The story of the Bunyip by Phoebe

The Story Of The Bunyip

Running so fast that he barely felt the land under his feet, Torgick flung the baby Bunyip behind his shoulder. He knew his friends words had been right, “Throw it back, Torgick”- but he carried on, determined to show them up, determined to carry on – in short; determined to be right. The wave was hunting him as lions hunt gazelle, but he thought his tribe would understand. Idiotically, he thought he had been brave.

At camp, Old Tagu was telling the children a story. The women were weaving. They had got through twelve baskets from the last week. Suddenly, Torgick dashed into camp-circle and everyone froze. The scaly Bunyip child swung at his thighs as he cried and waved at the forthcoming, foaming, ferocious wall of water. Kazmina, a woman from the tribe, grabbed her baby son Chubeck. A wave of realization flew through the tribe, as women each grabbed a baby while the strong young men sprinted away holding the elderly. Old Tagu threw a young boy over each shoulder and scooped up the last toddler and the two five year old girls left. As the wave seemed to gather itself up as Old Tagu sprinted ahead of the group.

Torgick felt the rough, salty water lashing at his toes. He looked behind himself and what he saw sent the wind flying down his spine. A flick of a bed-sized tail with a scaly frame and webbed canvas. He ran faster, and the bunyip cried with a voice that sounded like nails scraping down a tree trunk. Kazmina stopped, almost hypnotized by the menacing. Chubeck had fallen asleep.

Suddenly Torgick ran past her, making her realise what she was meant to be doing.

Water was sent violently charging in all directions, cutting off Kazmina and Chubeck from the rest of the tribe. The bunyip rose fifteen feet up, flicking the powerful tail Torgick had ran away from. A red eye shot a menacing, fiery stare at Torgick. The young men pulled the elderly up over their heads as Old Tagu ran even farther ahead. kazmina screamed as the monsters scaly mouth opened to reveal sharp, spindly lizard-like teeth and the tongue of a chameleon. She pulled the warm, unaware body of Chubeck closer to her chest and cried as a stringing, salty road of water crashed at her thighs. The monster cried her menacing call and began to chase.

It was like a pack of wolves in a hunt. They corner a buffalo off before they go in to kill it. Kazmina ran and ran; ever clutching Chubeck to her cheek. A soft moan crept from his mouth and the Bunyips eyes flashed blood red. A sound of discontent was music to her ears. On the other side of the wave, men without elders or children started throwing spears and shields in the hope of weakening the creature but to no avail, it seemed weakening wasn't an option.

Kazmina now seemed ahead of the monster but the wave was catching up. Infact, the monster wasn't in sight. But in the distance the water was waving like mad.

A dark slithering shape rose from the water and lept into the air, landing coiled right behind her. She kept on running, not daring to look behind herself and focusing on  her tribe that were supposedly coming to save her.

But she was in a position that would not allow her to be saved. As the Bunyip drew closer Kazmina drew to a halt at something she had never seen before - the end. The land just-stopped.A few  rocks fell down.She could see red at the bottom.She could either risk death or face it,and her son….

She hugged chubeck to her chest,his tiny eyelids covering his resting eyes.A monsterous claw flew at her,she jumped.