Anima: The Bird House

Chapter 9

The little bird's head was staring at the glass. Eyes glued to us as he stood perched on the wall. All I wanted was a sign from him, something to tell me that Damien was still in there. But instead, all I saw was a small animal, wondering what I was yelling about.

A hand rested on my shoulder. It was Jeremy's hand, and once I looked at him, he shook his head. His shoulders slumped as he pulled his hand off me. Looking back into the enclosure, I saw the bird jump off the wall and glide to a branch. Upon landing, he began to preen his wings.

"Did you know him personally?" She asked as she removed her jacket. "Was he able to communicate last time you saw him?"

Jeremy slowly nodded.

"We all spoke with him the night he finished," I told her.

She walked up closer to the glass to stand next to me. We watched as the little bird carefully ran each feather through his beak. Afterward, he stretched and brought his wings close to his sides. Jess landed next to him and lowered her head to him, and he began to dig into her feathers with his beak.

"I didn't tell you this," She said aloud. "But he's a weird little guy. He is quiet and only tries to interject with her when she initiates," She turned to face me. "Just a little different from how these breeding programs usually go."

We watched the two woodpeckers as they stood together. I'm not sure why, but I felt an odd mix of sadness and relief. Sad for missing Damien and seeing him so different from what I knew him as. Relief as I knew he was safe and seemed almost happy. If he is still in there, it seems he accepted the change. If he isn't, then at least he's safe and maybe even oblivious to the situation.

I turned to leave the room. As I did, she tried to stop me.

"Hawk!" She said, "Stop for a second."

I thought about stopping but kept walking into the hall and out the door. Once it shut, I was standing alone in the middle of the exhibits. A handful of people looked into the enclosures, but no one noticed me. I walked down the path and passed the same enclosures we had looked at before. I stopped at the Osprey and watched as he tore into a fish lying on the ground.

His motions were quick and deliberate. He would hold the fish with one foot and tear it with his beak. Darren's life was now reduced to living in a twenty-foot by twenty-foot enclosure, eating raw fish off the ground. His only interactions were with strangers watching him and his handlers caring for him—no way of speaking with anyone. I would be afraid of living that way if my mind was intact.

"Hawk!" She yelled out as she opened the door. She was walking in a direct line toward me.

"Lyall," I said, "My name is Lyall. Wait a few months. Then you can call me hawk."

She stopped directly in front of me. "Lyall, I know it isn't what you probably wanted to see. But, it's not what you think it is," Looking at her, she had a small badge previously covered by her jacket.

"Heather N.

Rehab Assistant"

"Heather, Doesn't it seem odd that you have three attractions here that were only a few years ago, humans?" I asked loudly.

"Maybe you didn't get the picture here. They all agreed to this. Hell, Darren asked for it!" Heather snapped back. "Just because you can't accept this does not mean they didn't."

I took a deep breath, realizing the fool I was making of myself. I looked back to the Osprey enclosure to see Darren perched on the stand, and his eyes were watching Heather and I as we argued.