In the morning I had a psychologist appointment via Zoom, so Reuben made sure to head out into the zoo, to give me my privacy. I sat at...

“Firstly,” Timmy began the support group meeting, “thank you to everyone who came last night. It is really important to come together,...

The jungle around the tiger and otter exhibits provides me with calm. There has been plenty of time to grow these trees at Melbourne Zoo....

I pulled up the car in a space I eventually found in Parramatta. Retrieving my handbag from the front passenger seat, I stepped out once...

I scrambled out of bed, then dressed to head out of the house, following Reuben into the cold. The two of us joined a group of keepers on...

I woke up this morning to something of a scream outside, which jolted me out of bed. Scampering through the cottage, I encountered Reuben...

This morning, I awoke with a sense of anticipation, knowing Kwabema the silverback would be arriving. As I emerged from bed, I could...

“Are you right to go?” I asked. “Yes,” Reuben confirmed. As I followed him out the door, my phone vibrated within my pocket. We slipped...

“Harold Hammond’s retiring,” Reuben told me. “Who?” I asked, but he shot me a look while my memory rapidly jogged. “From Adelaide.” “Yes,...

There was a lull in the library, between its closure at 5pm and the arrival of the others from the support group, starting from around...

This evening, I braided my hair, desperately trying to remember how Mitchell had done it for so many years throughout my childhood. Dad...

Reuben dropped a newspaper on the table. I smiled, scooping the muesli in my bowl with a spoon. “Since when have you bought the paper?” I...

I turned the corner at the hospital, in pursuit of Mum’s office. Simon was seated on one of the padded chairs, head bowed. His palms were...

Rain thudded against the roof. It wasn’t the most auspicious start. Still, I walked out to the kitchen like nothing was the matter....

I waited outside the library this evening, in the cold breeze. “Hi, Nina,” Timmy greeted me. “Hello,” I responded, “I’m waiting for the...

“I’m going out this afternoon,” I noted. “I’ve tracked down Ashton Fernando’s girlfriend. We’re going to go to a café and I’m going to...

The calf went out into the exhibit for the first time this morning. Apparently, there’s going to be a public naming competition. There...

Early this morning, I flipped open the phonebook. I flicked through the thin pages to find the number of the television station. “You...

This afternoon, I collapsed straight into bed after returning home from university. I had fallen asleep four times during my last...

We stayed in the barn past midnight. Really, there wasn’t much which Reuben or I were able to do, the elephant aunties and keepers were...