,’ chuckled Abby. ‘Completely harmless.’ She