Nella woke up early. She was so excited! Today was the day of the river trip. She jumped out of bed and looked out of the window. No, it wasn't raining for once! She got dressed quickly and shouted at her brother Jed.
"Come on, get up! It's the day of the trip."
Jed sat up, rubbed his eyes and tried to focus.
"Quick, quick!" cried Nella. "Hurry up! I want to try out the new boat!"
After breakfast Nella and Jed asked their dad to drive them down to the boatyard on the edge of the river. They set off along the long spit of land between the river and the sea. When they arrived they found the new blue boat waiting for them.
"She’s a beautiful boat," said Nella. "Thanks, dad."
"Now, just you be careful today – and don’t go very far down the river," he said.
Nella and Jed got into the boat and packed their picnic under the seat. Nella started the engine and away they went into the centre of the wide, brown river, off towards the trees and the unknown flow of the river.
"Bye, dad!" they called. "See you this afternoon."
As they got into the centre of the river Nella slowed the engine. They looked around at the tall trees on the banks of the river. They could hear lots of noises – birds calling from the treetops, insects buzzing over the water. A bright turquoise bird swooped into the water to catch a fish. The insects hummed and it felt very hot. After ten minutes they felt the drops of water running off their faces.
The boat chugged on round a bend in the river. On the distant sandbank they saw a long, dark creature basking in the sun. It opened one eye and then suddenly - 'plop'- it disappeared into the water.
"What was that?" shouted Jed. "It looked like a croc to me!" said Nella. "We’d better be careful."
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