Ryder & Black Book the Cockatoo

somewhere remote in the top end of Australia lived a boy named Ryder his best mate, a black cockatoo named Black Book. Black Book was a black cockatoo with big white flight feathers who, when he stretched out his wings, looked like a big beautiful black book with white pages.

Ryder and Black Book spent most of their days around the fresh water rivers catching fish and swimming.

One day, upon reaching their favourite stretch of river they noticed a group of men they had never seen before all wearing strange, brightly coloured vests and gathered around a makeshift table. Ryder and black book quickly jumped behind a tall, wide gumtree and listened in to what the men were saying.

Out of no where Black Bird started skwarking very loudly and became so upset he flew away! Ryder took off running after Black Book but lost him into the near by bush land.

Ryder, wiping his tears from his face decided to walk back home hoping Black Book would soon return.

A few days had passed and when black book had not returned, ryder thought he’d go back to where they had seen the men to look for black book, he was delighted to see black book at the edge of the water! Ryder ran as fast as he could to scoop up black book and give him a big cuddle but when he reached black book he noticed he was very sad.

“What’s the matter Black Book”, asked Ryder. “They’re going to pump it” replied Black Book, “Pump what, Black Book?”, said Ryder. Black book, with tears in his eyes, looked up at Ryder and said, “the men we seen here that day, are going to put a big pump in our river and suck out all the water until it is dry” said Black Book sadly.

Ryder slumped to the ground, his eyes welling up with tears, sat quietly next to black book. The two sat there for the rest of the day not saying much at all.

Once the sun started to set Ryder jumped up and said “we cannot let this happen!” and started running back to their village, black book perked up and with purpose started flying full speed ahead of Ryder, when the boys got back they started yelling to the elders, “they’re going to pump it, they’re going to pump our river, we need to do something” the elders, all sat around the fire looked up at the boys and said with sad and shaken voices, that they already knew and there was nothing they could do.

The elders sat Ryder and Black Book down and told them, they needed to come up with a large sum of money to be able to pay to keep that river because the water was being sold to another country so if they were to come up with $20,000 they would be able to buy that water back and keep it in the river, but they didn’t have it. “Now”, said one of the elders, “it’s not for you to worry about, have your dinner and go and play before it’s too dark” but ryder and black book weren’t hungry, they were too sad to eat and too sad to play, that river is their place, to fish and swim, it holds all their memories and what about the wildlife and village who need that river to live?!

Then, black book looked at ryder, gave him a big, long cuddle and said “thank you for your friendship, for all the memories we have shared, you are my best friend you are my brother, I will miss you and I love you” black book opened his wings and flew away.

Ryder ran and ran thinking he’d find black book again back at the river, but when he got there, black book wasn’t there.

Ryder sat at the rivers edge waiting and waiting until he drifted off to sleep at the bottom of a Gumtree, when he woke the next morning, he found a little black book in the shape of a cockatoo on his chest and inside a note “Save our river” he turned the page and seen $20,000 inside.