So one night he decided to learn to play the didgeridoo. This was slow but he was teaching himself. And in the end, he could play it really well. One full moon night Wilfred put on a little concert mostly for his family. After he played his tunes, they said things like: “A bit strange for a wombat; don’t you think?” Mum said, “Why can’t you just run, and swim, and dig fast like all the other wombats?”
Wilfred said nothing, but he thought, “Maybe I’m a bit different.”
Next night he had a great new idea. “I will go and see grandpa and grandma down the river. I bet they will be real happy that I am so good at playing the didgeridoo. So that night Wilfred set off on his journey.
He was walking along the riverbank, when up came a crocodile. This crocodile had been watching Wilfred for some time.
“Why are you walking along the bank?”
“Oh I’m going to see my Grandma and Grandpa. They live down the river.”
Now Wilfred had been told many times that crocodiles are very dangerous, as the song goes, “Never smile at a crocodile” and never, never ever go near to them.
Well this crocodile seemed friendly.
“What you doing with that didgeridoo?”
“I’m good at playing it and I’m off to see my grandpa and grandma like I told you.”
“Oh.”
“I’m real good at it, sort of.”
Would you play me I tune? I just love didgeridoo music.”
So Wilfred did.
And now he was talking with a crocodile, who did seem friendly.
“Maybe,” said the crocodile, “I could take you down the river on my back. That way you’ll get there much faster. And maybe you could play on your didgeridoo, as we go along.”
And they did; Wilfred the wombat sitting on the crocodile’s back laying his didgeridoo
“Goodbye for now. I’ll see you in three nights time and take you back home.”
Wilfred found Grandma and Grandpa were thrilled that he could play the didgeridoo and play it so well.”
Three nights later, Wilfred set off for home. He went down to the river and met the crocodile and off to home they went.
When Wilfred got back home, the family were surprised that Grandpa and Grandma had been so happy with Wilfred playing the didgeridoo of all things. When he told how he’d had a ride on the crocodile’s back, they were shocked and angry. But Wilfred just said, “Sometime things are just different from what you think.”
As the sun was just about to come up, Wilfred went off to sleep.
© Ian Higgins, 2009
