Koalaland or The Great Koala Novel, Volume IV: Deadly Confrontation

By David Bolton

How wonderful it would be if life were always as idyllic as it has been for our koalas in the three previous volumes of “The Great Koala Novel”!

But alas, as we all know, the enjoyable epochs of our lives are often sadly and most rudely
interrupted by bewildering calamities, unexpected disasters, and terribly tragic losses. This is a lesson that the koalas of both groves shall learn only too well in Volume IV of our “Koalaland” series: “Deadly Confrontation”.
Yet despite the ominous occurrences looming on the horizon, there is a message of hope that serves to inspire our furry friends even in the most dire of circumstances.

As old Chashibu put it in his poem:

“In this story, a lesson may well be learned:
Even great disasters can sometimes be turned.
With guidance, and wisdom, while working as one,
And deciding to fight, instead of to run,
There is no limit to what koalas can achieve.
'Tis with that message, that I now take my leave.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Bolton
• Release date: May 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301688944

David Bolton

David Bolton worked in a broad variety of occupations before settling into a career as a lecturer on English as a foreign language. He has written a number of textbooks for foreign students, published around the world, as well as a local history book on Bristol, where he lives.

Book preview

Copyright © 2013 by David Bolton

You can download a catalogue of all my works here:

www.language-learning-tips.com/David_Bolton_Creations.zip

Koalaland

or

The Great Koala Novel

Volume IV: Deadly Confrontation

by

David Bolton

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PUBLISHED BY:

David Bolton on Smashwords

Koalaland or The Great Koala Novel - Volume IV: Deadly Confrontation

Copyright © 2013 by David Bolton. All rights reserved.

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Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Dedication

To Maki, who will always be my favorite

***

Table of Contents

Cover – Title Page ‒ Dedication ‒ Table of Contents ‒ Map of Southern Koalaland ‒

A very special Box-‒ The Pleasures of Education ‒ The Dawn of a Monetary System ‒

A Shadow on the Bed of Roses ‒ Finding Meaning ‒ Wheeling and Dealing ‒

Rude awakening ‒ The Struggle Continues ‒ A well-planned Attack ‒

The Hyenas’ Plan of Attack (Map) - The Battle of Eucalyptus Grove ‒

Into the Jaws of Death ‒ Koalatown Revisited ‒ The Tide Turns (Map) ‒

The Aftermath ‒ Bumpy's Prayer ‒ Many were the Victims ‒ Coming to Grips ‒

Dreadful News ‒ Taking Leave of the Departed ‒ Visitors at a Funeral ‒

Never lose Hope ‒

The Grim Reaper is back for more! (Coming in Volume V of Koalaland) ‒

Author’s Bio

Map of Southern Koalaland

A very special Box

Nory Koala worked long and hard practically every day, so it was no wonder that he almost always fell asleep as soon as he bedded down for the night. Sometimes, however, he’d wake up in only an hour or so, after having another dream about Fooey, his dear, departed wife.

He would dream that they were together again, eating dinner, taking a walk through the grove; or perhaps he was explaining to her one of his new designs for a piece of furniture. Then there were the dreams where he and Fooey were playing with Maki, back when she was a small koala baby, still being carried around in Fooey’s pouch, and poking her furry little head out to have a look at her parents, and at the wondrous world that was out there waiting for her to grow up. These were his favorite dreams, for they brought back the most beautiful time of his life, when Nory and his wife were so full of hope for the future.

Her death during the last wet tail epidemic three years before had cruelly and abruptly ended all that, and though Nory did his best to be strong, to make things easier for Maki, there were times when he missed Fooey so much that he felt that his heart had shriveled away to nothingness, and perhaps in a sense, it had - he had buried a good part of it along with his beloved wife.

The dreams reminded him of how lonely he was without her, despite his great love for his daughter, who was his pride and joy, and for whom life certainly was worth living. But those dreams! So real, yet only memories from the past. When he awoke after dreaming about Fooey, he usually couldn’t get to sleep again for quite a while, though he would have loved to do so, in order to go back to Dreamland, where she was so often waiting for him. Instead, he would lie in bed and think, remember, and sometimes, softly sob.

It was therefore a wondrously pleasant surprise when he had a totally different kind of dream about Fooey. He was drifting off to sleep in the little bedroom of his tree house, when suddenly, there seemed to be a soft light emanating from the area around the foot of his bed. In the dream – or was it a dream? – he opened his eyes, and there, gently illuminated by a light that seemed to come from within her, was Fooey, smiling at him, her eyes expressing the tender love that he knew she had felt for him, as had he for her, but that he had often almost tried to forget, for the memory of having been loved so dearly is but a bitter source of dejection for those who have been separated from their soul mate.

Now, however, looking into those soft, brown eyes, he felt their love spring to life in all its beauteous glory, and far from being sad, he was overcome with a sense of supreme bliss...

Fooey! I’ve missed you so terribly! I love you - I‘ve always loved you so much! he said softly, the tears welling up in his eyes.

Just as I have always loved you. But don’t be sad. We will be together again. Time is always short in your world, though it seems so long to you.

But when? Sometimes I can hardly go on without you... Nory told her.

I know, but you did go on, and that was good. Our Maki needed you, she replied.

Yes, Maki, she’s such a wonderful girl! She’ll be an even better carpenter than I am, you know. She’s more talented than she realizes. You would be so proud of her!

"Oh, but I am proud of her! Fooey told him. Don’t you know that I’ve been with you both many times?"

Oh, yes, of course! I feel your presence very often. Sometimes I just know you are here. But why did you have to leave us so soon? Why couldn’t you have stayed here?

"It wasn’t meant to be. My time on your plane had ended, though I know it is hard for you to understand right now. But you will understand one day, when we are together again."

But when? Tell me when! Nory pleaded with her.

I am not permitted to tell you that, but remember, time is short. And remember, too, that love is not bounded by time - it is eternal, she smiled. I must go now. Sleep... sleep soundly, my love... And with that, her image started to fade, and in only a few seconds, Nory found himself sitting up in his bed, the room now almost totally dark. Though the dream had ended, he did not feel sad this time, nor was he lonely. Quite the contrary; he felt happier than he had in a long time. A sense of peace had settled upon him. He lay down, a smile on his face, and within a minute or two, he fell into a profound sleep.

***

The next morning at breakfast, Maki told her father what she was planning to have the assistants do that day. The new mint building over in Koalaville was coming along quite well. The floor and three walls were already finished; the last wall would be done in no time, and then they would begin to do the roof.

Today we will probably finish the last wall, father, and maybe even start to cut the boards to use for the roof. Have you finished the plans for the second level of the King’s tree house? she asked.

Oh, I finished them last night before going to bed. Maybe you’d like to have a look at them today. You might have some suggestions to add, Nory replied.

Yes, of course. Are you going to start to prepare the floorboards for it today? she was curious.

No, I think I will tell one of the workers to do that. As a matter of fact, I thought I’d take a few days off, her father remarked.

What? Maki tried not to act as surprised as she really was, since she had never known her father to take time off from work. Are you sick, father? Maybe you should go see Doctor Koala...

No, child! he laughed. I feel great! I just thought I’d spend some time working on that box I’ve been making for you, that’s all.

Oh, father, but my birthday isn’t till the seventy-fifth day of autumn, and you said you don’t have far to go. That can wait, Maki suggested.

Nory had promised her months before that he was going to make her a very special box, one in which he was going to apply all of the skill he had acquired over many years of making masterful wooden products. He was going to give it to her as a birthday present. Of course, he only worked on it late in the evenings, in his room, since he wouldn’t want her to see it before it was completed.

I know, but I feel like getting it finished soon. I hope the rest of you won’t miss me at work, Nory expressed his concern.

Well, I’m sure we can get along. The koalas who will be cutting the floor-boards for the King’s house know how to do that, and it’ll take them several days to prepare them, Maki told him.

Of course. If any of you need me, you can feel free to come over and get me, he said.

Yes, naturally, but I think we can all manage. After all, you deserve some rest. You work so hard, day in, day out. Don’t worry, everything will work out just fine, Maki assured him.

I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ll see you later, then. Have a good day! Nory said as he left the little living room where they had been eating breakfast and climbed up to his bedroom, which had been constructed one branch higher, somewhat to the right of the living room.

When he got there, he opened the compartment at the bottom of his desk and took out the box he was working on. It was about one foot square, and four inches high. It had several compartments inside, perfect for neatly separating the different things one might want to store in it. But its most remarkable feature was the lid. It had a design on it, a eucalyptus tree, but which was not drawn or painted on the box. Instead, Nory had used his knowledge of how to do intarsia, a craft that uses different and varying types and colors of wood, very fine pieces of which are inserted into the surface of the object. In this way, exquisite pictures can be made, creating a sort of mosaic that can even have a slight three-dimensional effect.

This art is extremely difficult to master, since in addition to having great knowledge of all varieties of wood, and how to work with each type, the creator must also have artistic talent, as well as the skill to work with very small details, besides a lot of experience and patience.

In Nory, all of these qualities were combined into a most harmonious constellation, and he had long felt that he should use all he had learned in his life to create a true masterpiece. He believed that he owed it not only to himself, but also to others: his father and grandfather, who had taught him these skills, and those who had taught them before Nory had even been born.

But he also thought he owed it to his daughter, and to the children she would one day have - koalas in the future should see what a lifetime of hard work and dedication could produce. It was thus not personal pride, but a deep sense of obligation to his craft, to those who practiced it in the past, and to others who would do so in the future, that Nory wanted to create his chef d’oeuvre. The box itself was essentially finished; there only remained part of the inlay work. The picture of the tree needed only two more branches, and his present for Maki would be completed.

He took out the small tools he used for detailed work, placed the minute pieces of different-colored wood on the desk, and set to work. He thought that if he dedicated about eight hours daily, he might be able to finish the box in three days, and he sensed that this was a goal that he should take very seriously.

***

The following Moonday, Maki and her father were having lunch together in their tree house. Moonday was the workers’ day of rest, so they did not eat with them at noon as they usually did. Maki and Nory generally spent Moonday planning their projects, making technical drawings, and the like.

Maki, I have something to give you. Wait a minute, Nory told her, and then climbed up to his bedroom. When he came down, he brought a package, wrapped in fine green and brown paper, with a gold-colored ribbon around it. There was a little card inserted under the ribbon. He sat down at the table again. Here, this is for you, dear, he said, placing the box on the table in front of her.

Oh, father! Why are you giving me a present now? This isn’t the box, is it? My birthday is three months away. Why would you give it to me now?

I just want to enjoy the look on your face when you see it, that’s all, Nory explained. Why wait till your birthday if you can see it, and use it, now?

Oh, are you sure I should open it? I don’t mind waiting till my birthday, Maki replied.

No, I want you to open it now, Nory insisted, though smiling gently. Go ahead, open it up!

Maki very carefully untied the ribbon, since it was a very pretty one, and she had always learned to treat quality materials with great respect, since they could always be used again in the future. With equal care, though with growing anticipation, she unwrapped the paper, and laid it aside.

Oh, father, this is marvelous! Why, I have never seen such fine intarsia! she exclaimed, gently running her finger over the surface of the inlaid tree design. This tree looks almost real. How did you ever manage to get all these tiny details so accurate?

Well, it took a lot of patience. I guess that was the key, Nory answered. Do you really like it?

Like it? I love it! I’ve never seen such a wonderful box. It’s a true work of art! Oh, thank you so much, father. How can I ever show you my gratitude? Maki responded as she leaned over and gave her father a kiss on the cheek.

You show me your gratitude every day, by being such a fine daughter. I only ask that you take good care of it, so that your children and grandchildren, and even their children and grandchildren, can also use the box in the distant future. I’d like them to see what we craftskoalas were capable of.

Oh, of course I will take good care of it! It’s a true treasure, and that’s just the way I’ll treat it. I’ll only keep very valuable things in it, like important letters, and that nice golden necklace you gave me a few years ago, and... oh, and the mp3 player that Mr. Johnson gave me! She then opened the box on the table. Oh, look! This compartment here would be just perfect. And you lined each compartment with velvet. This dark violet looks so elegant!

I thought you’d like that color. I know it’s your favorite, Nory smiled.

Oh, father, thank you so much! Maki said as she stood up and gave Nory, who was still sitting on his chair, a big hug. I love you, father!

And I love you, Maki, he said as he embraced her. Hey, why don’t we take a walk together after we finish our berries? Since the carpenters aren’t working today, we can go to Koalaville and have a look at the mint building, then come back and check to see whether they have cut those floorboards for the King’s house correctly.

Oh, they have. Gorpy has been inspecting their work every evening. But yes, we could take a walk anyway. Maybe we’ll have some more ideas about how we might add to our plans, Maki suggested.

And let’s walk along the stream on the east side, too, just for the fun of it. There’s no reason why we always have to be thinking about carpentry, after all! Nory said.

Yes, of course, that would be fun, Maki replied. They finished their berries, and after Maki took the box up to her bedroom and placed it on the little desk she had there, carefully arranging the other objects on the desk around it so as to make the box look even more elegant, she climbed down the tree with her father, and they spent the day strolling, feeling happier and more relaxed than they had in a long time.

The only moment when Maki felt a bit uneasy was when Nory once again brought up the topic of her making new friends, going to dances, and having a more active social life. She was quite content with her life, and couldn’t understand why her father seemed so concerned about her socializing. But apart from that, it was a perfect day, and when Maki and Nory returned to their tree house in the evening, they had a fine supper, and then went to bed early, since they wanted to rise with the sun in order to get in a good day of work with their assistants.

***

One late evening a couple of days later, Maki and Nory were chatting over a cup of eucalyptus tea, talking about all that they had experienced since moving to Eucalyptus Grove, and also of the good times they had had back when they lived in Koalaville. Of course,