CHAPTER TWO

The Accident

It was baking day and Mary Richards was busy cooking something special for Howie—his absolute favourites—chocolate cookies! As she rolled the soft dough into balls, her thoughts drifted back to the day when Howie had first come into their lives.

She smiled, remembering how shocked she and Jim had been when they’d entered the house last spring and found a huge, hairy monster sitting with Hannah on the kitchen floor, surrounded by saucepans, puddles of water, wet towels and cookie crumbs. She chuckled aloud at the memory of the Yowie, wearing Jim’s best hat and tie, racing down the track, with Jim chasing after him and yelling at the top of his voice.

She had been quite cross with her daughter at first—especially when she saw the mess in the bathroom—but Hannah helped her clean it up and was soon forgiven. Mary remembered listening in fascination to Hannah’s tale of the afternoon’s strange events and of roaring with laughter when she came to the part about the Yowie’s christening ceremony! It made her smile even now!

Mary had awoken to a pleasant surprise the following morning.

When she opened the front door, she had discovered her husband’s hat and tie neatly placed on the doorstep. But that wasn’t all. There was something else as well—a lovely bunch of wildflowers and a lopsided leaf basket filled with plump, juicy blackberries.

Every morning for the next week there was a special gift of some kind. Since Howie didn’t know what humans ate, some of the nuts and berries he left were only suitable for animals, but others were sweet and delicious. Of all these gifts, though, Mary loved the flowers best—the pale pink bush orchids, fluffy yellow wattle, bright white daisies and dainty bluebells.

Hannah told her mother about the Yowie’s love of bedtime stories, especially the one about the Chocolate Cake Monster.

One night, after reading that story for the umpteenth time, Mary closed the book and smiled. ‘Do you think Howie might like some of our chocolate cake … if he’s outside … and if he’s listening … and if he’s hungry?’

‘I’m sure he would!’ Hannah replied, clapping her hands delightedly. She put her head out the window and said very politely, ‘Hello? Are you there, Howie?’

There was a grunt that sounded like ‘Yes.’

‘Would you like some chocolate cake?’

Now there was a double grunt that sounded like ‘Yes please!’

Mary cut a generous wedge of chocolate cake and placed it on the front doormat. By morning, the cake was gone and the plate licked clean.

Hannah was thrilled that her mother had finally accepted Howie, but her father had not been so easily persuaded.

Jim Richards hadn’t quite forgiven the creature for running off with his best hat and tie, even though they were safely returned the next day. What bothered him most, he explained to his wife and daughter, was the fact that Yowies had such a bad reputation.

‘And you can’t be too careful when you’re dealing with wild animals!’ he warned.

But one day, quite unexpectedly, Hannah’s father changed his mind.

The timber cutter had gone off early one morning to fell a tree in the forest. What he didn’t know was that the one he planned to cut down was riddled with borers.

Howie the Yowie knew a lot about borer beetles and where they liked to hide out. He loved to scoop out the little white grubs and eat them with mint leaves and a sprinkling of wild parsley—yum! Howie also knew that this particular tree had been a favourite munching place for borers. Its trunk was rotten right through, making it very dangerous. For his new friend Hannah’s sake, Howie kept a close watch over her father as he began his work.

But all his worries were for nothing, Howie thought with relief as he watched Hannah’s father skilfully swinging his axe over and over. The tree remained quite stable and the timber cutter was safe. Then came the final blow. It was nearly done.

Hannah’s father gave it all his strength, sending his axe deep into the centre of the trunk. As always, he remembered to step well back, and he waited for the big tree to fall away from him. Right at the last minute, however, the tree gave a sudden twist and swung around crazily, not dropping to the expected spot but falling backwards to where the axeman stood. Howie yelled out in alarm and bounded forward, scooping Hannah’s father up in his arms and diving out of harm’s way. At the very last moment, a thick branch splintered off the trunk and knocked Howie flying. He instinctively cradled the timber cutter in his arms, protecting him with his body as he was thrown heavily to the ground.

Howie was completely still, knocked unconscious from the fall.

After a moment, Hannah’s father crawled out from under the creature’s heavy body and lay on the forest floor, trying to catch his breath. It suddenly dawned on him that this “monster” had saved his life! He sat up and looked at Howie with new respect and wondered how he could ever have feared this gentle giant. Then he saw the blood oozing from a gash above those bushy dark brows. With shaking hands, Jim pressed his handkerchief against the wound, trying to stem the bleeding. There he sat, cradling the Yowie’s head in his arms, until Howie regained consciousness.

First one eye opened, and then the other. The two looked at each other and smiled.

It was the start of a new friendship.

After a while, they stood up and, supporting each other like wounded soldiers, slowly limped back to the cottage.

From that day on, any doubts Jim Richards may have had about the Yowie were finally dispelled. He knew he owed his life to Howie, who had risked his own safety to help him that day.

Perhaps there would come a time when he’d get a chance to repay that debt.