Smooch & Rose Read Online Free Page A

as a football. Carol said it was time to prepare him for his release back into the wild.
    I didn’t think the move to the aviary was such a great idea. For a start it meant fewer cuddles. But worse, it meant Smooch could get hurt. He was safe inside the house with Carol, but outside, there were dogs and cats and even meddling kids. What if one of them broke into his cage? Carol said I should stop worrying, that Smooch would be just fine, and she kept me busy collecting leaves. Lots of leaves. In fact, Lizzie and I spent most of the summer holidays running between the creek at our farm and Carol’s backyard, making sure Smooch had all the leaves he needed to make him strong enough for the wild.
    One day, when the summer holidays were nearly over, I was lugging yet another stack of freshly cut eucalypt leaves over to Carol’s, when I heard familiar voices giggling up ahead. I clutched the branches to my chest and jammed my face among the leaves. Lizzie’s tail slunk between her legs. She didn’t like the sound of the giggles either.
    â€˜You building an ark or what?’ Kellee and Tahlia had planted themselves across the footpath in front of us. Their wet swimming pool hair and red icy pole lips made them look like saltwater crocodiles, ready to strike.
    Go away , I prayed, squeezing my eyes shut. Just leave me alone.
    â€˜Bit extreme, don’t you think? Carrying a whole tree? Most people wear hats to keep off the sun.’ They laughed, a nasty, sneaky laugh that made my skin feel like maggots were wriggling over it. One of them, I’m not sure which, tugged at the branches. ‘Hello? We can see you under there you know, bumpkin.’
    I pulled back. They pulled harder, so I yanked the branches sideways. They came loose and I fell back, landing hard on my backside on the concrete. Lizzie scooted out of the way just in time. Leaves and branches were scattered all around me.
    â€˜Ha ha, serves you right, scarecrow. See ya at school,’ laughed Tahlia, looping her arm through Kellee’s and waltzing off down the path.
    I watched them go, my elbows stinging, my eyes prickling with tears. Is that what they thought? That I was a scarecrow? With straw in my head instead of brains? A fat tear rolled down my cheek as I reached over to pick up the fallen branches. Maybe they were right. Maybe my head was filled with useless straw. It had been months since Gran had got the letter from the bank, and I hadn’t managed to do anything about saving the farm.
    A soft nose pushed gently against my face just as another tear threatened to plop onto the concrete. A rough tongue licked at my cheek. ‘Lucky I’ve got you, hey Lizzie,’ I murmured, pulling her to me and burying my face in her fur.
    We’d already agreed on the place to release Smooch: down by the creek, near where we’d found him and his mum, almost nine months before. Carol checked with the other carers to make sure no other male koalas had taken over the area and by the time school went back for the year, Smooch was all ready to go.
    â€˜Couldn’t I look after him?’ I asked for the millionth time. ‘We could build an enclosure off our verandah and I’d make sure he was safe and I . . .’
    â€˜No, he needs a bigger playground,’ said Carol firmly. ‘Anyway, why are you complaining? You’ll be able to visit him every day, not just Saturdays.’
    Smooch sat quietly in the cage as Gran, Carol, Lizzie and I carried him to the creek. He wasn’t frightened. Just curious.
    â€˜Here, we’ll put him on this one,’ said Carol, opening the cage and placing Smooch at the base of the tree. ‘Koalas love tallowwoods.’
    Gran rested her hand on my shoulder as we watched Smooch wrap his arms around the trunk, like he was hugging it. I sucked in a breath as he lifted his bottom, ready to climb. We waited, expecting him to go. But he didn’t. Instead, he stopped and