Lulu Bell and the Sea Turtle (2 page)

The car rounded a bend in the track.

The first thing Lulu saw was the sea. Deep turquoise-blue stretched all the way to the horizon. Dozens of red rock islands jutted from the water. Rich green mangroves hugged the coast. A pod of dolphins swam by, diving and splashing.

‘Oooh,' cried Lulu. ‘Look at that!'

The next thing Lulu saw was the house. It was a small building with a verandah across the front. To the side was a camp fire. A crowd of people were gathered around. Adults chatted. Kids laughed and played chasings. An older woman was cooking over the fire.

Mum stopped the car under a tree. ‘At last,' she said.

Lulu stretched as she climbed out of the car. It had been a long journey.

A throng of people gathered around. ‘Hello,' called a few voices.

‘Hi, I'm Chrissie,' said Mum.

‘And I'm Harry,' said an older man. He had a kind face and greying hair. ‘Welcome to Goorlil.'

Mum introduced everyone in the Bell family. Harry introduced everyone in the Goorlil family. There were lots of aunts and uncles, mums and dads, grandparents and grandchildren.

For a moment Lulu felt shy. It was noisy with so many people talking at once. But everyone was so friendly that Lulu soon joined in.

‘Would you like a cup of tea?' asked Harry's wife Pearl. She picked up a billy can that was bubbling over the fire. ‘You must be tired.'

‘That would be lovely,' agreed Mum. ‘I'm exhausted.'

Mum and Dad settled into two of the camp chairs beside the fire. They began chatting with the adults about the local artists and the art show.

Lulu looked around her. Everything was so different and interesting.

‘I'm Tam,' said one of the girls. She was taller than Lulu and had a lovely smile. ‘This is my sister Zalie.' She pointed to a girl about the same age as Rosie. ‘And these are my cousins Jacob, Zac, Eli and Joe.' She waved towards a group of boys.

The children grinned at each other. Gus looked up at the boys. They were all wearing shorts and had bare feet. He looked down at his Bug Boy costume.

‘And this is our new puppy. He's called Chilli,' said Tam. The puppy wriggled and licked Lulu's fingers. Then he began to chase his tail round and round. He fell over. Lulu laughed.

The kids began to play with the puppy. Lulu noticed that Mum and Dad were now on the verandah talking to one of the men.

His name was Anthony and he was an artist. He was very tall and wore a bright red shirt.

Lulu wandered over. Mum was sipping tea from a mug. On the table beside her was a huge canvas.

‘This is one of Anthony's new paintings,' explained Mum.

‘It will be called
Goorlil Dreaming
,' said Anthony. ‘But I've only done the background so far. This is the sea and here are the sands of the shore.'

The swirling turquoise-blue paint was the exact colour of the sea. At the bottom was a band of pale yellows.

‘I'm painting the story of the turtles,' explained Anthony. ‘At this time of year, the whales come to visit from down south. This means that it is also the courtship season for the turtles. The male
turtles woo the females. Soon after, that the females come ashore to lay their eggs.'

Anthony traced the yellow curves of the painted beach.

‘At night the turtles crawl many metres up into the warm sand dunes. They dig their nest with their flippers and lay more than a hundred eggs each. The mothers bury their eggs and crawl back to the sea. A couple of months later the eggs hatch. The babies dig their way out and head to the sea.'

‘It sounds wonderful,' said Mum. ‘I can't wait to see the finished painting.'

‘Do you think we might see some sea turtles?' asked Lulu. ‘Imagine if we saw them laying their eggs!'

Anthony smiled at Lulu. ‘We might be lucky. But now I'll show you where
you are going to camp. We should set you up before it gets dark.'

Anthony showed them a clearing in the bush a few hundred metres past the house. It was on a point and surrounded by sea on two sides. The tide was low.

Down below the point was a jagged rectangular pool. It was surrounded by rough rock walls.

‘Can we swim in the pool?' asked Lulu.

‘That's not a pool,' said Anthony. ‘It's a fish trap. It was made by our ancestors many, many years ago. As the tide drains away, fish are trapped behind. We can go down tomorrow to see if we have caught any dinner.'

He pointed to the west. ‘If you want to swim in the morning, there is a little sandy beach over there.'

Anthony showed them where to fetch water and where to light the fire.

‘Okay, I'll leave you to it,' he said. ‘Come visit us at the house tomorrow. I'm teaching the boys how to make spears. Harry will take your mum into town to meet some of the other artists.'

‘You make spears?' asked Lulu. Her brown eyes sparkled with interest.

‘I teach all the boys how to hunt and fish,' explained Anthony. ‘Pearl teaches the girls how to find oysters and bush tucker. And they all go to school in Ardyaloon. But they also have to learn the old ways.' He smiled at Lulu. ‘You can come along to
my
school.'

‘I'd love to,' said Lulu.

Dad and Mum set to work. The roof of the camper trailer popped up and the sides folded out to make a big raised tent. There were two double beds – one for the parents and one for the kids. The sides of the tent were made of mosquito netting so the breeze could blow through. Beyond the netting, Lulu could see the sea and the bush and the camp fire that her parents were starting.

All of the kids were given jobs to do. Gus helped Mum make up the beds with sleeping bags and pillows. Lulu helped Dad to collect more wood for the fire. Rosie set up the camp chairs.
Then Lulu and Dad cooked sausages, tomatoes and onions over the fire. Lulu's tummy rumbled at the delicious smells.

The family sat around the fire on camp chairs. As they ate dinner, the sun set over the sea to the west. The sky and sea were streaked with golds and pale purples.

‘Ah,' said Mum. ‘This is heaven.'

By the time the family had finished eating, it was dark. The sky was like blackest velvet spangled with millions of sparkling stars.

‘I've never seen so many stars,' said Rosie.

There was no moon yet. Suddenly a line of silver streaked across the sky. It was followed by another, then another.

‘There's a shooting star,' cried Lulu. ‘And another one.'

‘Make a wish,' said Mum. ‘A trio of shooting stars must make a very powerful wish.'

‘Bug Boy wish for …' began Gus.

‘Don't tell anyone, Gus,' warned Lulu. ‘Or it won't come true. Close your eyes and wish hard.'

Lulu closed her eyes. What would she wish for? She could wish for a pony. Or she could wish for a new puppy, like Chilli. But then she knew what the right wish was. She made a wish to see a sea turtle laying her eggs.

Mum took the kids to get cleaned up before bed. In the middle of the clearing was a tap with a hose. The tap was connected to a bore deep under the earth. The water came out warm and bubbly. Mum laid down a plastic mat for them to stand on to stop their clean feet getting muddy.

It felt wonderful to wash away the dust and grime of that long journey.

Lulu looked up at the blazing stars. ‘This is the best shower I've ever had,' she said.

The kids dressed in their pyjamas and thongs, and walked back to the camp. They climbed into their sleeping bags on the bed. Mum read them a story. She used lots of funny voices to make them giggle.

‘Another one, please, Mum?' asked Lulu hopefully.

‘Pretty please, Mum?' begged Rosie.

‘Sorry, honey buns. It's time for bed,' said Mum. She stood up. ‘Tomorrow we have
lots
of adventures to look forward to.'

‘Come tucka in, Mumma,' said Gus. He popped his thumb in his mouth.

Mum tucked them all into their sleeping bags. She kissed each one and turned the lantern off.

‘I'll never get to sleep,' said Lulu. ‘There is just so much to think about. Learning to make spears, searching for turtles, watching Anthony paint …'

But, of course, she did sleep.