A Friend in the Wild: Part 1

By MARIE GIBSON, Illustrator KELVIN HAWLEY

"Peli?"Arnya whispered in a dejected voice. "When are they coming back?"

Peli glanced up at his sister from the embers of the dying fire. "Soon,"he told her, knowing that what he said was a lie.

"WeÕll be back before the next sunrise,"their father had said, but the sun had risen three times since then, and their parents hadnÕt returned. As Peli stared at the third stone, the one he had laid out for todayÕs sunrise, his stomach turned over with fear. Something terrible must have happened to keep them away this long.

"Look after the fire, Peli,"was the last thing his father had told him. "And stay out of the forest."He had picked up his lance and his club and, barefooted, walked ahead of their mother down the narrow cliff track. The worn skin pouch containing his cutting tools swung at his waist. Peli and Arnya had watched them from the cafe entrance until they disappeared into the forest.

Publisher: Shortland Publications, $10.10

Age group: 10-12 years