The Quiet Clue

Echo was a quiet echidna who lived near the reserve. With her long nose and sharp claws, she spent her days digging burrows and sniffing for ants. She usually avoided humans, but she loved listening to sounds from the world above.

That afternoon, Echo heard something strange: a tiny cry and the soft sound of breathing coming from a narrow animal tunnel near the rocks.

She poked her nose near the entrance, sniffed, then began digging, not to hide, but to guide. Nearby, a ranger spotted her.

“Isn’t that Echo?” he said. “She’s acting odd…” They watched as Echo scratched and paced around the mouth of the tunnel. Curious, the rangers moved closer, and that’s when they heard it. A muffled voice from below.

A Spiky Little Star

That evening, Echo became the tiny hero of Bushridge. The town held a small celebration at the reserve with cupcakes, balloons, and a big cardboard burrow for kids to crawl through.

Echo didn’t come to the party; she preferred her quiet spot near the rocks, but the rangers left her favourite snack: a big dish of ants and grubs.

A sign was placed near the tunnel entrance:
“Echo’s Watch Home of a True Hero”

And from that day on, whenever kids played at the reserve, they always waved toward the bushes and whispered, “Thanks, Echo!”

The End !