Then she rubbed her eyes and noticed that her sister’s nest was empty Pirra was probably already on the river floating around with her friends Pippi wasn’t old enough to swim in the river before dark but that didn’t bother her She liked to spend most of her time with the Stargazer anyway The platypus tribe didn’t have a chief or a king or a queen If they needed advice they went to the Stargazer an old gray furred platypus with notched ears and bright eyes She taught the newborn pups after they hatched in the deep mud-walled nurseries and she had her own kind of magic Not dreamcasting like the turtles Not nightcasting like the spiders The Stargazer simply twirled herself into a trance then focused on the distant whispering of the Rainbow Serpent the ancient god who’d brought life to the Australian outback Pippi loved the legends of the Rainbow Serpent She liked the one about the colors of the Serpent dripping onto the Kulipari to give them power and the one about her great-great grandparents digging endless burrows beneath the outback tunnels that connected the deep waters of the Amphibilands to the rest of the land But her favorite story explained how the Serpent had created the platypuses in its own image Just as a rainbow contained many different colors a platypus contained many different parts a duck-like bill webbed feet thick waterproof fur and a chunky tail The males even had a poison spur on one ankle Maybe that’s why the platypuses followed the Serpent more closely than anyone else At least the Stargazer did She didn’t actually talk to the Rainbow Serpent but she deciphered messages in the ripples and splashes of the river’s current There were a hundred myths and tales and legends about the
Serpent but they all agreed that the ancient water god had breathed life into a dry land creating streams and lakes and pools After one final yawn Pippi wandered into the kitchen grabbed a crayfish tail and called Mom Dad I’m going outside Don’t go too far came her father’s sleepy voice You’re Okay she called back as she headed for the burrow still a platypup entrance Old trees rose along the wide river that snaked through the platypus village and their roots twined down along the riverbank some gnarled and thick others as skinny as kite strings Most of the burrows were hidden behind the curtain of roots dozens of neat holes just above the waterline Using her wide webbed foot Pippi pushed aside the dangling roots She looked at the blue water shifting to gray in the fading light of day Furry brown platypuses floated lazily in the river getting ready to hunt their duck-bills breaking the surface and their beaver-like tails swishing behind them Pippi spotted her sister But since Pippi was too young to slip into the water until the safety of nightfall she stayed where she was and ate the last bite of crayfish tail Then she climbed the riverbank walking on her knuckles to protect the sensitive webbing between her toes Most platypuses didn’t like walking on dry land but Pippi didn’t mind Pirra called her a weirdo and their parents called her a dreamer but the Stargazer just said that she was curious She headed upstream toward the gentle roar of the rapids
Mist drifted through the air and she paused now and then to lick the moisture from her fur Walking on dry land made her thirsty Finally she stopped beneath a riberry tree that grew from the bank of the river Roots dangled over a wide burrow mouth and she parted them with her bill Stargazer she called Are you awake Hmm I think so the Stargazer’s soft voice said from within But what if I’m asleep and dreaming that I’m awake Pippi giggled Then you wouldn’t be talking to me Come in Pippi the Stargazer said with a laugh I’m in the dripping room Pippi waddled deeper into a comfy curving tunnel that ballooned here and there into a kitchen living room and bedrooms It looked like everyone else’s burrow except the Stargazer also had a dripping room a candlelit earthen chamber with one wall of solid rock Water trickled down the wall making damp crisscrossing tracks and splatters Pippi found the Stargazer staring at the wall The elderly platypus’s small eyes were bright in the flickering light I feel the call of the Rainbow Serpent the Stargazer told her An important message but I can’t quite make it out Pippi settled beside her and squinted at the wall What do you see the Stargazer asked Mostly rock Pippi answered And some water The Stargazer tsked Look closer The Rainbow Serpent speaks to us through water Pippi wrinkled her bill and peered intently at the wall Water dripped Patches of moisture caught the glint of the candles The roar of the rapids outside sounded like a thousand
