Tales from Hallowed Hollow
Never Say Never
Written by
Marg Watt
Moorna Publications
Text copyright © Marg Watt 2010
Illustrations copyright © Jenny Finn 2010
ISBN: 978-0-9871069-9-5
Published by Moorna Publications at Smashwords
The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any means or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying (except under statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Moorna Publications.
*****
Never Say Never
“You’re crazy I tell you, stark staring mad. We’d never get away with it, no matter what you say. They’d miss us in no time at all and they’d catch us again before we got out of here and few hops down the road.” Marko told Jessie flatly.
“If you’re not up for it just say so Marko, and I’ll risk it alone. But what have we really got to lose? It’s not as if they can take our freedom away is it?” Jessie asked him, “We’ve been locked up within these walls since the day they bought us here after catching us out in the bush back home in Oz.”
“But if it was as easy to escape as you seem to think it would be, why haven’t any of the others in here tried it before now?” Marko argued reasonably.
“Perhaps it’s because they are happy enough to stick around being stared at every sun cycle, or perhaps it’s because they really like eating those disgusting tasting pellet things we are offered to eat all the time.” She told him. “Let’s face it Marko, they were all born in this place so they don’t know any difference.”
“Well, that’s hardly their own fault is it Jess? None of us can choose where we are born can we?” Marko argued back.
“I know that Marko, and I’m not suggesting that any of them is less of a decent creature for it, but you and I weren’t born into captivity, and I don’t want Shelly being stuck in here all her life either.” She told him as she indicated toward her pouch where their first-born female joey was snuggled down warm and safe.
The young joey had made its way into Jessie’s pouch as a tiny naked and blind thing only a couple of months previously.
“Is that what all this nonsense is all about Jessie?” Marko asked “You wanting to see Shelly free and enjoying her life out in the bush as we once did?”
“Yes Marko, I will admit that’s part of it, but it’s not the only reason. It’s also a matter of wanting to be free again myself, and living a life as it was intended to be lived, out there, free in the bush. Not existing as something that sits around here all sun cycle long, living among huge chunks of concrete some human made up. They think it will trick us into believing it is natural rock and billabongs.” Jessie attempted to explain as best she could. “We know the differences between the real thing and this. And this just doesn’t feel right under my paws, and never will do as long as I live.”
Marko gazed around the Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby enclosure they lived in before he replied, “You have a good point there Jess, and I admit that I don’t like being here any more than you do, but I just can’t see how we can do much about it. We wouldn’t know where to go if we ever did escape from here, and even if we wanted to try, you have to admit that the walls around us are far too straight and high to break out of in the first place.” He told her logically. “We’d never be able to escape from here.”
“Never say never Marko.” Jessie told him. “My mama used to tell me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and decided to try hard enough.”
“Maybe she did, but she wasn’t stolen away from her natural home before being stuck in a place like this so far away from her homeland was she?” he asked.
“No, she wasn’t, but if she had been she would have done everything she could possibly do to break back out of it again, and then escape to somewhere else to live her life in freedom as The Great Spirit intended us all to do.” Jessie told him bluntly. “I intend to try and do the self same thing so Shelly never has to live as we’re being forced to right now, locked up in a place of concrete with gum trees that seem to hate it as much as we do. Look at them all Marko, they’re dying slowly, and the reason for it is because even a gum tree can’t stand living a life surrounded by concrete. We’re Australian Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies, not fancy looking budgies!”
“I don’t want Shelly to have to live this way either Jess, but I just can’t see how we could ever hope to escape this enclosure. It’s not as if any of those human zoo keepers are going to leave a gate open for us all to just hop out of here, is it?” Marko told her with a wistful sigh.
“No Marko, I doubt they ever would, and I know I’m wishing for things that seem impossible, but I just feel so depressed when I look around in here and see only concrete and dying gum trees all around me. Just look at that one over there by the wall, it’s almost dead. And those others over near that pretend billabong in the middle there aren’t much better off either, they’re all slowly dying too.” She indicated with one of her forepaws toward the sad, scruffy looking trees she was talking about as a tiny tear escaped from the corner of one of her eyes showing the sadness she was feeling for her present situation.
Marko chuckled as he looked over at the trees concerned and said, “It doesn’t really surprise me they’re dying Jess. After all, would anyone in their right mind try to grow a Snow Gum tree in amongst all this concrete anyway?”
“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to explain to you all along Marko.” Jessie told him. “Nothing in this place is natural, and no self respecting Rock Wallaby born who was ever born in the Australian bush would ever be happy living in it. The only reason the other wallabies in here accept it is because they just don’t know any better, but you and I do, and I want Shelly to know the difference too. All the others here don’t even know what REAL tucker looks like, let alone what it tastes like.”
“I want the same sort of things for our children as you do Jess. I just can’t see how we could ever hope to escape from here, never mind about finding somewhere else to live altogether, in peace and quiet where these humans would leave us alone.” He replied sadly. “Australia is far away from this land, love, and we’d stand out like that dying Snow Gum tree over there if we were out in the wild in this land, even if we did manage to escape from this place. We’d be sure to be caught again, and maybe sent to a far worse place than this enclosure.”
“I don’t think we’d stand out all that much in the wild if we found the right place Marko.” Jessie told her mate. “We’re not very big creatures, and the colour of our fur would help disguise us pretty well when we’re living in the proper sort of country that suits us best. I just know we’d be fine if we were able to find a place where humans didn’t go all the time.” She told him convincingly enough. “Surely there just has to be such a place like that somewhere outside this zoo?”
“It doesn’t really matter if there is or not when we never stand a chance of finding our way out of this enclosure to begin with Jess.” He reminded her.
“Point taken Marko, but I’ll never give up trying to find a way to escape from here, and neither should you.” She stated flatly.
“Don’t worry Jess, I’ll never give up on the idea either, but by the same token, I’m not going to hold my breath while I wait for one of the keepers to leave a gate open for us to hop out through either, and I just don’t see any other way to get out of here without that happening. I suggest that you try and make the best of things you can while we’re forced to live here, just as I intend to do Jess.” He told her.
“Ever the practical Marko, that’s you isn’t it?” She accused him with a light laugh that held no mirth.
*****
That conversation had taken place between the two Yellow Footed Rock Wallabies some ten weeks before the great storm hit the zoo park where they’d been living since being shipped over from their original north Queensland Island home, Magnetic Island, located just about in the centre coastal region of The Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
They had both been born in the wild, close to a tiny bay on Magnetic Island where an abundance of huge natural boulders and shelter lay scattered beneath hundreds of beautiful gum trees and other native flora and fauna, all nestled right up close against the ocean. It was all these combined things that made the place one of the prettiest natural areas on earth, so it was little wonder Jessie and Marko missed their long lost home so badly.