Robin

I like to read by natural light whenever possible. Often, it’s too sunny or too dark for me to be totally comfortable reading. Tonight, the light was pretty much perfect. It was early evening and there was a solid cloud cover which gave me a relatively bright light to read by.

 

I know I am lucky to have been born into the century I was born into, rather than one before the advent of electric light. In most earlier centuries, not only would I not be able to read after the sun went down, but in all probability someone like me would never have had the opportunity to learn how to read at all. I thank all of those that went before me for making my life as comfortable as it is.

I had my cup of tea, my book and the house was reading quiet. Well, it was until there was a God awful bang on the window that made me spill my tea and my heart skip a few beats. Initially, I was sure some kid had tossed a snowball at the picture window but there was no tell tale snow running down the window. The alley across the street was empty of cars, so the bang wasn’t caused by some kid in an Accord spinning his wheels.

 

I looked out and down, to see a Robin lying prone under the window. He was breathing irregularly, and I imagined him saying to himself “WTF? I’ll just lay here and catch my breath.” I suppose it’s possible he was just lying there waiting for his tiny bird soul to leave his body. What ever he was thinking, running into the window must have hurt like hell.

I wiped up the spilt tea and got back to my book, the light won’t last forever. I looked out at the Robin every now and then just to see if he were dying or flying, only to see him in much the same position. I was kind of hoping good things for the little guy. The next time I looked out, my friend Robin had left. Good for him, I suspect that he will have a nasty bump on his head and a throbbing headache for a few hours, but the bird world will keep on.

A little later I looked out and saw feathers where the Robin had been. I don’t know what happened, but I imagine it went something like this.

Robin   “Jeez, that really hurt! What idiot put a window there? I could have broken my neck. I think my beak is cracked, but at least I am still alive.”

Cat       “This just isn’t your day Robin!”