Dreamer

Chapter 4

"Dreamer!" I screech. He bounces down the road. "Help me catch him!" I yell. Jack and I sprint after him, but little Dreamer doesn't stop. He bounces down to the creek, making all the birds fly away, and before I know it another body goes flying into the creek. It's Jack. I guess I have to go in too. I jump in and my feet hit the squishy, muddy ground. The water comes up to my chest. It is freezing. Jack doesn't really seem to care about how cold it is, he just wants to get to the other side to catch Dreamer. It takes me a bit longer to get to the other side, but I'm still across in a bit less than a minute. I jump out and run after Jack and Dreamer. They are going into the bush now. I hope there aren't any snakes.

I run into the bushy forest and get scratched by a couple of dead branches. "Ouch!" I yell, but I don't stop running. Up ahead Jack is getting closer to the naughty little kangaroo. He pounces at it but misses and falls on his face. I giggle, because he sort of deserves it after being so rude to me. "Jack," I say as I get closer. "Are you alright?" He answers, "I'm fine, just keep chasing that stupid kangaroo or he'll get away." He gives me an evil glare. In the distance Dreamer is bouncing around the trees, and he looks like he is having the time of his life out there. Maybe it would be better if I left him. But there would still be quite a big chance that he wouldn't survive. I keep running but I don't think there is much chance of me catching him. He is a lot faster and fitter than me and he can jump around or over almost anything.

After another 10 minutes of running I finally stop, and I realise I've been running very hard. I almost can't breathe. Dreamer is still bouncing on. I know I have to keep going. I take a big breath in and continue jogging towards him. Then, all of a sudden, Dreamer is on the ground and Jack is standing about 50 metres away from Dreamer. He is holding a gun in his hand. I sprint towards them. "What did you do!" I yell at Jack, holding back tears. "Calm down," says Jack. "It's a tranquilizer. He'll be back and jumping around in half an hour." I feel so relieved. That is, until Jack says, "Actually, he won't be jumping around, unless you have a license to keep him. He'll be in a cage with us at the council."

My heart sinks. "But, but, you can't do that!" I yell. Jack answers, "Yes I can. I am a council member, you know. It's the law. No license, no kangaroo. Unless you have a license, you can't keep him. It's too late to get one now. So say your goodbyes." I am really angry with Jack. "How could you? You're a monster. I don't know how I could ever be friends with you," I scream at him. He doesn't really seem to care. He lifts Dreamer up and carries him back to my house. I give Dreamer one last pat when he is just awake. Then he is in a cage, in the back of the council van. Skye and I watch as he is driven away, the van slowly fading into the distance.