It is with pleasure that IFWG Publishing Australia releases its first Chap-eBook, a short story titled ‘Impounded’ by Paula Boer.

We have added it to the chap-ebook catalog held by IFWG Publishing (International), but this work is written in Australian English, set very much in Australia. It was first published in Angie’s Diary (September 2013), coming second in the writer ezine’s inaugural short story competition. We are proud to reproduce it here, and to showcase in short fiction form the talented writer that Paula Boer is.

The story of the struggle of a barramundi hatchling, bred within the fish farming industry, and escaping into the wild. A lovely short story, with evocative language from the point of view of the courageous animal.

The opening paragraph:

The wet season has arrived in the tropical north-west, a time of destruction and renewal. Nutrient-rich waters flood into the sea, the layers mixing in plumes as the waves churn. Nimbus clouds broil, engulfing the entire sky. Thunder echoes off the sandstone cliffs that stand sentinel to the river openings. Broadened by the floods, the swollen mouths gobble up sandy shores and scrub-filled lowlands, swamping the coast that lay bleached and dehydrated only weeks before.

Additionally, we are impressed with the cover, designed by Elizabeth Lang.

The short story can be purchased for a low US$0.99 in EPUB or PRC (Kindle Compatible) formats.