<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wombat was close to losing consciousness. His forehead sweated, dribbling over his snout, down into the mattress. \u201cWh-wh-whyy? he thought, \u201csurely this isn\u2019t an ideal way to go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ten digits wavered in front of his eyes, looking more like twenty, or thirty, or fifty small orbs, dim amongst the dark. The warmth blanketing him in a deathly coziness, and suddenly he was jolted further into the darkness. The orbs splitting in half; drifting away softly, and urgently following his descent, all at the same time. Muffled grunts and groans hovered in the distance, out in the beyond. Claustrophobia closed in. The wedge of digits, the taut strain of constriction. The feeling of being held at the edge of a great drop. His breath laboured with panic, sweat swimming in a deluge down his straining nostrils and the crevasses and hollows of his flattened ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And suddenly, a shift. A sense of release and falling. Falling softly over that edge. Space. The stale scent of shrouded dark rushing away above the dim. And then whoomph! A soft landing, a bounce and roll. Peace. Quiet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doubt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Loneliness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMuuuuuum! Where\u2019s Wombat???? Muuuuuum!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShhhhh darling, he\u2019s just fallen out the bottom of the bed. Here you go. Snuggle down with Wombat; back to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSee you in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Wombat was close to losing consciousness. His forehead sweated, dribbling over his snout, down into the mattress. \u201cWh-wh-whyy? he thought, \u201csurely this isn\u2019t an ideal …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,54,189,11,187,188],"class_list":["post-2661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mountain-life","tag-mountain-ash-chapter","tag-mountain-life","tag-near-death-experience","tag-story","tag-tracey-conway","tag-wombat"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/meg-jerrard-mnHs4boXT_0-unsplash-scaled-e1665194680431.jpg?fit=734%2C480&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pff1uY-GV","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2796,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=2796","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":0},"title":"Australia is Completely Safe","author":"Mountain Ash Chapter","date":"October 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Australia is completely safeThe reputation is unfairJust some jokers having a laughReally we're safe as houses Australia is completely safeJust don't kiss koalas you'll get chlamydiaAnd those claws can disembowel youWhy were you that close anywayNobody said pick them upLeave them alone and you'll be fine Australia is completely safeA\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poetry"","block_context":{"text":"Poetry","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/david-clode-Yg_sNKOiXvY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=822%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/david-clode-Yg_sNKOiXvY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=822%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/david-clode-Yg_sNKOiXvY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=822%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/david-clode-Yg_sNKOiXvY-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=822%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3536,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3536","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":1},"title":"Autumn in the Hills","author":"Kylie Eklund-Denman","date":"May 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Autumn is my favourite time of the year, especially in the Dandenong Ranges. The European trees along Sherbrooke Road present a metamorphic spectacle. The perfect blue sky days, crisp and fresh. The overwhelming desire to curl up in a chair with a blanket and a good book. The smell of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mountain Life"","block_context":{"text":"Mountain Life","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_2515-scaled-e1685407792529.jpeg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_2515-scaled-e1685407792529.jpeg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/IMG_2515-scaled-e1685407792529.jpeg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":560,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=560","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":2},"title":"All Writing Is Shit","author":"Elissa McKay","date":"February 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Yes I\u2019m serious. It sucks. You. Your writing. The person standing right there, trembling, clutching your pages and swearing to yourself that you\u2019ll never let go of it, never publish, never be the writer you want to be because your writing is terrible and awful and just not good enough.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Soapbox"","block_context":{"text":"Soapbox","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hannah-olinger-8eSrC43qdro-unsplash-scaled.jpg?fit=801%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3777,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3777","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":3},"title":"True Romance","author":"Mountain Ash Chapter","date":"August 18, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Her exquisite feet skimmed the floor, like ephemeral swallows of passion. She paused in front of the gauzy, billowing curtains in the breast-heaving moonlight. The man followed. His glistening moonlit pectoral muscles glistened. He swept her into his moonlit chest. He groaned in triumph. \u201cNo!\u201d she protested. She was a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mountain Life"","block_context":{"text":"Mountain Life","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/romance.jpeg?fit=748%2C876&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2097,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=2097","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":4},"title":"A day in the life of the Mountain","author":"Bethany Sinclair-Giardini","date":"August 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As I think any writer has experienced, people are always a little intrigued by your writing. Whether it\u2019s being questioned about where you find the time (as a full time working busy mum, this is a valid question that I often ask myself) through to where do you find the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mountain Life"","block_context":{"text":"Mountain Life","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/stiars.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3385,"url":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?p=3385","url_meta":{"origin":2661,"position":5},"title":"The Kookaburra’s Garden","author":"Bethany Sinclair-Giardini","date":"March 28, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"It was a quiet day in the garden. The wind had dropped and there was a silence that was almost deafening. The soil was void of footprints. There was no rustling in the undergrowth.\u00a0 The lack of human hands witnessed the overflowing of the flowers across the formal boundaries of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mountain Life"","block_context":{"text":"Mountain Life","link":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_9957.jpeg?fit=622%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_9957.jpeg?fit=622%2C493&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_9957.jpeg?fit=622%2C493&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2667,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2661\/revisions\/2667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mountainashchapter.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}