Dingos Surrounded the Baby, but Something Older Watched From the Ridge

She Kept the Ring

Tom didn't see the grass ring right away. She took it inside and put it on the kitchen counter, where she sat and stared at it while Elsie slept. The braid was neat and clean, not anything that got knotted up on the way. It was also not a toy for kids. She has seen something like this in stories from her area.

But those were about charms or signs, not things that were this symmetrical. Tom saw it that evening as he was making pasta and wondered where it had come from. Clara looked up. "The hill." She saw his face change and hastily persuaded him not to throw it away. Not until she knew what it was for. He didn't say anything.

What the Old Woman Said

Two days later, Clara drove to Yarralin, a village five hours to the west, where an old named Nanna Jo still lived near the community center. Clara showed her the ring without saying anything. The older woman took it carefully and turned it once. Then two times. "These are asking things," she remarked. She went on to say that it might imply borrowing a property or a life. They only take what they need. Clara's chest felt tight. She said she had Elsie back, and Nanna Jo nodded. "For now." She gave the ring back and told Clara to leave something she made herself in return, not to pay her back, but to keep things even.