Saving Ash!

• Alicia Lipp, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2020

Hi, I’m Ash and I’m an Australian koala living in a eucalyptus tree. One day when I woke up I heard sizzling and smelt burning of the leaves and trees. When I opened my eyes I saw fire up the top of my tree. I needed to get down, the tree was getting very hot, so I climbed down the tree. And when I got down I noticed my paws were hurting, they got burnt from the fire in the trees and the forest floor.

I looked around and all I could see and feel was flames. I saw a small gap in the bush fire so I just made a run through the gap, I made it! But then realised I had nowhere to go because the other side was in flames as well. So I started wondering in the flames and then I saw another koala, so I called to the koala and he came towards me because I called him and he saw the gap in the flames.

So we got out of the bush fire and I realised that my paws were even more burnt from the fire. We didn’t know how to get out of the bush fire; I looked up at my home and felt sad because it was burning. Then all of a sudden I heard a noise behind me, I was being lifted up and carried out of the fire. I was struggling and looked around and saw the other koala being picked up too. I watched my home disappear from view as I was taken to safety.

I was lying on something warm and soft then I was picked up and carried to a bright place. I looked up and I saw two people staring at me, they touched my sore paws looking me over. They were putting something cold on my sore paws and were wrapping them, I was put back on the warm soft place and fell asleep.

For awhile after I was taken to safety the people were changing my bandages and looking after me. I was eating my yummy eucalyptus leaves every day and I was getting put in the trees once in awhile I was starting to feel better.

I had noticed that some of my friends had gone and not come back, I wondered where they were. One day I was taken from this place, I soon realised that I was going home. I was put on the forest floor I looked around my home and felt happy, I went running towards a tree and climbed up, I looked around and saw blackness everywhere but I was glad to be home.

Alicia Lipp 5A