Moonlight spills across the red rock burrow. A long shadow stretches from the gum tree — tall and twisting.
Roo hops closer, ears perked up. The shadow taps his paw. 'Hullo,' says Roo, and the shadow taps back.
Something rustles in the dry grass. A small shape darts behind a spinifex tuft — two white eyes blink back.
The shape sneezes. Sneeze-sneeze — and rolls into a puff of brown fluff. Roo laughs out loud.
A low growl rumbles from the dark hollow under the red rock. Roo draws a breath.
He walks to the edge and peeks inside. Inside, a tiny possum balances on a twig, holding it up like a torch.
'You're not scary at all,' he whispers. The possum yawns, showing tiny teeth.
The whole bush is full of secrets now. Roo checks each shadow, each noise, each hiding place.
A moth bumps his ear — tickle-tickle. A cricket saws its legs — tweet-tweet.
Roo's eyelids grow heavy, his hops grow slow. He curls up on the soft grass bed.
The gum tree sways once, then falls quiet. Roo sleeps.
Morning light warms the red rock. Roo wakes with a big stretch and a happy hop. The world waits.