Dingoes at Dinnertime - Mary Pope Osborne [6]
The koala seemed to smile at them. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep, as if he’d never been disturbed at all.
Jack sighed and looked around.
“Man,” he said, “we were lucky that a storm came.”
Annie smiled.
“It wasn’t just luck,” she said. “It was magic.”
“Magic?” said Jack.
“Yeah … the glowing hands and the snake,” said Annie. “Somehow they brought the storm.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” said Jack.
Joey stirred in his pack. Suddenly, Jack remembered something.
“Hey, we have to get Joey back to the place where his mom left him,” he said. “Or she won’t be able to find him.”
“Where was that place?” said Annie.
“I don’t know,” said Jack.
He looked around at the rainy gray forest. Everything looked the same.
“Teddy can find the spot!” said Annie.
Without even a bark, the little dog took off across the wet, muddy ground.
Once again, Jack and Annie followed him. Jack’s back was beginning to hurt from carrying Joey.
Arf! Arf!
Jack and Annie caught up with Teddy. He stood over the Australia book! It was wet, but not burned.
“Hurray, we found it!” said Annie.
“That’s right!” said Jack. “I left our book in the spot where we found Joey!”
“Once again, Teddy helped us out,” said Annie.
She patted the little dog’s head.
“Thanks, Teddy,” Jack said.
He picked up the Australia book. The cover was wet, but the pages looked okay. The little kangaroo peeked out of his pack as Jack tucked the book under his arm.
“Don’t worry, Joey,” Annie said. “We’ll stay right here till your mom comes back for you.”
If she hasn’t already come … Jack thought worriedly.
Jack and Annie stood in the rain with Teddy and Joey and waited.
They waited and waited.
The rain turned to a drizzle. Then the drizzle turned to a light sprinkle.
Still, they waited …
Jack grew sadder and sadder.
Maybe the mother kangaroo had come and left. Or maybe she had been caught by the dingoes. Or maybe she had been killed by the wildfire.
Jack was afraid to look at Annie, afraid to say anything.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said finally.
Jack patted Joey’s head and sighed.
“Let’s wait a little longer,” he said. “If she doesn’t come back soon, we’ll take him home with—”
Arf! Teddy barked softly.
“Listen,” said Annie.
Jack listened.
The sound was very faint at first. But then it grew louder.
It was a squishy sound. It was a squashy sound. It was the sound of big feet slapping through mud!
The mother kangaroo bounded out of the trees.
She landed ten feet away from Jack, Annie, Teddy, and Joey.
They all were still for a moment, as if they all were holding their breath.
Then Joey tried to jump out of Jack’s backpack.
“Hold on,” said Jack.
He put his pack on the ground.
The little kangaroo leaped out.
He leaped again … then again … and dived headfirst into his mother’s pouch!
Joey turned himself over inside the pouch. Then he peeked out at Jack and Annie.
“Yay!” said Jack and Annie together. They laughed and clapped with relief.
“He looks happy to be home,” said Annie.
“His mother looks happy, too,” said Jack.
The mother kangaroo was gazing down at her joey. She patted his head with her small paws.
Then she looked at Jack and Annie with soft eyes.
“She’s saying thank you to us,” Annie said.
“You’re welcome,” Jack said.
“It was no problem,” Annie told the kangaroo. “You have a great joey.”
The kangaroo gave a little nod. Then she bent over and used a front paw to pick up a small piece of bark from the wet grass.
The kangaroo held the piece of bark out to Jack and Annie.
Jack took it from her.
“Oh, man,” he whispered. “It’s our gift from a kangaroo.”
The kangaroo then sprang into the air. She bounded gracefully away through the charred forest.
“Thanks!” called Jack.
“Bye!” called Annie. “Good luck!”
Arf! Arf! Teddy barked.
The rain stopped as Jack studied the piece of bark. There was a tiny painting on it. It was just like the snake painting in the cave.
“I wonder what the snake means,” said Jack.
Jack opened the wet cover of the Australia book. He carefully turned the damp pages. He found a picture