Bruny Youth Stories Prize

A cold dark day floods the shore.
Fierce winds lap at the trees and branches collapse to the ground.
A shark writhes onto land, lashing its tail into the sand, but the sea is far behind him.
Night starts and ends, day crashes into the peace and quiet of the starstruck sky, and the heat begins to rise.
A cry from the brush and a flicker of darkness in the otherwise blinding day. Large yellow eyes peering from its perch.
A small squawk and the currawong flies out into the open, white dipped tail feathers spreading behind himself as he finally hops down to the sandy beach.
A few pecks at a shell leaves him with nothing, and neither does the rotten seaweed, drenched in salt. However, that is not what he is eyeing. The fresh carcass of a newly dead shortfin mako, buzzing with flies, is this young bird’s prize for surviving the night.
 

A hop, and then another, light enough that his landing does not slip away from him, a few more hops, the turning of his head.
A shadow above him alerts the currawong of another bird hunting for an easy meal, as an albatross swoops down. The young bird panics and quickly scurries into the air, disappearing behind some seaweed.
The albatross is a prideful sight, strong and assured of herself, but the currawong feels nothing but envy. He quickly tries to hop closer, wings spread, ready to make an escape if needed.
The albatross regards him with a careful eye, already tearing into the carcass, before she snaps her beak at him and startles him off, yet again.
The young bird ruffles his newly black wings, grey feathers rising and falling into position. He has no opening, so he turns to waste the time by preening, and eat his meal later.
By midday, the sun is glistening in the sky, the carcass has turned fouler, and the albatross has finished her meal, and yet she still sits, beak resting underneath her wing.
A bank of seaweed, and then the black currawongs head, yellow still fading around his mouth. He narrows his eyes and slowly, gently, makes his way back.
As soon as he’s in reach, the corvid stretches his neck out and snags a bite, almost tumbling backwards as it comes loose. He lets out a victorious caw, which awakens the albatross.
She regards the currawong with a narrow eye, but she is full, and this meal no longer appeals to her, so she simply tucks herself back in and goes back to sleep.
 

Now, with the carcass all to himself, he finally finishes his meal and darts back into the tree line, fluttering through the shadows of the trunks and leaves.
The ocean pushes against the shore, crabs and a stray dog eat the rest of the body, a kid pokes at some of the bones, and the sun dips below the horizon as the last ferry docks.
 

Winners of the Bruny Youth Story Prize will be announced at The Bruny Island Bird Festival on Sunday, the 22nd of March at 12 pm in the Adventure Bay hall. This prize is proudly brought to you by The Bruny Kids and Nature Project, led by Claire Boost and the Tasmanian Community Fund.