Great Outback Swamp #1

For Alex

With Love

July 30, 2000















The Great Outback Swamp

and the Story of the

Super Dooper Catch All

































Once upon a time at the edge of the Great Outback Swamp there lived a little girl named Priscilla, her mother, Mrs. Walsh, and her older brother Jonathon.  They were very poor, but happy in their small cottage.  Mrs. Walsh had a beautiful garden with colorful flowers and good healthy vegetables.  Jonathon never wanted to eat the vegetables and he would make faces and hold his breath instead of eatting them.  Priscilla didn’t like to eat them either, but she loved her mother and always said that they were so good.



Now the Great Outback Swamp was very very big and some people said that you couldn’t go in there because you might not come out.  Priscilla knew that was not true.  Harry, the alligator, had told her that if you knew what to look for you could always find your way back.  The people from the town also said that there was a fierce and terrible monster that lived in the swamp.  Priscilla laughed at that because she knew the monster.  His name was MO and he was a really likeable fellow.  In fact MO would often come to the place where she played, just to keep her company.  MO had really big eyes and would watch over her and keep her safe. MO was very brave and would chase away any of the animals he didn’t know when Priscilla was nearby.

She wished that MO would come out of the swamp to play with her, but he would only put his eyes above the water so he could watch her.  Mo said he didn’t want to scare her because he was so ugly.  Priscilla could not believe that because MO was so nice and she felt sad for him.



Old Chief Light Feather, who lived deep inside the swamp, was fishing one day and told Priscilla that he and MO had met many years ago and became friends.  MO had told him the whole story about how he became a swamp monster.  The Old Chief said MO used to be a farmer on the other side of the town.  A long long time ago he had been cursed by an evil witch because he had caught her stealing his chickens. 



“Please don’t tell him I told” the chief said “he doesn’t like to talk about it”  Ever since the chief told her about MO, Priscilla decided that she would be his friend too.



One beautiful summer morning Harry the alligator was lying in the sun.  He was as big as a house, well, maybe not as big as a house, but a car for sure.  Harry liked to relax in the sun because he was pretty old and it made him feel nice and toasty warm.  On this day he was talking to Winston, the owl and Charlotte the Tucan bird as he warmed himself. 



“Harry, you have to do something about Jonathon.  He almost caught Jennifer the other day.  If I didn’t come along just in time she would have been in his trap.”  Charlotte said “You really have to do something about that boy.”



Harry opened his eyes and looked up into the tree where Charlotte sat and said,  “Now Charlotte, what can I do about the boy.  And why do you always expect ME to do something about everything that happens in the Great Outback Swamp?”.



“Well, ‘Mister just sit there in the sun and do nothing,’ you are the biggest and the oldest, it’s you’re job.” Charlotte said.



Harry’s eyes were wide open now,  “Who says?” said Harry.  He was just a little annoyed that Charlotte always wanted to be the boss of everyone.



“Me and everyone else in the swamp.  Isn’t that right Winston?”  Charlotte said.  Winston, the owl, was sitting a few branches away from Charlotte in the big oak tree.  “Well I don’t know, Charlotte,” said Winston.  “Oh, you don’t know anything Winston,” Charlotte puffed up her feathers and turned back to the big old alligator.  “Come on Harry, you have to do something.  I almost got stuck in one of Jonathon’s traps this morning. I almost didn’t see it. Then who would feed my babies.  You know it’s a lot of work feeding those three, I never stop, they don’t let me sleep because they want to eat all the time.  That’s why I almost got caught, I was half asleep flying back to the nest.  And if I did get caught who would take care of them?”  Charlotte was very excited and wanted Harry to come up with a plan.



“I remember when the swamp was much smaller.” Harry said. “There was a boy just like Jonathon who lived  across the meadow at the far end of the swamp.  He wanted to hurt or catch everything that moved in the swamp.  I was much younger then.” Harry went on. “We had a meeting of all the animals and creatures that lived in the swamp.  The swamp didn't have a name back then you know.  Anyhow, some wanted to just scare him off, others wanted to hurt him, and there were others who wanted to eat him.  It was a pretty loud meeting, everyone had something to say, and they were all shouting that something must be done.  We argued about who would do what and how they would do it.  For two days we talked about how we could stop this little boy.  And you know what happened Charlotte?.  Nothing.  That boy and his family moved away that very day.”  Harry closed his eyes again and went back to relaxing in the sun. 



Charlotte flew off in huff.  Harry didn’t want to listen to her and she really had to get back to the nest.

As she flew over Priscilla’s little cottage, Charlotte saw Mrs. Walsh tending her garden, which was doing very well this year; she also saw Jonathon walking toward the Great Outback Swamp.  He was carrying a big brown bag that  was filled with something heavy.

Charlotte heard Mrs. Walsh call to Jonathon, “Where are you going, Son?”  “I’m just going to play in the meadow” Jonathon said but he walked toward the Great Outback Swamp instead.  “Well, be careful Jonathon.  Be back by lunch time, dear”, Mrs. Walsh said as she pulled the weeds that were crowding around her tomato plants.  Charlotte would have warned the others that Jonathon was on his way, but she really had to get back to the nest first, because her babies were so hungry. 



Inside Jonathon’s bag was his new invention.  He called it his Super Dooper Catch All.  He had worked on it for days.  Built from wood and old bicycle parts, Jonathon was sure he could catch just about everything with this new invention.  He had even painted it so it looked like leaves and trees to blend in with the rest of the swamp colors.  He was very proud of it and couldn’t wait to use it.



Trixie the spider was hanging from the gate post as Jonathon went past.  She could tell he was up to no good and swung herself out of her web and onto the heavy bag he was carrying.  Trixie thought that if she could ride along with Jonathon she might get a look into the brown bag and then jump off to tell the others.  She landed very hard on the side of the bag and had to hold on very tight at first because she almost fell off.  Once they were on the other side of the gate, Trixie was able to walk to the top of the bag and look inside.  Trouble, she thought right away. 



Inside the bag was Jonathon’s Super Dooper Catch All.  It had three pieces of wood nailed together in the front in the shape of an upside down letter U.

The two ends were really sharp and Trixie was sure that those points would be used to stick into the ground.  All around the wood were bicycle spokes that almost met in the middle.  On the end of each spoke there was something red and gooey.  Trixie couldn’t tell what that was, but she was sure it wasn’t anything good. 



Jonathon was very excited and began to run.  This was really hard for Trixie as she had to hang on to the top of the bag with all her might.  She looked up just in time to see where he was running.  There was a small area just inside the Great Outback Swamp known as the Little Elbow.  It was an area where the sun could shine in, so the ground was dry and some grass even grew there.  Everyone called it Little Elbow because that was what it was shaped like.

Trixie saw a bush just along side the path and jumped off the top of the bag landing perfectly on a high branch.  She quickly spun her way down to the ground and scurried off to find the others as quick as her eight legs could carry her.



Trixie ran through the old leaves piled high on the ground, over branches and limbs and tree trunks that were laying around everywhere.  She could still see Jonathon.  He was sitting in the middle of the Little Elbow and opening the top of the big brown bag.  Oh boy, she thought, I better hurry before he gets that trap set up.  She was just crossing the path when she spotted Jennifer, the snake, sliding off a rock just ahead.  “Jennifer, Jennifer” Trixie called out.  Jennifer heard her and stopped sliding, half on and half off the rock.  She picked up her head and looked towards the voice.  She saw Trixie’s eight legs running wildly in her direction.

“What’s the matter Trix,  you look like you have seen a ghost.”  Trixie kept running until she was right next to Jennifer.  “It’s worst than that Jennifer, Jonathon is in the Little Elbow setting up a trap.  I saw it and it looks really dangerous.  We have to tell the others right away”.  Trixie spread all of her legs out and plopped down to rest.  She had run so hard she was tired.  Jennifer took one look at the spider and knew this was serious.  “Ok my dear, hop on and we’ll slide on over to find the others.  She unwrapped her coiled body and with Trixie on her back they slipped and slide around the edge of the Little Elbow clearing towards the swamp.  Jennifer kept her head down and moved as fast as she could, Trixie kept an eye out for Jonathon, but he was too busy setting up his Super Dooper Catch All trap to notice them.  In a few minutes they were inside the Great Outback Swamp. 



Winston had been watching Jonathon, Trixie and Jennifer the whole time from way up in an old twisted swamp tree.  He wasn’t so sure what was going on but he was almost sure it was important.

He had gone to Wise Ol Owl School that morning and the teacher had told him how to see things that were important, and if he wasn’t wrong this was one of those things.  Maybe?  So he kept an eye on Trixie and Jennifer and watched them go along the edge of the water on the far side of the Little Elbow clearing.  From where he was he could spin his head all the way around and see everything.  Just when he lost sight of the snake and the spider he saw Old Chief Light Feather hiding behind a bush watching Jonathon.  The Old Chief saw Winston and put his finger to his lips, telling the owl to be very quiet.  Winston got very nervous because now he was really afraid that if he moved at all and made any noise it would be a bad thing.  So he worked as hard as he could not to make a sound.  He was sorry he didn't fly away before; now he had to stay there, without moving or making any noise until the Old Chief told him it was okay to move.



Chief Light Feather could see Jonathon very well from where he was.  The boy had taken his trap out of the big brown bag and was putting it together on the ground.  First, he took the wooden upside down U part and stuck it in the ground.  It didn’t want to stand up very well, so Jonathon took a rock and whacked it a couple of times until it did.  Then he started to check all of the thin wire spokes, making sure they were all tight.

The Chief could see that the bicycle spokes covered the wooden part and stuck out in all directions.  Old Chief had seen this kind of trap before.  He knew what Jonathon was going to try and do.  He would try and chase one of the animals right towards the trap and if the animal was scared and running too fast and not paying attention; it would run right into it and get stuck on the sharp spokes.  This was a terrible thing thought the Old Chief.



Meanwhile, Charlotte was just leaving her babies in the nest and going out to find more food when she spotted Winston.  Charlotte was worried when she saw him because he was standing so still.  If she didn’t know it was Winston she would have thought he wasn’t real.  She made a lot of noise  landing right beside him.  Oh Boy!  We’re going to be in trouble now, Winston thought.  Old Chief Light Feather looked up and put his finger to his lips again so they would be quiet. Charlotte looked at Winston and then at the Old Chief and then back at Winston again trying to figure out what was going on.  Then she saw Jonathon in the Little Elbow.  He was very busy so he didn’t notice all the noise.  She flew off the branch as quietly as she could; she had to find Harry and the others.



It was lunchtime back at the cottage and Mrs. Walsh and Priscilla were in the kitchen fixing some nice sandwiches that they were going take for a picnic lunch.  “I wonder where your brother is?” Mrs. Walsh said as she wrapped the peanut butter and honey sandwiches and put them into the picnic basket.  “I don’t know ma’am.  Where did he say he was going?” Priscilla said.  Picking out three nice and juicy apples from the bowl on the table and putting them in the basket, Mrs. Walsh said “He was going to the meadow to play.”  Priscilla knew what that meant, he was going to the Great Outback Swamp to cause trouble for her animal friends.  “I’ll go and find him for you” she said, not telling her mother where Jonathon really was.  “Okay, Priscilla but hurry back with him, I don’t want to spoil our picnic,” Mrs. Walsh said. 



Priscilla raced out of the gate.  She knew Jonathon was up to no good and she had to find him right away before he hurt one of her animal friends.  Jonathon was afraid to go too far into the Great Outback Swamp so Priscilla thought she would find him right away.  She checked his favorite places.  The ones where he often went but he wasn’t at any of them.  She ran for a long time trying to find him.  The more time Jonathon was in the swamp the more trouble he could cause, so she ran faster and faster.  Just as Priscilla ran around a big twisted swamp tree, something grabbed her and pulled her tight.  She was pushed up against the tree and a hand went around her mouth so she couldn’t scream.  It was Old Chief Light Feather.  “Quiet Priscilla, Jonathon is right over there setting up his trap” Old Chief took his hand away from her mouth and Priscilla whispered “You scared me Chief Light Feather.”

“I’m sorry, my dear but I don’t want him to know that we are watching him.  I have sent Charlotte, Trixie and Jennifer to find Harry and MO.  Winston is up in the tree keeping an eye on everything.”

Priscilla’s heart stopped beating so fast and she looked over to where Jonathon was.  He was covering his Super Dooper Catch All with old leaves and branches so the animals couldn’t see it. 



Jonathon stood up and said to himself “That looks pretty good to me, I’m going to catch something for sure.”  Then he walked to the edge of the Little Elbow clearing and waited to see what animal would come along so he could chase it into his trap.



“This is terrible Chief, Jonathon is going to hurt one of my friends.  I’m going to tell him to stop”

Priscilla whispered to the Old Chief.  “Oh no, my dear, don’t do that just yet, I have an idea that will work much better.”  Old Chief told Priscilla the secret of his plan.  Priscilla almost laughed out loud, but she didn’t want to ruin the plan.  Old Chief Light Feather told her to go home and that Jonathon would be there right away.  She wasn’t so sure about that, but she trusted the Chief because he was very smart and knew lots of wonderful things.  She really hoped his plan would work.  So, Priscilla quietly left the Great Outback Swamp. She stayed very low until she was far enough away so that Jonathon wouldn’t see her. She walked back to the cottage.



Jonathon had set his trap close to the edge of the water.  He had a stick in his hand and was going to whack at whatever animal came by and chase them into his trap. 



Just below the surface of the water four eyes watched everything the boy was doing.  Trixie, Jennifer and Charlotte had found Harry and MO deep inside the Great Outback Swamp and told them what Jonathon was doing and Old Chief Light Feather’s plan.  Harry and MO traveled under water the whole way and got there just in time.



Everyone was ready.  Trixie was in the tree just above Jonathon’s head,  Jennifer was looking out from under a big log on the ground.  High up in the sky Charlotte was flying in circles above the Little Elbow clearing.  Winston, was still trying not to make a sound while he watched. 



Harry and MO moved closer to the edge of the water.  Old Chief Light Feather gave the signal for the plan to begin.



Jennifer moved out from under the rock and started to go as fast as she could right towards Jonathon.  He saw her right away and raised the big stick to chase her toward the trap.  Jennifer was very scared, but she knew if the plan was going to work she would have to be brave and do her part.  Just as Jonathon stood up to take a whack at Jennifer, Trixie dropped down from out of the tree and landed right on Jonathon’s face.

He screamed and jumped up from his hiding place.  His hands went up to his face and Trixie had to move really fast so she wouldn’t get hurt herself.  She swooped down and went inside Jonathon’s shirt moving around to his back so his hands couldn’t get to her.  Jonathon was running around trying to get the spider off of him.  Charlotte, folded her wings tight against her side and headed straight down towards Jonathon.  At first she didn’t know if she could do what  Old Chief had said, but she was going to try as hard as she could.  Just as she was about to crash into Jonathon’s head, Charlotte spread her wings to slow down, put out her feet and grabbed a bunch of his hair.  Jonathon screamed again and ducked down so far and so fast he fell on the ground and covered his head with both hands.  Jennifer was close by and slide up the leg of Jonathon’s short pants.  She wrapped her body around his leg really hard and he screamed again.  Jonathon was up and running around.  He didn’t know which way to go, they were coming at him from every direction.  Right then he made his biggest mistake.  He got too close to the edge of the water.  Harry the alligator moved first and fast.  He popped up straight out from under the water with a huge splash and snapped his big jaws very close to Jonathon.  Jonathon saw all of Harry’s teeth, which were the biggest things he every saw and screamed again.

In trying to get away from Harry Jonathon fell into the water and right into the arms of MO.  Jonathon’s eyes opened while he was still under the water, he was looking right into MO’s big black eyes.

This time when he screamed only bubbles came out.  MO took Jonathon in both of his hands and raised him high above the water, almost to the top of the trees and held him there for a few seconds before putting him down right in the middle of the Little Elbow clearing.  As soon as Jonathon’s feet hit the ground he was running.  Running faster than he ever had before.  He kept looking over his shoulder afraid that they were following him.  He ran like the wind.



Harry, MO, Chief Light Feather, Trixie, Jennifer and Charlotte were all laughing and praising each other for doing so well and because no one had gotten hurt.  Winston, still up in the tree, was pretty sure he could move again, but he was going to wait until someone told him it was okay.



Priscilla had reached the cottage and told Mrs. Walsh that Jonathon was on his way for their picnic lunch.  “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that boy, Priscilla.” Mrs. Walsh said, carrying the picnic basket out onto the porch.  Two minutes later Jonathon came racing through the gate.  His face was all red, his clothes were wet and dirty and he was breathing very hard.  Priscilla looked at Jonathon with a big smile and said, “It’s really fun playing in the meadow, isn’t it Jonathon?” 



THE END