Koala Story

• Deon Quinlan, Grade 3
• Short Story
• 2018

Flash! I wake up with the sun in my eyes and I look back at my fluffy parents, wondering what adventure awaits me today. So I look off my branch and try to find some food, but then I fall off. Scared and confused, my body freezes in place.

My grey fur stands on my back. Suddenly, a gum leaf falls from a tree so I quickly gorge it up to fill my hunger. I search for more. On my way, I wonder if I will ever see my family again. As I search through the bushes, I still can’t find any gum leaves. When I find some, they are right underneath a feral dog. The dog chases me to a big, long eucalyptus tree. I hide in a branch. The dog searches for me, but eventually it smashes its head on the tree trunk, so I run. But soon I find myself at home.

But home is on fire! I find my family on the floor. I try to get my parents up, but they’re too heavy. Creak… “What was that?” I scream, as I see the tree falling. So I drag my family as fast as I can. When the tree hit the floor, I had just pulled out my jellybean-sized baby sister.

A couple of hours later, my family wakes up and we start to run and continue the adventure. I tell my family to try to find a better tree. After hours of searching we find the perfect tree and rebuild our lives together.