“Oh God, no!” shrieked Errol before the creature ripped out his throat.

Leila watched, too shocked to even run away as the lifeless head of Errol Thomas fell to the ground and rolled toward her, stopping only centimetres from her feet.   Then before the redhead’s eyes, the creature began to tear Errol’s body limb from limb.

Finally, it picked up Errol’s limbless torso in its wolf-like jaws and stepped out of the blue-gum circle, toward the redhead.

“No, please,” said Leila, thinking the bizarre animal was starting after her now.   But the creature ignored the redhead and started to run into the forest.   As it ran it flapped its oversized wings and — to the shocked disbelief of Leila Wilde — launched itself into flight.

“Oh God, Errol!” Leila cried, looking back toward the apple tree.

Except that it was no longer an apple tree.   But a common blue gum.   Around which was spread the head and severed limbs of Errol Thomas, liberally soaked in his own blood.

*      *      *

“The bunyip can not only outrun a racing car,” persisted Weari-Wyingga, despite Garbarla’s obvious scepticism, “it can also swim like a porpoise or fly through the air like an eagle.   Although its favourite food is frogs, it will attack and kill humans or other mammals.   But it only devours the torso, leaving behind the head and limbs.”

Garbarla fidgeted restlessly, not knowing what to make of the old man’s story.   ‘Surely it can’t be true?’ he thought, staring at the old man, who sat on a grass mat on the dirt floor in the front room of the corrugated-iron hut.   The squat red-gum table between them and the mats they sat on the only furnishings in the grey-walled room.

“Sometimes the bunyip forms a Circle of Power.   A circle of gum leaves or pine needles held together by its own faeces.   Anything stepping into the Circle of Power is frozen rigid, although it can still speak, bark, meow or whatever.   A bunyip has the power to hypnotise people into seeing something they like, to lure them to step forward into the Circle of power….”