I Wish...

15

"I didn't know humans had abilities, that's strange," he responded. He then proceeded to circle me. Inspecting me. "Do I not look bird enough to you, or what?" I questioned. "On the contrary, ya look like ye were born a bird, Little Red," Turot responded. "Ya got the fuzz, the pecker, and the grabbins." "You mean, feathers, beak, and talons?" I asked. He hopped from one foot to the other, "Oh, so that's what ye humans call em. I always wondered bout what y'all called em."

Suddenly Turot made a strange noise, "I should introduce ye to me flock! They'll be so surprised." He started chattering to himself excitedly and then took off. So much for an introduction. Now that I thought about it, it was about time to change back. Heading back to the bush, I walked more unsteady than usual. Curse my legs and bird legs for being this wobbly. Finally, after realizing I should fly to the bush, I changed back to my regular human self.

With my clothes back on, I headed back inside to have lunch. It would be great if my clothes didn't fall off everytime I shifted. The trek back to the house wasn't that long, but it did take a few minutes. In how many days was I going to be wisked away? Would I be able to see my family for the next few years? What if I wasn't good enough in school? Would I get kicked out or bullied?

Last time I was with other kids... it wasn't good. Would this be the same? Would I end up getting hurt again, just like last time? I hoped not. I hoped everyone would be nice. Nice like Momma and Pa. Nice like Turot.

I arrived in front of the door and headed inside. The smell of chicken made my mouth water. Hurriedly, I headed to the dining table and sat. "Pa, that smells great," I said as he came and put down the plates of steaming, hot chicken sandwiches. The cheese was still in the process of melting and the bread wasn't soggy with steam yet. Pa always cooked the best lunches, while Ma did the better breakfasts. "Don't dig in just yet, darlin'. Wait for yer momma to come in," he said.

I nodded, "Ok, Pa." Then, the front door opened to reveal Ma wearing her typical gardening attire. Her face was smudged with dirt and her hair was messy. She asked, "Y'all didn't start without me, did ya?" "Rubi was about to start gobbling it up before you came in," Pa chuckled. Ma stared at me accusingly. "What? I didn't even touch the sandwich, yet, Ma," I protested.

She smiled, "I know, I'm just messing with ya, Rubi. Did you wash your hands?" I gasped, and ran to the sink to wash up. Ma soon joined me and soon, her face looked much cleaner. Then, we ate those delicious sandwiches.

~○~○~

Turot never returned, even after I waited outside for an hour. I guess I wasn't going to meet his flock today. The rest of the day was spent reading the books on the tree.

The sky gradually began to darken. Blue fading to reds and oranges. Finally, to a dark purple. At this point I couldn't see what I was reading anymore, so I stored the book back into the bookshelf.

I sighed. It would be harder to get off the tree if I couldn't see where the branches were. I don't know why my parents let me back up here. An idea occurred to me at that moment. I could shapeshift into anything I wanted. Something that can get on trees and see at night... a cat? No, this tree was way too high up for a cat to just jump down. Then... a bird? An owl. Owls could fly and see at night. Plus, I already knew how to fly.