Munja Sunrise , livre ebook

Munja Sunrise
Pauline Gibb
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-05-31
Munja Sunrise About the Author About the Book Dedication Copyright Information Acknowledgements Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50
About the Author
Pauline continues to write after leaving her position as an educational administrator three years ago and this is now the third book she has had published. With a love of the outdoors, she busies herself kayaking, bike riding, running, swimming and surfing when she is not writing. Her creative pursuits include painting and making artistic and functional pieces from recycled materials. Pauline is currently the Vice President of the WAAFL—Women’s Masters Committee—and is training with the squad representing Western Australia in the national competition. She enjoys an intimate circle of friends with whom she travels, attends theatre performances and takes time to socialise with either by dining out or at home over a meal and a few quiet drinks.
She has undertaken a number of roles in live productions portraying fictional characters through immersive and interactive theatre.
Pauline has incorporated into this story many aspects of her life growing up in Maniana, a low socio-economic housing commission suburb that once existed on the outskirts of Perth. She hopes that she can inspire others to move past challenging circumstances and follow their dreams, letting nothing get in the way!
About the Book
Leroy is no ordinary amphibian and his birthplace is no ordinary water hole. Those who share it with him have a few things to learn about survival and he is happy to teach them what they need to know, given that this place has taught him so much in his short life. No mean-spirited elder or fly-by-night visitor is going to sour his passion for his territory and look out those who try to mess with the habitat once each species has claimed their piece of paradise.
Try as it might to threaten the stability of this strong and diverse ecosystem, even Mother Nature’s fury is no match for the bonds that have been established. Her weather, with its ebb and flow, drought and flood, makes little impact on a wetland sustained by the camaraderie and trust of its occupants.
Could human intervention, however, be the one thing to disrupt the delicate balance of this undisturbed natural environment, placing the habitat and the lives of all creatures who populate it into jeopardy? 
Dedication
For Georgia, because you have risen above adversity to live your dreams and this has inspired me to continue living mine.
Copyright Information
Copyright © Pauline Gibb (2019)
The right of Pauline Gibb to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528916196 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528961486 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgements
I would not be where I am today if it was not for the teachers from Queen’s Park Primary School, who taught me how to read and write in the early years and encouraged me to believe in myself as I moved through primary school. Names still resonate through my mind and although many of you will be gone by now, I will never forget any of you for the start you gave me.
To everyone who has embraced my first two books, thank you for continuing to believe in me and what I have to offer. Every single positive comment has been filed for future reference.
I cannot forget to thank the traditional custodians, the Noongar people, upon whose land I walked as a child. The streets I knew so well and places I visited carried the language of your country in their names. Munja Swamp is one I shall never forget, even though it is no longer around to enjoy.
Chapter 1
There was something different about the pond that day. It wasn’t the water as that was the same as usual, clear at the surface getting slightly muddier as it deepened. It wasn’t the plants either as their roots were still imbedded in the mud below the surface and the stalks continued to peek over the top of the water as they grew towards the sunlight. The rocks hadn’t moved and neither had the logs and tree limbs that were caught under them. Everything appeared the same but Leroy knew something had changed or at least he had an inkling that it was about to.
It was like no one else noticed. The others were all swimming around oblivious to what Leroy was feeling. The birds too were going about their business either flying overhead or hanging out in the trees like they usually did. The bugs and insects continued their habitual flurry with some dive bombing the water and others ducking and weaving in and out of the foliage, all in an effort to stay ahead of their constant predators.
Even the children from the neighbourhood carried on with their routine coming to the water’s edge and dunking their cups in hoping to capture some unsuspecting creatures to take home and scrutinise. Leroy was hiding in the reeds as he often did when the children arrived because he had witnessed way too many pond creatures getting scooped up and taken in past visits and they were never seen again. He was always cunning enough to scuttle for cover when he saw shadows on the water as the children walked along the banks. They were only ever there for one thing and that was to get something alive to take home and he was never going to allow himself become one of their research projects.
Sometimes the children would arrive with nets and scoop at the water. The nets were much harder to get out of and so the children always managed to acquire greater numbers of pond life as the water filtered through the webbing and trapped everything in its path. Sure there was a lot of scum and algae that would get caught up but there were also many creatures thrashing about trying to escape when the children lifted the nets out of the water and dropped the contents into their buckets.
From his hiding place he would watch the proceedings until things calmed and the children left with their spoils. He knew they would return again and again as the days passed as it was holiday time and visiting the pond was the favourite pastime of the young folks in the neighbourhood as there wasn’t much else to do. The swings in the park close by held the children’s attention for short periods but once they became bored with the playground equipment they always gravitated back to the pond. The children actually called it ‘the swamp’ but Leroy preferred to think of it as a pond because ‘swamp’ sounded dirty. He’d come to that decision because he’d over heard the children being warded off by their parents who would call his home muddy and smelly and tell them they must stay away from it. The parents would also tell them loudly that it’s deep and not safe. These conversations took place when families walked along the path bordering the swamp. For Leroy his choice of name didn’t have the awful connotations that were associated with ‘swamp’ so for him his home was a ‘pond’ regardless of what anyone else chose to call it.
What is it that makes today feel unlike any other? He began to ponder once again after the children left. He didn’t have too long to think as it was getting late and he was feeling hungry, so he peered from the reeds and seeing it was clear along the banks, he ventured out to find some food. Algae was the favourite treat of many of the pond’s inhabitants and he knew this was the unfortunate reason why so many creatures were captured. They were usually feeding when the children came along poking and prodding at the water right where they congregated. Leroy knew they were always easy prey and that is why he had learned to hang back, supress his hunger and hide until he could feed without the risk of being caught. He often wondered how the children knew when it was feeding time as they always appeared as soon as the eating frenzy began.
There was always plenty of algae left when he finally swam away from the reeds and today was no exception. As it was warm, sunny and the water was tranquil the mosquito larvae was also abundant, so he fed well before swimming off to the cooler water in one of the deep rock pools close by. As he pushed through the water though, he could feel a strange drag in his back end and this made his progress quite laboured and sluggish. He stopped and looked behind to see if any plants or algae had become entangled around his tail but there was nothing he could see that was impeding him. Just as he was about to swim off again, something caught his eye, compelling him to stop abruptly and glance back once again to try and clarify just what it was that he had seen.
Chapter 2
Leroy’s double-take had him moving his head from side to side as he realised his back end was not as it had been the day before. On the right hand side just above his tail was a lump and when he flicked his head to the oppo