Kakadu Alive!

• Harrison Moore
• Short Story
• 2005

The early morning sun warmed my cold scaly body, and glistened brightly on Jim Jim Falls. It was about 7.40am, and I had just caught a few juicy mice for breakfast. I was a western brown snake, and it was another steamy day in Kakadu National Park.

I slithered across the flood plain, and rested on a nice warm rock beside the billabong.

Then I heard a strange noise. A water monitor was plodding towards me , weaving through the long dry grass. I hissed loudly and he sped away. I heard a cry – an Azure Kingfisher was diving towards the still water of the billabong! He came out with a baby barramundi flapping in his beak.

Later I spotted a huge flock of magpie geese. As I floated along the billabong, Jabiru stork were fishing in the shallows.

It was dark in the monsoon forest, but I was soon in my escarpement cave. Flicking my tongue, I sensed something was already there. A death adder! He struck at me, but I was faster, dodging his sharp fangs. I struck back, but into thin air… he had already gone!

I curled up in the cave to rest through the hot afternoon. I dreamed the aboriginal paintings all around me came to life, and I watched them play.

Lightning and thunder ended my trance. Another monsoon storm had arrived in Kakadu – my amazing home!