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Copyright © Gemma Elliott, Viktoria Andric, Quinn Martin, Lauren Purdy, Kaleb Friend,
Renae Donnison, Ben Maier, 2014
Published by Katharine Susannah Prichard Foundation Inc. 11, Old York Road, Greenmount,
Western Australia, 6056
All rights reserved. This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of
study, criticism or review, as permitted under Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by
any process without written permission. Enquires should be made to the authors.
School:
Swan Christian College
Group:
Llama Drama
Authors:
Gemma Elliott
Viktoria Andric
Quinn Martin
Lauren Purdy
Kaleb Friend
Renae Donnison
Ben Maier
Illustrator:
Ben Maier
Parameters:
Primary character 1: Geologist
Primary character 2: Surfer
Non Human character: Llama
Setting: Volcano
Issue: Guess who is coming to Dinner
Words:
Hectic
Fascinating
Cantankerous
Furry
Curious
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For the children in hospital
wishing you a well and speedy recovery
filled with laughter, smiles and love
Thank you Mr. Marlow, Mrs. Canas, Mr. Aamoral, Mr Mathew, Mrs. Poole and the whole
English department of Swan Christian College for giving us this opportunity.
Thank you everyone in the group for the hard work you have put in and taking time to do this.
Thank you parents for encouraging us with everything we do.
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Contents:
Chapter 1- page 4
Chapter 2- page 6
Chapter 3- page 7
Chapter 4- page 10
Chapter 5- page 11
Chapter 6- page 14
Chapter 7- page 17
Chapter 8- page 19
Chapter 9- page 21
Chapter 10- page 23
Chapter 11- page 26
Chapter 12- page 28
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Chapter - Jacqueline
I eyed it with disdain. It was a small thing, with a wingspan of barely 20 metres, a propeller on each
wing and one on the nose. The tail was dented and old, showing sign of wear. I doubted it would
make the trip. It was a plain dirtied white with a stripe of faded red. Why did this thing have to be the
only access to the island? With a dejected sigh I boarded the poor excuse for a plane.
‘I hope you enjoy the flight.’ The voice of the flight attendant was so sugar coated with cheeriness; I
could not help but cringe.
I walked past the woman to face the interior of the plane. To be honest it wasn’t much better than the
outside. It was a dreary grey, with two rows of seats, one on either side of the plane and a thin aisle in
the middle. The seats looked to be made of metal, coated with a thin frayed cloth and no cushions to
speak of. It was hardly the ideal comfort for a ten hour flight.
I sighed again. I was starting to doubt that this trip would be worth it. There had not been a
worthwhile discovery in my field of geology for many years now. This volcano was my last chance; if
I did not find something to peck my interest than I doubt I ever would achieve that promotion.
Thud! Pain exploded inside my head. I stumbled into one of the chairs and hit my arm on the dull
metal corner. The world was spinning and I could not see clearly, I raised my hand to the source of
the throbbing sensation on the side of my head and I hissed as the pain intensified as I touched my
head.
‘Aw, geez, sorry mate, didn’t see ya there.’ I could feel a headache coming, on top of the pain I
already felt.
‘Oh, no, I’m fine, absolutely fantastic,’ the sarcasm that dripped from my voice was so thick, it was
like syrup. I was sure this idiot would understand.
‘Really? That’s brilliant mate, I thought I might o’ hurt ya.’ The genuine relief in his voice, along with
that wide stupid smile, told me all I needed to know.
I had overestimated the fool. I turned my back to him and continued down the aisle. As I reached my
assigned seat I turned around to sit down, only to realize the fool was seated directly in front of me.
Instantly I knew rest would not come to me this day.
The propellers stared to spin and the plane to move. For every inch we moved, the plane jerked and
shook. I gripped the arm rests until my knuckles turned white; my little faith in the plane was
diminishing by the second.
‘Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.’ The annoying sound distracted me from my fears, if only a little bit. I
had to stop it. I looked every which was searching fruitlessly for the irritating bug.
‘Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.’ There it was again. But still I could not find the source. That is until my
gaze locked on to the fool in front of me.
‘Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.’ My mouth opened in astonishment. The fool was asleep. How could he sleep at a
time like this?
5
‘Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.’ Of course he is a fool, only he could like this.
My bones creaked; my back ached, in every place possible, and even some I didn’t think to be so. I
still had a headache and I hadn’t got a wink of rest because I was sure the plane would fall out of the
sky. Not only that, but the fool did not stir, not once! Normally I would be at the epitome of joy at this,
but he snores, the fool snores. I was tired and irritable. I just wanted to rest.
The airport was tiny small and out of the way. Grass grew through cracks on the tarmac, that was
hardy even; port holes and bumps covered the runway. The roof was shingled to protect from the rain
but not much else. I had a feeling it would fall in at the first sign of hail. There were only two gates at
the airport and four dozen seats in the gate waiting room. There was a car rental section and a
baggage claim. The whole thing was painted a dirty white. It was a perfect match for the plane.
When I arrived at the baggage claim of the small shabby airport finding my luggage was not too
difficult. But that was to be expected there were only two dozen of us on the plane. Now the only
problem I had was moving my luggage. I sighed; I was starting to regret taking two suitcases and
three carry-on bags, including my excavation kit.
‘Do ya need some help there mate.’ I twitch, and so the fool returns.
‘No.’
‘Ya sure?’
‘Yes.’
‘Come on I’ll give ya a hand.’ Suddenly my kit was missing. I looked over and twitched again. The
fool took my kit.
‘Hey-‘
Thud! I twitched again, I must keep calm, I must not yell, that is below me. I will not yell at the fool.
He had tripped on his own two feet and landed on my kit. The kit I use to research, that potentially has
my whole career inside of it. I ‘calmly’ walked up to him, as he tried to get up, I ‘calmly’ picked up
my kit, and I ‘accidentally’ stepped on his hand as I walked past him with my luggage dragging
behind me. As I walked out of the airport I thought to myself, I hope I never meet that fool again!
6
Chapter 2 – Chris
Man, I am so in! Oh darn it, I didn’t get her number; I hope I see her again.
I grabbed my bag and my surfboard and asked the bloke at the exit where my hotel was.
“Hey mate, do ya know the way to...” I checked my booking. “Uhhh, the Waiter’s Rest
Hotel?”
The man responded in a deep baritone, grinning. “We don’t have a Waiter’s Rest, but we got
a Water’s Rest Hotel.”
We laughed.
“Yeah, that’s the one. Can ya point me in the right direction?”
“Yeah, ya take that road there. See the guy with the red boardies? Yeah, so, that road, take it
down to the main drag and the hotel sits just over to ya left; you’ll see it easy; it sticks out.”
“Orright, thanks mate.”
“Yeah, no worries.”
I followed his directions, havin’ a look as I went. The shops had some pretty nice merch, and
the locals seemed pretty relaxed when I said hey. I saw a coffee shop that looked nice enough,
and the bloke there gave us a pretty big grin when I waved. The Blue Lagoon Cafe.
I think I might have a drink there tomorrow.
I got to the hotel and the lady at the front desk gave me a key for the door and wished me a
good stay. She sounded sophisticated, but like it was unfamiliar. I got to my room and I let
out a massive sigh as I hit the bed and smiled.
I’m over in Ensel for a sponsorship by Tracks; photo shoots and that stuff. I reckon this has
gotta be the best place for surfing, like, Melbourne has nice breakers, don’t get me wrong, but
Ensel is just so much more chill. No businessmen in suits, no fussin’ ‘bout; it’s just dardi.
The people here don’t want your money; they just want a chat, and if ya buy a coffee while
ya there, well, bonus. There was a nice gal on the plane that I accidentally bonked with ma
surfboard and she was absolutely fine with it, like I swear, if it was any other gal she’d be
fuming.
I am going to love it here.
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Chapter 3- Jacqueline
It was deathly silent at night. The activeness of the island was at a halt. To me, it was music
in my ears. I was staring out at the volcano from the balcony at my hotel room. The volcano
seemed like a large silhouette, shadowing the island. It was fascinating.
I was ready to get some rest. Tomorrow was hopefully going to be the best day in my
geological career.
I entered my room. It was half decent but better than the sorry excuse of a plane. The walls
were a dirty beige. The bed was cramped in a corner; lovely. There was an old 1950s era
television less than a metre in front of the bed. I slipped on my blue flannel pajamas. I
brushed my hair to every end until it was perfect.
The bathroom was mediocre; the walls were blue, dotted with gold fish; talking about over
exaggerating the water theme. The shower was right next to the toilet. In front of the shower
and toilet was a tiny basin. This bathroom was squashed next to the main room. This would
be adequate.
I brushed my teeth for ten minutes, getting to every edge and gum.
By the time I finished, I collapsed onto the bed. I buried myself in the blankets, hoping to
stimulate drowsiness. I stared up at the ceiling. My eyes began to close. Finally, I’d be able to
get some blissful rest.
Just as I was about to drift into an abyss of darkness“Buffalo Soldier-”
That was loud for me to withstand; in fact, what was that trash?
I stumbled out of bed, almost falling flat on my face. I didn’t care for grace right now; I
wanted rest!
I threw the door open and looked around. The source of the cacophony was coming from
opposite my room. I took five steps so I was outside the other room. I clenched my knuckles
and pounded on the door. I must have been pounding for five minutes straight.
The door began to open, the music was still loud. At the door’s entrance was the fool from
the plane. He was in a singlet and white and blue board shorts. He looked all too casual to my
disdain.
“Ohhh, you were on the plane.”
A point for observation.
“Yes-“
“How ya goin’ on this fine night? I’m great, if ya wanted to know.”
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“I-”
“Ya like this song? I reckon it’s brilliant.”
This insufferable fool!
“Can you turn that down?!” I managed to yell.
“Sure,” he says calm; I narrowed my glance at him, annoyed.
“Thank you.”
He smiled.
“No problem,” he said, sounding a bit too happy-go-lucky; I cringed. “Anyways, what’s ya
name?”
“Jacqueline M-“
“Nice t’ meet ya Jean.”
Talk about rude; he couldn’t even get my name right.
“It’s Jacqueline,” I corrected.
“Oh sorry, Jack.”
I huffed annoyed and sauntered back to my room.
As soon as I got to bed again, the music began to blare again. I buried my face in the pillow.
This was going to be a long night.
I awoke bright and early. I ate an apple and brewed a coffee. I tied my hair up in a high
ponytail, making sure every hair was in place. I put on cargo shorts, slipped on a sweat shirt
and put my boots on.
I trekked to the volcano, excited; hoping this would go exactly as planned. As I arrived closer
to the volcano, it was more formidable than it originally appeared. When I was in front of the
base of the volcano, I observed my surroundings, taking in every detail.
“Hey mate!”
I almost jumped…then I groaned. It was that despicable blonde haired surfer fool, Chris. He
came toward me, all leaps and bounds. I bit my lip, resisting the urge to yell his head off.
“Goodbye.”
“Why?” he asked. “We only jus’ met today. Anyways, this volcano is sick as. Are ya goin’ t’
climb it?”
“I’m here to observe its geological features, such as its rocks. But, I might come back later.”
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“Don’t do that! I jus’ went up there; the view’s lovely; let’s go together.”
I clenched my fist. Why was he so infuriating? He smiled. I predicted he would be more
frustrating if I refused him. For now, I would have to play along. Hopefully, I’d never see
him again. I smiled at that thought.
“I know a real easy way to get up an’ see the lovely view.”
“Brilliant,” I faked my enthusiasm; I could act if I wanted to. “Lead the way.”
As I trekked up, I learnt many things about Chris. He’d been surfing since he was a boy, his
favorite colour was blue, he was here for his surfing job (it is not a career but he protested
that it was), his favorite song was Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley and he liked meeting new
people. He was so simplistic that all I had to say were things like “yeah, it’s all good” or
“what was that again?”
“So tell me about yaself?” Chris asked.
I raised my eye. I was infuriated by his dimness. He’d been rambling for too long; I couldn’t
take it.
“Can’t you keep your mouth shut for one minute?” I almost yelled.
He looked visibly taken by surprise.
“I’m leaving.”
I began to turn back, but he grabbed my shoulder. He was quite strong.
“We’re almos’ there,” he protested. “The view is like right here.”
He pointed out to the left. I looked him in the eye, with a glare.
“Goodbye,” I emphasized for the last time, removing his hand from my shoulder.
I began to turn around. I didn’t move. Right in front of my face was a giant sheep.
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Chapter 4- Jacqueline
The ridiculous giant sheep was blocking my path. I stopped in utter repulse. The stubby tail
began to shake as brown droppings descended to the ground, landing in my designated
walking trail.
"'Ey Miss Llama! You're a gorgeous girl!"
I rolled my eyes at Chris and his idiocy. As he continues petting and conversing with the
morbid animal, I realise their IQ was on a very similar level. As soundless as I could, I
moved past the animals, hoping not to distract them. A safe distance away, I began to hurtle
down the steep decline.
"Jacky, babes, where ya heading?!"
I ignored him and persisted in my current direction with slightly more determination.
"Come on, sweet, it's just a llama! It can't hurt you!"
Seriously... Sweet! I'm many things but sweet is certainly not one of them. His voice seemed
closer somehow.... Damn it! He must be coming after me. Can't the boy take a hint? Thudthud, thud-thud. That doesn't sound like Chris. I took my chances and whipped my head
around for the slightest of seconds. In that glance I catch sight of a brown mass. Suddenly it
hit me; the bloody sheep was coming after me! What was this saga that I am in?
Inhaling heavily, bent over and palms resting on my knees, I was at the end of the
mountainous trail. I thought I had lost them for a while so I thought I could afford a rest. I
reached into my back-pack and produced a bottle of water. Ahh, my body is rejuvenated. I
am utterly shocked that I've been part of this hysteria. Perhaps if I simply walk back in to
town, a semi-civilised act could resume. Wondering back into society, a wave of
disappointment about the day's achievements washed over me. The hike up to the volcano
had been a complete waste of a day. I felt a slight tug on my bag. I shrieked as I noticed that
the furry creature is eating my bag! I heaved the bag left in an attempt to rip it out of the
thing's mouth. Its nose nuzzled further into the opening it has made. I had important rock
samples in there! I need him out right this instant! Stamping my foot and yelling I thrust my
pack back and forth. In absolute frustration and as a last result attempt I repeatedly thump the
stupid sheep on its repugnant head.
"Let go of my bag, you disgusting animal!"
The llama backed away cringing from my hand. I sighed, as I'm rewarded with my chewy
and torn heap of what used to be my bag. After examining that my rock samples were still in
decent condition, I look up to find that I have acquired an audience. For some unknown
reason they looked annoyed. Maybe Chris has acted out of his characteristic stupidity again.
11
Chapter 5 – Chris
“Sheesh, you right Miss Llama?”
Miss looked at me.
“Jackie’s in a bit of a mood, eh Miss?”
Miss looked at me some more. I stroked her neck.
“You wanna come with me and have a cuppa?”
Miss looked at me and then licked my hand.
“Ha, I’ll take that as a yes.”
So me and Miss went for a walk down to the Blue Lagoon, chattin’ ‘long the way. Well, I
was the one doing the talking but she licked my hand every now and then, and that’s about as
close to talking as a llama gets, so in my mind, we had a chat. I told her that Jackie was just a
little upset because she wasn’t used to llamas licking her. Miss licked my hand when I said
that, so I reckon she understood.
We got to the coffee shop and said hi to the bloke there. He was fairly toned with short black
hair and a sleeve tat on his right arm. Whenever he grinned, you could see all his teeth, and
you didn’t care that they were a bit yellow, because of how jolly he looked.
“Hey, mate, how you doin’?” I asked.
“Yeah, not bad, not bad.” Then he looked at Miss and said, “Fancy seeing you out and about.”
Miss didn’t respond but she just looked at him and then went and plonked her head on a table.
“Um, you don’t mind if we sit here, do you?” I asked jokingly.
“Nah, she sits where she likes, it’s fine.”
I looked at him as I sat down. “She a regular?”
He took a table number from the counter and put it on the table. “Not quite as much as she
used to. She hasn’t been visiting very often lately. Been pining, I think. What would you like?”
“What she pining for, an owner? And I’d like a scuro cappuccino, thanks.”
“An owner’s exactly what she’s pining for, I reckon.” He looked at Miss pityingly. “Hold on,
I’ll get your coffee.”
So I sat there dying of curiosity until the manager came back with my cuppa. I pulled out a
chair for him and he sat down, folding his notebook.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name,” I said.
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“No worries, just call me Swit.”
“Well, Swit, I’m Chris.”
“Oh, well, seein’ as you’re new here I’ll fill you in a bit. Not many people know how she,” he
gestured at Miss, “came to be here, but a story has been passed down from our mothers and
fathers to us and it’s assumed by most that it’s been passed down through families for about
ten generations. Most are of the opinion that it’s just an old wives’ tale; something that
everyone tells but no one believes. I guess that doesn’t explain how she got here though...” he
trailed off.
I looked at Miss.
What are you hiding? I thought.
“Go on,” I said.
“Well, the story goes that ten generations ago, the Aztecs settled here when the volcano was
still active. This may sound a rash move on their part, but the volcano gently erupted; it
leaked more than erupted, and the newly solidified rock made good soil for crops and so the
trade from here flourished. The Aztec leader had an ancient creature as a pet, rumoured to be
immortal and literate.”
“So you mean...” I gestured at Miss.
He nodded.
“Yeah. People reckon that she’s the same one in the story.”
We both looked at Miss for a while.
“So when you say literate, you mean she can write?”
“More than that, she can speak, communicate. Most people think that she just doesn’t want to
talk. Anyway, the story goes that she only spoke to her owner, that she was his confidant and
that she only pretended to be his pet to protect herself from greedy poachers.
“About ten years into their settlement, the volcano erupted explosively, killing many and
destroying their homes. The creature that was so close to the Aztec leader was cut off from
the boats in her effort to save her master. She had just watched her faithful friend sink into
the lava when she turned around and found that the boats had abandoned the island and left
her for dead.
“She supposedly hid in a cove, living on the local fruits and bushes. When they beached their
ships on the shore, however, she paid them no heed. They had left her and her friend for dead,
and there was little they could do to regain her trust. She remembered clearly every single
face that had abandoned her and disregarded them. She did not begrudge the children, for
they had done her no harm. So eventually she worked her way back into the society, watching
as greedy white men took over, fading in and out of society as it suited her.”
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There was a silence as I looked at Miss and wondered whether she had actually understood
every word of what the man had said.
“That’s quite a legacy.”
“I’ll say. Sometimes she sulks for months, pining for her old friend. I mean, that’s what we
assume.”
I was so wrapped up in the story that I only noticed Miss sipping my cup just then. I took the
lid off and pushed the whole thing towards her and she lapped it up. After she was done she
picked up the cup with her mouth, trotted over to the bin and dropped it in. Then she came
over and started nudging my shoulder.
“You wanna go and make amends with Jackie, Miss?” I asked her. At this, she stamped her
hoof once and kept on nudging me.
“Rightio, then. How much do I owe ya?” I asked Swit.
“Don’t worry, any drink drunk by her is on the house,” he said with a grin.
I grinned back.
“Cheers mate.”
As I was leaving, Swit called after me.
“Oi, Chris, before you go, some mates and I are going for a surf tonight. You wanna come?!”
“Sick! See ya there!” I shouted back.
We head off after Jackie. I thought it would be nice if she came along as well, just so that she
could get used to Miss. When I got back to the hotel I went over to her apartment and
knocked on the door. I heard a massive sigh, plodding footsteps and then the door opened an
inch, revealing a sliver of Jackie’s face.
“Hey, Jackie, I was just wondering, Swit invited me down to a night surf and I just thought it
would be nice if you came along.”
She stared at me for a while. I had no idea what she was thinking.
“Too busy; I’ve got no time at all. Next time, perhaps?”
At this, she promptly shut the door with a snap.
“Mmm, I’ll take that as a no.”
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Chapter 6- Jacqueline
Good heavens! It was half past the eleventh hour, and the meeting that would set me up for
my promotion was merely thirty minutes away. I swiftly collected my caramel-cream blouse
from the decaying furniture, and gathered the various accessories of my apparel. I began the
painful scramble through the facility, viewing only with the tired slits, which were the
unfortunate result of a night well spent.
Perhaps a refreshing beverage of a caramel latte, will lift the weight of me. Yes, I know of a
little coffee shop, just off the main street. The Blue Lagoon Café, I recall, sold the best drinks
on this side of the island. I headed off to the café.
“One caramel latte, extra sweetener. Oh, and express.”
“Ah, certainly, madam.”
They took their time, those miserable beings. Do they not know the meaning of ‘express’?
“Here you go ma’am. Have a lovely day”
Unbelievable. I began the treacherous journey to the meeting room, full of stress and anxiety.
“Excuse me, excuse me!”
The mud was sticky, and the air felt like a moistened cloth to breathe through. This godforsaken island had certainly gained the better of me. What’s more, the people walking
aimlessly scattered the path in which I had to travel. Suddenly a bleach blonde head ran
straight into me knocking me side ways.
For heaven have mercy why must this happen today of all days?
My skin started to tingle and burn and when I look down I see coffee soaking through my
blouse. It’s ruined! Completely and utterly ruined. I don’t have time to run home and get
change instead I hold my head up high and march towards The Sailor’s Retreat.
The Sailor’s Retreat is a small restaurant crowded with tourists. A family of six are seated in
the back corner; their screaming toddler began to give me a headache. I head towards the
waiter to ask about reservations
“I’m here for the meeting, IRD.”
“Oh yes, they are outside waiting.”
That word, ‘waiting’ was not a good sign. The pit of my stomach dropped drastically; I hoped
I wouldn’t be the only one they were waiting upon.
“Thank you.”
15
I head towards to outside designated eating area. I see Richard and the rest of the IRD
company seated to the far right of the grassed area.
“So nice of you to finally join us Miss Jacqueline.”
Richard, to some women, would be attractive, but his enormous ego makes him look as
attractive as an obese elephant. He is arrogant, distrustful and completely selfish; he would
push an old lady under the bus to get his way. For this, he is someone I truly despise.
“Sorry,” I mutter ed under my breath.
I collect myself before sitting down and beginning the meeting.
“Okay, let’s get to business.”
“Sorry, Jacqueline but we have already started. You can not expect us to wait for you when
you’re twenty minutes late.”
Richard, whose shortened name would appear more appropriate to his personality, was
staring into my eyes with a sinister grin as he spoke.
I proceeded to listen to the lead chairman as he spoke.
“…And so, the only appropriate decision to make would be to appoint Richard Crowne to
take the place of the current leader of the project, Jacqueline Miller.”
“Excuse me!” I exclaimed, perhaps too loud, “This is my project, in which I have worked
night and day to make possible. There must be a misunderstanding.”
I laughed out of confusion, while maintaining a straight face.
“It was, Jacqueline, it was your project.”
Richard’s eyes were radiating with satisfaction as he continued to comment to my outrage.
“How can the company trust you with such a position if you can’t even arrive to a meeting in
time, and in unwashed clothes, for God’s sake.”
I began to fume. An unfelt hatred and anger began to fill the deepest reaches of my body.
This despicable and cantankerous excuse of a human had brought the devil out from hell and
into my mind.
The various members of the meeting began to focus their gaze on a subject, which appeared
to be behind me. I felt uneasy. Richard’s speech came to a halt, and the conversations
between each work colleague ceased.
Something touched me! Yes, I was sure of it. A large, moist muscle was placed upon my
chest, and began moving about. I looked down immediately, and discovered the tongue of
that sickening sheep, tasting the brown stain of the recent spill.
16
The conference men began to roar with a shameless laughter. Richard’s face was wet with
tears, and had turned an odd shade of red. I felt myself anger once again, and revealed my
emotions with a swift movement of my fist onto the tender flesh of an animal’s nose. The
seemingly unstoppable laughter began to subside and a look of disgust, replaced the mocking
faces which surrounded me.
I have utterly destroyed any chances of redeeming myself before the meeting.
Bollucks.
17
Chapter 7- Jacqueline
Tears prickled at my eyes; I would not cry. I would not give that man the satisfaction of
seeing my dismay. He may have taken my promotion, but I had my pride. I had lost
everything else, but I will not lose this. I turned my back to Richard so he could not see my
tears, this whole trip had been nothing but a nightmare. First was that horrible, horrible plane;
then the dump they called a hotel; and that fool, Chris, who would not leave me. Could that
idiot not see I wanted him gone?
He has been nothing but a bother the whole time, ruining everything I have worked hard for.
Not to mention that stupid sheep; it’s worse than Chris, it does nothing but follow me. Now, I
lost that promotion. I needed that promotion; it was everything! And who did I lose it to?
Richard, that imbecile.
I walked off; I wanted- I needed to be alone. Away from everything, away from Chris, that
sheep, this island, Richard, everything! At some point I had started to run, maybe if I ran fast
enough I could leave it all behind. It was a feeble idea, most likely one of the fool, but I still
wish that I could. I think I heard Chris behind me at some point, telling me something. I
wasn’t listening; the stupid sheep was probably with him.
Eventually I stopped running. What was the point. There was nothing left anyway. My whole
career just went down the metaphorical drain. Tears cascaded down my face, for I could no
longer hold them in. It was pointless; everything was pointless.
‘Jackie! Jackie! Glad ya finally stopped mate, I was worried ‘bout ya.’ I ignored him.
‘Hey, Jackie. Ya right mate?’ I did not answer him.
‘Jackie, hey, are ya cryin’?’ His voice was softer, concerned. But I stayed silent as tears
proceeded to fall.
‘Wanna go for a walk mate?’ I feebly nodded, what was there to lose. He could not do
anymore harm.
‘Great.’ The smile was back on. He grabbed my hand and dragged me down the street. I
asked for the destination.
‘No idea.’ Was his reply to me. He dragged me left and right down several streets and I
finally lost track. I sighed he was such an idiot.
‘How do ya think we sure cheer her up Miz Llama’ My head shot up, when he started to talk,
I thought he was talking to me. I twitched when I realized he was talking to the sheep.
‘I mean we could take her to da beach. We could go surfing.’ That idiot I hate surfing,
especially if it was with him. I was surprised when the sheep gave Chris a head butt.
18
‘Fine, fine I won’t go takin’ her surfin’. We could go to da mall, gurls like that sorta thing
don’t they.’ I rolled my eyes he was having a conservation with the sheep typical. Suddenly, I
walked into something hard, I stumbled back and glared at Chris, demanding to know why he
had halted so suddenly.
‘We’re ‘ere.’ I look behind him and understood, we had arrived at the mall.
‘Now to da food, I‘m starving.’ I sighed he was still thinking about food, not that I was really
surprised.
The mall like the rest of the town was small and dull with markets dotted around the place.
As expected, Chris immediately started to drag me to the single café in the mall. A dainty
little place with four tables and two chairs at each. The counter was on the far side of the café.
The wall and counter was a cinnamon color and the table and chairs a pristine white. Chris
pulled me to the waitress behind the counter.
‘Hello, how may I help you, today?’ I cringed, fantastic another overly cheery person to over
shadow my overly depressing life.
“Hey, mate, just two large coffees’ thanks” I looked at Chris questionably, what was ‘coffee’?
“Of course that’ll be $5.60. It’ll be ready in five minutes.”
“Thanks mate.” I was honestly perpetuated with this coffee which I had no idea what it was.
‘Thank you for waiting.’ The waitress gave us our drinks. Chris handed me mine and he took
his own, we walked from the shop and we joined the sheep.
‘Good gurl, Miz Llama.’ Chris said as he took a drink from his beverage, the sheep shoved
it’s head forward at Chris, successfully knocking his arm and spilling his drink over his
singlet covered top. For a single moment there was complete silence, and I held my breath.
Then I heard the most girlish screech that had ever graced my ears.
‘It’s Hot! It’s Hot! It’s Hot! It’s Hot!’ Chris was running around like a chicken with his head
cutoff. He ran around in circles, screaming. It was a hectic sight that of a surf bum making
the sound of a prepubescent female child. I felt a smile tug at my lips and finally the smile
turned into a giggle and the giggle into a laugh. Chris was a complete idiot, but maybe be
wasn’t so bad.
19
Chapter 8 – Chris
Man, Jackie actually laughed.
I don’t get it. I try so hard to get her to tolerate Miss and try so hard to connect with her, but
what finally breaks the ice isn’t any of those things, but just spilling coffee on myself. I just
would never have guessed that that would be the case.
We sit in the cafe a bit longer, just chillin’, just chattin’, and as long as I listen she’s
completely content in talking. She talked about her work. How she tries to work hard, but
she’s always getting pushed back by this guy called Richard Crowne. How she enjoys her
work but would just prefer it if she didn’t have to do the politics involved. I don’t know what
that means but I just nod and say yes, and it seems to help, getting all that out of her. The
more she talks, the easier it gets, the happier she seems. I guess I don’t really care about the
surfing as much as I care about making friends with her.
We get up and go for a walk, on the beach, with Miss trailing along behind. I tell Jackie about
how I surf for Tracks, doing photo shoots and competitions, just going from island to island,
going wherever they send me. She seemed pretty interested in it, asking about the places I’ve
been, where I think I’m going next. The second of which I don’t have an answer to.
“What, so, you don’t know where you’re going to be in, say, a year?” she asked, face screwed
up as if I were speaking Japanese.
“Well, yea... nah.” I replied.
“Are you insane? What are you going to do with your life?”
“I guess I’m just going to chill it? Argh, I honestly don’t know, but I’ll take it as it comes.”
“Well if you keep up with that attitude, then you won’t get anywhere in life, but I guess that’s
what it is. Your life.”
“Mmm, well it’s worked for me so far, aye?”
We both kept walking for a while as it started to get dark, laughing back and forth. Man I’m
so glad that we are becoming friends.
“Honestly Chris, you really are not as bad as I thought you were.”
“Oh, well, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I think we should head off now. It’s getting late, and I am honestly
exhausted.”
“Sure thing Jackie. Come on Miss, It’s nap time.”
We all headed back to the hotel and went to our own rooms.
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“Night Jackie!” I said as she went into her room. I went into mine and collapsed onto my bed.
“Ahhh, life’s good aint it Miss?”
She just stared at me, then she laid down.
“Have a great sleep, aye, seeya in the morning.”
21
Chapter 9 – Chris
I got up and stretched. I can’t believe that we – me and Jackie – actually talked yesterday. As
soon as she got over fussin’ and worryin’, she could talk, and once she did that, she could
start lookin’ on the bright side of things, and get some friends, especially Miss. That’s a
friend she had from the get go, but all she had to do was accept it.
As I looked around and got out of bed I frowned. Something was wrong. Where was Miss? I
kind of thought she would wait for me and Jackie, but I ‘spose she went back into the jungle.
I went and knocked on Jackie’s door. As I waited I wondered where I could look for Miss. I
didn’t know the jungle that well. The door opened and I saw Jackie peek out from behind her
door.
“Wha…? Oh, it’s you, Chris. What do you want?”
I tried to formulate my words so that she didn’t panic. I gave up.
“Miss is missing.”
Her eyes widened and she ducked back into her apartment. After some banging around she
came out, with a full backpack.
“Let’s go.”
I hardly had time to register what she had said before she grabbed my hand, dragged me
down the stairs and out the door. We were already halfway into the jungle when I finally
managed to convince her to slow down.
“Woah, woah, woah, Jackie, slow down! We need to stop and think.”
She turned towards me and my heart leapt into my throat when I saw that she had tears in her
eyes.
“There isn’t any time to think, Chris!” she choked, “We can’t afford to! We need to go now,
or we might lose her!”
I looked at her for a while. “Okay, okay, but we need to think on the go. Where do you think
she’ll be?”
“I don’t know, she could be anywhere!”
“What about where we first found her?”
Jackie paused.
“I guess – I mean – I suppose we could try the volcano.”
“Okay, let’s go and have a look.”
22
She led the way up the path, dragging me along like she did to the jungle. I couldn’t believe
the affect llama had had on her. Barely a week ago, she wouldn’t have gone after that llama if
it was holding her yearly wage in its mouth. Now, thought here she was, completely
underprepared, and yet so determined to find Miss.
We went up the trail, at the top of which we found footprints leading off the track. As soon as
Jackie saw them, it was frenzy all over again. The hoof tracks led us around the volcano and
then back down into the forest again, meandering this way and that and causing us to be
thrown into undergrowth as we took a corner. The only thing she made sure of in regards to
my wellbeing was if I was holding on to her. As soon as I let go, or even slipped, she would
whirl around with a snarl, refasten, and then take off again at twice the speed as though to
compensate for the pause.
All of a sudden she simply stopped. Just stopped. No warning, no nothing. I looked at her and
then looked at the ground and realised what she must have. The tracks just stopped there.
There was no lead off at all, nothing, they simply stopped. I looked back at Jackie and
immediately tried to find a rock or something for her to sit on because she had turned from a
flush to a ghostly white. I sat her down on a rock and got her to breathe as slow as possible.
“Easy now, easy.”
“Where is she?” It wasn’t a demand, it was a plea. I sighed.
“Look, Jackie, I don’t know where she is, but you’ve gotta have faith. I’ll tell you what Swit
said, okay? You know what he said? He said that this happens all the time, that sometimes
Miss just needs some time on her own.”
“So… so Miss isn’t going to… going to leave me?”
I smiled at her.
“Hey, don’t worry, she’ll turn up. I promise.” She looked at me, her face so hopeful.
“You promise?” she said, her eyes pleading.
“Promise,” I said, and grinned at her. She gave me a weak smile back and sighed.
“She’ll come back,” she said, and actually grinned.
After she had fully pulled herself together, I was able to get her to start walking, but as soon
as I did she just couldn’t stop. She was up and about and exploring.
“Hang on, what’s over here...” She climbed into a cave before I could stop her. I climbed in
after her and stumbled in amazement.
23
Chapter 10-Jacqueline
I looked in awe around the cove. It was beautiful. It was dark; the only light came from the
pool, which slightly glowed a light blue; it was a fascinating sight. The rocky walls were cool.
“This seems to be a cove; the perfect place for rocks.”
I looked around the cove for anything else out of the ordinary.
“Wow,” Chris muttered.
Chris looked around the walls of the cove. He looked impressed…for a surfer.
I grinned, ecstatic. Naturally curious, I ran toward the pool. There seemed to be no
explanation for why the water was glowing. I was puzzled.
“This place is awesome!” Chris ran to have a look at the pool too.
He wasn’t too bad, I suppose. Naivety suited him more than stupidity.
“There’s no geological explanation for this phenomenon!” I analysed as excited as I could
possibly be. “Imagine how the world would react.”
“Take a chill pill,” Chris was too absorbed in his world.
“This is important.”
I looked at the luminous water. It was perfectly still. The more I peered into it, the more
questions rose in my mind. I looked around the whole pool, hoping to find something out of
the ordinary. I saw the silhouette of something in the corner.
“Whatcha lookin’ at?”
My hand dove into the water where the dark object lay. The water was cool, tranquil like. My
hand felt something hard, round and smooth. I clenched the foreign object and lifted my hand
out of the water.
It was a blue stone, which emitted a glow. This was wondrous! It was geologically
impossible but the impossible bought the world. I could be rich.
“Neat,” Chris noted.
I looked at him and nearly exploded with joy.
“Neat? Are you joking me?”
“Errr…no,” Chris scratched his head.
It was slightly funny seeing his face like that.
24
“I could be rich; this rock is geologically impossible; it can’t glow without a power source,
which clearly doesn’t exist in this cove. Imagine what the world would think? I’d be saving
the locals from money trouble.”
“Is money all that matters to ya?”
“Of course not; I need a promotion Chris,” I explained. “Imagine how popular this island
would be when everyone comes to see these rocks. We’d be famous.”
Chris’ face creased into a frown. It didn’t suit him at all.
“This island needs t’ be preserved, it’s beautiful the way it is,” Chris said. “The locals would
be shattered if this place is destroyed by greedy people-”
Wouldn’t publicity be good for the locals?
“Are you accusing me of being greedy?” I raised my voice by an octave.
“Nah, I’m just sayin’-”
“Well, don’t just say; you’re either with me or against me.”
Chris’ face dropped in shock. The blue glow from the stone highlighted his shocked
expression. His hand lunged toward the stone. I wasn’t giving up without a fight. I clenched
onto the stone tightly. Chris proved to be more of a physical match. Just as he yanked the
stone from my hand, I made another grab for it. This only caused Chris to drop the stone. He
dropped it into the water below.
“No!” I shrieked, I tried to make a grab but it was too late.
I heard the dull splash and the stone quickly sunk into the unknown below. I didn’t even
know how deep the water was. I bit my lips. Chris stood back; he looked relieved and
surprised.
“How could you do this to me?” I interrogated angrily. “My job is on the line!”
He didn’t answer.
“You haven’t deterred me at all,” I was defiant. “In fact, I don’t need you; you can just make
your merry way and leave me alone.”
“But-“
“Just go!”
Chris gave me a look of pity. Without another glance, he ran away from the cove. His
footsteps echoed and then were silenced. I hated the sudden silence.
Without evidence, I couldn’t prove this cove’s evidence to Richard. The mention of his very
name made my blood boil. The reality was that he was the only one who could give me my
25
job back. He wouldn’t waste his time coming to the cove unless there was evidence of it’s
existence. I felt doomed; I was going to be fired and ruined. How stupid could I had gotten?
It was all Chris’ fault. I couldn’t let him ruin my opportunity for a promotion. I wasn’t
leaving until I got my promotion guaranteed. Even if it meant I had to strangle Richard.
26
Chapter 11- Chris
That was it! I was over with this girl. She thought she could run the world but she didn’t even
know the first thing! If she thinks she can come and take this island just so that she can be
rich and all, then hell, I’m not having any part of it. I need a break from that cow; even if she
is the finest... nah, I was wrong about her.
I climbed and I climbed. It was a hard trek, but having done it so many times I’m not
bothered by it. I’m just furious, so flippin’ furious that I can’t think or feel fatigued from the
hike. I thought she’d changed, I’d really thought it, but now... now I want somebody to tell
me what to think because I don’t want think what I’m thinking. I just want back the Jackie
that had changed for the better.
Swearing and cursing, I made my way up the mountain, and what should I find there but the
stupid, mischievous llama herself.
“Oi, you, bugger off, you didn’t care to show up until now so I’m not sure why you changed
even bothered.” I slumped down on the volcano’s face. And suddenly, I jerked up, because a
voice had just made itself heard behind me.
“I wanted Jackie to realise how much she needed you.”
I whirled around and stared at that stupid llama, which turned out to be a bad idea because as
soon as I did I received a face full of llama saliva. Miss came and sat down beside me and
turned her head towards me.
“Thanks.” I said grudgingly. Miss seemingly disregarded this.
“I led you to that cave so that you could marvel at the rocks together, and so that Jackie could
successfully upturn Richard from his self proclaimed throne. He doesn’t deserve to be where
he is and Jackie does, so I allowed her to have a chance to get there.”
A cold hand gripped my guts and started pulling.
“You mean... you mean that I ruined it for her?”
Miss shook her head. “No, she will find ways, but what is important is if she allows you into
it. If you had let her take the stone, she will have discarded you along the way, but this way
she will realise partway through her campaign just how much she misses you and will seek
you out.”
“And there isn’t any other way? Mostly including Jackie not turning the island into a tourist
attraction?”
Miss smiled, somehow. “There is, actually. But you’d better hurry if you’re going to make it.”
I leapt up. “Miss, thank you so much.”
27
“Oh yes, about that. I’m not a woman, I’m a guy. I’m not sure where you got that ridiculous
notion. Now get going.”
And so I did.
28
Chapter 12- Wise words from the Llama
Friendship is a strong bond that unites two unrelated people or animals. It is strong. When it
is severed, its effects ripple in the universe; broken and felt.
When the bond is broken, creatures realize how much they need each other. This is exactly
what happened to Jacqueline and Christopher. Of course, they aren’t as smart as llamas, like
myself, or owls, but humans are reasonably intelligent creatures to an extent.
After their spat, Jacqueline has dinner alone. Christopher arrives. They talk to each other and
attempt to understand. They apologize to each other. Their friendship is restored. When a
bond is severed and it is repaired, it becomes stronger than ever. They both have learned
something from this experience. Their friendship was more important than money, horrible
bosses and what to anticipate from the future. Like old friends, they laugh and joke. Their
horrible spat is forgotten.
I, the wise llama, can only watch and snort in amusement. Humans are the most complex
creatures I’ve ever encountered in the millennia I have lived for. I am glad that my life is not
created to be complex but the only thing I do is to offer wisdom and enlightenment. The only
disappointing thing is that I am forgotten. My work is forgotten but it’s contribution is visible.
Then there is Richard Crowne. He was caught gossiping about his boss and was subsequently
fired. Jacqueline got the promotion and Christopher, he’s in the groove with a promising
surfing career.
All is well.
A final note: don’t be offended if a llama spits at you. It is quite normal in my species’
culture to spit and it is a sign of respect.
29
We all come across someone who is so
irritating and frustrating that we would
rather eat our own hair than spend a whole
day with him/her. This is the exact case with
Chris and Jacqueline. Two polar opposites
are continuously running into one another
making it almost impossible to find a middle
grounding between them. Will one
majestic creature
(llama) be able to
bring them
together and
make peace?
The
Recommended
age for this book
is 10-14 years of
age.
30