Just once I’d like to sleep in. Just once.

There’s barely a glow behind our honoured hills. The sun hardly lights my room. ‘No need for curtains,’ Da always says, ‘coz we’re up the moment our part of the world turns to the sun.’ Just once though, I’d like to not be up with the sun and not coz I’m sick or nothing but coz it’s nice to lie in the cool before the day heats up.

‘Girl!’ Da yells like he never learned my name.

‘Uh?’ I yell back like I never learned his.

‘Girl, I need you to check the fence line before you go to school. Kashvi’s lost a sheep to something.’

I haul myself out of bed and pull on my work clothes.

I dunno how Da’s already talked to our neighbour Kashvi and decided it’s our section of fence what’s got a gap, not unless Davy’s already been along his section while I was lying in bed, ignoring Da’s yelling, dreaming bout sleeping in. At least I’m not the only kid up to do work before school.

The door cracks open and Da pokes his head in. ‘You hear me, sleepy bones?’ he asks.

‘Five times,’ I say and give him a thumbs up.

‘Good.’ He shuts the door.

I wipe the sleep from my eyes and tromp out to the kitchen where Da’s holding out a drink bottle in one hand and the bag with the pliers and wire in the other.

I sling the bag over my shoulder and slide the drink bottle in on top…

Continue reading the extract here…

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