It was a warm summer’s day, and a gentle breeze was blowing. A bilby was hopping along the track when he suddenly bumped into something prickly.
Oh! Who are you?
I’m the Echidna Without Zips.
It turned out to be an echidna. By accident, he had poked the bilby.
Why are you so prickly? You look so cute! asked the bilby.
My spines grow out, that’s all, replied the echidna.
But other echidnas don’t poke anyone!
That’s because other echidnas wear jumpers with zips. I don’t have any zips, so my jumper blows open in the wind and my spines stick out.
Well, why didn’t you say so? exclaimed the bilby. Come back to my burrow! We’ll think of something!
Thanks, bilby! said the echidna, delighted. What’s your name?
Just Bilby. And yours?
I’m the Echidna Without Zips.
Can I just call you Echidna? asked Bilby.
Of course you can! said the echidna.
And so they headed off to Bilby’s burrow.
What kind of zips do you need? asked Bilby.
All echidnas have jumpers. But we only wear them when we go for a walk, so we don’t prick anyone. These jumpers have zips on them. But I don’t have a single zip, sighed the echidna.
Don’t be sad! We’ll fix it right now!
How?
I’ll sew zips onto your jumper. I’ll just pop out and get them!
Bilby found some zips in the cupboard and sewed them onto the echidna’s jumper with a needle and thread.
There you go, he said. Now this jumper has a whole 9 zips!
Thank you, Bilby! All the other echidnas have 7 or 8 zips! And I have a whole 9! the echidna exclaimed in awe.
And so the Echidna Without Zips became just an echidna. Bilby showed kindness and helped his new friend, even though he was prickly.
