Saffi and Souki’s Halloween Alliance

The Halloween air was cold, damp and eerie. It had felt like winter all week. Rain soaked everything in its path; the trees were wet, the grass was wet and puddles engulfed the pavement.

Hayden had friends over to get ready for trick-or-treating. They started raiding the Halloween chocolates early. Let’s face it, that’s what they were there for, stuffing their faces with as many sweets, chocolates and lollies as they could. It was noisy in the house and Hayden’s little grey cat, Saffi, escaped for some peace and quiet.

She liked sitting on the wall watching passers-by on their way to Halloween parties. The children were dressed up as ghosts, witches, wizards, pumpkins, zombies, dinosaurs and princesses. There was a lot happening on their street that night, chattering, laughing, running, knocking on doors.

I should let you in on a scary secret about that street. The people who lived there knew something that the trick-or-treaters had no way of knowing. For many weeks there had been a rogue magpie at one end of it terrorising people as they walked along the path. It was an evil, vicious magpie that took great delight in swooping down at unsuspecting people and pecking them in whatever body part was available. Sharp beak on the side of the head, juicy part of an arm, on the leg. This was a fun game. It had already happened to three people in Hayden’s building.

Saffi had seen the magpie earlier in the day scoping his hiding spots, getting ready for the visitors.

‘Stay away, stupid cat,’ snarled the magpie as Saffi walked around, her focus on him.

‘What are you doing here?’ Saffi asked

‘Eyes, I’m here for their eyes,’ he croaked, laughing hysterically at its own idea of a game.

The fur on Saffi’s tail fluffed up as she launched forwards towards the magpie.

‘Don’t even think about it’ hissed Saffi, pleased with herself that she had chased away the magpie. But the magpie hadn’t gone and Saffi knew he’d be back.

As Saffi watched the children, she spied something moving in the branches of the tall trees lining the road and climbed up to get a closer look. Up further in the tree was a tiny sugar glider, her big eyes filled with tears. She held in a big sob and a giant tear trickled down her tiny face.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Saffi in her softest, quietest voice, so kindly, not to scare her away.

‘It’s ok, I won’t hurt you’.

The sugar glider looked wary.

‘I promise! My name is Saffi. I live just there. I promise I won’t hurt you’.

The sugar glider took a step forward.

‘My name is Souki. I’m lost. I have lost all my family and I don’t know where they went’, she sobbed, her head down as she looked up through her big eyes.

‘I was sleeping in the tree hollow up there, we all were, it was so warm and cosy. Then a magpie started to fly at us when we were out of the hollow. It chased and pecked my brothers and sisters.

‘I knew that magpie was up to no good; he’s been attacking the people too’.

Saffi and Souki watched the street and looked for the magpie. The magpie was nowhere to be seem. Just children having fun. It seems like he’s gone somewhere else now.

Then they heard a scream.

‘Aaaaaagh!’ It was a high pitched scream, loud.

The scream came from a little girl.

‘Oh no!’ ‘The magpie is back’ said Saffi.

‘We have to get out there and try and chase him away so the children are safe’.

Souki looked at Saffi, she didn’t agree with this approach.

‘Can’t we stay here?’

‘Well we could, but then the magpie will attack the children and they won’t have a very nice Halloween’.

Reluctantly Souki agreed to help. As the magpie flew down at people, Souki flew after him and Saffi attacked from the ground and off the branches.

As dusk drew in, the fruit bats were getting ready for their nighttime flight and watched the action from their trees.

‘You’re doing a good job’ said an enormous old fruit bat. ‘But what are you doing here, you shouldn’t be here, you should be with your mother, with your colony’, she said to Souki.

‘I am lost’, said Souki. ‘I need to find my family again’.

‘What’s your name, little one? Perhaps we can help you on our night flight tonight’.

‘My name is Souki and this is my new friend Saffi’.

The old fruitbat looked unconvinced by this unlikely friendship.

‘I will help you Souki. Stay safe tonight, away from that magpie’.

‘Come with me, I’ll protect you so you can get some rest’ said Saffi kindly.

The fruit bat flew to the next tree, chattering to her friends.

We’ll be back Souki, take care of her Saffi’, and with that, all of the bats flew out of the tree, their wings flapping, making loud swooshing noises.

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Have you ever heard the wings of a fruit bat? They are much louder than the wings of a sugar glider.