Toad Heaven Read Online Free PDF Page B

of the swamp with all the other rellies, and everyone was sniffling and dabbing at their eyes with dry bark or furry caterpillars.
    What's happened? wondered Limpy. Have they heard about the germs already?
    He wished he could go and give them a goodbye hug and tell them they'd be okay as long as they went straight to the national park and didn't kiss any strange cane toads.
    I don't dare, thought Limpy. Even if I stick a big leaf over my nose and mouth, it's too risky. One sneeze or cough and I could infect everyone.
    He didn't dare go even a bit closer. If virus germs were anything like wild pig fleas, they could probably jump huge distances even without wild pigs chasing them.
    All he could do was stay hidden and watch.
    Then Limpy saw something that made him feel even more miserable: Malcolm putting one big arm round Charm and the other round Mum, as if he was taking care of them.
    “Get your paws off my family,” muttered Limpy.
    He wanted to shout it, but he didn't in case they might hear and come hurrying over. He watched in frustration as Malcolm took one of Mum's hands and started patting it.
    “Yuck,” groaned Limpy.
    Virus germs or no virus germs, Limpy could barely stop himself from rushing across the clearing and jamming a sharp twig up Malcolm's nose. In fact, heknew he couldn't stop himself, not unless he did something drastic.
    He did something drastic.
    He hopped round to the front of the sticky sap tree, then flung himself back against it. The sticky sap gripped him all the way from his neck to his buttocks.
    Malcolm was giving Dad's shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.
    Limpy struggled to free himself, to get over there and sort Malcolm out with a large lump of possum poo, but the sticky sap held him tight.
    Where's Ancient Eric? thought Limpy furiously. Ancient Eric should be the one helping everyone get over the scare of the four-wheel drive, not smarmy-mucus Malcolm.
    Limpy watched as Malcolm went over to a small mound of earth, turned, puffed out his chest, and addressed the gathered rellies.
    “Ancient Eric was a fine leader,” he intoned, “and we will always remember him.”
    What?
    Limpy strained to hear more.
    Malcolm bent forward and placed something on the mound of earth. It was flat and white and very smooth.
    Limpy gasped.
    It was Ancient Eric.
    Squashed.
    But how? Ancient Eric hadn't been near the highway since cars got power steering.
    Then Limpy remembered how Malcolm had changed direction and made the four-wheel drive crash into Ancient Eric's rock. Ancient Eric must have come out of his cave to see what all the racket was about just before the moment of impact and been squashed. Talk about tragic timing.
    Unless …
    It was a terrible thought, and Limpy's warts burned as he had it.
    Unless Malcolm had planned it that way.
    “It is with gratitude and humility,” Malcolm was saying solemnly now to the other cane toads, “that I accept your invitation to take his place as your leader.”
    Limpy felt like his warts were going to explode. He kicked and wriggled, flailing his arms, trying to tear himself off the tree so he could hop across the clearing in a huge furious semicircle and tell everyone what Malcolm had done.
    But all Limpy managed to do was get one of his hands stuck to the tree as well.
    Malcolm was still speaking. What Limpy heard next made him jolt with shock so violently that his hand ripped away from the tree.
    “Limpy was much loved by us all,” said Malcolm,“and we will always remember him. He was a close personal friend of mine, even though he was a bit pushy at times.”
    Was?
    Limpy stared across the clearing.
    Malcolm was standing next to another mound of earth.
    Mum and Dad and Charm and Goliath were sobbing so hard now, Limpy could see their shoulders shaking even at that distance.
    Stack me, thought Limpy, stunned. They think I'm dead too.
    “In the absence of Limpy's body,” Malcolm was saying, “which after a thorough search of the area we've failed to