English Original
A long time ago, animals weren't animals - they were people. Koobor the koala was a boy. His parents were dead and he lived with relatives in a very dry part of the country, where there was never enough water.
Everyone in the family was given water each evening, but Koobor was always given his drink last and he never thought it was enough.
"I'm still thirsty!" he cried, "I want more water."
"Be quiet, Koobor" shouted his relatives. "You're an orphan and we've given you a home. You should be grateful and take what you are given." If he complained again, they beat him and called him ungrateful.
When they were going out to look for food, they hid their water buckets so that Koobor couldn't drink any more water.
Koobor learned how to take moisture from gum leaves, but it was never enough to stop him feeling thirsty.
One day when the relatives left Koobor alone and went to find food, they forgot to hide their water buckets. As soon as they were out of sight, he drank all the water his stomach could hold. For the first time he wasn't thirsty, but his body swelled up like a balloon.
When the sun started to rest for the night, Koobor knew that his relatives would come back soon. They would beat him and take all the water and he would be thirsty again.
He collected all the water buckets and climbed into the branches of a small tree.
Then he sang a special song and the tree began to grow and grow, with Koobor sitting in the middle of it, holding the buckets.
His relatives came back hot and tired after searching for food all day. They could not find their water buckets or Koobor. Then they saw him in the tallest of all the trees, with water buckets hanging from the branches.
"Koobor, bring those buckets down now, or we will beat you" they cried. "No! I'm not coming down" shouted Koobor. "It's your turn to be thirsty!"
Several men started to climb the tall tree, but Koobor threw the water buckets at them, knocking them to the ground.
Finally, two men managed to climb up, dodging the buckets. They grabbed Koobor, beat him very badly and threw him down.
His broken body smashed into the earth, where it changed into Koobor the Koala.
The animal climbed into a nearby tree and began munching gum leaves. Then he looked down at the people on the ground.
"From now on, you may kill me if you need food, but you must cook my body before you take off my skin or break my bones.
This is my law. If you don't follow it, I will come back and dry up all the rivers and lakes and you will always be thirsty."
This is why Koalas don't need water to keep alive and why aborigines always follow Koobor's law when cooking a dead koala. They are frightened that he will come back and take all their water, leaving them thirsty forever.
中文翻译
很久以前，动物并非动物——它们是人。考拉库伯是一个男孩。他的父母去世了，他和亲戚们住在一个非常干旱的地区，那里永远没有足够的水。
每天晚上，家里的每个人都会分到水，但库伯总是最后一个喝，而且他总觉得不够。
“我还是渴！”他哭喊道，“我想要更多的水。”
“安静点，库伯！”他的亲戚们吼道。“你是个孤儿，我们给了你一个家。你应该感恩，给你什么就拿什么。”如果他再抱怨，他们就会打他，骂他忘恩负义。
当他们出去寻找食物时，他们会把水桶藏起来，这样库伯就喝不到更多的水了。
库伯学会了从桉树叶中汲取水分，但这从来不足以让他解渴。
有一天，亲戚们留下库伯独自一人去找食物，他们忘了藏起水桶。他们一离开视线，库伯就把肚子能装下的水全喝光了。这是他第一次不觉得渴，但他的身体却像气球一样肿胀起来。
当太阳开始落山休息时，库伯知道他的亲戚们很快就会回来。他们会打他，拿走所有的水，他又会口渴。
他收集了所有的水桶，爬上了一棵小树的树枝。
然后他唱起一首特别的歌，树开始不断生长，库伯坐在树中间，手里拿着水桶。
他的亲戚们找了一整天食物，又热又累地回来了。他们找不到水桶，也找不到库伯。然后他们看到他在最高的那棵树上，水桶挂在树枝上。
“库伯，现在把那些桶拿下来，不然我们就打你！”他们喊道。“不！我不下来！”库伯喊道。“现在轮到你们口渴了！”
几个人开始爬那棵高树，但库伯把水桶扔向他们，把他们砸倒在地。
最后，两个人设法爬了上去，躲开了水桶。他们抓住库伯，狠狠地打了他一顿，然后把他扔了下去。
他破碎的身体摔在地上，变成了考拉库伯。
这只动物爬上了附近的一棵树，开始大嚼桉树叶。然后他低头看着地上的人们。
“从现在起，如果你们需要食物，可以杀了我，但你们必须在剥我的皮或折断我的骨头之前，先烹煮我的身体。
这是我的法则。如果你们不遵守，我会回来，让所有的河流和湖泊干涸，你们将永远口渴。”
这就是为什么考拉不需要水来维持生命，以及为什么原住民在烹煮死去的考拉时总是遵循库伯的法则。他们害怕他会回来夺走他们所有的水，让他们永远口渴。