Age Recommendation: 6-8
Sunni tried to be brave in everything that she did.
She wanted her friends to be able to rely on her, but there was one thing that she was afraid of, more than anything else.
What she was afraid of, was thunderstorms.
Her name was Sunni Snowstorm.
A lot of people didn't believe her, when she told them her name. They didn't think that anybody could have a name like 'Snowstorm'.
They would tell her off for making it up.
Sunni, would tell them off for being mean.
Her name was Sunni Snowstorm, and her Dad's name was Jimmy Snowstorm. Which meant that she had his name, because she was his daughter.
Sunni tried to be brave in everything that she did. She wanted her friends to be able to rely on her, but there was one thing that she was afraid of, more than anything else.
What she was afraid of, was thunderstorms.
The wind would bang against the side of the house, and the rain would cover the windows, and it sounded to her like the terrified howl of a yowie.
She knew all about the monsters that went bump in the dark. She knew that some of them were dangerous, and that some people didn't believe they existed.
Sunni Snowstorm was different. She was going to prove that the monsters were real. She wasn't going to wait to grow up to do it, either.
However, she was scared of thunderstorms.
So, whilst the wind rattled her window, she lay under her blanket with her torch, reading one of her favourite books.
It was a book that her Mum had bought for her. It didn't have many pictures, but it did have a lot of descriptions.
It was all about the Red Dog, which was a true story. A red Australian cattle dog that explored and moved all over the country, known simply as 'Red'.
Some people called him 'Bluey', but Sunni didn't like calling him that name, because it didn't make sense to her.
He had red fur, not blue fur. Sunni did know that though blue heelers and red heelers are called different things, that they're both 'Australian Cattle Dogs'. That was the real name of their breed, the same for both.
Red had made many friends, travelling all over the Pilbara in his lifetime. The dog had done a lot of travelling. He'd made it all the way to Perth, even.
He had statue in Dampier, because he used to visit the town. He did live there once or twice, but he was an animal that liked to explore the big wide world.
He didn't even keep the same owner.
Most dogs don't get to choose their owners, but the Red Dog did. He was different than most others, living a life of adventure where most pets would not be able to survive.
Sunni didn't have a pet, even though she'd asked both her parents for one. She asked, every birthday, but they still said no.
There were good reasons that they said no. There were rules you had to obey, when you didn't own the house you lived in. They might want to help her raise a pet, but rules were rules, and even adults can't always escape them.
Though, her dream idea of a pet was a great big Malamute. Big enough to make even a bunyip think twice about going through the backyard. With the cuddliest white fur that she had ever seen!
A big boom of thunder made Sunni bite her lip, and pull the blanket down a little tighter. She focused hard on the book, reading aloud about the legendary red heeler of Western Australia.
"He belonged to no-one but was a friend to everyone."
Sunni paused, frowning.
That was what she wanted in life. She wanted to be able to be a friend to everyone. Not everyone wanted to be friends with her, but she would always try.
Another big sound echoed through her room – but it was not thunder, this time.
Sunni sat up, wondering curiously, because the sound was the front doorbell.
© Copyright 2024, James Milne