The Seven Rules Eddie Never Forgot

By Terese Martin

Eddie, the emu was eager to explore. He was curious. He wanted to poke his beak into everything.  Yet, his mom had so many rules about exploring his Aussie homeland:

 

1. 1. Never talk to or go with strangers.
2. 2. Keep an eye open for danger.
3. 3. Never go into a stranger’s house, or eat their fruit.
4. 4. Always knock before entering a friend’s house.
5. 5. After knocking, always wait to be invited inside.
6. 6. Always tell Mom before I leave home.

=====

One day his mom said, “Eddie, you’re now smart enough to go exploring on your own—just for a little while, mind!”

“Thanks, Mom.”  He ran off, excitement making his feathers fluff- up like crazy.

“Remember the rules, Eddie!” called Mom.

But Eddie’s long legs had already taken him out of earshot.

It was fun discovering new places, and seeing where the other Aussie Outback animals lived.  Eddie soon forgot every one of his Mom’s boring old rules!

He stuck his head into an old tree stump—the home of a grumpy gecko.

“You disturbed my nap, you rude brat!” yelled the gecko.  “Go away!”

Eddie hurried away.

=====

He soon came upon the Park Ranger’s house.  The front door was open.  Eddie walked inside, his Mom’s rule completely forgotten.

“Maybe there’s something to eat in here?” he said to himself.

A big bowl of fresh fruit sat in the middle of the kitchen table. “YUM!  I love fruit!”  Eddie stretched out his neck, beak open, ready to grab a piece.

Instead, he knocked the bowl off the table. It crashed to the floor. Fruitbvrolled and bounced in every direction.

=====

Eddie managed to gobble a couple of juicy pieces before a loud scared him rigid.

“Jumping  Grasshoppers!” he muttered, “it’s the Park Ranger I’m in BIG trouble.”

“You sure are, you thieving critter,” roared the Ranger, fist raised and ready to strike.

Eddie then noticed another emu behind the Ranger. Fearful and guilty, he headed out the door. His long legs churned up the red outback soil as he galloped away.

 I didn’t eat all the fruit. He panted. I left most of it for the Ranger and that other emu. But then he saw the  Ranger staring at him.  He looked SO angry!

This made him run even faster.

=====

Tired and thirsty, Eddie finally stopped.  Luckily, there was a water hole there. In the shade of the gum trees, Eddie closed his eyes and drank.

“Delicious!  I needed that.”  He opened his eyes and gasped. A scary-looking emu was looking him right in the eye!

“Oh NO!” yelled Eddie, and he ran as fast as his long skinny legs would go. Faster and faster— almost ramming into sly and disagreeable Mr Dingo.

“Ah, just in time to be my dinner!” Dingo grinned.

====

“No way, Mr Dingo” Eddie backed away. “I’m too small and skinny for you. But a plump and much larger emu is chasing me.  Please, wait for him.  Juicy and tender!  A far  tastier dinner.”

Eddie turned away. He was already running at top speed when he shouted the last few words.

He finally slowed when he spotted his mother. Panting hard, he could barely speak.  “M-o-m. . . Oh, M-o-mmm. . .”

=====

“What’s the matter, Eddie? Why are you running?” his mother asked.

Eddie told her about sticking his head in the gecko’s home. He told her about going into the park ranger’s house and being chased away by the scary-looking emu. Finally, about the emu at the water hole, and how he had convinced Mr Dingo to wait for his dinner.

=====

Eddie’s mother surprised him by laughing.

“Mom, why are you laughing?”  said Eddie, who thought he deserved a hug, rather than being laughed at.

“Come with me,” his mother said. He followed her to a small water hole. “Look into the water, Eddie,”

He peeked into the water. “Run!” yelled Eddie. “Can’t you see him, Mom?   He’s right in front of us!”

“Oh, Eddie! That’s you!”  She chuckled. “You are seeing your reflection!”

=====

“What’s a re-flek-shun?”  he asked?”

“A reflection is when you see yourself looking back at you,”  said his mother.

“But Mom, what about the ranger’s house?  There was no water hole in there!”

“I agree. No waterhole, but there are mirrors in houses, and I’m sure you saw yourself in a mirror.”

“You never warned me about mirrors,”  Eddie grumbled.

“It wouldn’t have mattered,” his mom sighed.  “You forgot all my advice the moment you left home!”

=====

Eddie hung his head. “I did, didn’t I. Sorry Mom. Next time, I promise I’ll remember every safety rule you tell me,” and he chanted:

1. 1. Never talk to or go with strangers.
2. 2. Keep an eye open for danger.
3. 3. Never go into a stranger’s house, or eat their fruit.
4. 4. Always knock before entering a friend’s house.
5. 5. After knocking, always wait to be invited inside.
6. 6. Always tell Mom before I leave home.
7. 7. And. . . Never be fooled by a mirror or a water hole reflection.

“I guess learning from my mistakes makes me a smart young emu.”

Eddie grinned, while his mom beamed with pride.

Meanwhile, Mr Dingo patiently waited for his plump and scary-looking “emu dinner” to show up.

- Total nr. of readings: 1,268 Copyright © The author [2020] All Rights Reserved. This story may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the author except for personal use.