FLETCHER THE KANGAROO: LIFE AND DEATH - CHAPTER ONE

By Kristine Fitzgerald

The afternoon sun formed long shadows as it slowly lost altitude in the western sky. The rain from earlier in the day had cleared but it left a coating of moisture on the ground. Fletcher didn’t mind. He hopped happily down the hill, past the rocks and out into the open field. He felt free. As much as he liked being with other kangaroos, he preferred to get away, spend time on his own and jump and jump and jump. He accelerated as he made his way down the hill. Faster. Faster. He felt the breeze drift over his coat and breathed the fresh air deep into his lungs. He approached a cluster of gum trees and slowed down so he could navigate his way through them safely. He knew the countryside well. It wouldn’t be long until the trees were behind him and he could hop at full speed once more.

“Fletcher!” he heard a voice call. “Fletch, wait up.”

Even though Fletcher knew who it was, he turned around to see a small figure moving towards him. Miles was still little and, as always, he wanted to do whatever Fletcher was doing.

“What are you doing here, Miles?”

“What do you mean?” Miles puffed. “You took off without me.”

“Yeah, well,” Fletcher replied.  

“Well what?” Miles asked, indignant.

“You don’t have to come with me every time, you know?”

“But I want to. Otherwise it would just be me at home with Mum. And that’s so boring.”

Miles waited. He desperately wanted to join Fletcher wherever he was going. For all he knew, Fletcher might be going on an adventure. But he waited until his big brother nodded his head.

“All right,” Fletcher relented. “Come along then. Crikey, I can’t get a moment’s peace with you around, can I?”

Miles’ mood lifted when he saw the playful look in his older brother’s eyes. Fletcher could just as easily have sent him home again, but he knew from Fletcher’s expression that this time he was welcome to come along. “Where are you going, anyway?”

“Anywhere to get away from you,” Fletcher laughed. He leaned in towards Miles but Miles quickly darted away. The chase was on. Even though Fletcher was bigger and stronger, Miles had the agility to move quickly out of harm’s way. Fletcher caught up to him and playfully tackled him to the ground. Fletcher had Miles pinned to the ground, taking care not to allow his full weight to squash him. They rolled over and over and by the time they sat up again, both were covered in dirt and feeling a little disoriented.

“Come on, let’s go,” Fletcher said. “It will be dark soon and I want to go to Big Rock.” 

He started hopping away when Miles said, “Fletch, come back. Look what I found.”

Filled with curiosity, Fletcher stopped hopping and made his way back. While Fletcher’s back had been turned, Miles had carefully positioned himself under a gum tree with low-lying branches. He pretended to be looking at something on the ground.

“What is it?” Fletcher asked impatiently.

“It’s down here,” Miles said in an enthusiastic tone.

Fletcher bent over to have a closer look. “There’s nothing there.”

Just at that moment Miles stood up, firmly grasped a branch of the tree, pulled it down as far as he could, then quickly let go. Hopping out of the way, he watched with delight as Fletcher was covered in water droplets.

“You little…. ” Fletcher cried, but he was too slow. Miles had already taken off. Fletcher looked out into the distance and saw Miles, only a few metres ahead, heading towards Big Rock. “I’m so gonna get you for that!”

It didn’t take long for Fletcher to catch up to Miles. They hopped along, side by side. Fletcher noticed that Miles was now able to keep up quite a good pace, so he didn’t do anything to slow him down. Instead he said, “You just wait. You’ll pay for that one.”

Miles glanced over and the two kangaroos grinned at each other. Miles had a real mischievous streak and Fletcher didn’t do anything to discourage it. There were plenty of pranks that Miles had pulled that Fletcher would never have thought of, and overall he admired his younger brother’s sense of daring and adventure. At least he admired it while Miles was still so small—Fletcher could still physically dominate him. Maybe when they grew up and were roughly the same size as each other, he might not be so keen on Miles’ tricks, but for now they were harmless.

They arrived at Big Rock and stopped to catch their breath. Big Rock had an unusual shape— it was narrow at the bottom but widened on one side at the top. Fletcher always thought it looked like half a mushroom and knew that the part of Big Rock that stuck out provided good shelter from harsh weather. Miles was looking at the markings on the side of Big Rock. “Tell me the story again, Fletch.”

“I’ve told you about a million times already.”

“But can you tell me again? Please?”

“All right then.” Fletcher sat down beside the rock and Miles snuggled into him. “Once upon a time, many years ago, so long ago that there weren’t even any trees yet…. ”

“No trees?” Miles interrupted. “That must have been a really long time ago. Do you mean even before Grandma was born?”

“Of course it was before Grandma was born. If there weren’t any trees, there weren’t any kangaroos either.”

“OK,” Miles nodded. He didn’t really understand the timeline but listened anyway.

“So, way back many years ago this land was just dirt. No trees, no plants—the whole surface of the land was covered in soil.”

“It must have looked really different,” Miles said.

“Yes, it looked very different. You could look out in any direction and almost see forever. Every morning when the sun came up, it shone down over the land and that made the dirt dry up.”

“There were no animals either, were there?” Miles asked.

“Nope. No animals. Well, maybe there were worms because there’s always worms in the dirt, but that’s all. No kangaroos, no birds, nothing.”

Miles closed his eyes. He loved this story. He had heard his grandmother tell it and he had heard his mother tell it, but no-one told the story as well as Fletcher.

“Then one day there was a lot of wind. It was so windy that they gave it a special name.”

“A cyclone,” Miles said.

“That’s right, a cyclone. The wind blew fiercely and a lot of the dirt lifted up off the ground.”

“It’s a wonder the cyclone didn’t blow all the dirt away.”

“It might have,” Fletcher continued, “but then more dirt would arrive from somewhere else I suppose. And as this windstorm got worse the wind went round and round like this.” He demonstrated what he meant by circling his paw in front of him. “So, as the wind went round and round, the dust formed spirals that reached from the ground almost up to the sky.”

“Yeah,” Miles said. “They must have been pretty big.”

“And as the dust spun more and more quickly it settled into the shape of a tree. And that’s how the first tree came to be.”

“Then all the other trees in the world were made later, weren’t they?”

“That’s right. Over the years, when there were more cyclones, more trees were made. And after that there were plants. And after that there was grass too.”

“All from cyclones,” Miles mused.

“Yep. And over the years the sun and the rain kept these plants alive and the land was very green. It wasn’t brown anymore, the way it used to be—instead it was covered in green.”

“Keep going, Fletch. Tell me what happened next.”

“Many years passed and the weather was calm. The cyclones seemed to have stopped. But then one day they came back. And it was different this time. Now that the land was covered in plants, the wind couldn’t travel quite as far as it used to so it was more concentrated in the one spot. And this time the cyclone made the first bird.”

“Grandpa Kookaburra,” Miles said enthusiastically.

“That’s right. Grandpa Kookaburra. He was the first animal ever made. Before long there were more kookaburras and cockatoos and rosellas, and then came all the insects—flies and bees and things.”

“And mosquitoes,” Miles added.

“Yes, mosquitoes as well. And then, finally, there was another cyclone that brought the first ever kangaroo into the world.”

Miles sighed happily. “Old Jacko.”

“Yes, good Old Jacko. He was the father of all kangaroos. And he lived on this land. On Big Rock land.”

“That’s our land,” Miles said proudly.

“It sure is. Big Rock land is our land. That’s why, wherever you go Miles, you must always make sure you can still see Big Rock. If you can’t, you’ve gone too far—you’ve gone off our land. We have to always stay within sight of Big Rock.”

Miles looked up at Fletcher with big round eyes. “I know. I’ll never go off our land.”

“Good. Now look, it’s almost dark. We had better get home quickly or Mama will be worried.”

They stood up and hopped as quickly as they could towards home.

Fletcher’s mother, Shelley, straightened her back and frowned. “Look at the two of you. You’re covered in dirt. What on earth have you been doing?”

“Hi Mama,” Fletcher said. “We’ve been over to Big Rock.”

“Well, come here at once, both of you. It’s time to get cleaned up.”

She picked some of the dirt and twigs off Fletcher first, then Miles. Miles squirmed away from her. “I can do it myself, Mama. I’m a big boy now.”

“Very well then,” she agreed. “Clean yourselves up, and for the bits you can’t reach, you can help each other. Go on then. Hop to it.”

Fletcher and Miles dusted themselves off. “Gee,” Miles said. “It’s only a bit of dirt. What’s the big deal?”

Fletcher smiled. “Come a bit closer, Miles. I’ll clean your back for you.”

“Are you two ready yet?” Shelley called. “I need you to go and get some food.”

“We’re coming,” Fletcher replied. He turned to face Miles. “Come on, Miles. Let’s go.”

They scampered off to collect whatever they could find that was good to eat.

“And don’t be long. You both come straight back!”

“Yes Mama,” Miles called over his shoulder. “We will.”

They bounded down the slope. They knew that the other kangaroos in their mob would have already taken any food that was close to home, so they ventured a bit further. Fletcher found some leaves and Miles picked some tufts of grass.

When they were satisfied they had enough food to feed themselves and their parents, they returned home. By now their father, Martin, had arrived. He came up to them after they had placed the food on the ground and tickled them in the tummy. “And how are my two rascals?”

Miles curled up in a ball laughing, while Fletcher managed to escape. “Miles is the rascal, not me.”

“Oh, I think you’re both rascals.” They sat down with Martin between them. “Your mother told me you’ve been to Big Rock this evening.”

“Yes,” Miles replied. “Once we got there, Fletch told me the story and then we had to come straight home because it was getting late.”

“And what else have you been up to today?” Martin asked. By now their mother had sat down with them as well.

“We played with Donovan. It was raining and Donovan kept jumping in puddles and wetting us.”

“Not that it made much difference,” Fletcher said. “We were already wet from the rain anyway.”

Martin faced Miles. “You and Donovan make quite a pair. Always up to no good.” 

Miles shrugged his shoulders. “Actually it was pretty funny today. After Fletcher left us, Donovan and I came back here and sat under the ghost gums. We pretended we were asleep but whenever anyone came around the corner, we jumped out in front of them.”

Their father frowned when he heard this.

“No, don’t worry Dad,” Miles continued. “It was really funny. No-one came for ages and we were about to go and do something else, but then we saw Lucy coming. So we lay there really quietly, and when she came near us we jumped up and said ‘Aaaargh!’”

“Miles,” Martin said sternly. “You shouldn’t do things like that. It’s not respectful.”

“She was OK once she saw it was just us. I think she even found it funny in the end.”

“All the same, I’m sure you gave her a fright. I don’t want to hear any more stories like this. I want you to behave yourself. Do you understand?”

Miles dropped his head. “Yes, I understand.”

Fletcher was fascinated as he listened to this conversation. His younger brother Miles was so brave. Too brave sometimes. It was one thing to think up these pranks and to actually carry them out, but he always came home each night and confessed to what he had been up to. Fletcher would be too scared to admit to things like that. He hated getting into trouble so there was no way he would even consider talking about naughty things he had done during the day. He didn’t really do anything naughty anyway—he was different to Miles. But even if he did, he definitely wouldn’t own up to them. He also knew that Miles wouldn’t change though. He might promise his parents that he would be better behaved in future but Fletcher couldn’t imagine Miles being any other way.

As Miles ate his leaves and grass, he listened to his mama. “Come on, eat up everyone. You two boys especially. I need you to grow up big and strong. You’re only small now but when you’re all grown up I want you to be fit and healthy.”

Miles scratched his nose. “We’re already big. Look at my muscles.” He lifted his left paw up and did his best to make the muscles on his upper paw swell.

“Yes, you’re getting bigger every day,” Shelley said kindly. “But I mean when you’re all grown up like your father. If you eat your leaves every day you will be able to hop higher and faster.” 

Fletcher looked at Martin and saw him spitting bits of leaf onto the ground. “What’s up Dad?”

“These leaves, they’re dry. Doesn’t anyone else think so?”

“Mine were nice,” Fletcher said. Miles nodded. He was still eating his.

Shelley wiped her mouth. “They’re OK. The boys gathered dinner only a little while ago. They didn’t have time to search for anything too tasty.”

“Well, they need to learn,” Martin stated. “Tomorrow I’m taking both of you out and I’m going to show you how to find the best food there is. Juicy leaves and rich green grass. With all the rain we’ve been getting recently, there’s no need to eat dry leaves and grass that’s half brown. You just wait. Tomorrow night we will have a feast and you two boys will know what to collect and what to leave behind.”

“So, I can come too?” Miles asked eagerly.

“Of course,” Martin replied. “It will be a boy’s day out.”

Shelley pushed herself up to her feet. “Right then. You boys will need a good night’s sleep before your big trip. So, hurry up Miles, finish your dinner, then I want you both to settle down and go to sleep.

“But Mama,” Fletcher protested, “it’s still early.”

“No it isn’t. It’s dark and you have a big day ahead of you, so it’s time to get some sleep.”

Fletcher reluctantly lay down. It was raining lightly and he felt the droplets that filled the night air landing on his nose. Miles lay beside him and Fletcher listened to the sounds around him. He could hear voices talking softly in the distance. Other members of their mob were settling in for the night. He couldn’t understand what anyone was saying but he drew comfort from knowing that other kangaroos were nearby.

Suddenly there was a loud noise, a thumping on the ground. Fletcher raised his head and looked expectantly at his parents. He knew what the thumping was—it was Stanley calling everyone to attention. Stanley was the alpha male, the head of the mob. It was clear that he had something to say and he wanted everyone to gather together. Fletcher recognised the expression on his father’s face—frustration. “It’s too late for a meeting like this,” Martin said to Shelley through gritted teeth. “It’s past the boys’ bedtime.”

“Come along love,” Shelley replied in a soothing voice. “I’m sure it won’t take long.” She hopped a bit closer to Fletcher and Miles. “Right, you two. Up you get and come with us.”

Fletcher and Miles hopped along behind their parents, following them to where the kangaroos were meeting. Shelley positioned herself behind her two boys, resting a paw on each of their shoulders. Fletcher turned his head to see where his father was. He saw him standing upright, staring straight ahead, with a hard expression on his face.

Stanley stood on a rock so that all the kangaroos could see him. Fletcher thought that elevating himself in this way wasn’t necessary—Stanley was so big that he would be visible to everyone even if he was standing on the ground. However, he was the leader of the mob and he liked to make his authority known. 

Without any delay, Stanley cleared his throat and raised his voice. “An incident occurred today. Come up here please, Raff.” Fletcher saw Raff—Donovan’s father—reluctantly make his way to the front of the crowd. Raff was a friendly kangaroo—a good friend of Fletcher’s parents. In his peripheral vision, Fletcher noticed his father’s posture stiffen. “Rafael broke one of our most important laws today by venturing beyond the borders of our land. And those that break the law must be punished. So, tomorrow I want all members of our mob to stay home for the shunning. Dawn to dusk, everyone is to be here. That’s all for now. I will see you in the morning.”

The kangaroos quietly dispersed. Fletcher hopped back home with his family in silence. Fletcher and Miles assumed they were to go straight back to bed but their father was so angry there was no chance of them getting any sleep. “Raff would never leave our land!” he exploded. “This isn’t right. It’s just Stanley wanting to big-note himself and throw his weight around.”

“Ssh,” Shelley said, trying to re-establish calm. “We don’t know what happened.”

“I’m going to find out what happened. I’ll wait until nearly everyone is asleep, then I’ll go and ask Raff myself. I have to go tonight. It won’t be possible once the shunning begins.”

“Well, you be careful. You don’t want Stanley seeing you sneaking around late at night.”

“Stanley can…. ” Martin couldn’t find adequate words to express his anger. “Stanley can mind his own business for once. He thinks he runs this place. I had plans for tomorrow. Now I won’t be able to take the boys out. All because of nothing.”

Fletcher saw Shelley pat Martin on the back in an attempt to comfort him, but Martin hopped away. Shelley turned around to check on the two boys. “Come on, both of you. I want you to get some sleep.”

“Do you think Raff really did it?” Fletcher asked.

“I don’t know. It would surprise me if he did something like that but I really don’t know.”

“What’s a shunning, anyway?” Miles asked.

“It’s a form of punishment.” Shelley replied. “A shaming. You’ll see. The whole mob will form a big circle and poor old Raff will have to sit in the middle for the entire day.”

Miles sat up. “With everyone just staring at him?”

“Yes, that’s what shunning is all about. To expose the kangaroo who has done wrong and make him or her face the rest of the mob.”

“That’s awful,” Miles said.

“That’s why it works. If you do something wrong, the worst thing is to face your family and friends and admit what you did. Raff will have to sit there in front of everyone for a whole day.”

“I never want to be shunned,” Miles decided.

“Well, you make sure you’re a good boy then.”

“I am a good boy, aren’t I Mama?”

“Of course you are. You’re both my good boys. Now it’s very late and I want you to get some sleep. So, lay down and close your eyes please.”

Fletcher and Miles curled up on the ground on either side of their mother and she hummed softly as she rubbed their backs.

“Where’s Dad?” Miles asked. “He didn’t say goodnight to us.”

“I expect your father won’t return for some time. He’s upset and he wants to see Raff. He’ll be back long after you’re asleep.”

Sleep didn’t come easily to Fletcher. He kept thinking about Raff and how he must be feeling. He hoped that sometime during the night his dad would find Raff, talk to him, clear up any misunderstandings and tell him that everything would be OK. 

Chapter two coming soon.