illustrated Everyday Expressions with Stories 1 » Lesson 13 - The Kalligooroo
| 1. put off | a. to display proudly |
| 2. run across | b. to follow quickly |
| 3. run after | c. to have no more of something |
| 4. run out of | d. to see by chance |
| 5. show off | e. to delay |
This is an Australian Aboriginal story that tells how death came into the world. Long ago, there was a time called Dreamtime. There was a long piece of painted wood, called a kalligooroo, set up as a bridge between the earth and the sky. In Dreamtime, people never died. They could go across this bridge whenever they wanted. In both places there was plenty to eat, so no one ever ran out of food.
Every day, quite a few people crossed the kalligooroo. It was common to run across an old friend. These friends might shake hands with each other and talk for a few minutes before going on their way. If someone wanted to go across, it was not necessary to say good-bye and see him or her off. Because no one ever died, they knew that they would meet again across the kalligooroo.
One day, a woman found gold by the river. She wanted to show off her gold to her friends in the sky. It was getting dark, but she wanted to leave right away. She was so excited, she could not put off the trip. She put on her traveling skirt and then put together a bag of things she would need. She took a little food, some water, and a few sticks that she could use to make a fire for cooking.
As the woman walked across the kalligooroo, night came. The woman was afraid that people would run after her and try to take the gold. She could not put up with the idea of someone else having her gold. Then the woman remembered the sticks. A fire would protect her from thieves! The woman removed the sticks from her bag. She put them down in the middle of the kalligooroo and started a small fire. This proved to be a big mistake. The fire burned a large part of the kalligooroo! Now it was impossible for anyone to go across.
The woman ran away. However, someone saw her. Soon everyone knew that the woman had burned the kalligooroo, and no one could ever go to live in the sky again. Those people who were already in the sky could never come back to live on the earth again.
When the woman looked up at the part of the kalligooroo still in the sky at night, those people stuck in the sky were very angry. They were reminded of the woman and what resulted from her foolish behavior. They sent death to kill the woman. So all women were told never to look up at the sky at night or they might see the kalligooroo and die.
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