Australia's National Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

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About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

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ISSUE NO. 2

AUGUST 2024

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Creative

Eco-cow

A short story

By

Kyle

Kyle writes from Goulburn Correctional Centre, NSW.

Willy Pleasance

The two men popped open the Tesla's doors, thump thomp, and stepped out into a blooming orchard. The air was a herbal tea. Honey bees bobbed between the peach pink flowers.

Thunk thonk bip-bip, and the guy wearing the “One Earth, One Home” t-shirt blurted, ‘really cool car.'

The man wearing the suit shrugged his hands.

‘But you know what's even cooler?’

The man gestured up the grass path that cut through the orchard and into a meadow.

‘Yeah,’ the guy put his finger up, ‘but they're not over there,’ and he grinned and turned and walked off into the rows of trees.

The man glanced back toward the meadow before he moved to catch up with the guy, ‘…good about owning a Tesla, but light ICE vehicles only make up one tenth of greenhouse gas emissions, whilst methane from cattle is responsible for sixteen percent! And so we all need your investment if we're going to tackle climate change...’ The man had heard the same spiel on the drive in. It went in one ear and out the other until, ‘-first one to see it!’

He blinked. He was at the foot of a ladder. It was set against one of the trees. He looked to the guy. The guy looked to him.

The steel rungs were warm from the sun. The bees were buzzing about his face. He reached the top and peered about at the dense foliage.

‘Just pull apart the branches,’ came a voice from below.

The man pulled apart the branches to expose red meat muscle twitching, jittering, swelling, and contracting. It shivered.

‘Eco Cow.’

The two men popped open the Tesla's doors, thump thomp, and stepped out into a blooming orchard. The air was a herbal tea. Honey bees bobbed between the peach pink flowers.

Thunk thonk bip-bip, and the guy wearing the “One Earth, One Home” t-shirt blurted, ‘really cool car.'

The man wearing the suit shrugged his hands.

‘But you know what's even cooler?’

The man gestured up the grass path that cut through the orchard and into a meadow.

‘Yeah,’ the guy put his finger up, ‘but they're not over there,’ and he grinned and turned and walked off into the rows of trees.

The man glanced back toward the meadow before he moved to catch up with the guy, ‘…good about owning a Tesla, but light ICE vehicles only make up one tenth of greenhouse gas emissions, whilst methane from cattle is responsible for sixteen percent! And so we all need your investment if we're going to tackle climate change...’ The man had heard the same spiel on the drive in. It went in one ear and out the other until, ‘-first one to see it!’

He blinked. He was at the foot of a ladder. It was set against one of the trees. He looked to the guy. The guy looked to him.

The steel rungs were warm from the sun. The bees were buzzing about his face. He reached the top and peered about at the dense foliage.

‘Just pull apart the branches,’ came a voice from below.

The man pulled apart the branches to expose red meat muscle twitching, jittering, swelling, and contracting. It shivered.

‘Eco Cow.’

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