[child] But why can't I go swimming?
[parent] Oh, you don't want the bunyip to get you.
In the billabongs throughout Australia lurks a monster so vile.
Nasty, big, pointy teeth.
Scales and feathers.
A beast made up of the parts of many animals,
all more terrifying than the last.
- Its loathsome call shrieks! - [yelps]
- [chuckles] - Leaving listeners chilled to the bone.
On dark, moonless nights just like this one, the dreaded creature prowls.
And that is why you never swim alone at night.
[child] Come on, Ma.
There's no such thing as bunyips.
[parent] You reckon?
Hmm. If you say so.
[creature growling]
[sighs]
Ah, the vivid scent of the outdoors.
[grunts] You have a fine vista of nature's sun-kissed foliage.
Alas, something we sorely lack in the Restricted Wing.
And what have we here?
[Pandora] Bird feeder, but not one bird.
The whole point of this assignment is
to show how humans interact with nature in a positive way,
and I need some birds to interact.
I'm the animal whisperer in the family. This should be easy for me.
Look how I tricked out Linda's terrarium.
- She loves it. - [Linda chirping]
Alex says failure is part of the scientific process.
- [groans] - Oh! What was that?
[gasps] It's a bird!
See? It was just a matter of time before one showed up. Ooh!
- [gasps] - [squawking]
[Pandora] Uh, what's it doing?
[Stanley] Red eyes! We've seen that before.
This bird appears to be cursed.
[Pandora groans, strains]
[Stanley grunts]
[screaming]
Oh! Excuse me. [groans]
Oh. Now I'll have to repair this hole.
[squawking]
[gasps] Run!
[Stanley screams]
- [Pandora groans] - [panting, groaning]
- [grunting] - [squawking]
- [gasps] - [panting, screaming]
- [Stanley groaning, screams] - [squawking]
- [shouts] - [panting]
[groans] What's going on?
Where's it going?
[panting]
[squawks]
[didgeridoo playing]
[panting]
And what is that sound?
The bird is responding to the sounds of this didgeridoo.
Which, apparently, is somehow playing by itself.
- [gasps] - Then we need to stop it.
Try stuffing it.
With what? Everything in here is cursed.
[all grunt]
Uh, Stanley's cleaning kit in the hub. Give us a hand, Russ.
Hmm?
[groans] I'm tingling.
My whole body is vibrating from the sound of the didgeridoo.
- Huh? - Hmm?
- [didgeridoo stops] - [shrieks]
[cooing]
Come, my feathered friend. I will set you free.
Huh?
Hmm.
There's broken briar here. Hmm.
The didgeridoo is clearly Australian.
It says here Cornelius acquired it from an art dealer in Queensland.
Its curse is to make birds attack.
Yeah, we got that.
[sighs]
I knew I'd seen this symbol before.
In Indigenous cave paintings.
It's the symbol for water.
What's this wacky-looking bird one?
[Russ] I'm not sure, but the other marking looks like a crocodile.
- I'll send photos to my friend Inala. - [shutter clicks]
She's Indigenous Australian and studies their folklore.
I'm so pumped to go Down Under.
I too am-- Pumped, is it?
[stammers] I am 100% ready to join you on this probably very dangerous adventure.
You are?
Do not worry. I have my explorer pack.
Are you sure that's a good idea?
Alex, I wasn't there when the black ribbon attacked you.
This time, I will be there to protect you.
It is my duty, as keeper of the Restricted Wing and this family.
You could have another blackout, Dad.
And I have to stay behind for my biology finals.
Gotta work the system, bro.
Ms. Lee is giving me extra credit on my assignment for the trip.
I can't go because I'm so behind with the exhibit.
And Stanley really does look like an inanimate object to others,
as long as he acts inanimate.
I'm up to that task.
[gasps] Stanley, you okay?
I cannot talk.
I am an inanimate object.
- Fine. Stanley can come. - Thank you!
You, uh, won't regret it.
[Alex] Don't worry, Stanley.
I reinforced the lining just in case the stuffing falls out.
Hmm.
Is that what we're returning this time?
Looks harmless enough.
This is what we're returning.
This is someone new for you to meet.
This is Stanley, our friend.
Keeper of the Restricted Wing.
You can stop being inanimate now.
Greetings and salutations.
Am I the only human friend you guys have?
Uh, researching aircraft travel
and actually experiencing it a-are very different.
[stammers] Are we there yet?
[screams] What's happening?
Just a little turbulence, folks.
- Whoa! - [gasps]
- [didgeridoo droning] - [Alex] Oh, no.
Really?
[screams] Bird!
- [whimpers] - [whimpers] Red eyes. Red eyes!
Now, I don't wanna panic anyone,
but if one of those birds goes into an engine, it could down the plane.
How does that not make me panic?
[birds squawking]
Hold on. [strains]
- W-W-Whoa! - [grunts]
Whoa. [grunts]
- Stanley! - [grunts, sighs]
[groans, screaming, grunts]
[strains]
[grunts, screams]
[grunting] Phew.
Everyone okay back there?
We're fine. Great flying, Margie.
- Ah. Nice parkour skills, Stanley. - [grunting]
I'm still working on my landings.
- [Georgia] Is everything all right, Sky? - Huh?
You seem distracted.
I'm fine. Excited for the exhibit.
Are you?
I know the Throne of Sargon is about to arrive.
That's got to be a lot of stress.
No, it's not that. [sighs]
To be honest, someone broke into the house and stole some items.
I'm worried about my family.
How awful.
You do have a lot of desirable artifacts people would want.
I wonder if-- if it's connected to the theft here.
I'm sure it's not.
Tell you what, I'll send one of our security personnel over.
We take care of our own here.
I'll speak to him now.
[sighs]
[Pandora] This is a really long drive.
This country is bigger than I thought.
[phone ringing]
Okay, inanimate object.
- Remember. - Not a sound. Not a motion.
Hey, mate. Welcome to Aus.
[sighs] I wish I could be there, but I'm at the Blue Mountains.
You know they're blue because--
The oil of the eucalyptus trees disperses in the air.
[laughs] Wow, you've out-nerded me again.
[Alex laughs] This is my daughter, Pandora.
Hey, Inala. Cool necklace.
[Inala laughs] Thank you, Pandora.
In our culture, a personal totem animal is assigned at birth.
That animal is yours to protect and learn from.
Mine is the kangaroo.
It embodies the duality of superior strength with nurturing softness.
A formidable leader that never, ever gives up.
- Hmm. Sounds like someone else I know. - [chuckles]
Did you get my directions?
Yes. Thanks. We are on our way to the billabong now.
The markings point to this Queensland tribe.
All their didgeridoos are made of the woolly butt tree
from the middle of their billabong.
It's quite lovely. You'll see.
[grunts, sighs]
Ah.
Well, here we are.
Wow. This is a land of immense natural splendor.
Is the whole world this beautiful?
In its own way.
Russ did make a point of reminding me Australia's also
home to the largest collection of deadly creatures in the world.
Which is awesome!
Oh, that's certainly a glass-half-full way of looking at it.
- [vocalizing] - Hmm?
What are you doing?
I can feel this connection with nature.
[inhales deeply] It's what I hear and feel.
The movement of the water. The sounds of the animals.
It's vibrating through my body.
You don't hear it?
No, but I'm not of the wood variety.
Inala said all their didgeridoos are from this tree.
Seems like a good place to start.
Oh, magnificent woolly butt, we return to you the cursed didgeridoo.
Okay. I'm taking it out of the case.
Please be ready to shut it quickly if we get attacked again.
Hmm.
[didgeridoo droning]
[birds squawking]
[Alex] Okay, this isn't working.
But we brought it home.
Well, apparently that's not the answer.
I can throw it in the water.
- [yells, grunts] - Get back!
- [Stanley whimpering, exclaiming] - [Alex panting]
[creature roars]
- [Pandora panting] - [Alex] Huh?
What was that?
Stay close.
[whimpering]
[gasps]
What is that thing?
[roars]
Car, run!
[Pandora panting]
[panting continues]
[grunting, screaming] Help!
[exclaiming, screams]
- [roars] - [screams]
- [gasps, screams] - [Alex] Pandora!
[whimpering]
Just get to the car!
Look out!
[grunting]
- [grunts] - [grunts]
[screams]
[grunts, panting]
We need the sound to stop immediately.
Where is the monster that tried to grab Stanley?
I cannot see through these birds!
[sighs] Got it! Seat belts on.
- [growls] - [yells] Dad!
[roars]
[all screaming]
[roars]
- [didgeridoo continues droning] - [panting]
[didgeridoo stops]
[roars]
- [pants] Yikes! - [sighs]
[pants] It's very exciting out in the field, isn't it?
[radio announcer] The theft of a piece of cuneiform tablet
from a local auction house comes
on the heels of another stolen tablet from a museum in Rajasthan, India.
Hmm? [sighs] I wonder...
Here it is. The notebook Dad's been recording his blackouts in.
Let's see.
Oh, no.
This is bad.
[doorbell rings]
Caparaz, Paxton Museum security.
I know who you are. Georgia said she was sending someone.
I understand you've had a break-in.
Mind if I take a look around?
[sighs]
It was like two freaky dinosaurs squished together.
What you're describing sounds like a bunyip, but that can't be.
Bunyips are mythical creatures.
I can assure you, the thing chasing us was not mythical.
My mother told me stories around the campfire as a child.
[laughs] I thought they were tales to keep kids safe around the water,
but through my work, I learnt the folklore of the bunyip.
It's a story about the connection between all things in nature.
The tale begins with two friends, Monti and Jiemba.
Together, the friends crafted a didgeridoo.
The water symbol represents the source of life.
The animals, their personal totems.
The cassowary bird for Monti is loyal to its group, even at its own peril.
The crocodile for Jiemba is a creature of primordial wisdom, stealth and ferocity.
When Monti played, it attracted beautiful songbirds,
and it was seen as a blessing by the tribe.
But when Jiemba played,
it called crocodiles that caused fear amongst the tribe.
Jiemba was told to never play the instrument again.
This angered Jiemba because even though crocodiles are feared,
they're an important part of nature's balance,
as the circle of life requires both predators and prey.
Jiemba wanted Monti to experience what he felt,
so he put a curse on the didgeridoo.
Now when Monti played, birds were aggressive and attacked,
just like Jiemba's crocodiles.
Monti fell into a deep sadness and refused to speak to Jiemba.
Everything fell out of balance.
Jiemba, realizing his selfishness, cried so hard,
it created a billabong that swallowed him up.
Seeing this, Monti dove into the billabong to save his friend.
When they emerged from the water, they had been transformed into a creature
that represented their combined totems, a cassowary bird and a crocodile.
The bunyip, the living embodiment of nature's connectivity.
Is there anything in the story about breaking the curse?
The story goes that, to break the curse, you have to play the song of the bunyip,
Monti and Jiemba's songs together,
representing the harmony of nature they had forgotten.
Great. What is it?
Sadly, like much of our history that is handed down orally, it has been lost.
[sighs]
Good luck. I can't wait to hear how this story ends.
Neither can we. Thanks, Inala.
[connection beeps]
[playing tune]
Stanley, that tune you're playing,
that's the same one you were humming at the billabong.
I've been feeling vibrations.
I know this sounds strange,
but these vibrations line up with the sounds I heard at the billabong.
They were a combination of the birds, the crocodiles and the water.
- The birds... - [playing tune]
[bird coos]
- [Stanley] ...the crocodile... - [playing tune]
[crocodile growls]
- [Stanley] ...and the water. - [playing tune]
[waves lapping]
All markings on the didgeridoo.
And the things that made the bunyip.
Seems like you do have a connection.
I feel like the didgeridoo and the sounds I hear and feel...
[stammers] ...it's trying to tell me the bunyip song,
the unifying song Inala spoke of.
And if these sounds are the bunyip song, then it should break the curse.
We have to go back.
I will play what I hear on the didgeridoo.
The breathing technique is like my harmonica.
How hard can it be?
[Caparaz] That'll be all.
Whew.
[dialing, ringing]
I didn't see any evidence of a break-in,
but she was on me like glue the entire time.
Something's fishy.
- [sighs] - [whimpers]
Are we sure this is the best plan?
Stanley, you won't have any way to protect yourself.
It is a risk I am willing to take. I've been called.
It is my duty, and it is something I must do alone.
- You got this. - [grunts] Into the fray.
[Stanley grunting] I got it.
[sighs]
[grunting, exhales deeply]
- [sighs, grunts] - [didgeridoo droning]
[birds squawking]
[discordant tones playing]
[growling]
Okay, I was wrong. It's actually quite hard to play.
[inhales deeply]
- [squawking] - [grunts, yells, grunting]
[whimpers]
We have to trust him.
[screaming]
[playing tunes]
[growling]
[birds squawking]
- [grunting] - That's enough!
Pandora!
Pandora, stop!
[panting]
I must do this.
- [sighs] - [groans]
[grunting]
[roars]
[gasping]
[melodic tune playing]
- [inhales deeply] - [vibrating tunes playing]
[growling]
It's working!
[breathes deeply]
- [rumbling] - [cooing]
That was legit amazing!
[Stanley] I do believe the balance of nature is restored.
This curse is broken.
Stanley, you were so brave!
Fine work. One for the books.
Possibly also the type of event people write folk songs about?
[chuckles] Certainly.
Hmm.
[Pandora sighs] Another artifact returned.
[Sky sighing]
Sure am glad to have you home, mate.
[sighs] Place wasn't the same without you.
It's good to be back.
I should be ready to head out again, though, in about another 100 years.
Aw, come on. You don't have, like, a thousand questions about Australia?
We need to talk upstairs.
Hmm.
Did Dad have any blackouts while you were away?
No, he was fine. Why?
A bunch of artifacts have been stolen from around the world.
So?
- [Russ] I think Dad's the one doing it. - Hmm?
[Russ] And I have proof.
[gasps]
[grunts] What in the--
[grunting, straining]
[sighs]
I'll take it from here, Alex.
[laughs]