Tanya Vester © 2011
Kevin the Kiwi and his family were out in the night looking for worms, insects and berries. “Found one!” Kevin shouted excitedly. The big juicy worm would be enough to last him through the day. “Mmmm”. The sun began to rise slowly behind the bush land. “Another new day!” Kevin thought, smiling and imagining all the little children waking up from their deep slumber and preparing for school. “Kevin, it’s bed time. Come on and hurry, it’s getting late!” his mum cried. With great hesitation Kevin made his way back to the Kiwi Habitat. The big worm he ate and the bright sunlight made him feel sleepy. Yet, he felt unrest.
“Mum, why can’t we kiwis go out during the day?” he asked sadly. “Because we are something called ‘nocturnal’, Kevin. It means that we are awake at night and asleep during the day”, mum replied. Slowly the whole Kiwi Habitat family fell asleep, one by one. All except Kevin, who lay wide awake looking into the magnificently blue sky and at the bright ball of fire rising from the East. “Oh, if I could only experience the world in the light!” he exclaimed. “I’m sure nobody would mind if I go on a small adventure, if just for one day” he said to himself as he glanced over to his mum sleeping peacefully.
Kevin quietly got out of his burrow and quietly trodded out of the habitat. His heart was pounding at the thought of meeting some school children, whom he heard so much about from his animal friends. “I wonder what school children look like” he pondered. The bush became less dense the longer he walked and after some time he arrived at a clearing. “Bye, Kevin!” Pip the squirrel peeped. “I’ll be back, Pip!” he replied.
Kevin soon arrived in a bustling city market. Many women were carrying shopping bags filled with fruit and vegetables. Kevin pecked at a tomato lying on the ground. “Interesting…” he muttered. He saw a big pile of kiwifruit. “The skins look just like ours!” he laughed, “now I understand why people call these fruit ‘kiwifruit’”.
After walking through the market he saw something that looked like an enormous blue puddle. “Lake Front” Kevin read aloud from a big sign. Suddenly a big gust of wind almost swept little Kevin away and sent his feathers flying about. Kevin observed that people were using this wind to sail their boats.
As Kevin strolled along the beach he heard many laughing, giggling and shouting sounds getting louder and louder. Across the street he saw a large building with many children in the yard and smiling faces shining out of the windows. “That must be a school!” Kevin exclaimed with great excitement. Kevin had always wanted to visit a school for children.
“What strange paths there are in the city” he thought as he walked alongside the black tar road. He gazed at school in admiration and started to hobble across the road. Kevin was deep in his thoughts, wondering whether school children also ate worms and slept in burrows.
“Zoom!”
Kevin lost balance as a strong force suddenly swept him onto his side. Again,
“Zooom!”
Another sudden force tumbled Kevin around and around. All he could see was black. Kevin grew very frightened. What had he done! He missed his family so much. Kevin tried to open his eyes. Everything looked blurry, but little by little a boy’s face was coming into focus.
“Are…are you a school child?” Kevin stuttered. But the boy did not speak the kiwi language.
“Daddy, look what I found!” the boy cried excitedly as he held up Kevin. “That car nearly hit him!”
“Danny, that’s a kiwi! I wonder what it was doing here in the city” the boy’s dad replied. “We must take him back to where he belongs”.
Danny took scared little Kevin into the car. Kevin felt lost for words.
“Squeeek!” was all he could say.
“Oh, how cute he is” Danny said, as he cuddled Kevin in the back seat.
The engine turned on and Danny, his dad and Kevin whizzed through the city. They passed the school, then the lake front, and finally the market. Kevin’s eyes hurt from all the sunlight. Danny comforted the shaking kiwi.
“Dad, can the kiwi live with us at home?” Danny asked.
“No, Danny”, his dad replied. “Kiwis are wild animals. They live freely in the bush. Kiwis would make very unhappy house pets because in a house they couldn’t be free”. Soon the landscape became greener and Kevin started to feel more at ease. The car came to a stop and they all exited the car.
“Here we are!” said Danny’s dad.
“Kiwi Habitat” Kevin read aloud as he saw a big sign in front of a house. “I’m home!” he cried overjoyed. “Squeek!”
Susan the keeper came out of the building. “Now look who we have here” she said smiling. Danny carefully handed Kevin over to Susan. “Thanks buddy, you did a good job of bringing him back home! Kiwis are very shy creatures and therefore only go for walks when everybody is sleeping” she explained to Danny and patted his shoulder. “Well, mostly!” she laughed.
Susan placed Kevin back in his burrow and he was soon lying next to his mum again. Kevin’s eyes began to feel heavy and he was soon falling asleep. The sun set slowly in the West. “Kevin, wake up! A new night has begun…” he faintly heard his mum whisper to him.