Mia by Dianne Wolfer

Author:Dianne Wolfer [Dianne Wolfer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2022-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

After so much excitement, Mia’s sure that getting to sleep will be impossible. Adrenaline is racing through her body like a fizzing bath bomb.

Biff is crouching by the front door, so she lets him out to pee, laughing when he returns in record time.

‘Shake on the mat,’ Mia warns.

Biff does as he’s told, and she gives him a doggy treat. He curls up by the bed while Mia feeds Roxy and checks the possum. Mia listens to a meditation app, but the gentle waterfall sounds are drowned by ferocious torrents of rain. She lies in bed, staring at shadows on the ceiling as rain hammers the roof. Counting sheep, or even sheepdogs, has never worked for her, so Mia thinks about how she treated Lorenzo. Could she have done anything better?

Mum often says that reviewing each operation is something vets do to improve their practice. Lorenzo isn’t an animal, but he is her first solo patient. And more than anything Mia wants to be a good vet.

At last she drifts into sleep. When the alarm rings, it seems like she’s only slept for a moment. Mia strokes Roxy’s belly while the joey slurps her bottle, then she waits for Roxy to toilet. When that’s done, Mia tucks the pinkie back into her flannelette pouch and falls into a deep sleep.

Images of birds flying through cyclonic winds and turtle hatchlings struggling to escape waterlogged burrows haunt her dreams. Mia shudders awake, then feels Biff licking her cheek.

‘Ew, you have bone breath.’ He licks her again. Mia sits up and ruffles the kelpie’s ears. ‘Was I yelling? It’s okay, mate, just another nightmare.’

She shuffles to the kitchen, still half-asleep, and pours a glass of juice. It’s almost seven, but the dark sky makes it seem like late afternoon. There’s no message from Mum. Mia wonders how early she’ll be able to get away from Spinifex Downs.

Time to feed the menagerie. She mashes banana and takes it to the corella. As she opens the box, Mia sees a frail little body lying motionless. The bird is cold. Mia’s shoulders hunch. The corella was old and malnourished. Not every patient survives, she knows that, but telling Kirra will be hard. Mia loves wild creatures as much as her friend does, but Kirra’s more sentimental.

Mia smooths the bird’s feathers, then wraps it in an old tea towel. At least it died in a snug box. That’s better than flailing about in this wind, or being attacked by eagles in a roadside puddle. She places the tea-towelled body into a plastic bag and puts it in the freezer. Once the rain stops, she’ll bury the bird in the memorial corner of their garden. It will be in good company there.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.