Meanwhile, over in Eucalyptus Grove, Maki Koala was taking some final notes on a tree located near the eastern edge. Her father would be there soon. He had been working on the western side that afternoon. Maki wasn't alone. She and her father had brought a helper with them today, an old friend of Maki's, Bashful Koala. He and Maki were about the same age, and had known each other ever since they were koala babies.
Very shy by nature, as his name implied, Bashful didn't have many friends, since he found just about any kind of social activity extremely uncomfortable. Yet Maki's gentle, calm nature made her a pleasure to be around, even for someone like Bashful. He really only had two good friends besides Maki, and they were not koalas at all. They were parakeets, a blue male, and a yellow female, who were with him whenever they weren't flying around.
As a matter of fact, they usually sat perched on his shoulders, the blue one on his right, the yellow one on his left, which was one more reason for some of the unkinder koalas in Koalaville to make fun of him. Bashful had gotten used to this teasing, and treated the parakeets with such affection that they had become true friends of his. Bashful had even learned their language, and was no doubt the only koala in Koalaville who spoke parakeet.
Not a very useful skill, some would say, but it certainly enriched the koala's life, for he was able to have long conversations with the little birds, and learn all about the customs, thoughts, and feelings of the parakeet species. Bashful always had a good supply of seeds in one of the pockets of his brown overalls, so that he could feed them whenever they were hungry.
'This has been such a wonderful day, Maki,' Bashful said. 'I had so much fun helping you map out the trees, and describe them, too. Why, I wonder what tree I'll end up with? Not that I'm picky, mind you. They're all so lovely here!'
'Oh, I'm sure you will have a fine tree, Bashful, and the best thing is, we'll be living close to each other, just like we are now in Koalaville,' Maki remarked.
'I only hope my parakeets get used to the change in grove. They told me this morning that they aren't so sure about this move, since they like being in Koalaville so much.'
'Oh, I have an idea. Tell them that when they move over here with us, I'll make them a birdhouse. You can hang it from your branch, and they will have their own little home,' Maki offered. She had been thinking about giving Bashful a birdhouse for his upcoming birthday, and now she thought it would be a good occasion to mention it.
'Why, that would be wonderful!' Bashful was delighted. 'Let me tell them about it.'
He then began to make some high-pitched chirping noises, and if Maki had not seen that it was he who was making them, she would have thought it was one of the parakeets.
The parakeets then chirped something in reply.
'What did they say?' Maki asked.
'Oh, they are really happy now! They said they always wanted a house, since it would be so much cozier than just a nest, especially in winter,' Bashful translated.
'Fine! As soon as we move over here, I'll get to work on it. I should have it done in a few days at most.'
'Thank you so much, Maki, and thank you from my parakeets, too. Oh, here comes your father.'
'Are you two ready to head back to Koalaville?' Nory asked them.
'Yes, father, we are. We took notes on quite a few trees today. We covered all the ones in this sector,' Maki replied.
'Excellent! Then let's head home. We can make ourselves a delicious meal. Bashful, would you like to eat with us this evening?'
'Oh, well, yes, I guess so,' he replied, shyly looking down at the ground as he spoke.
'Thank you kindly for the offer, sir.'
'Don't mention it. You've done your share of work today, and we sure can use all the help we can get, there are so many trees here,' Nory said. They walked northeastward towards the edge of the grove, then out into the field at its upper end, right next to the forest. After getting back to Koalaville, they all went to Maki's family's tree, where all three of them participated in preparing a delectable dinner, consisting of fresh leaves with a bit of salt, almonds, and wild blueberries.
After supper they had eucalyptus tea while Maki told her father about all the trees she had catalogued that day. Bashful didn't say much, since he felt a bit inhibited around Maki's father, though Nory was very kind to him. The younger koala's natural shyness simply made it difficult to talk a lot in a group, even a small one. He did smile often when he was with them, despite his timidity. They, for their part, did their best to make him feel at home.