Click here Roddy The Rooster Contest Answer three simple questions (all answers at this site) to enter a monthly draw to win Roddy The Rooster & Friends video, cd and colour-in book and consolation prizes. Story #32 "Who's Roddy?" If you would like to have Roddy's Story of the Month sent to you each month by e-mail, subscribe to Roddy's Story of the Month Mailing List! You can also read previous months' feature stories, one for each month since August 1997. Most have a picture, so have a look! - Other Farmyard Stories

Click on the name of any of Roddy's friends in the story to see links to other stories they feature in.

Written by Roddy Lee This morning, Roddy The Rooster woke up with a start. He had been dreaming and had swung his head around whilst still asleep, and hit it on a rafter in his barn. "Ouch!" Roddy The Rooster is always first to rise in the morning, but not usually with a bonk to his beak. Roddy rubbed his head and climbed to the roof of his barn to give his familar morning wake-up call. "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!" A new morning had dawned and what a morning of confusion it would turn out to be. As Roddy turned to leave the roof of his barn he was surprised to hear, "Good Morning, Roddy. What a lovely day!" "What!?" he thought, "Good Morning who??" There on the ground in front of him was Cassie The Carpetsnake. "Good Morning, Roddy," she said, again. Roddy scratched his head, "Good Morning snake." "What do you mean, good morning snake?" Cassie asked, "Have you forgotten my name, Roddy?" Roddy The Rooster looked down to Cassie and said, "I'm sorry, but I don't know you, do I? And who's Roddy??" "Why, you are!" stated Cassie, "You're Roddy The Rooster..." then she stopped herself, "Oh, your playing a game with me, aren't you, Roddy?" Roddy scratched his head again, "No, snake. This is not a game - who are you? And who am I?" "Oh ho!" Cassie said to herself, with great realisation, "I think Roddy has amnesia." Roddy The Rooster returned to his barn as the other farmyard animals woke for the new day. As each animal awoke he was confronted with the same greeting, "Good Morning, Roddy," sang the Cheeky Chicks. "Good Morning, Roddy," said Mrs Hen and Joe The Jolly Jumbuck in unison. Desmond Duck and Mrs Cow greeted Roddy too. So did Mr Horse. And Penny and Pixie Piglet. But Roddy didn't recognise any of his friends. He just sat down and sorrowfully rubbed his head. It didn't take long for everyone to realise that all was not well with Roddy The Rooster. Cassie The Carpetsnake came into the barn and spoke up, "Hey everyone, gather round. We have a problem here!" All the farm animals moved in as Cassie started to talk. "It seems Roddy has lost his memory so we have to work out a way to get it back." "Oww!" came a moan from the corner. It was Roddy still rubbing his bruised brain. "My head hurts!" Cassie The Carpetsnake lead the other animals over to Roddy. "Have you knocked your head, Roddy?" Cassie asked. "Yes, in my sleep, as I woke up. I was dreaming when suddenly, bang! I hit my head on the rafter," he said pointing to his coop positioned high in the barn near the ceiling. "Well, it seems that bump has robbed you of your memory," stated Joe. "Well, help me," pleaded Roddy, "I want to know who I am!!" Mrs Cow spoke up. "Sometimes reliving old memories can jolt the brain back into shape. What do you say?" "I'll try anything," said Roddy, "Tell me about myself." "Well," started Cassie, "Remember the time we found the baby magpie had fallen from his nest and we had to rescue him?" "No," said Roddy blankly. "You tried to put him back up the tree, and Joe tried to put him back up in the tree, but the only one who could do it was me. Remember?" Roddy thought a moment, "Joe?" he finally asked, "Who's Joe?" Joe The Jolly Jumbuck stepped forward, "Stop this Roddy. You know me. We go back years. Remember when I couldn't stop scratching in my sleep and we worked out that I sleep walk . That's how I ended up asleep on an ant's nest? Remember?" "That was with me!" butted in Mrs Cow. "Yes, I remember it was with you," said Joe The Jolly Jumbuck, "There's nothing wrong with my memory! But everyone on the farm found out about it! And that was because of you, too, Mrs Cow!" "No, no," Roddy shook his head, "I don't remember any of that!" He looked at Joe again, "Are you sure we're old friends?" Joe didn't have time to answer. The Cheeky Chicks wanted a turn, "Roddy you remember when we played hide and seek and that wild cat jumped down between us scattering us everywhere!" Mr Horse jumped in, "Yes, I remember that! I was there too. And so was Klaus the house mouse. You must remember him, Roddy?" Roddy searched his mind for a familiar clue but all he could find was, "No, I don't remember a mouse called Klaus. Sorry, horse." "Horse!!" Mr Horse sniffed indignantly, "Mr Horse, if you don't mind." Roddy wasn't having his best morning! Things were getting a little out of hand so Cassie The Carpetsnake spoke again, "Maybe if we show him around the farm he might remember who he is!" Soon all the animals were outside the barn looking around the yard pointing out the familiar spots around Tumbledown Creek Farm. The windmill, the chicken coop, the farmer's truck, Mr Horse's barn - but Roddy couldn't identify one of them! "To the creek!" suggested Desmond Duck, "Roddy used to love...er, sorry, Roddy loves swimming in Tumbledown Creek. Maybe he'll remember everything if we take him down there." So all the farm animals headed to the Tumbledown Creek swimming hole. But there was no joy there, either. Roddy didn't recognise the creek. Nor did he recognise Mr Wombat's home in the bank on the side of the creek. Nor Uncle Tim's home high in the eucalypts near the swimming hole. Roddy sat on the bank cupping his sore head in his hand as his friends took advantage of the creek on a hot morning. They swam and splashed, laughing and playing until Roddy could stand no more. Quietly, he stood and left the creek returning to the safety of his coop high in the barn. "Hey, where's Roddy?" called Cassie. All the animals looked around to find Roddy missing. In a flurry they left the creek and raced toward the farm. And as a group they charged into the barn,"Rodddddyyyyyy??!!" "Ahh!" BONK! Roddy The Rooster woke up with a start. "Ouch!" He rubbed his head having just woken up from a nap and hitting his head on the rafter....again! Roddy looked down at his friends, "So what's all the noise about? Cassie, is this your idea?" Cassie looked up at Roddy, "You know my name!!" "Of course I know your name. We've been living here together on Tumbledown Creek Farm since the bushfires of 94. What's wrong with you Cassie?" A moment's silence preceeded the biggest cheer yet heard on Tumbledown Creek Farm - "HOOOO-RAYYYYY!" "Roddy's OK!" "Three Cheers for Roddy The Rooster!!" After the cheering had died down Cassie explained to Roddy the unusual morning that they had had. Roddy The Rooster had no recollection of the morning's events but was so grateful to his friends when he found out how hard they had tried to help him. The second knock on the head had returned his memory. "And that cheering, well, it was enough to raise the rafters!" laughed Roddy. "That might be a good idea!" Cassie laughed back as she gently kissed Roddy twice - once on each of the bumps that now stood out on his head. More Roddy The Rooster's Farmyard Stories #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20 #21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36

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