The Train to Kuranda

It was time to emerge from the belly of Buda-dji.

He had come to Buda-dji from a burning land, where nothing but flame, scorched earth, and charred brush lingered. The dry air had choked on smoke and haze. Ash had rained down from the heavens, dusting the burnt remains that littered the ground with a cinereous burial shroud.

A stranger with tired eyes and blistering palms had rescued him from this place, pulled him from the fire with his bare hands. The stranger had embraced him, fed him, tended to his burns. The stranger had brought him to Buda-dji.

He had thought Buda-dji to be dead, butchered by Men who coveted the Carpet Snake’s precious Nautilus shells. Yet Buda-dji had materialized in front of him, his bright crimson and amber scales cutting through the ashy mist. Buda-dji was alive. This was not the Buda-dji from the Dreamtime; this Buda-dji was mechanical, with wheels and gears and erupting steam. But it was the Carpet Snake, nonetheless.

He had stood on a platform with the stranger. There had been other travelers with bloodshot eyes and grim faces, but there were none like him. A voice without a body had spoken a language that seemed vaguely familiar, but he had been unable to understand what was being said. Buda-dji had clanged and screeched as he gradually slowed and then stopped. With a hiss, the Carpet Snake’s mouth had gaped open haltingly. The stranger had led him past the jowls and down the throat. Buda-dji’s jaw had jolted closed behind them.

The air inside the Carpet Snake’s belly had been pure and clean, his insides made of glossy oak and velvet. Each segment of body wall was a looking glass to the ruins they had just escaped. They settled in as Buda-dji began the trek.

Buda-dji had slithered alongside the river, snaking his way upstream. Nestled into a corner of Buda-dji's polished intestines, he had spent the excursion watching the outer world pass them by. As they traveled, the desolate wasteland had subtly morphed into a blossoming ecosystem. First, speckles of green had started to sparkle among the charcoal. Then there had been sprouts beginning their climb out of the ground, their emerald colors juxtaposed with the dismal gray background. The further they had journeyed, the more flora appeared—stems, flowers, bushes, and trees. Just as he had in the Dreamtime, Buda-dji had carved out a new world.

After a time, Buda-dji had once again come to a stop. It was time to leave the safety of Buda-dji's affection. The stranger cradled him in his arms, and together they exited Buda-dji's mouth in the same manner they had entered it. In the new land that they had arrived in, the forest was overpowered by cement, metal, and terracotta roofs. The comfort and tranquility he had felt in Buda-dji's embrace was quickly replaced with worry and panic.

The stranger, perhaps sensing his emotional change, tightened his grip around him. “Alright, mate,” he said. It was neither a statement nor a question. It simply was. It gave him comfort.

They walked. And walked. And walked. The granite and the awnings disappeared, and the forest grew thick and wild around them. Familiar sounds began to echo through the air—birds singing, leaves rustling in the wind, water babbling through the streams.

Suddenly, he found himself placed on the cool, moist soil. He tried to return to the comfort of the stranger’s grasp but was turned away. In alarm, he whirled about in search of another source of safety. That’s when he heard it.

It was a bellow—deep, grunting, reverberating through the forest. Another soon followed it. As he strained to listen, the stench of familiar pheromones tingled his nostrils. He looked up into the trees and saw smatterings of gray fluff hidden among the leaves.

Koalas. There were others of his kind here. He had not seen any other koalas since the fire. With Buda-dji's help, the stranger had brought him to a new home. He turned to the stranger, wanting to portray some message of gratitude, but the stranger was already gone. He knew they would never meet again. So he turned back to the forest, back to his new home, and ventured into the new world Buda-dji had created for him.

It was time to start anew.