Sandgroper's Penfriend: A Most Unexpected Journey

By James Voûte

What happens when Sandgroper meets his penfriend Squirrel from the British Isles? From that moment, everything goes wrong when Squirrel and Sandgroper start their adventures along the beaches of the Indian Ocean.

Follow Sandgroper and Squirrel as they make their way on a most unexpected journey. It's a chaos of misunderstandings and advent

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sid Harta Publishers
• Release date: Apr 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9780645787252

James Voûte

James Voûte is an accomplished artist who has progressed from painting to illustrating, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting in 1985 at what is now Curtin University, Western Australia, then a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Tasmania. He was educated in The Netherlands, then migrated to Australia. He then spent 15 years in Papua New Guinea and remote communities of the Northern Territory before settling in Tasmania.He also writes stories that champion Australian animals and birds, often in humorous settings, to engage with audiences of all ages.James lives in Fern Tree, Tasmania, a setting that is a constant inspiration in closely observing wildlife.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Asmall insect called Sandgroper lived near the beach overlooking the Indian Ocean. He had four legs and two elongated arms, which worked like feelers.

Once a week he would go to the grocery shop to collect his standard order for food and drinks and check his mailbox. Before leaving the shop, he always checked the noticeboard. A year ago, he had seen a notice for a penfriend. That day he picked up a pen (later a typewriter, so much easier when you have feelers), and he started to correspond with Squirrel from the British Isles. Squirrel was most interested in his life on the beach. Sandgroper described himself as a bit of a beachcomber and a carefree tourist guide, and he shared with Squirrel his life and adventures on the beach.

Sandgroper was overjoyed when Squirrel began to answer his letters, and over time they had a lively correspondence. Squirrel also included her photograph. Her letters always came in a pink envelope and pink writing paper.

One letter was a complete surprise to Sandgroper. Here’s what the letter said:

Dear Sandgroper,

Thank you for your letter – I am very well, thank you. How are you? I have saved to come and visit you and bought a ticket, arriving Friday 23 January 2023. Don’t worry about food – I’ll bring my own.

Best wishes,

Squirrel

Sandgroper was busy digging himself a new home and, like a mole, had dug a narrow tunnel into a wall of a sand dune in preparation for the arrival of his penfriend. Perhaps it was the heat of the day and the reflected glare from the sand which made Sandgroper over-anxious. He was still fussing about, looking at his handiwork, and shook himself vigorously to have another look at Squirrel’s pink letter. Yes, there it was: ‘arriving by plane … in a day’s time.’

When Sandgroper received Squirrel’s letters and her photograph, he should have sent his own, but he feared she may not like him. He had often looked in a mirror and wondered what he should do about his looks, but all that was too late now. He had described himself as a beachcomber, alluding to a suntanned, rugged type who lived in the sand and surf. Now, out of the blue there was Squirrel’s letter to say she was coming to see him! He was beginning to dread the whole business. She would not recognise him. He was, after all, an insect, so what was he to do?

He hurriedly dressed in shorts and with thongs on his feet, wanting to look his best. Still confused, he set off for the Swan International Airport, which was not far from the beach. In his rush to get to there, he jumped and danced over rocks and dried-out salt pans, trying not to burn his feet.

Sandgroper and Spider

During his hurried antics, Sandgroper rather absent-mindedly took a different route, and this time did not see a spider web with a huge black Spider lounging around, fanning himself. Sandgroper ran straight into the spider web.

He desperately tried to untangle his six feet from the sticky strands and cried, ‘Let me go! I am a Sandgroper, and I am in a hurry to meet my penfriend, Squirrel. She is waiting for me at the airport! Look, here is her letter and photograph if you don’t believe me. You must let me go!’

The big black Spider smiled from ear to ear and laughed. ‘A Sandgroper, who has caught too much sun, is on his way to meet a Squirrel? You must be joking or mad. Where do you get those ideas from?’

Spider looked at the letter, which had fallen from Sandgroper’s pocket, and said, ‘Wait a minute, Sandgroper is an insect. How is he to meet a Squirrel?’

‘Oh dear … just look at you, you can’t meet her in shorts and thongs, let me see … Having caught you in my web, I will be kind to you and cast you a spell, which will allow a Sandgroper to meet a Squirrel. Just relax and stop struggling …’

The black Spider went on like a clever mesmerist, ‘I will promise you a trip of a lifetime. Just hold still.’ He began to stare and mumble hypnotically at Sandgroper. ‘Relax …’

‘Please,’ Sandgroper pleaded. ‘I really am in a hurry!’

‘Relax, relax,’ Spider mumbled again. ‘Let me have another look at her photograph. Hmm, to meet a Squirrel you have to look more like a Quokka. A Quokka is a small furry animal with a smiley mouth. Now stop struggling so I can begin to weave my spell.’

The sound of the wind through the spider web began to sound like a harp playing a hypnotic tune.

‘There now … relax …’ Spider sighed. ‘Relax …’

Sandgroper changes and becomes a furry animal

Chapter 2

‘How d’ye do?’ the Spider said,

watching Sandgroper munching away.

‘You can’t be serious to want to stay?

Go meet your penfriend without delay.

It is not on to overstay,

and watch my spell fritter away.’

Sandgroper felt he was falling away from himself. No longer feeling like an insect, he began walking like a sleepwalker through a long corridor.

Through the windows, Sandgroper could see he had entered the airport. He began to feel a lot more at ease when he saw the airport control tower looming up in the distance, dwarfing the other terminal buildings dancing in the heat haze. Encouraged he was going the right way, he kept walking over shiny tiled floors along the hallways in air-cooled comfort.

Finally, he arrived at gate 32, a large, wide-open area. The area was like a plaza, with waving veils drifting on a gentle sea breeze, and several shopfronts and windows looking over vast areas covered with concrete landing strips crisscrossing in the distance. On several sides, there were cafes with French doors and patios, with views over the sand dunes and the Indian Ocean.

The airport appeared to be huge and grew larger in every direction he went. The web spread out over the cyclone fence surrounding the airport and seemed to go on forever. Tired, Sandgroper wondered why he had been in such a hurry. He listened to the arrival times for international travellers whilst eating a bug sandwich that the Spider had given him. Sandgroper watched as the scenery around him disappeared into a kind of mist.

Sandgroper felt as though he was in a different world. He also felt a lot different from what he was before. No longer an insect, he patted his chest and noticed he had soft fur. Spider had also given him a new coat to wear. He did vaguely remember the hollow voice of the black Spider joking that he should be better dressed … and now, standing on shiny floor tiles instead of sand, Sandgroper looked around.

Everything seemed quite normal at first, but when he looked further away, the room he had come from had a different number and everything else changed before his eyes. The holiday posters of faraway countries on the wall were coming alive! A giraffe had her long neck sticking out of a poster, fluttering her long eyelashes. The head of a lion was shaking his mane and growling, while a bear from Alaska was eating salmon. A monkey had jumped out of the poster frame and sat on a bench peeling a banana. A leopard was counting his spots. A tortoise was eating lettuce leaves. There were many others, and they all sat or stood around looking rather bored, waiting for something as they stared towards the sea.

Sandgroper spotted a Quokka standing close by. The Quokka, in a white coat, was hopping around very business-like, crossing off names on a notepad, which he then placed in his pouch. Sandgroper introduced himself to the Quokka.

‘By the look of you being so neatly dressed, you must be waiting for an important visitor,’ Quokka said, admiring Sandgroper’s new coat.

Sandgroper did feel rather different and grown up, and he was pleased. ‘I am waiting for my penfriend from overseas.’

‘Well, well, in that case, you have to go back through Domestic and find International arrivals. Just follow the signs,’ Quokka said.

‘How odd,’ Sandgroper thought, not being familiar with his new coat as he left Domestic and entered International. He had another quick look at Squirrel’s letter when he saw his neighbour Gnatty, a small sticky fly who was very surprised to see Sandgroper’s new appearance.

‘Please, don’t you start, Gnatty. Ask the black Spider and don’t look so surprised. I am in a hurry. My penfriend must be waiting …’

‘Please, don’t you start, Gnatty’

Sandgroper read the pink letter from Squirrel and studied her photograph again. Even Gnat was impressed but should have warned him that penfriends seldom turn out to be who you think they are.

Looking over Sandgroper’s shoulder, Gnat laughed. ‘A squirrel backpacker with alluring eyes.’

‘Well thank you for your insights,’ Sandgroper sighed, folding Squirrel’s letter. ‘Leave me alone, Gnat. Can I go now? I said I was late and must hurry!’

* * *

By the time Sandgroper arrived at International, a strange feeling came over him. Nothing seemed to be quite real. His thoughts were interrupted by a loud cheer coming from a group of bystanders, who were standing pressed against a wire fence, trying to get a glimpse of