Sam The Koala

• Oakley Brennan, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2009

I was sitting in the animal rescue centre with bandages wrapped carefully around my paws. I was still a bit tingly but I am lucky I made it out. Oh I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I am Sam, Sam the Koala. Yes the famous one that drank out of a water bottle. I can’t remember much of what happened but I’ll tell you as much of my story as I can.

I was sleeping in my favourite tree when I heard lots of cars driving passed. Now that was normal but there was so many of them that it was odd. After a while I must have dozed of again.

The next day when I eventually woke up, I woke up to a burning sun and dust flying here and there. That must have been why every one left yesterday. Soon after I got use to the heat I heard a crackling sound. It sounded like cellophane but louder.

It wasn’t long before I saw it. It was big and red. It was a fire. I couldn’t go anywhere because I was surrounded. I looked back at my families trees but they were gone. Then it went straight past me. The flames were burning my fur and the pain was horrific.

Soon these men came and started to put out the fires. One man came to me with a bottle of water. I was very thirsty so I didn’t mind him coming close. He put out one hand and I trusted him, so I put my paw on his. Then he let me drink from the bottle of water.

After I had finished my second bottle of water, he called some people and told them to come and get me. They came with a cage. I wasn’t sure if they were trying to help me or hurt me. I let them take me because nothing could be worse than what I had already been through. Fortunately they took me to an animal rescue centre and put bandages on my paws.

So there you go, that’s my story. It actually did happen. A lot of people lost their homes like me and some people have even lost their lives in Victoria’s worst bushfires.