My brother, sister, and I were waiting on Mom to bring back lunch. While she was away, she would always tell us to be careful not to fall out of the tree as we hopped around the nest, flapping our wings to strengthen them in order to fly. Mom said falling would be bad for us because of the cat that would eat us, who lived in the yellow house next to our home tree. On this particular day, my brother Rocco, who was seven days older than me, always the first to eat because he was bigger and pushed me and Daisy around when Mom came to feed us. He was a bit of a bully if you ask me. Rocco was a daring bird, though. He was not afraid to try things. He would pretend that he was a Peregrine falcon, swooping down at massive speeds to catch beetles. Unlike myself and Daisy. Daisy loved to sing and preen like a peacock. Her songs were so angelic, you had to stop what you were doing just to give reverence to what she was singing. I was more of a curious type, yet cautious about all things, like a wild turkey who studies the ground and flees at the smallest sound.
As we were playing our favorite game, hopping back and forth over the nest and flapping our wings, Rocco suddenly went airborn about three feet high. But on his way down, he missed the nest, branches, limbs and all. Rocco panicked and frantically flapped his wings, trying to gain lift as he plummeted toward the ground. Daisy began chirping hysterically while peering down at Rocco and lost her balance in the process falling toward the ground as well. As she hit the ground, not far from Rocco, I looked for the cat Mom warned us about. From my high perch, I scanned the yard. The grass was high, and the grass eater was in a corner of the fence. The swing set was still, and rainwater was still in the birdbath. But I didn’t see no cat. I had no idea how Daisy and Rocco would get back to the nest. I looked to the sky to see if Mom was on her way back. The sky was clear and Mom was nowhere in sight. Looking back toward my birdlings, I noticed they had huddled together for comfort while I was searching for the cat and Mom. I called down to them, asking if they were hurt. Rocco replied, “I’m okay! But Daisy broke her leg.” At that point, I saw movement in the grass not far from where they were, coming toward them. As I peered a little closer, I saw what looked like a tail swaying ever so slowly from side to side. I gave the warning cry: “CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP!” Rocco and Daisy became very still and silent. Not knowing what the danger was, I began flapping, chirping, and hopping around, trying to get the attention of whatever it was creeping on my birdlings. The cat exploded out of the grass, streaking gray, claws out, fangs flashing.
*
I woke with terror unable to move. Something held down my wings. Not understanding where I was. And that mean ole cat pawing at whatever it was keeping the cat from getting to me. As my eyes adjusted, I noticed a boy shooing away that mean ole cat. I felt weak, my head hurt, and at that moment, I pooed. The smell was horrible.
The boy started talking to me, and to my surprise I understood him. He asked if the cat scared me. I said, “Hell yeah!” He said he won’t let Mister hurt me. “Do you like your new home?” the boy asked. I told him, “No. I want to go home.” The boy continued talking as if he didn’t understand me, saying I would like it here much better than my nest. And he said other things, like he’d keep the cage clean, feed me every day, and that this was his room. So that’s what this is called that the boy held me in: a cage!
He opened a door to the cage, saying he would unwrap the towel from around me so I could move. I just stood there watching him take the red towel out and close me back in. He walked away toward the door to his room, saying he would be back. He closed the door behind him. I got a whiff of a familiar smell and couldn’t stop myself from preening.
