Before

The primate TAG meets on Monday. Reuben called this morning to let me know that I would be welcome to join.

“That would be lovely,” I accepted, even though my mind was spinning.

My call with the police in Sumatra is also on Monday. What if they clash?

“I’m expecting a phone call tomorrow, though, so that might be the only thing, if it happens to come at the same time.”

“That’s alright,” Reuben assured, and that was that.

In the afternoon, I rode into Sorell for work, because I had the closing shift. This was the bow I had to draw to get tomorrow off. Once I arrived, I removed my helmet and locked my bike onto the rack. I slipped inside through the back door and went into the supermarket to commence my shift. It would be uneventful, which meant that I could slip into the rhythms of scanning and bagging groceries.

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Jumilah Fioray is a recent high school graduate from lutruwita, Tasmania. Her parents, Catherine and Adriano Fioray, met at the University of Melbourne in the 1990s and returned to Hobart after finishing their degrees, where they raised their daughter and worked in agriculture. Jumilah's passion for conservation reflects her grandparents' work running a sanctuary in Sumatra.

Abbey Sim is the founder of Huldah Media. She is a creative writing, law and theology student who lives on the lands of the Dharug people in Sydney, Australia. Abbey has long had a passion for the weird and the wonderful of stories, sport and zoo animals. 'From the Wild' is her first anthology.