5,000 More To Go

𝙼𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚠𝚊𝚒 𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑.

                                                                                                                                                                2🄽🄳 🄵🄴🄱🅄🅁🄰🅁🅈

The wind ruffled my caramel coloured hair. It was windy and I felt cold. The temperature today is 25 degrees. The sun is up but most of the fluffy white clouds are blocking it.

My family and I are at Muriwai beach. It's a Sunday and Dad decided to take us out on a trip and a celebration for the first week of school. It's crazy to do so but I am glad. I've never been here before.

We eat our home-made food before setting off down the coast. There are beautiful orchids here, and Camelia is absorbed in them, flashing a photo of each and every one of the species.

I am amazed by them too, but not hundred percent. I just couldn't wait until I got to see the Gannet bird.

Gannets are seabirds comprising the genus Morus, in the family Sulidae, closely related to boobies. "Gannet" is derived from Old English ganot, ultimately from the same Old Germanic root as "gander".

I brought my decorative paper along too.

Hanging around my neck is a pair of binoculars. The Gannets usually hang around in big big flocks on different rocks, so they are far away.

They have a cute pale yellow head and the rest of the body is white, except for the tip of their wings which is black.

We take a break, slurping raspberry flavoured ice cream.

We pass by crops, fields, farmers. This sure is a land full of nature.

Finally, we reach a massive clearing. From afar, the things on separate rocks look like white stones. I squint before widening my eyes. They. Are. Not.

I dash to the edge of the land, swinging my legs as one hand clutched the railing while the other held the binoculars. They are gannet birds!

They are the Australasian kind, with a kind of longer neck than others.

I watch as a gannet flies to a female gannet, which is sitting on the rock. They chatter for a moment before setting off again.

They are so gorgeous that I want to make a paper bird right now.

I take out a piece, one that was white with yellow dots at each edge.

Still watching, I fold the piece. I had just managed to finish when my Dad called us, saying that we were going home.

"Okay!" I said, turning abruptly. I lost grip and my newly made origami flew to the ground and disappeared from view.

I gaped down, wondering if it had plunged into the water. It was the unique way of folding, not the way I had constructed in my birdie explorer. I felt tears springing into my eyes. I urged myself to stop them from spilling but it was the surprise that a gannet bird with its beak containing my origami that stopped it from flowing.

I clapped my hands in delight. What an amazing sight!

I smiled as a thanks as the gannet placed the origami into my palm.

I stopped smiling. What if...

The gannet seemed to sense it too, cocking its head side to side.

Reaching out my hand, I pat the gannet head.

It was soft and fluffy, reminding me of my rug at home.

I said goodbye to the bird, then returned to my family, looking happy.

Only 4,996 more to go!