The Story
On the edge of the great swamp, where the reeds grew tall as a man and the water was dark and still, there lived a creature called the Bunyip. Nobody agreed on exactly what it looked like — some said it had the head of a dog and the tail of a horse; others said it was round as a barrel with big wet eyes. What everyone agreed on was this: when the Bunyip roared, you ran.
The villagers kept well away from the swamp. They warned their children away from it. Mothers told bedtime stories about the Bunyip's terrible roar, and the children shivered pleasantly and promised never to go near the reeds.
All except one girl named Mara.
Mara had noticed something the others had not. Every evening, just before sunset, the roaring would begin — great booming, splashing roars that echoed across the swamp. But in between the roars, if you listened closely, there were other sounds. Long, low sounds, almost like sighing.
"That Bunyip sounds sad," she told her grandmother.
"It sounds hungry," her grandmother replied firmly.
But Mara kept thinking. And one afternoon she walked to the edge of the swamp, sat down in the soft grass, and called out: "Hello! Is anyone there?"
The reeds went very still. Then two large, round eyes appeared above the water, blinking at her.
The Bunyip was enormous and covered in damp, shaggy fur. Its nose was wide and whiskered. It stared at Mara as though it could not quite believe what it was seeing.
"Hello," said Mara again, calmly.
The Bunyip opened its mouth — and instead of a roar, out came a very small, uncertain sound.
Mara held out the piece of damper bread she had brought. The Bunyip sniffed it, then took it very gently.
They sat together at the edge of the swamp for a long time, not saying much at all. When the stars came out, the Bunyip slipped back into the dark water — but it made no roar that night.
After that, Mara visited every evening. The roaring became less frequent, and the village children began to wonder if perhaps the swamp was not so terrible after all. Some of them were almost brave enough to go and see.
Almost.