THE KANGAROO THAT SAVED ITS HUMAN
On an isolated farm nestled among eucalyptus trees and barren hills lived Jim Hawkins, a 71yearold retired farmer who preferred the quiet of his animals to the clamor of the city. His wife had died ten years earlier, and since then his world was limited to his house, his garden, and an orphaned kangaroo he had rescued when it was barely the size of a milk bottle. He named it Miro.
It isnt a pet, Jim would say. Its a life partner.
Miro grew quickly. He bounded across the fields, yet always rested near the porch. When Jim tuned in to the radio, Miro would lie down beside him. Whenever Jim turned the soil or repaired a fence, the kangaroo trailed him like a silent shadow.
One morning, while working in the shed, Jim stumbled over a loose board and fell hardhard enough to freeze his back in place. The old Nokia he used was inside the house, and no one would arrive for two days.
Miro he whispered through clenched teeth. Help me, boy.
The kangaroo hopped over, sniffed his face. Jim grabbed Miros paw as best he could and pointed toward the house.
Go. Find help go.
It sounded ridiculous. How could a kangaroo understand that? Yet Miro bounded away, heading for the house. Jim thought the animal had simply fled.
Fifteen minutes later, a familiar voice called out.
Mr. Hawkins! Are you okay?
It was Sarah, the young veterinarian who sometimes stopped by to check on the wild creatures Jim tended. Miro had sprinted to the road where Sarahs van was parked, thumping the ground with his paws, making odd noises, darting back and forth, looking at her, and persisting until she followed.
Id never seen him act like that, she later recalled. It was as if he were shouting without a voice.
Jim was taken to the hospital with three broken ribs and a hip injury. Without Miros urgent search for help, he might have lain there for more than a day, alone and without water.
The local newspapers ran the story, dubbing him the hero kangaroo. Miro even appeared on national television, sporting a red bandana around his neck.
Jim recovered, but his outlook was forever altered.
I thought Id saved him, he said, voice trembling. But he taught me that true love needs no wordsjust brave leaps.
Today, a handpainted sign hangs at the farms entrance:
This is where a man lives and the kangaroo who wouldnt let him die alone.
And if you pass by at dusk in silence, you might spot Miro lounging on the porch, eyes halfclosed, watching over the old man who gave him a second chanceand, unknowingly, received one back.
