How the kookaburra got its laugh

By Felicia Poirier

In the bush when the days were getting hotter, a kookaburra was perching on a branch thinking about what it would be like if he was a leader with lots of animals all doing what he wanted them to do.

The kookaburra was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice his friend rainbow lorikeet swooping by t say hello. When he did notice his friend he had an idea and the thing that is so great about it was his first test subject had already arrived.

“Rainbow lorikeet!” cried kookaburra ‘I need you to do something for me!” “What is it kookaburra?” answered the lorikeet. “My wing hurts and I’m hungry so I need you to get me some worms to eat” so rainbow lorikeet flew of in a shower of feathers.

When rainbow lorikeet came back kookaburra was asleep so he put the worms on the branch and flew away to his own home.

When kookaburra woke up he saw the worms next to him and gobbled them up so fast that it was as if they weren’t there at all.

After kookaburra had the worms he was thirsty so he went to the waterhole to have a drink. At the waterhole he saw Willy wagtail having a wash and got another idea. “Willy!” he cried “I’m sick and the doctor told me to only drink clean water so you need to get out while I’m drinking. “So Willy wagtail hopped out and waited for his friend.

After kookaburra had finished his drink it was night time so he went to his tree to go to sleep.

The next few days kookaburra tricked all his friends into helping him get food, shade and water but he was becoming very lazy because he wasn’t doing any work.

A week later it was the gathering day for all the animals to come together and decide what the rules are for what you can and can’t do but kookaburra didn’t want to come because he was becoming lazy over time because he was getting everyone to do things for him.

All the animals were very angry that kookaburra didn’t come to the meeting so they cancelled it and all went back to their homes to have lunch.

While the meeting was on kookaburra was sleeping and having a lovely dream about being a boss with lots of animals being servants for him when suddenly a hybrid of all the animals that he had bossed around appeared.

He said you have been a very naughty kookaburra, you have bossed all of the other animals around and you did not go to the meeting of deciding what all the rules of the bush so for your punishment I will make you only be able to laugh because laughing makes everyone happy but when you tell everybody what to do it is very annoying.

So before I put the curse on you I want you to go to the other animals and say that you are sorry for bossing them around and after you do that I will put the curse on you.

After the hybrid disappeared kookaburra woke up and went straight to the other animals houses to say he was sorry.

And that is how the kookaburra got its laugh.