Write a Book in a Day 2017

Chapter two "There's this story," the girl said, "That my grandmother used to tell me when I was little. About water - how the land got so much of it. Long ago, right here in the land of Kakadu, there was this lizard, a blue-tongue lizard, Bangarra, who was the only one who knew about the springs. He was greedy, he hid it from everyone." Jason still didn't see her point. He was becoming impatient. "What does this have to do with our drought?" "Just listen, I think we can help. It was only the small animals - the rats, Gula, who were quiet enough to sneak behind Bangarra to discover the water. The other animals teased Gula, said he was too small, said he couldn't do it. But he saved them. He gave them their water. In my people's stories, it's the smallest creatures who achieve the most. We could be like Gula." Jason listened intently. He started to understand where she was coming from. "I see your point, but where do we even begin? Look where we are, in the middle of nowhere. How could we possibly -" "We begin right here. Right now. Do you know where the Emerald Lagoon is? It's not far from here. If the water is gone, we can follow the drained stream. I know there's something wrong, I can just tell. We have to be the ones to find out what it is!" She stands up, excited and driven. "How do you know?" Inquired a curious Jason. "It's the birds. They fly towards water. But now, they're all moving in different directions. They aren't flocking like they're meant to. And you've seen the water in the taps. If we run out of water, who knows what will happen." "Woah, how do you know that?" She shrugged. "Just something l learnt from my mother. She learn it from hers.” Jason smiled at her, the girl with the wild hair and the burning convictions, and for a moment he felt as if he had caught some of her hope. "Well, what are we waiting for?" He asked. "My name's Jason, by the way." "I'm Apanie," she smiled. Jason turned to Jeffrey. "Hey, we'll be back soon enough. We're gonna rescue the water!" "Wait, but it's only midday! We aren't closing until 4pm this afternoon!" Jason responded, "Well, I'm giving you an early mark. Can you close up the food truck, please?" "Okay Jason, sure thing! Good luck." Jeffrey said, and started to tidy the outdoor tables. Apanie grinned, and pushed back her chair with a clatter. “I knew you’d get it. I knew you’d understand. Let’s get out of here.”