CHAPTER TEN

The Bunyip

When Howie began his exploration of the caves, he had no idea of what lay ahead. If he had known, perhaps he would have given up, gone back to the safety of the Goonoo Forest and abandoned his quest. But he didn’t know what was in store and was quite excited about taking the next step—this “leap” into the unknown.

And a “leap” is exactly what it was. The entrance to the caves was through a large opening called a sinkhole. Howie decided the best and safest way would be to abseil all the way down to the bottom. So, with one end of the rope tied around a nearby tree and the other around his middle, he took a deep breath and made a start.

Howie soon got the hang of abseiling and by the time he reached the bottom, he was beginning to enjoy the whole experience.

The next part was much harder. It involved crawling, climbing and sliding over rough boulders and rocks, squeezing and wriggling through narrow holes and crevices, and worming his way through a series of S-bend tunnels.

Just when he thought there would never be an end to it, he finally reached an enormous limestone cavern, where he collapsed in a big heap and lay for some time. He was completely exhausted. His head hurt from all the bumps and knocks along the way. His body was aching all over and his big feet were covered in blisters. There were only two small candle stubs left and his matches had almost run out. Thinking longingly of his home in the beautiful Goonoo Forest, he wondered why he had ever started on this foolish journey in the first place. But after resting awhile, his spirits lifted and he was eager to get going once more.

To Howie’s great relief, there was lighting in this part of the cave, and clearly marked signs showing which direction to take. It meant that other adventurers had been there before him and (unless he came across some skeletons along the way) that they had all successfully managed to exit somewhere. He began to whistle a merry tune and was beginning to revel in the exploration of this hidden wonderland, when he noticed a boarded-up tunnel a bit off the beaten path.

There was something written in faded letters but he couldn’t make out what it was, so he left the path to investigate. The sign said:

DANGER — KEEP OUT!

Now, Howie was a very law-abiding character and would normally have obeyed such a warning without question, but the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this tunnel deserved a closer look. If Yowies did use the caves as a hideout, he reasoned, a sign like this would certainly stop unwelcome visitors.

The boards were old and rotten. When he moved them aside, they revealed a narrow passageway. Before long and without thinking too much about whether he was being foolish or not, Howie found himself stepping inside.

Not only was the tunnel narrow, it was also quite low. Howie had to crouch over as he crept along. He hadn’t gone far when he came across another sign.

This one said: WRONG WAY — GO BACK!

Howie wished the signs were more consistent. One said it was dangerous, the other said it was the wrong direction. It made him wonder what the next sign would say, if in fact there was another.

And sure enough, there was: CAN’T YOU READ?

Howie smiled to himself. Not so long ago, the answer to that question would have been “No.” How lucky he was that Hannah and Mrs Richards had spent so much time teaching him to read and write. Imagine how difficult it would have been to find all these signs and not have a clue what they meant!

A few paces further along came another one: LAST CHANCE!

That was followed by: YOU’LL BE SORRY!

Rather than frighten him off, the warnings only served to feed Howie’s curiosity even further. This was getting to be more and more fun. It felt almost like a treasure hunt!

He could see a light at the end of the tunnel, so quickened his pace.

Nothing had prepared him for the next sign, though, which had large letters and was underlined. It stopped him dead in his tracks:

BEWARE — BUNYIP LAIR!

‘A Bunyip hideaway!’ he gasped. The idea of coming face to face with a monster (even though it might be some kind of relative) was not very appealing. He was tempted to turn tail and go back. But Howie had never been a quitter, and he decided to carry on, despite his fears. Taking a few deep breaths, and clutching Joe’s small penknife in one large paw, he soldiered onwards.

When he came to the tunnel’s end, he cautiously rounded the corner and was relieved to find that the cave was empty. Not a monster anywhere in sight!

Howie explored his surroundings and soon came across something interesting. At the far end of the cave lay another sign, resting crookedly against a mound of soil.

DO NOT DISTURB

The sign covered a hole in the cave floor. Was it a burrow of some sort? Howie shifted the sign to one side, then knelt down and peered into the hole. Although he could see nothing, there were faint scratching noises coming from deep within.

‘Hello! Is anyone home?’ called Howie, cupping his paws around his mouth and sticking his head down the hole.

The scratching noise stopped. There was complete silence.

‘I said,’ shouted Howie, ‘Is anyone home?’

‘No!’

The voice sounded rather cross but Howie persisted.

‘Yes, there is. You’re home.’

‘No, I’m not.’

Howie tried another tack. ‘I’m looking for the Bunyip.’

‘He’s not home either.’

‘Where is he?’

‘Can’t you read the sign?’

‘You mean the one that says, DO NOT DISTURB?’

‘No … the other side!’

Howie turned the sign over. It read: GONE TO LUNCH.

‘But, it’s way past lunchtime,’ he said.

Howie was getting fed up with all this shouting business and considered dropping stones down the hole to see what would happen. Luckily he didn’t, because after a short bout of silence and with much grumbling and muttering, a pair of oversized ears, together with a long, pointed pink-tipped snout, slowly poked out of the hole. The rest of the body soon followed.

The creature was so comical that Howie had to stop himself from laughing out loud. What on earth was this rat-like animal with short front legs, long hind legs, and a grey tail with a black stripe and white tip? He had never seen anything like it in his life.

‘So, what do you want the Bunyip for?’ the creature asked.

‘I … er, want to ask him something.’

‘Well, ask away.’

‘But you’re not the Bunyip,’ protested Howie.

‘Oh, yes, I am!’ came the indignant reply.

‘But, you don’t look a bit like one.’

‘And what am I supposed to look like?’

‘Well now, let me think,’ replied Howie. ‘Something like, half beast, half lizard, with an ant-like head. And great big fangs … oh, and huge red eyes. I nearly forgot those.’

‘Sounds pretty scary.’

‘Well, yes, it does. Not a bit like you at all.’

‘No … but if people thought a Bunyip looked like me, they wouldn’t be afraid of Bunyips, would they?’

Howie had to admit that this was true.

The creature eyed Howie up and down as if wondering whether he could be trusted.

‘Can you keep a secret?’

‘I think so. I’ve never had a secret before, so I can’t say for certain.’

‘Well at least you’re honest, so I’ll tell you anyway. This whole Bunyip thing is a myth.’

‘A myth?’

‘Yes, a myth, you know … a made-up story that people believe is true, but isn’t.’

Howie was confused. ‘Then … what you’re saying is … ?’

‘That there’s no such thing as a Bunyip and furthermore, there never has been!’

The creature watched the Yowie’s reaction to this astounding revelation and nodded knowingly, ‘It’s amazing how many people claim to have seen one, though. You’d be surprised.’

‘If there’s no such thing as a Bunyip, then why do you claim to be one?’

‘Well, I’m really a Bilby, a kind of large bandicoot but I’m an actor by profession. So when I heard this job was vacant, I just jumped at the chance. Good acting roles are few and far between, I can tell you.

‘What job?’ asked Howie, more mystified than ever.

‘Keeper of the Myth, also known as The Myth-Keeper. It’s a very important job, mind you. Probably my most important acting role so far, ensuring that the myth of the Bunyip’s existence continues.’ He paused for a moment to see what effect this statement had on his listener before continuing. ‘Remember. You’re not to tell anyone.’

‘I won’t tell a soul. Cross my heart.’

‘Very well,’ continued the Bilby. ‘Now what is it you wanted to ask the Bunyip?’

‘I’ve heard there are Yowies in the Blue Mountains and hoped I might come across them in these caves. Have you ever seen any?’

‘Of course not. There’s no such thing as Yowies. They’re a myth too. Just like the Bunyip!’

‘That’s not true! I’m a Yowie and I’m certainly not a myth,’ Howie protested.

The Bilby’s eyes widened in surprise and his jaw dropped open in amazement. ‘Well, knock me down with a cockatoo feather,’ he exclaimed. ‘Fancy you being a Yowie! I thought you were some kind of bear or maybe even a giant koala.’ The Bilby scratched his head thoughtfully and was silent for a few moments. Finally he spoke. ‘You realise what this means, don’t you?’

Howie shook his head. He had no idea whatsoever.

‘Well, it means that if Yowies are real—and they must be, because you’re one—then the Bunyip is probably real too, and not a myth after all. When you think about it, there are so many stories about people who claim to have seen a Bunyip, that surely some of them must be true!’ A broad grin spread across his narrow face. ‘And that means too, that if the Bunyip is real, then there’s no need for me to be Keeper of the Myth any longer. Isn’t that so?’

‘Absolutely … I guess,’ said Howie. He had given up trying to follow this peculiar creature’s reasoning and just nodded in agreement. The Bilby was obviously a very smart little fellow and surely must know what he was talking about.

The Bilby gave a sigh of relief and went on. ‘I must admit, I was getting a bit sick of this job anyway. No one ever comes this way, so I never get a chance to scare anybody. And the pay is pretty poor, too. In fact, no pay at all, now that I come to think of it!’

A smile lit up his long pointy features, making him look even more comical. ‘Listen here, old chap, why don’t the two of us pal up?’ he suggested. ‘I’m a free agent, now that I’ve stopped being the Myth-Keeper. I can help you in your search to find other Yowies. What do you say?’

Howie nodded and said, ‘It’s a deal.’ He couldn’t stop grinning. He rather liked this curious, chatty creature and felt he had made a new friend already. Now that Joe was gone, it would be great to have someone to share the journey with.

The Bilby shot out his paw for Howie to shake. ‘William Bilby, at your service,’ he announced, ‘but you can call me Bill.’

Howie took Bill’s tiny paw in his own large hand and beamed. ‘My name’s Howard’ he replied proudly, ‘but my friends call me Howie.’