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Mulgewanki

This is a bed- time story, set in aboriginal Australia.  Mothers can read to their little ones (aged 5 to 8yrs)

C-R-A-C-K! Out pops Mulgewanki from his giant egg, his forehead wrinkled in a deep frown.

“Run! It’s a baby bunyip!” cry the villagers.

“Wait!” says Mulgewanki, “I’m different from other bunyips. I don’t eat animals and people,” he broods.

He looks around at the marshy land where he lives all alone. With magic fingers, Mulgewanki builds giant mud castles, adding pebbles and shells for effect. Lighting a fire with his breath, he bakes square pies, round pies, and  bunyip-shaped pies all out of mud.

“Mmmm!” he says with a burp, his tummy full of mud pies.

Mulgewanki is as busy as an army of ants, but he remains as grouchy as a bird without feathers.

“I need a friend to make mud castles and mud pies with,” he says and sets off to the Bungendore where the forest animals gather under the gum trees everyday.

From behind a giant boulder Mulgewanki peeps at the happy group.

Koolbirra Kangaroo bounces as if on a trampoline. Warrigal Dingo bounds around as though he’s headed for a yummy meal. Tatya Goanna and Binara Frilled Lizard chat while sunning themselves on a rock.

Kulan Possum enjoys his topsy-turvy world hanging upside down from the gum tree. Arunta Cockatoo gives a non-stop commentary on his loudspeaker. Asleep high up in his tree, Banjora Koala is undisturbed by the cheerful laugh of Guuguubarra Kookaburra. Oorooba Emu dances with a splendid display of feathers. He steps in time to Killara the aborigine boy blowing his didgeridoo.

“Hello!” bellows Mulgewanki, “Can I join you too?”

“It’s a bunyip! Run!” everyone zooms away faster than the wind.

“Grrrumph!” says Mulgewanki, shoulders slumped, tail dragging as he shuffles back through the forest to Boohoo Billabong.

All of a sudden, his tail gets caught under a fallen tree.

“C’mon!” He tugs and wrestles till he finally gets it out.  But look! He’s invisible!

“Muddled mud pies! No one else can do that!” he thinks to himself. “A tug on my tail makes me visible again! Invisible.  Visible. Awesome Anteaters!”

“Hmmm! An invisible bunyip can have fun playing pranks! ” thinks Mulgewanki with a sly grin. “I’ll catch and steal their happy thoughts, sprinkle them on my pies – and those yummy mud pies will make me smile!”

Kangaroo, koala, ant or bug Bunyip’s elongated tail Turn invisible with a tug Trade some laughter for a wail.

“Pooof!” A tug of his tail makes Mulgewanki as invisible as the waters of Boohoo Billabong.

The animals are together again, dancing around Killara and his didgeridoo. Their giggles and laughs echo through the gum forest.

“Wheee!” says Invisible Mulgewanki with a silent chuckle. He holds up his finger like a magnet till the happy thoughts swirl like oodles of noodles to curl themselves around it.

“You tickled and turned me right side up!” Kulan Possum whacks Tatya Goanna.

“How dare you pluck out my splendid tail!” Oorooba Emu jabs Warrigal Dingo

“My loud speaker-you plugged it!” Arunta Cockatoo pecks Koolbirra Kangaroo.

”Why am I angry? It’s not like me!” says Guuguubarra Kookaburra.

The animals can’t understand it when their strength leaves them.

Biff, bash, bang! All their fun and laughter is scrambled into a tornado of dirt and dust, as they fight.

“Shhhh!” Koolbirra Kangaroo alerts the animals,  “follow me –I see the cause of all this fighting.”

He spies footprints leading to Boohoo billabong.  Quiet as a sleeping koala, the animals follow Invisible Mulgewanki. They circle around to corner and catch him.

They’re amazed when Invisible Mulgewanki tugs his tail to become visible again.

“I’ll get you for stealing our happiness!” Killara throws a boomerang but it bounces off Mulgewanki’s back.

“Oops! That tickles!” says Mulgewanki.

“Let me at him!” the dingo swings a freshly baked mudpie at Mulgewanki who opens wide to catch it in his mouth. “Slurrp!” he says.

“My turn” Tatya Goanna throws a king-size pie.

And another and another.

A mud pie fight! Happy thoughts are released as mud pies are flung around.

No one is spared.  Every animal is bathed in mud pies sprinkled with fun and giggles. “Help!” they plead, holding their sides laughing.

“Why did you steal our happy thoughts?” ask the animals.

“I won’t eat you but you’re terrified of me. All I need is a buddy to laugh with,” says Mulgewanki.

“Join us,” say the animals “but stop stealing our fun.”

“Don’t be grouchy – send out happy thoughts!” says Killara “they’ll return to you like this boomerang.”

“Mmmmmm,” says Mulgewanki, his grin as wide as a mud pie.

Aborigine words
Arunta Bunyip White Cockatoo A monster who eats humans and animals
Billabong Binara Banjora Bungendore Didgeridoo An Oxbow Lake Frilled Lizard Koala Place of Gum Blossoms A wind instrument used by tribals of Australia
Guuguubarra Koolbirra Killara Kulan Moonaro Makurra Mulgewanki (pronounced Mool-ya-wonk) Kookaburra Kangaroo Permanent Possum Father Mother
A Bunyip or monster
Oorooba Tatya Warrigal Emu Goanna Dingo

Written and Illustration by
Jeyanthi Manokaran

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