Pearly and Pig and the Lost City of Mu Savan by Sue Whiting

Author:Sue Whiting [Whiting, Sue]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760655471
Publisher: Walker Books Australia
Published: 2023-02-10T00:00:00+00:00

They set up camp slightly upstream from the waterhole. Here, the creek hurried through a narrow channel near the northern bank. A large muddy quagmire stretched between the southern bank and the cliff above, and a rocky overhang provided a small shelter and enough dry flat ground for Pearly and Pig to sleep on.

Pig had surveyed the scents and had come to the conclusion that only a few animals approached the waterhole from this side of the bank near the wide bog, so it was reasonably safe.

Pearly wasn’t too keen on the word “reasonably” but she agreed that this was probably their best option. She didn’t like the thought of “probably” either.

It was dark now and a light rain was falling, and Pearly was grateful for the shelter the overhang provided. They were in the foothills of the craggy highlands, and the night-time air was cool. Pearly pulled on her weatherproof jacket and strapped on Pig’s rain jacket. She squished a mosquito on her hand.

One of the first lessons Pearly was taught when she started her Adventurologist training was making sure her adventure pack was well stocked with lightweight essentials. And, boy, was Pearly grateful for that right now. But she needed to be careful because she only had enough food left for herself for three days max and one day for Pig, as the family had divided Pig’s supplies between them. She wondered if Pig would be keen on her Madras curry chicken if the need arose. She hoped she wouldn’t need to find out.

Pig sat below the lip of the overhang, as if standing guard, as Pearly busied herself with boiling water on her camp burner and opening the meal sachets. She had got the water from the creek – to save her own supplies – and was relieved to find that it tasted sweet and fresh, with only a hint of mud.

By the time their meal was finished, the rain had become heavier, and they crawled further under the ledge. Pearly threw her tarp over the top of them and snuggled close to Pig.

She closed her eyes and tried not to think about the mess they were in. But questions stubbornly circled through her mind. What would Grandpa Woe think when she didn’t turn up at their meeting spot? What was Prince Tub up to? Were her parents in danger? Worst of all was the feeling that she was trapped in this gully, on this creek edge. Even if they could find a way back up, she was certain they would be horribly lost.

She muttered smoky bacon over and over to try to stop the thoughts and to trick herself into sleep. She said it in Italian and German and Pig and Anachakan and Icelandic and Macaque Monkey and in all of the twenty-seven languages she was fluent in. It didn’t seem to help.

Water gushed and splashed through the creek channel. Rain pounded the muddy mire. It dripped from the overhang. Branches creaked. Night birds called. Leaves and sticks cracked as animals thrashed their way through the undergrowth.

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