Erika's Birds

Cuckoo

From underneath the counter, I pulled out a container of bird feed and opened it up. The finches have gotten accustomed to the feeding routine and excitedly hopped and fluttered down the length of my arms to perch on the edges of the glass container. All five birds made space for each other and bowed their heads to peck on the assortment of seeds. I placed the case gently on the counter and turned my attention back to the grocery store patrons.

Sometimes people visit the store just to see the "phenomenon" of the birds. Children like to call this place "The birdie store" and they call me "The birdie lady". The humans don't know that I'm a witch. In fact, they don't even know that witches are real outside of fairy tales and movies. The witches in this town are quiet and peaceful. A sure sign of one is if they have an animal companion close by them and if they are female. From all the records I've seen from the leaked witch council documents, there has never been a male witch in history. Perhaps its just genetically impossible. 

There aren't many witches out there. Even if there were, they are hard to keep track of. One of the most basic spells a witch can master is the ability to alter their appearances; therefore, they are quite difficult to recognize from their documents. Even for a council member. However, the likeliness of casting an appearance spell more than once is incredibly low. The spell causes intense pain on the area of infliction. When I naively casted the spell to change the color of my hair, It felt like each follicle was a hot needle constantly scraping my burning scalp. The sensation lasted for days. Imagine what would have happened if I wanted to change the color of my eyes or wanted to grow taller.....

*****

About thirty minutes passed before a shadow loomed over the entrance of the store. I looked up from my birds to discover the delivery truck that was slightly overdue.

fifteen minutes late...that's unusual...

I walk out from behind the checkout counter to greet the usual mid-forties stubby delivery man from the driver's seat but instead came out a young man. I was caught by surprise when I first saw the stranger.

The man approached me casually with a clipboard and stretched out his hand to shake mine.

"Ms. Jeon, yes? Nice to meet you. My name is Adrien," He introduced himself and lifted the edges of his lips to give a small smile.

"...N-nice to meet you...Umm, you're new?" I asked timidly. Without fail, My voice always comes out too softly when I meet new people. 

"Yes I am. Mr. Romano injured his back and will be spending some time at home." He answered. "So, I will be your temporary delivery man. Sorry I'm late today. I was having some troubles with the navigation,"

"Oh, that's too bad...ah" I trailed off and looked at our hands. He stopped shaking mine, but he's still holding it in his. I gently retract my hand and grip the fabric of my dress.

Once our hands are no longer touching, Adrien hands me the clipboard with the shipment documents. I signed the familiar sheet of paper and directed the delivery boy to the storage room where the boxes of cans and bottles belong.

While the man went back and forth from the truck to the storage, I take the time to briefly observe him. He's quite tall. About 5'10? maybe more? He has fair skin and his face gives evidence of Asian and Caucasian decent. He's wearing a cap on his head, so I cant tell if his hair is black or just dark brown. As for his body...It's really nice.

I avert my eyes from the worker. It's difficult for me to stare at good looking men for too long. I feel too overwhelmed and suffocated. I went back to the counter where the birds are chattering amongst themselves on a homemade perch and sat on the wooden chair like a couple minutes ago.

Unlike Mr. Romano, this new guy was fast at handling all the deliveries. He was already finished moving all the boxes to the storage room by the time I crossed my legs. The energy of youth seems to really flow within Adrien. Good news for me. It just means that he will leave quicker.

By now, the delivery man should be saying his goodbyes and hop back onto his truck to leave; but to my surprise and disappointment, he walks to the front of the counter, puts his hands on the edge of the table and leans forward, casting a tall shadow above me. I feel his eyes look at me then at the birds beside me.

"Cute finches. They your pets?" He asked with a low but gentle voice.

"..Yeah. Kinda..." I replied and leaned back into my chair, trying to sink further away from the stranger.

He lightly nods his head and keeps his eyes on the birds for a couple minutes before smiling back at me.

"Ms. Jeon....Where is your last name from?" He asked and slightly tilted his head.

"...It's Korean. Just call me Erika. You were pronouncing it wrong," I replied a little bluntly and purse my lips slightly. I don't like it when people mispronounce my last name. "Why do you ask?"

Adrien stands up straight and gives a gentle smile. "No reason. Just curious. I apologize for the mispronunciation," He said and adjusted his cap. Now I can see a bit of his bangs in the sunlight. They are black.

The young man opens his mouth to speak again, but a high dinging noise speaks out of his jean pocket before he can. He takes a quick look at the phone and exhales a sigh.

"Today, I should let you be. I'll see you on the next delivery" He says. Just like that, Adrien jogs back to the truck and starts the engine before driving off.

....

.........Ew

Its been a while since I've been that uncomfortable. I take a deep breath and rub my hands on my face, rubbing my temples.

For the first time in my life, I prayed to God hoping that Mr.Romano's back would miraculously heal within two days...