Me and Sister Sue Hunt Emu Eggs In the Bush.
During the summer when the heat was at its worst, sister Sue and I would hunt in the bush for the big green eggs of the Emu.
We would pack lunch, lots to drink, place everything in my backpack and we would head out. Mom would always say before we left, "not farther than our farm!"
We would walk for hours and hours pushing through the long brown dry grass. Everything was so dry from the heat - we would not see rain for many months in the summer.
Emu would stay well hidden in the grass. You would be lucky if you caught a glimpse of its head above the grass yet alone see Emu running on those long muscle bound legs.
We had just about given up our hunt one day, when we came across a clearing in the grass. There in the middle amongst the dust lay a dozen shiny emu eggs sparkling in the sun.
Sister Sue and I had to touch those eggs! We just wanted to feel their smooth shells, their roundness and their warmth.
We slowly edged forward, getting closer and closer to our goal. We did not make a sound for we knew that somewhere nearby Emu would be lying in the grass. Was she watching? We did not know.
I leaned forward stretching out my fingers just inches from touching those eggs when all of a sudden we heard a rustling in the grass and up shot that long neck, small head, large beak and those two beady black eyes! We had been caught by the Emu!
Sister Sue and I turned round, panic-stricken. Emu was a lot bigger than both of us, a lot faster and we knew that she was definitely not scared of us. We began walking away -fast but trying to look calm - not daring to look back. We could hear the rustle of the dry grass not far behind us.
It seemed like hours had passed; we were walking as fast as we could but finally we slowly turned our heads - and following us was Emu!
We walked faster, Emu walked faster. Soon we were running and so was Emu, faster and faster. Emu was so big and we were so scared - she could run so much faster than we could and she was catching up!
And then - she caught me! I had lost the race! With that huge beak, she grabbed my backpack with a grip I could not shake. I tried to keep running but that Emu just held on - she was so strong! I struggled and struggled and eventually I had to slip out of the straps of my backpack. I started to run again, Sister Sue was screaming for me to run, run, faster and faster. She was way ahead by now! I took one last look behind me to see Emu no longer chasing us but with her prize - my backpack - hanging in her mouth.
We learned a new respect for Emu that summer. We decided it was not such a good idea to go looking for their nests. When we told Mom and Dad what had happened, they had grins on their faces. I think they kind of knew what would happen when we found those eggs.
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