CHAPTER 16

Evie climbs up on a fence railing, clicking her tongue for Rhino to amble alongside. He understands and saunters over, standing still for her to clamber aboard. She settles and she clicks her tongue, squeezing her knees. They meander for miles through paddocks and marshes until they’re down at the creek.

Evie thinks about the baby elephant, the monkeys, and the birds, wondering if she’s imagining hearing things out in the bush. But something is eating her offerings. Perhaps it’s a wombat? No. Evie knows she has good instincts and Grandpa always tells her to trust them. She’s looking forward to going back there tomorrow to check on them.

Rhino stops every now and then to tear at bullrushes and the tall stems of native yams.

Evie lies upon Rhino as he grazes, with her arms and legs trying to stretch around his massive girth. Daydreaming, she can feel his warmth, his steady heartbeat, and the pops and squeaks of his inner workings. She can hear her own inner workings too. Dinner last night was so good. Evie couldn’t stop herself from having two helpings.

When they reach the wallow, Rhino paws at the water. Evie slides off, knowing he wants to go in. She perches on a rock to watch him swim and roll around in the mud. He swings his head from side to side and swirls the water around with his horn. He stomps and splashes before lying down and sinking into the mud with a huff and a sigh.

After a while, Evie hears a strange noise. It’s a bird, but it’s an unfamiliar one, certainly not one she’s ever heard before. Rhino hears it too. He sits up in the mud, his ears flicking and swiveling. Evie looks at him and shrugs her shoulders.

Then they hear it again.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz.

It sounds like a cicada, but it isn’t summer time.

Evie gets to her feet and signals to Rhino she wants him to “stay”. She smiles to let him know everything is all right and walks to a nearby blackwood tree and cocks her head to one side.

There it is again!

Buzz buzz buzz buzz.

Scanning the branches, Evie spies two parrots high above in the canopy. The larger one is grass-green and yellow with an orange spot on his belly, and a bright blue band across his beak. The other smaller bird is similar, but less colorful.

Evie’s sure this parrot is special. She’s never seen it before and it’s particularly beautiful. She must tell Grandpa.

“Good afternoon, Evie,” says Grandpa, sitting at his desk sketching. Although the drawing is upside down, Evie can tell it’s of a Japanese snipe. She smiles and goes to the bookshelf to retrieve The Birds of Australia.

“Excellent,” says Grandpa, seeing her choice. He pushes his drawing aside. “What have you found for me today?”

She places the book on his desk and flicks to the section on native parrots. Evie takes her time until she finds the exact bird. She circles it with her finger, making the paper hiss.

“No, Evie, the orange-bellied parrot? They’re near extinct, my dear girl. The starlings ruined it for them when they were introduced to Australia. They raided the nests while the parents were out feeding, destroying all the eggs. It was a disaster.”

Evie wishes she could speak. It would make things so much easier, especially with this rare parrot she’s found for Grandpa. She tries to form the word “Grandpa”. She rolls it around on her tongue, she can hear and feel it, but it won’t budge. She sighs, and taps the picture again, staring at Grandpa.

“It’s all right, Evie. Tell me, it definitely has an orange dot on its belly?”

Evie nods.

“And it has a blue band between its eyes?”

Evie’s head bobs up and down.

“Did it make a fast buzzing sound?”

Evie’s eyes widen and she nods again.

“Good gracious. Can you remember where you saw it?”