It was the summer of '82, my first year at Saint Vincent's. I'd just arrived in the city, a newly minted nurse from the Midwest, and taken an apartment on Perry Street with three other nurses. He was ... [+]
Originally published in NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre, School Magazine
Nelson Packrat was a pack rat who lived in a small cave. One day his mother looked around the tunnels of their nest and thought it was time for a spring cleaning."Nelson, I can barely get into your room. You've collected too many things. You need to get rid of some of them.""But Mum, I need everything," he said."What about this?" Mrs Packrat asked, pointing to a coloured brooch. "What do you need that for?""It was the first thing I brought home. It's my favourite."Mrs Packrat looked into Nelson's big, bright, bulging black eyes. "Yes, I remember now. It is very pretty." She sighed and then poi