It wasn’t so much a thought, but rather a feeling. The idea so thoroughly consumed her waking moments for the past year that she felt its vibration within every fibre of her being. It was a somatic knowing. The hum of new lands and possibilities. After so many years of contemplation, she had packed her bags and was leaving her polite little life behind.

She had always been Miss Dependable, at everyone’s beck and call, 24-7. When Old Bob’s health had taken a bad turn, she had driven him to his appointments and heart surgery. The year Miss Cotton’s tabby cat had died, she was the one offering months of consolation and cups of tea. When Jerry lost his home, hers was the spare room on offer along with full board and no ask for rent. The whole community and her companions beyond had become so used to her omnipresence that it would never have occurred to them that she would up and leave. But she had other plans.

Sure, life was busy, full and joyous, but its familiarity had become monotonous. She sought life’s thrill – to feel a sense of the new and exotic. And so, without hardly any notice at all, she had quit her job at the vet surgery, finally deciding to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. Left a small fortune by Grandma just the year before, it was time for her to explore life’s adventures.

She flicked one last time through the glossy brochure on the pine entryway table. Grandma had handed it to her one day three summers ago. A wildlife veterinary programme abroad. At the time it had seemed inconceivable that she would ever leave the comforts of all she knew so well. She had never even set one foot outside of the country. But Grandma had so loved to travel and excited her mind about the world’s possibilities. Images of the animals of the savanna, including her favourite – the zebra –  brought a sense of joy to her heart that she had not felt for many a year. She set the brochure back down. With a bright smile and a kiss to the heavens, she picked up her white-shelled suitcase and walked out of the front door.