by Sherry Jessop

~ Excerpt ~

Once upon a time, many years ago in the deepest, darkest rainforest of South Africa, there lived the Great BooDinie bird. His feathers held the colors of the kaleidoscope, and his eyes glowed brightly. If you listened very closely, maybe, just maybe, you could hear his cry over all the other rainforest sounds: "Caw, Caw, Errick!"

This magical bird was a legend everyone dreamed of seeing, but there was no one who could prove they had.

He was a huge bird, larger than an owl, and the natives believed him to be a mystical creature. The bird was a symbol of all that was good, and the children were often told stories of the bird as they danced around their campfires at night.

The Great BooDinie did not come out of the rainforest, and they say that if he did, his magic would be gone.

Once, while playing, a little native boy and girl wandered away from their village, and got lost in the deepest, darkest part of the rainforest. They heard lions roaring and owls hooting, and other sounds that frightened them. Huge snakes and monkeys peeped out of the trees as they ventured through the forest.

The jungle noises were very loud, and the children became frightened.

It grew darker and darker, and the vegetation grew thicker and thicker. They were frightened and began running.

The little boy, Tamboo, fell. "Ohooo!" He yelled. "I think I broke my leg!"

Kara, the little girl, began to sob. "What will we do?" She tried to help Tamboo up, but she was not strong enough.

Tamboo was scared and in pain. Tears streaked his face as he looked up at Kara, knowing it was no use; they were stuck in the jungle in the dark!

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