Snoops Copy-write P. Audcent 2014
Bridget Foster lay on a bank of grass looking at the flowers mummy had planted in the early spring. She had dug and dug the whole winter just to make this part of the garden pretty. Bridget had collected all the stones that the spade had uncovered and she piled them up over by the back door so her dad could use them in his concrete once they had been washed with the hose. And the plot had been finished and mummy was sitting in her deck chair whilst Bridget gazed at the new flowers waving in the breeze. Perhaps it was the breeze that had caught her eye, but no it was that funny little creature with a long mouse like nose that was earnestly digging by the daffodil bulbs.
“Its a bandicoot” said mummy softly. “No Bridget just stay quite and watch it from afar. Its a native animal and is doing no harm.”
“I truly thought it was a rat and I wondered how it had gotten into our garden.”
“Well I really don't know but it must have come from the woodland behind the garden fence and maybe the fence had a hole for it to come through.”
“I shall call him or her Snoops because of the very long nose. Look Mummy its eating a worm from your special patch.”
“Ah now I understand.” Said mummy softly, “Its the newly dug soil which is much looser and with the extra compost daddy put on lots of worms must have been transplanted from the compost heap.”
“Do you think I could have Snoops as a pet Mummy, its such a funny creature, I wonder if it is scared of us?” Bridget rose up onto her knees and carefully crouched moved closer to the bandicoot. It did not run away but it turned its eye towards her.
“I won't scare you Snoops I just want to watch what you are eating”, she called, so strangely enough Snoops continued digging and found a delicious grub, it crunched that quickly and went on digging with its nose until another worm was pulled from the earth. Bridget had settled closer to the flower border and lay down flat completely
entranced for an hour. Mummy had started to read her book again and so the two of them were very quite. But the sun was now drifting down so mummy called to say it was tea time and they both went inside. After tea when Daddy came home Bridget was full of questions about Snoops, how long was he going to stay in the garden, and should we go try to find the whole in the fence he had come through and repair it. But Daddy said Snoops was a wild animal and to just enjoy its company for however long it stayed.
Next morning immediately after breakfast Bridget dashed out into the garden and suddenly remembered to tread softly, she found Snoops over by the rhubarb and still digging with its little claws and that awesome nose.
Later she found a huge pile of last winters leaves and one evening saw Snoops dive in, it was home to the little bandicoot. What a wonderful thing to have a pet without having to feed or house it, and best of all Snoops was not a least bit afraid of her much larger friend. And then one day Snoops had seven little babies all blind and freshly born and mummy said she wondered why Snoops was so ravenous, she was growing babies! ---------