Part 2: Clattering Pebbles

Ulu: The closer you get to the light, the clearer things become.
Ulu: Those long, murky roads with no end in sight are far behind me. Now, I’m doing all I can to narrow the distance between her and me.
Ulu: But my light is still too faint... My voice is just a tiny cough, occasionally rising in her throat.
Ulu: For this alone, I’m happy.
Ulu: To see you again, to feel you—to feel that your heartbeat and breath are still out there.
Ulu: Not a single trace of the past seems to show any longer. It all lies somewhere deep within you now, like old clothes waiting forgotten at the bottom of a box.
In the heavy darkness, the flame struggles to flicker onward.
Ulu: I miss you so much, my friend.
Ulu: I want to return to your side, to be before your eyes. I want to see you.
Ulu: Faster, even faster! I need to talk to you face to face ...
Sam: Today’s training was a bit much,eh? My arms hurt like the blazes... I can barely lift them! I'll have to just plop my face on my plate when I get home to eat!
Sam: Swing training, swing training, and guess what? More swing training! When will it ever end?
The blonde-haired boy bellyaches aloud about his sports class and raises his tennis racket like the blade of a sword.
Two girls walk with him. One seems to be preoccupied with other matters, while the other turns to engage him in conversation.
Mia: Probably next term—next, next term...
Mia: Crikey... What a frightening thought. Luckily, the coach didn't seem to have his eye on me today, otherwise I’d probably be pulling my hair out, too.
Sam: Next term...? Next, next term? Crikey, you've got that right—abandon all hope, I say!
He lets out a heavy sigh and turns his head to look at the other girl.
Sam: Spathodea! Spathodea! Oi, Flammy!
Spathodea: Huh...? Oh! I'm here! What's up?
Sam: How’s it all going with you? Coach teach you anything new?
Spathodea: Coach just made us practice our footwork, same as last week.
Spathodea: And apart from that, we’ve gotta do some resistance band training at home—one set, left and right every day, and then jump rope...
Mia: See, what did I say? Flammy’s no bludger, not like someone I know.
The black-haired girl pats her diligent friend's shoulder with pride, imagining she was setting a medal round her neck.
Sam: Wow! You’re even doing all the home exercises?!
Spathodea: Well, Coach said I had to...
Mia: What's so strange about that? Flammy obviously wants to move on to the next stage as soon as she can and get some real hands-on experience, right?
Mia: She's not some big lazy couch potato who just lies around eating lamingtons as soon as she gets home, staring at the TV like a zombie, refusing to move a muscle—
Sam: Hey, Mia!
Mia: Nyaaa—! Hahaha!
The girl moves deftly, turning around to make a funny face, then running further ahead.
Spathodea: Wait, Mia!
Sam: You can’t just say something like that, then run off! Stop!
The children run off in all directions, a pleasant wind causing the little tumbleweeds to collide and drift apart.
Only one tumbleweed unwittingly falls behind, distracted by the stones on the road.
Ulu: Hey, Flammy! You remember, don’t you? You still remember how those funny guys used to pick out small stones on the road, right?
Ulu: Quick! Have a good look and choose the best one—the smoothest one there is!
Spathodea: These stones... They’re exactly what we need...
Spathodea: I should pick them up, put them on my knees... to get ready for Malingee.

Spathodea: Hey, I got one.
The girl bends down and picks up a pebble from the sand.
Ulu: That’s a nice one you’ve got there! That’s the one, Flammy!
Ulu: You can hear my voice, can’t you? We haven't seen each other in so long...
The flat pebble burns in her palm. It is a familiar and intimate warmth.
The rustling sound around her ears becoming more distinct as the temperature rises.
Spathodea: I heard the flames calling out my name, just like the ones that were running with me on that field...
Ulu: I'd still run with you if that’s what you want! There are so many places we could run to!
Spathodea: She’s... She’s the flame I should remember... She and I, we...
Sam: Flammy, what are you doing back there all by yourself?
Her friend's voice drowns out the flickering voice, and she regains her senses, clenching the stone in her hand.
Sam: Y'alright? Strewth, you've been in another world all day today...
Spathodea: It’s nothing... I'm feeling much better now!
She responds almost instinctively, and to prove her presence of mind, she bends her knee and lays two pebbles flat on it.
They shake for a moment but eventually come to rest.
Sam: Wow! How did you manage to keep them so steady like that? Wait for me, I'll find some pebbles—I wanna give it a try!
Sam: Hey, Mia! Get over here and check out Flammy!
Children's attention shift so easily to such novelties.
Mia and Sam stand around Spathodea, marveling at the pebbles on her knee.
Mia: How do you play? Is it whoever can jump on one leg faster and without falling over wins?
Mia: Or do you need to knock the stone up and then catch it?
If you wanted to introduce those wonderful sports to your friends, now may be the perfect moment.
Spathodea: Yeah, nah, that’s not how you play. This game has a name. It's called... Malingee's Harvest.
Spathodea: A long, long time ago, people would compete in a grand event, riding long redwood branches and dancing around a fire with these small stones on their knees.
Spathodea: If the stones dropped, you’d have to go stand at the edge of the field and watch the other contenders compete.
Mia: I get it; it’s like a marathon or a track and field race, right?
Spathodea: It’s not a running race! Each athlete had to chase the flames with all they’ve got and try their best to catch them—
She looks left, then right, and then finally fixes her gaze on a leaf above her head, illuminated by the sun.
Spathodea: Three, two ... one!
She leaps into the air and drops back down onto steady feet, with a bright, fleeting flare gathered in the center of her clasped hands.
Spathodea: Just like this!
Sam: Crikey...! How did you do that?!
Sam: You jumped so high and still managed to grab the leaf you were aiming for?
Spathodea: To be honest, I don’t rightly know... Maybe it’s just one of my special talents? Like running or boxing!
Mia: Flammy’s always been good at sports and stuff like that. She even came first in the sprint at our last sports day.
Mia: So... Can you come first in this "Malingee" game? I mean, can anyone win?
Their expectant gazes naturally turn to the girl holding the leaf.
Spathodea: Of course, you can. According to what it says in those storybooks and legends—
Spathodea: Malingee's Harvest can go on for a very long time—it can last one night or even weeks. If everyone's stones fall, then all the players that are watching get to return to the game.
Spathodea: Only when someone grabbed the hottest, most scorching spark from the fire was the game considered over. That's when they found the fire's soul.
Sam: That’s so cool!
Sam raises his hands, overwhelmed with excitement.
Sam: We’ve got plenty of stones right here... Can we play too?
Mia: Play with fire? You drop-kick; your mum would have a fit if she knew you were planning on crawling around in a fire, trying to catch sparks...
Spathodea: Mum says safety is of the utmost importance in all sports... we can't just go jumping around in a fire like the legends...
The child releases the pebble and props up her chin in her dusty little hand as though in deep thought.
Spathodea: Maybe we can change the rules up a little to make it more like a kind of game we can actually play...
Winding water flows across valleys and vast expanses of sand, finally flowing toward another spring.
On the foggy side of the glass, the scorching heat fluctuates.
Spathodea: I remember... I remember... I talked with someone about improving the rules...
Ulu: The skill behind selecting a stone cannot be underestimated! You need to choose the flattest you can find, but you also need to pay attention to the fire—you can’t put any thorny shrubs in there as tinder...
Ulu: What do you have in mind, Flammy?
Ulu: Look! So many others want to compete in the Uluru Games with you!
Spathodea: —?
The little girl shakes her head, and the thin, imperceptible flow of water is interrupted once more.
Spathodea: Ahem... I’ve got it.
Spathodea: Each person chooses two pebbles and places them on one knee.
Spathodea: Then, we’ll need to mark the starting and finish line... We can't fly, so we'll have to jump to the end!
Spathodea: We need to agree on which tree we’re aiming for first, and then we need to figure out which leaf has the brightest light shining on it.
Spathodea: Then, whoever catches the leaf with the most, the biggest, and the most brilliant light spot is the winner!
Spathodea: What do you think? Any other rules you wanna add?
Spathodea looks at her friends.
Mia: I'm ready for action! Let's get started!
Sam: Hey, I can jump a few steps forward with one leg like this! I'll definitely catch the best patch of light!
The children try it for themselves and quickly grasp the trick of it.
All they need to do now is get into the game and play.
Spathodea: Hah! This branch is even higher! Hey! Who bumped into me?!
Spathodea: Haha... Wait, you two... Don't run away... Hahaha...
Ulu: Needless to say, she won many a victory, time and time again.
Ulu: She’s always been good at catching things that flash by and keeping them in her palm.
Ulu: She grabbed those scattered dots of light, just like she once grabbed my fiery skirt.
Ulu: That was the first time we met.
Over the course of two or three days, their walk home becomes an opportunity to share various tips for selecting the best stones and the correct angles for jumping, and soon become engraved wisdom passed to each new player.
A simple yet competitive game always has the power to spread quickly among children.
And along with it spreads a positive and enthusiastic competitive spirit.
Sam: How did Flammy win again today? I’ve even been practicing in secret!
Spathodea: Heh, that’s because I’ve been imagining this is a real competition! I’ve been treating each match with one hundred percent seriousness!
Sam: Whatever! Let’s play again tomorrow and see what happens! There’s no way you can win ten times in a row, or twenty times in a row, or however many times you’ve won...
Mia: You don’t stand a chance, Sam. I've got all the tricks down pat!
The little girl takes a few steps and stands beside the tree, carefully counting the scratches on it.
She then announces the results of the competition in a loud and exaggerated tone.
Mia: One, two... Oh! And still in the top spot is our one and only—Spathodea, our amazing Flammy! She’s already won the Malingee championship six times in a row!
Sam: You know everyone’s playing your game at school these days, maybe there’s already someone better than you out there, Flammy?
Indeed, once someone's competitive spirit is awakened, it is very difficult to put it to rest.
But a burning flame will use anything as fuel.
Spathodea: Bonzer! More skilled athletes means more people to train against, so I can get better even faster!
Spathodea: Doesn’t matter whether it's me or anyone else—the champion oughta be someone who abides by the rules and shows off their skill!
Tickets to the pictures from doing the weekly chores, helping the lady next door walk her dog, and saving up for a few months to buy new boxing gloves. After eating up all of her vegetables, her mother kisses her forehead.
These are the things gained through hard work and patience. For this passionate little flame, this is what it means to be a champion.