Kids Things

I remember as a little girl, six years old, I used to have an enormous rainbow trout as a friend.

The fish I found was trapped in a deep hole beneath a fallen Mountain Ash.

Our first encounter was a bit of a shocker.

I used to love to lay on the dead tree and read a book. The shock came when a huge fish nibbled my fingers which were dangling in the creek making me fall into the little Yarra. This made me cry because my book got wet.

Nobody knew the huge fish was there and daily I began to feed him lovely fat worms.
I also named him Slippery Ping Pong.

It was also a joy to know he was a bit partial to a bit of bread.

Slippery and I became great friends and daily he would come to my hand and swim around it gently nibbling my fingers and allow me to stroke him.

Often, the sun would cause me to fall asleep on the big old tree and I would always allow my hand to fall into the water just so I could stroke Slippery while drifting to sleep.

I never told anybody about him as I knew how prized he would be on the tea table.

One day Dad arrived inside very excited. He had seen the BIGGEST fish he'd ever seen in the creek by the fallen tree.

My Uncle also heard about the enormous rainbow trout. My Slippery.

Soon, the fishing lines were in place to catch him and the contest between Dad and my Uncle began. Who would catch him first?

And half an hour after they were set, I would go down and take the lines out of the water, give Slippery a big meal and forget the fishing lines.

Dad and my Uncle were mystified. And in their minds, the fish seemed to grow bigger and bigger.

In went the fishing lines ... out went the fishing lines, it seemed to them that a wood nymph was playing tricks ... or, the fish was human and kept throwing the lines out.

They had no idea I could go into the water and actually HOLD the fish they coveted.

The game with my Dad and Uncle was making me quite happy, but they were getting a bit upset about this "monster" and whatever was happening to their fishing lines.

I had visions of Slippery flaked and baked in Mum's oven and completely stuffed.

So I had an enormous task to do. At all costs, my Dad and Uncle had to be watched.

At night they would silently creep to the big hole with me trailing, hiding behind trees so they wouldn't see me. I had to be like a little mouse.

By the time I had turned eight, floods had come and gone down the Little Yarra creek, but Slippery had remained.

To him, I could chat about anything. And not a soul knew my association with him.

Dad and my Uncle were still trying to catch him, and I was still saving him.

After two years, Dad was ready to "let the poor bugga live. After all, he'd earned it!"
But not my Uncle. So, the two started all over again - and so did I.

Slippery was fed on the most delectable morsels a fish could eat! He ate out of my hand and together we would have a little swim, I could swim by the age of eight of course!

There was one difference to Dad and my Uncles steps as they went to set their lines. They were slower, and their whispers more sort of, dejected.

By the time I was nine, Slippery and I were the best of mates naturally! I had known him for three years! It had been a long friendship to a little girl!

Together, we had other bushland friends. Little birds would come down and fly around us and the platypuses of course.

But Dad and my Uncle began to become intent on getting Slippery.

I had turned ten when they both decided to blow up the big hole in order to stun him and grab him. There was no doubt about it though, he was huge and very fat.

Dad came home with a tin of something and hid it. It was a beautiful tin! Very, very pretty. I had no idea what was in it but found it of course!

I opened it expecting coloured pencils, but nope ... something very plain looking....

Soon Dad came screaming into the house. "WHO TOUCHED THAT TIN!!"

For Dad to be so upset was something very unusual. Nothing bothered Dad. But the movement of the tim had left him white and shaking.

I owned up of course, next thing, I got the biggest lecture I have ever had. The tin was filled with detonators.

One was going to be used to blow up the big hole and grab my fish! Instead, my playing with them could have blown me up!

The big hole and Slippery Ping Pong lived.

When I turned 11, Slippery was still living happily in his deep hole - and it was time for me to say goodbye to him. We were moving to Tasmania to live.

That was the saddest goodbye ever. Dad came to see what I was crying about and caught me playing with Slippery. Suddenly, everything fell into place and he laughed, but, I did get another lecture about the detonators.

From time to time I think about Slippery and all the fun we had. I realy had no idea a Rainbow Trout would live that long!

Wonder if he is still there?