by Susan Pease
Jo was startled, she decided to put on a brave face for little Eiki, after all it was her fault that Eiki had tried to travel both of them.
‘Don’t worry Eiki you’re not alone and it may not be as bad as you think. I was wondering that maybe with your instructions I might be able to travel us back. I’m much older and stronger.’
‘Well why you didn’t say that in the beginning? I will never understand smelly girls. Sometimes Jo I think your brain doesn’t work as well as mine. We probably wouldn’t be in this pickle if you had done it.’
‘Eiki that’s a horrible, mean thing to say, you make me mad. If you had suggested it, I would have given it a go’
The two friends were Slurp-it-Downs cranky for quite some time before they decided to take a break and have a look around. No point in having an argument after all, sometimes things happen for a reason. The clover they fell into was soft, fragrant and comforting. Eiki rolled around making funny squeaking noises. It set them off laughing and this seemed to calm them down.
‘Let’s look for a four-leaf clover, they are supposed to bring you luck,’ suggested Jo.
Eiki thought Jo was crazy although it seemed like a fun thing to do. They searched and looked everywhere but there didn’t seem to be any around. Fed up and bored they were unhappy with the situation they now found themselves in.
‘You said we would find a four-leaf clover and get some luck. There’s no clover and no luck, that’s because you are not manifesting it. What did I tell you about the law of attraction? Seems the irritating clover is not attracted to us,’ whinged Eiki.
‘Why do you always blame me? You should be attracting the four-leaf clover yourself. Stop complaining, it’s not my fault.’
‘Well, it’s probably Slurp-it-Downs not so much your fault. Do you want to hear a joke?’
‘Whatever, go on.’
Even Jo was getting cranky like a Slurp-it-Downs.
‘What stays in the corner and travels all around the world?’
‘Have no idea, what?’
‘Don’t you even want to try, it’s very easy? Won’t tell you a hard joke as you’re not as smart as me.’
‘Oh for goodness sake will you tell me the answer!’
‘A postage stamp, don’t you Slurp-it-Downs know?’
‘Oh brother, Eiki where do you get these stupid jokes? This day is giving me the pips, nothing seems to be going right, and I think it’s time to travel back,’ said Jo.
Eiki thought the joke would have brightened up her friend. With that Eiki started to cry because she was scared and afraid that they may end up in Timbuktu if she tried to travel again. Recognising that she had upset the little Slurp-it-Downs, Jo decided to make a bad situation into an amazing adventure. Jo wondered how she could cheer Eiki up. Hopefully she would then calm down and gain the confidence she needed to travel them home.
‘Let’s make up a finding game! Maybe we’ll discover new types of insects or animals. We could look for dinosaurs, dragons or even pixies or gnomes. I don’t know where we are, but it would be fun to explore until you feel a little more comfortable with travelling,’ said Jo kindly.
The countryside they had landed in was beautiful and full of wildflowers. There was not a gum tree to be seen, and the views seemed to go on forever. It was coldish and a light mist drifted amongst the vegetation.
‘I don’t think we are in Australia. It’s too green and the light seems to be greyish,’ said Jo quietly.
They went for a long walk through a lush gully and wandered amongst the most awesome vibrant flowers they had ever seen. Butterflies floated over their heads and dragonflies darted feverishly, dive-bombing the reeds near a fast flowing river.
‘This river is not as rough as the Corkuparipple Creek; all the edges are soft with clover and moss, I can’t believe how beautiful it is here,’ commented Jo.
‘Of course it is lass because it’s called Wildflower Water an’ it’s always surrounded wi’ flowers an’ amazing wildlife.’
Jo turned around and to her amazement; standing on top of a river rock was a creature. The strange thing was that he looked just like a Gulp-a-Waters; the difference was that he had a tuft of bright ginger hair on the top of his head. Across his shoulders was a bag full of stunning tiny white, slightly pink-tinged clover flowers. And he talked with a strange tone, sort of rough and musical at the same time. The idea of meeting another creature was appealing to Jo; she hoped that maybe this time it would be a new discovery. Last time when she thought she had been lucky enough to discover something new, she had been sadly disappointed when her Aunt Pepper confessed that she knew all about them.
‘Hi, my name is Joanne Elizabeth Parker, Jo for short and this is my friend Eiki Slurp-it-Downs and we come from Australia. Eiki is only young and we had a problem travelling back to our village and landed here instead.’
‘G’day, do you know where we are because I have to get home to my mum and dad?’ asked a timid Eiki hiding behind Jo.
The creature scratched his head; amused that there had been a mishap and began to chuckle.
‘Ma name is Mac Gulpa and I’m waiting fur ma dear frein Mac Slurpa, I’m afraid your frein travelled ye into Scotland, the ither side o the warld so they say. Ma frein will be here wi a pot o tea quite soon. So you will be able to meet another Scott. He is a Mac Slurpa. ’
‘Scotland, oh gosh, how on earth did you manage that Eiki, we’re miles away from Australia!’
‘Jo, he said “ma” instead of “my”, he talks funny, sounds like a goat.’
‘Sshh Eiki we don’t want to insult him, we need his help. And he seems like a friendly kind of fellow.’
‘So you now know if he is a good fellow or not, wish I had your talent. Mum tells me not to talk to strangers and he is a stranger is he not?’
‘I get your point, unfortunately we have no other option at this moment and you’re with me. I’ll look after you.’
‘Ok but it’s your fault if everything goes wrong and I get into trouble with my mum and dad.’
‘Eiki your mum is right; never go with strangers but we need directions and help to get home. Creatures are not like humans, they are kind and helpful you know that, so please don’t worry. My mum has also warned me about talking to strangers, but she means human strangers not Gulp-a-Water and Slurp-it-Downs creatures.’
‘I suppose so, yes, it’s going to be okay because they are not silly humans.’
‘Eiki! I am a human, not all humans are trouble or silly.’
‘Well, that’s your point of view. If you had travelled us we wouldn’t be in this mess as a matter of Slurp-it-Downs fact. So Jo, as far as I can see, you’re a smelly human who is lots of trouble and silly. So there.’
‘Don’t get me started Eiki, and stop calling me smelly,’ snapped Jo.
All of a sudden there was a loud rumpus and everybody turned to find that the Mac Slurpa had fallen over some river rocks. The Mac Gulpa stood there and once again scratched his head. His long-awaited friend had fallen on his skinny bum. Crash went two teacups and a teapot, not to mention the contents of the pot that was hot clover tea.
‘Bumblebee an hogwash,’ yelled the creature as he landed firmly on his skinny behind. Jo didn’t know whether to laugh or not. Eiki wasn’t so worried and rolled on the grass with tears in her eyes. Obviously she was feeling much brighter and the thought of another Slurp-it-Downs-type creature gave her some comfort.
‘Who laughs at me!’ yelled the creature in a nicked-off type of tone.
‘Dinnae get cranky ye clumsy sill galoo, they are new friens aw the way frae Australia. So dinnae be crabbit and come an shake their hands.’
‘Why bother when they laugh at me, nobody has come to ma rescue have they.’
His bad temperament made Jo feel right at home, he was extremely grumpy and disagreeable just like the Slurp-it-Downs in Australia. This was fantastic! They were lucky to have stumbled onto these creatures. Maybe they would be able to help them get home just as J
o had said. After all, they were adults and therefore would be more powerful than Jo and Eiki put together.
‘Looks like oor clover tea just went down the drain and ah was so looking forward to a drop,’ announced the Mac Gulpa sadly.
‘Never mind ma frein, ye have some beautiful flowers in ye bag, so we will just have to start again.’
‘Yes I see what ye mean, but we haven’t got any teacups for oor freins. We will have to go back to oor toon.’
Jo was concerned about getting home; she felt that maybe they should go with them into the town. The time was all too confusing in Australia. What would the time difference be, because she had learnt in class that Europe was in a different time zone?
Eiki was feeling smug with herself, fancy travelling to the other side of the world, she thought she was so clever. Seems she forgot all about being scared and started to brag about the travelling experience. Of course the new creatures asked lots of questions about Australia, and wanted to know all about the Gulp-a-Waters and the Slurp-it-Downs. Off they wandered towards the creatures’ town, but not before they helped to clean up the mess and pick up the teapot and teacups. After all, the crockery set seemed important to the Mac Slurpa and the Mac Gulpa.
CHAPTER TWO
Tea For Two More
The four newly-formed friends packed up and began to saunter through beautiful glades and colourful heather. It was a pleasant walk and Jo thought about how different it was to Australia. The smells and sounds seemed more peaceful and the birdcalls were so soft. There were no kookaburras laughing and no eucalypt smells, just fragrant wildflowers and green grass.
‘I wish we had green grass around our house Eiki. All we have are horrid dusty brown patches and dirt.’
‘Yeah well, it’s because Australia is in a terrible drought,’ said Eiki.
Jo was sad as she viewed the lush vegetation.
‘How good would it be if everything at home was so green? Bandaid would love rolling in the grass.’
‘Jo, all he would do is poop in the grass! Then we would have a devil of a time finding his poop because the grass would be too tall. And knowing my luck, I would Slurp-it-Downs step in it. Then my mum would make me have a bath to wash it out and I hate washing.’
‘Eiki, why do you have to make a beautiful idea into a smelly story?’
‘Well, that’s what the annoying, stupid dog does and that’s a Slurpit-Downs fact.’
The walk into the town was not that long and just as well because Jo noticed that Eiki was looking tired. No wonder Eiki was getting cranky and hard to get along with, her mother always made sure she had an afternoon nap. Of course this was not possible now and the poor little dear was exhausted. Jo felt sure that their new friends would find somewhere for Eiki to have a sleep when they reached the town. The town was green, cool and the houses were made from elegant oak trees, similar to ones found in Australia only they had tartan wall hangings next to each front door. It was amazing that their arrival didn’t make any difference to the other Mac Slurpas or Mac Gulpas, they just continued with their business. Their work had something to do with the white clover flowers. Jo wanted so badly to ask questions but decided to wait until she became more comfortable with the creatures. Did she have to be rude to be polite or were they the other way around and polite was polite and rude was, well, rude? Jo also wondered if they could read her mind, as that could be very tricky. She better curb her thoughts until she was sure that they couldn’t. After a little while a large Mac Gulpa came across to welcome Eiki and Jo.
‘Whit dae we have here? Ah think it is an Australian cousin be wantin tae check out oor progress.’
Progress? What does he mean? We just landed here by accident, thought Jo.
‘Ay me lass, the clover tea is making a hit throughout the land and the progress we are having on reclaiming barren earth and growing edible crops is grand.’
Jo’s questions had been answered, she was so fascinated with the projects the creatures had thrown themselves into that she wished she could stay and live with them for a while.
‘A tak it ye’ll nou be wantin tae visit for a while, my lassie that would be grand, always could do with another pair of hands.’
Eiki tugged at Jo’s school uniform and looked startled at what she had heard Jo think.
‘I want to go home soon Jo, because if I stay too long mum and dad will miss me.’
‘No if ah have anything to do with it,’ announced the large Mac Gulpa.
‘There are ways o changing the time zones, only the leaders o the village have the power, ah can easily arrange that ye won’t be missed.’
Eiki smiled at the leader and even though she was tired, she did a huge double back flip.
‘That means I will be the only Slurp-it-Downs that has travelled to another country for a holiday. That’s fantastic and very clever of me. ,’
As usual Eiki was taking the credit for being a brilliant Slurp-it-Downs and all Jo could do was laugh.
The day was becoming cooler and Jo and Eiki were visibly chilled to the bone. The first Mac Gulpa noticed and brought them a shawl made out of his clan’s tartan. The tartan was a beautiful vibrant green with red lines running through it in blocks. Not wanting to be outdone, the Mac Slurpa brought them both a hat made out of his tartan, in different shades of blue. Everybody laughed at the sight of the new friends in two types of tartan. One announced that they looked like a Christmas tree decorated in different colours. Jo thought to herself that all they needed was a scarf, and then nobody would be able to find them under the mass of colour. That was a bad mistake, another female Mac Gulpa ran forward to throw each a colourful orange scarf. Eiki was so laden down with clothes that she found it hard to stand up. She looked at Jo, her tummy was rumbling; Eiki was not only exhausted but also hungry.
‘Do you think they would mind if I asked for something to eat and drink, it’s been so long that I am feeling under the weather?’
‘I don’t know what time it is, they brought us into the village for a cup of tea, remember.’
The creatures must have heard their conversation because it wasn’t long before cups and saucers appeared, not to mention the biggest teapot they had ever seen. Placing it down on a carved communal table, everybody sat around to participate in afternoon tea. Beautiful sweet cakes and breads adorned the table, everybody dug in to enjoy the spread. After tea and cakes Eiki was battling to stay awake, she was exhausted and her tummy was full and her head felt dozy. It had been decided that the pair was going to stay, the time difference had been taken care of but unfortunately the pair had no idea where they were going to sleep! Everybody had a home but nobody had actually offered accommodation. Jo looked at the tired little Slurp-it-Downs child; she desperately needed sleep especially after the morning’s shock. The large Mac Gulpa was standing in front of the meetinghouse talking in strange Scottish language to a few Mac Slurpas, she wondered if he would find it rude if she interrupted and asked where they could stay during their visit. As she was about to approach, a small Mac Slurpa ran towards her and grabbed her hand.
‘Me mither says that ye and yer frein can bider at oor hame. I’m Semus Raibert Mac Slurpa, you can call me just Seu.’
Jo was pleased with the invitation and understood that “bider” meant sleep and that “oor hame” meant our home. Jo smiled, seems another language had to be learnt, what a hoot. She explained that Eiki really needed some shut-eye right away.
Semus led the two weary friends to his little house. To Jo’s astonishment, they were taken to a delightful bedroom that had a large four-poster bed. The wooden bed was carved with all sorts of animals and flowers and the bed doona was tartan and soft, filled with down. The pillows were large and when they put their heads on them they sunk into a marshmallow delight. There were white curtains covering the windows and of course, the side curtains were the clan’s tartan to match the bedspread. It was like living in a very smart motel. At the end of the room was a fireplace and there had been wood chopped a
nd stacked just for their use. The washbasin was a handsome bowl with matching jug, covered in hand-painted clover flowers.
‘I feel like a queen, and just think, people would pay a fortune to sleep in a room like this when they travel. We get to stay here for free and learn all about our new friends. Eiki, you are the smartest Slurp-it-Downs I have ever known. How clever of you to bring us to Scotland. I’m so excited; it’s just like a dream come true. Did you notice that they talk a little different to us? The food is also different; I think it’ll take some time to get used to. Hope it doesn’t upset our tummies. I bet they would find Vegemite on toast a little strange, and what about our great Australian barbeque? That would shock the Dickens out of them!’
Eiki didn’t hear any of what Jo had just said; she was so tired that she had cuddled up into one of the marshmallow-type pillows and was fast asleep. Poor Eiki, she looks so cute; it must be so difficult for her to be away from her family. I’ll have to take good care of her, thought Jo.
There was a knock at the bedroom door; Semus was standing there with a handful of soft white towels and two bars of clover soap.
‘Semus you can come in, Eiki is fast asleep. I was wondering if you thought it would be alright to leave her so I could look around?’
‘O course it’s okay, she is safe here, and mither is in the kitchen making some haggis for dinner. I need to go into the larder and get some neeps and tatties for her.’
Jo looked at Semus confused.
What were neeps and tatties, thought Jo?
Jo didn’t want to look stupid so she smiled and pretended she knew what he was talking about. Walking outside, she remembered he said they were having haggis, and that made her even more curious. Jo was keen to find the two creatures she had met at Wildflower Waters. After the tea and cake they seemed to have disappeared. She looked for them and was just about to give up when she heard them. They were sitting by a large oak barrel. They were stripping the clover flowers from their stems and putting them into a barrel while the clover leaves were stuffed into a bag.