The Flying Lesson. Pat Clarke
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The Flying
Lesson
For Harley - PC
First published in Australia in 2014
by Little Steps Publishing
Suite 3, Level 2, 18 Aquatic Drive
Frenchs Forest NSW 2086
Text copyright © 2014 Pat Clarke
Illustrations copyright © 2014 Graeme Compton
This book is copyright.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review,
as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.
Inquiries should be addressed to the publishers.
All rights reserved.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Author: Clarke, Pat, author.
Title: The Flying Lesson / written by Pat Clarke; illustrated by
Graeme Compton.
ISBN: 9781925117035 (hardback)
ISBN: 9781925117226 (eBook)
Target Audience: For children.
Subjects: Flying-machines--Juvenile fiction.
Farm life--Juvenile fiction.
Animals--Juvenile fiction.
Other Authors/Contributors:
Compton, Graeme, illustrator.
Dewey Number: A823.4
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Thanks to all who have helped me in this venture
– it is very much appreciated.
The Flying
Lesson
Pat Clarke
Illustrated by
Graeme Compton
The Secret
All was quiet in the hen house. Much too quiet, thought Rooster Rex as he surveyed the scene from his perch on top of the chicken coop. The hens were all busy laying eggs, looking after their newly-hatched chicks or gossiping and it was all just sooooo boring! Just as he was wondering how to liven things up a bit, he noticed his old mate, Wally, the white cockatoo on top of the wood heap near the big shed. Rex decided to join him.
‘What are you doing?’
‘Keeping a look-out’.
‘What are you looking-out for?’
‘Just keeping watch.’
‘Why?’
‘That’s what cockatoos do.’
‘Oh.’
5
Crash! Something was happening in the big shed – lots of yelling and banging, and tools flying through the air. Thump! A claw hammer landed at Wally’s feet, making him jump.
‘What’s he doing?’ Rex nodded in the direction of the shed.
‘Losing his temper’.
‘Yeah, but besides that, what?’
‘Building something’.
‘What’s he building?’
‘It’s a secret,’ replied Wally mysteriously.
‘So … what is it?’
‘You can’t tell a secret’.
‘Why not?’
‘It’s a rule’. Rex considered the matter for a while.
‘Does that rule apply to birds?’
‘I always thought so’.
Rex, who never bothered too much about whether he told the truth or not, then claimed, ‘Well, I’ve always believed that birds are allowed to tell a secret to just one other bird.’
‘Is that so?’ queried Wally, cocking his head to one side. ‘I never knew that.’
Rex nodded wisely.
‘Well, in that case …’
Wally leaned over and whispered in Rex’s ear.
‘Wow!’ Rex was truly impressed.
Just then, a figure, looking red-faced and sweaty, appeared at the shed door. He noticed the two birds staring at him.
‘Buzz off!’ he yelled and bent over to pick up a rock.
There was a flurry of feathers as Rex and Wally took off in opposite directions — Wally to his favourite look-out spot in the gum tree
by the front gate and Rex, back to the fowl yard.
***
Rex was feeling rather pleased with himself. He thought the new rule he’d just made up about secrets was awfully clever and very sensible when you thought about it. After all, what’s the point of knowing a secret if you have to keep quiet about it?
He knew just the hen he would tell the secret to.
Her name was Laya and she’d only arrived the day before. She was a pretty little thing with fluffy caramel and cream feathers and had so far ignored his attempts to get better acquainted. Rex was certain this would get her attention.
Laya was resting in the shade when Rex found her. ‘Do you want to know a secret?’ he asked the new hen.
Laya’s eyes shone brightly with interest and she nodded eagerly. Rex strutted closer and spoke softly into her ear, telling her she was the most beautiful hen he had ever seen.
Laya blushed and twittered, ‘That’s not a proper secret!’
Rex laughed. He never let a chance go by and hadn’t been able to resist a bit of flattery. ‘Okay, then,’ he said, and whispered the secret.
‘But remember,’ he told the amazed Laya, ‘you can only tell one other
bird. That’s the rule!’
With that, Rex launched himself onto the hen house roof and waited for the fun to begin.
In no time at