Munja Sunrise by Gibb Pauline;

Author:Gibb, Pauline;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Published: 2019-05-31T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

After months of heat that seemed to never end, autumn’s reprieve finally descended bringing with it warm days and balmy nights which were welcomed by the swamp population. Whilst many of the families still ventured into the neighbourhood to take advantage of the water on offer, many no longer had the need as their offspring had grown strong and capable enough to look after themselves.

The green foliage of the deciduous trees gave way to red, orange and gold as the flanking flora prepared itself for the cooler temperatures of autumn’s progression. Eventually, as it was in seasons that had passed, the leaves would fall, enriching the ground ready for the winter that followed. This recycling and composting sequence of renewal, the natural world’s way of maintaining the fine balance in the swamp’s environment!

It was a cool morning several weeks into autumn when a truck arrived at the park on the north side of the swamp. As it rolled down the grass towards the water, the rumbling sound disturbed Leroy and the others who were resting on the rocks nearby.

“What on earth is that noise?” Hopper yelled jumping upright to sit on the rock.

“That,” Terence answered pointing at the truck.

The friends watched in wonder as it pulled up, the doors opened and two men climbed from either side of the cab. They went around the back to the tray and dragged something out laying it on the ground.

“What is that?” Leroy questioned almost talking to himself.

“Not sure,” Jeffersen replied.

The men took shovels from the truck tray and began digging two holes in the ground, not too far from the edge of the swamp. Within minutes a sign had been erected, the men had packed up and the truck was making its way back onto the street. By this time more of the swamp’s inhabitants had gathered to see what all the noise was about. Leroy and the boys climbed off the rocks and swam across the pool. They jumped onto the grassed area and moved over to the sign.

“Look at that!” Terence said in amazement. “That on the sign, it’s our swamp up there.”

“Yes,” Leroy replied frowning. “I wonder what this is all about.”

The activity at the swamp obviously had the human neighbours intrigued as well and several people were crossing the road and heading in the boys’ direction.

“Quick,” Leroy said. “Get back in the water, here come the humans.”

They scurried quickly back to the swamp and took cover in the water just before the neighbours reached the sign.

“They can’t do this,” a male commented. “There’s been no community consultation, how dare they.”

“It’s about time!” a woman said forcibly. “It’s just a breeding ground for mosquitos and other nasty pests. Parkland or housing would be far more suitable.”

“That is a very limited observation Lyndal,” the male replied. “Drainage and closure of the swamp will have far reaching ramifications for the creatures who inhabit it and the long term effects for us as a community need to be investigated before any decision is made.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.