Nigel Clayton

“placed Narahdarn, the bat, to watch over the honey which is for the bees. Narahdarn will be drawn forth if the honey is taken by you and then you will have to deal with Death.”     “What is death?” asked Ber-rook-boorn.”     “You mean to ask, who is Death,” replied Baiame. “Death has the power to take your life if my laws should be broken, and there is nothing I can do about it. This tree belongs to Death; he is trapped within it which is why it is sacred. Do not allow him to escape. So the tree belongs to him, as the honey belongs to the bees, all of this in the same way that the name Ber-rook-boorn now belongs to you. Do not touch the honey,” said Baiame once more and then disappeared from view.     It was several days later when the woman could stand it no more. The honey from the hive, hanging within the branches of the yarran tree, were dripping upon the ground and seemingly going to waste. It looked so delightful. So she grabbed her digging stick and pushed it into the hive, twirling the stick as she did so. The stick was soon covered in honey and she drew it out. Now placing it into her mouth her face lit up with a great expression of joy and as it did so there was a terrible screeching sound from atop the yarran tree.     Down came Narahdarn who planted himself upon a branch and hung there up-side-down.     “Who are you to take that which is sacred?” asked Narahdarn with a note of sarcasm attached.     “I am the wife of Ber-rook-boorn,” she replied, nervously.”
― Nigel Clayton, Dreamtime: An Aboriginal Odyssey