Part one: The Legend of Earthseasky
The sun never rises on Earthseasky, the place where land, ocean and sky meet.
That’s because it comes into existence only once a year, on the night when the great moontide sweeps the Eastern Oceans.
As the glowing moon reaches its zenith, tide-drawn waters rise all around what appears to be a deserted island containing nothing but dead trees and a long-sleeping volcano.
Seawater surges through undersea caves to find its way to the heart of the Isle of Nowhere, rising inside it to make a great lake in the bowl of the volcano.
At midnight on moontide, the ocean reaches the top of the volcano, salt-spray floating above the rim. The clouds bow down to form a ring around it.
And earth, sea and sky meet.
* * *
Part two: Silky Safaka and the Really Bad Idea
Since there is a place where earth, sea and sky meet, it could also be a place where the inhabitants of earth, sea and sky meet. Sea creatures could meet land animals. Land animals could meet birds. Birds could meet fish.
That was the big idea of Silky Safaka, a rare white lemur who lived quietly by himself on a neighbouring island.
He thought his idea was an excellent one. For about two weeks.
Then he talked about it at length to a rather wise sea turtle and decided it was, in fact, a really bad idea.
The turtle had pointed out to him that some of the sea creatures would not want to just meet land animals; they would want to eat them. The land animals would want to eat the birds. And the birds would want to eat the fish.
But by the time this had become obvious, it was too late. He had already sent out the invitations. Whales had sung the invitation around the seven seas, birds had twittered it from the 12 skies, and land animals had barked and growled and howled it over countless mountains, forests and deserts.
The Summit of the Species was on.
* * *
Part three: Midnight on Moontide
At nightfall, darkness turned the ocean to a still pool of the blackest ink.
But as the hours passed, rising moonlight sprinkled glitter on its surface. Night breezes chilled the air. Midnight-blooming trumpet-flowers scented it.
Moontide was coming.
Deep inside the Isle of Nowhere, stony veins and arteries gurgled as the salt waters rose. At the top of the mountain, a great lake started to form. Geysers gushed. Springs burst from the ground and trickled down the mountainsides. Clouds descended.
Silky Safaka sat in a large, dead tree on the lip of the volcano and waited for his guests to arrive. He wore a rectangular badge carrying the name of his species and the words: “Summit Organiser”.
The lemur, a small, monkey-like creature with snow-white fur, a pinky-black face, and large, round eyes, looked up at the moon. It was nearly midnight.
The ocean, swirling blackly around the inside of the hollow volcano, belched as it crept higher and higher, sending fine sprays of mist to cool Silky’s feet.
A small voice bubbled up from the water. ‘I’m here. Am I the first?’ said Angelshark.
‘Yes,’ said Silky, looking for Angelshark’s badge and dropping it down to her. ‘Here’s your name tag.’
The lemur gave the small shark a welcoming smile, but inside he silently prayed that no one else would come. Silky Safaka was only the size of a cat, and could easily be gobbled up by a peckish bird of prey, or a tiger or a crocodile. ‘You’re early. But I don’t know if anyone else is coming. Maybe no one will.’
Angelshark laughed. ‘Are you kidding? The message went all the way through the seven seas. EVERYONE is coming.’
A sudden flap of wings startled Silky Safaka. Black-Headed Coucal hovered in the sky.
‘You scared me,’ the lemur said.
‘Better keep your wits about you,’ cawed the bird. ‘You do realize you’ve organized the most dangerous gathering in the history of the world?’
‘It’ll be fine,’ said Silky, not believing a word he was saying. ‘They’ll all behave themselves.’
But he climbed a few branches higher in the tree, and looked behind him to identify escape routes.
Already, tiny undulating shadows had appeared in the distant sky and were starting to grow rapidly. Great flocks of birds were approaching.
At the same time, the water in the volcano lake started to seethe and boil as thousands of sea creatures found their way through the undersea caves to reach the surface of the volcano lake.
And the mountain itself quickly turned into a writhing, breathing thing, as thousands of land animals crept up its sides.
‘Oh goodness me,’ said Silky, gulping. ‘It looks like everyone decided to come.’
* * *
Part four: The Problem of Snacks
The first meeting of all the creatures of the earth, sea and sky started every bit as badly as Silky had feared.
Most of the attendees were so transfixed by the sight of so much live food that they could do nothing but drool at each other. A steady drip-drip-drip of saliva drummed the rim of the lake and raised the water level.
In the lake, Great White Shark licked its lips so enthusiastically that it cut its tongue. As blood dripped into the water, the other sharks went wild. ‘You cannibals,’ the injured shark complained.
Overhead, Bald Eagle swooped around, circling particularly slowly over all the rodents. He refused to sit down.
Asiatic Lion kept asking: ‘When are the snacks?’ He made big eyes at the nervous Chinkara Gazelle next to him. She wanted to move but no one would change places with her.
As members found their badges, the various species of poultry, having decided that they were probably the favourite food group present, had an idea. They put up a large sign under Silky’s tree saying: ‘Isle of Nowhere is a Strictly Vegetarian Venue’.
The erection of this notice produced a chorus of groans, but it seemed to help everyone focus on the agenda. Silky Safaka wished he had prepared a table of healthy snacks somewhere away from the volcano rim.
He looked at the paper in front of him.
Item One: Declare meeting open.
Item two: Read minutes of previous meeting, if any.
Item three: Discuss stuff that needs to be discussed.
‘Now, what would people like to discuss?’ asked Silky. ‘I’ve declared the meeting open, we have no previous minutes to read, and so we are already at item three.’
‘Let’s discuss food. When do we break for a snack?’ asked Asiatic Lion.
‘Never,’ said Chinkara Gazelle. ‘Never never never NEVER.’
‘This is a VEGETARIAN venue,’ clucked Red Junglefowl.
‘There are no snacks,’ Silky said. ‘Members should exercise self-control and eat when they get home.’
A grumbly sort of silence descended. There was a general air of hostility and unhappiness.
Silky heard someone whisper to his neighbour: ‘So why are we here?’
The black-faced white lemur decided that the only way to get a discussion going was to push it along himself. ‘Now, to start with, let us identify what joint interests we all have,’ he said.
‘None,’ said Asiatic Lion, tearing his hungry eyes away from Chinkara Gazelle, but only briefly. ‘Except we all like eating each other. We all love fresh meat.’
‘I prefer rotting meat,’ said Griffon Vulture. ‘It has more flavour.’
‘No, fresh,’ said Grey Wolf. ‘It tastes fresher. That’s logical.’
‘Rotting meat has more protein,’ said Nile Crocodile. ‘All those worms and things, yum-yum.’
Silky put on his sternest face. ‘May I remind you, this is a STRICTLY vegetarian event. Mental and verbal meat-eating are also banned. Please focus on the issue at hand. There must be something we have in common.’
Screech Owl tilted her head to one side, thinking. ‘We all hate The Two-Legged Terror,’ she said.
This produced much nodding among the members. ‘Definitely,’ agreed Arctic Seal.
‘So, what do we do about it?’ asked Silky.
There was another pause as the assembly considered this.
‘Let’s eat them,’ roared Asiatic Lion.
‘YES,’ agreed many of those present. Drool flowed like streams.
‘No MEAT-EATING,’ said Domestic Chicken. ‘No meat-eating of any kind may be discussed, planned or thought about.’
Silky picked up a gavel he had made from a twig and a nut and banged the hollow tree trunk below him for silence. ‘Quiet please, I need a sensible proposal.’
‘I propose we break for supper,’ said Asiatic Lion, licking his neighbour.
There was a roar of agreement from the wouldbe diners and a chorus of nervous shrieks from the prospective dinners.
Silky sighed. He looked from face to face around him, in the water below, and in the sky above. In all directions he saw suspicion, mistrust and fear, and above all, hunger.
He decided to close the meeting as soon as possible. Black-Headed Coucal had been right. This was the most dangerous gathering on earth.
‘If no one has anything constructive to suggest, I suggest we move on to item four, which is to declare the meeting closed,’ he said, glancing behind to make sure his escape route was still clear. ‘Let us treat this as an initial meet-and-greet event, with follow-up gatherings to be arranged if generally considered worthwhile.’
But when he turned his head back to the crowd, he noticed that a small furry creature had raised its hand.
* * *
Part five: The Question of the Potoroo
‘You have an issue to raise?’ Silky Safaka asked.
‘Yes. I am a Potoroo,’ said the creature. ‘I am known as Gilbert’s Potoroo, to be precise. I have a question.’ He paused. For a long time. He dropped his eyes to his feet and looked rather embarrassed.
Silky, impatient, decided to prompt him. ‘Which is?’
Gilbert’s Potoroo cleared his throat before replying. ‘It is a very important question, and it is this: just when am I going to get a girlfriend?’
Asiatic Lion roared with laughter and the other mammals joined in, anxious to keep on good terms with him. ‘This is not a dating club, Gilbert,’ he said.
Gilbert’s Potoroo raised himself to his full height, which was about the size of a rabbit. ‘This is not a matter of dating. This is a matter of the utmost importance. It is a matter of avoiding Extinction.’
There was instant silence.
Someone had said the E word.
It was as if a bright light had been switched on in a dark room.
‘Thanks to the Two-Legged Terror, I am the last of my kind,’ the Potoroo said.
It was so quiet that the single drip of drool that someone let fall sounded like a pounding hammer.
In the quietness, a small shark popped its head up from the very back of the lake. ‘Just when am I going to find a boyfriend?’ she said. ‘I am Dumb Gulper Shark from Taiwan and I think I may also be the last of my species.’
Next to her, Baiji Dolphin popped her head out of the water. ‘Just when will I have children?’ she asked. ‘I am also the last of my kind.’
From a moss-covered rock under Silky’s tree, a lizard-like creature waved its tail to get attention. ‘Just when will I find a partner? Blue Iguanas like me are almost Extinct.’
‘I’m Extinct too, nearly,’ said Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat.
‘And me,’ said a monkey whose name-tag identified him as Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus.
‘And me,’ said a sad, frowning bird wearing a nametag which said Blue-Crowned Laughing Thrush.
‘Just when will I find love?’ asked De Winton’s Golden Mole. ‘I am all alone.’
‘Just when will I get someone to fertilize my eggs?’ said Gorgeted Puffleg. ‘Otherwise my kind will disappear.’
Suddenly everyone was talking at once.
Silky hammered with his gavel. ‘Silence, please. One at a time, please,’ he squealed. He had no idea how to respond. He turned to look at Gilbert’s Potoroo. ‘I’m not really sure how we can help you or anyone else. This is a problem that many of us face, including me.’
A kangaroo was jumping up and down to get Silky’s attention. ‘Mr Summit Organiser, Mr Summit Organiser,’ he said.
‘Sit down please, Kangaroo,’ said Silky. ‘There are lots of you around, Kangaroo, sir. You’re definitely not extinct.’
‘True, but I have important news for Gilbert’s Potoroo,’ he said. ‘I saw a lonely potoroo just like him down in Two Peoples Bay in Western Australia. I can take him down there after the meeting if he wants.’
‘Was she cute?’ asked Gilbert’s Potoroo.
‘As a button,’ said Kangaroo.
‘Can we leave right now?’
Silky was surprised and delighted at this turn of events. At last something worthwhile had been achieved. To save a species from Extinction was a big thing. ‘Well, that’s very helpful, thank you very much. Anybody else have any problem-solving suggestions?’
‘I saw a Baiji dolphin in the far western reaches of the Yangtze river in China,’ said Bald Eagle, finally settling down on a branch. ‘I still remember the spot and I will be happy to show our friend where it is.’
A Jellyhead Octopus waved seven of his eight legs from the lake to get the meeting’s attention. ‘A small colony of dumb gulper sharks was recently found off Flinders Island, Tasmania,’ she said. ‘You’re not the last one, my friend.’
Excited chattering broke out across the gathering. Silky banged his gavel as loud as he could, but nobody stopped talking. All the arrivals were swapping notes on the species that lived near them.
‘One at a time, please,’ said Silky.
The lemur used his monkey-like limbs to clamber swiftly up the tree to the branches near the top, where he found one which appeared to balance the structure. He rapidly jumped up and down on it until the entire tree was shaking.
He was in charge of this meeting and he was NOT going to lose control. ‘Silence, please,’ he shrieked. ‘Silence!’
Giant Panda jumped up and grabbed one of the branches. ‘Let me help,’ she said. ‘I can shake the tree harder than you.’
She pulled down with all her weight, bending the tree almost in half.
‘Now let go,’ said Silky.
Panda did as she was told. The tree whipped back upright, and Silky shot high into the air.
Numerous hungry mouths opened below him, following his trajectory.
Food was back on the agenda.
* * *
Part six: The Species Find a Mission
The white lemur landed in the water with a giant splash.
The Great White Shark shot like a torpedo in his direction, licking his lips again.
‘Stop! This is a strictly veg—’ said Silky.
But he couldn’t finish his sentence. A tentacle whipped around his waist and punched the air out of him. He was yanked up and out of the water by Colossal Squid, who held him high in the air, out of reach of the snapping shark.
Then Bald Eagle swooped out of the brightening sky and plucked the lemur out of the squid’s grip.
‘Wait! Where are you taking me?’ Silky screamed.
The great bird languidly flapped his huge wings and took him back to his tree. He sat on his branch, stunned, and shook himself.
The drama of his journey to and from his tree placed the lemur back at the centre of attention.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ Silky puffed, his heart beating as if it would burst. ‘We have a purpose. We have an objective. We have an aim. We have a mission. The issue is Extinction. The enemy is the Two-Legged Terror. Almost every species on earth is suffering individually. But if we work together, we can help each other. We can beat the threat of Extinction.’
Every creature present cheered at this. Even the animals who could not hear anything that Silky had said (after all, some didn’t have ears) thought it a good idea to join in the general triumphant hollering. A hooting and a howling and a clapping and a hissing and a squeaking and a chirping and a barking and a roaring filled the night air as never before. The cacophony floated out across the ocean.
Silky, now that he had the ear of the attendees again, turned out to be a natural crowd controller.
He let the cheering continue for a good three minutes, and then, just as the racket was dying down, he climbed to the very highest, thinnest branch of the dead tree. His weight made the tree lean over towards the middle of the lake, putting him right at the centre of attention.
‘We MUST work together,’ he pleaded. ‘The Two-Legged Terror is a dangerous enemy with powerful weapons intent on destroying species and the planet, even though it will wipe itself out along with the rest of us.’
Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey waved her bright tail. ‘I have some inside information that can help us, I’m sure. It is SECRET data that can help us fight the Two-Legged Terror.’
At the word “secret”, everyone turned to stare at the monkey.
Agile and thin-limbed, she used Hippo and several sea-creatures as stepping stones to cross the lake. She quickly scampered up the tree and sat next to Silky.
‘My cousins who live in a forest near a city have been studying the Two-Legged Terror for years. The evil creatures have been destroying us and our homes for as long as anyone can remember. But they have recently been infiltrated by people sympathetic to us.’
Asiatic Lion whispered to Chinkara Gazelle: ‘What is she saying?’
‘Enemies have sneaked into their midst,’ Chinkara Gazelle replied.
The monkey continued: ‘A small group of creatures has quietly moved into the homes of the Two-Legged Terrors. They look similar to the Terrors, except they are smaller, cuter, and smarter. But more importantly, they love animals. They love birds. They love fish. My cousins have seen them being openly and luxuriantly affectionate to the whole spectrum of creatures, from tiny hamsters to huge horses.’
Silky was amazed. ‘What is this creature called?’
Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey wrinkled her brow: ‘They are called chilblains, or something like that.’
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin leapt out of the lake and spoke in mid-air. ‘The word is not chilblain. It is children,’ she said. ‘What the monkey says is true. They are small and clever and they are on our side. They are our best hope.’
* * *
Part seven: A Future
The moon fell. The dark grey sky was tinted navy blue and slivers of pink appeared on the horizon. It was time for the first Summit of the Species to come to an end.
Silky Safaka was elected general-director of the organization. A committee was set up to work on ways to co-operate secretly with the small two-legged infiltrators to halt the mass Extinction that was taking place.
Dawn rose slowly over the Isle of Nowhere as the great moontide retreated. The lake bubbled and began to vanish for another year. Thousands of living creatures started to make their way homewards.
Silky sat in his tree, stunned and exhausted by the drama of the night.
Then he heard something inside the volcano: a voice. It sounded as if his name was being called.
The lemur carefully climbed out onto that thinnest of branches. The tree leaned into the hole where the lake had been. He looked down.
The lake had retreated at high speed and was now far, far down, deep inside the dark, empty heart of the volcano. In the water, he could see the head of Great White Shark. His mouth was moving. He was saying something.
‘I can’t hear you,’ Silky shouted.
The shark continued to talk. He seemed animated and excited, surging around the lake. Clearly he had what he considered an important message to deliver.
‘I can’t hear you,’ Silky repeated. ‘Tell me next time.’
The branch cracked. It and its passenger fell.
‘Oops,’ said the lemur.
Silky fell into the darkness of the volcano, heading straight for the shark’s mouth. Down, down, down, he fell—a journey which seemed to take ages.
He landed in the water with a tremendous splash that knocked every particle of air out of his small lungs.
He went deep down into the cold blackness before he managed to get his bearings and swim back up to the surface.
Treading water and gasping for breath, he saw the Great White Shark bearing down on him at high speed, his mouth open.
‘Help, help,’ the lemur shouted.
The shark smiled with a thousand teeth.
‘Help, help,’ screamed the lemur.
‘I have something to show you,’ the shark said. ‘Hold your breath and grab hold of my dorsal fin.’
Silky clambered onto the shark’s back and snatched a breath before he was dunked back underwater.
He felt himself being whisked through a series of underwater caves, and then up and out into the ocean surrounding the island.
The shark took him right out into the open sea. Silky wondered whether he was being taken to the shark’s home territory—or perhaps the shark had decided to give him a free ride to his own home. But no, the shark went right past the lemur’s home island.
After a journey of two hours at high speed, another island came into view: a large, green land with tall, odd-shaped trees which looked like upside-down umbrellas.
The shark skidded into the shallow water on a white, floury beach.
‘You can get off now,’ he said. ‘This is where I wanted to take you.’
‘Thank you,’ said the lemur, jumping onto the sand. ‘Where am I?’
The shark smiled. ‘I’ve taken you to an island which you may not have visited before. There’s a very rare creature living on it. A Silky Safaka. A female one.’
Silky was speechless. Great White Shark turned and headed back out to the open sea, under a wide morning sky that was now pink and blue.
Silky Safaka started to walk inland, his amazed eyes scanning the trees.