As the last bright light is extinguished and the curtains close, the thunderous applause almost hurts my ears. Another successful night, a great performance. Master comes back into the room, setting down the case with a content sigh. While my part was brief and only in the first half, I still feel pride in a job well done.
While the show might have ended, the evening is far from over; as the next show is prepared right after the previous one. I can hear the others to my side, no longer quiet and mourning but unable to contain their fear. Some look to me for guidance, believing I can do something for them. After all - don't I come back every time?
Master removes the now lifeless body of Jack from the cage and puts Angela back in with the others. He smells of death, she of terror and confusion. As the others flutter about in panic, I bury my face in my food, trying to avoid the smells. Like every day, however, it doesn't work. The ruckus besides me settles down but I know more is coming. So do they, for that matter. They shove Angela into the back of the cage, where master probably won't get her next time. Fools, all of them. They should put her shell-shocked form in front so Master has an easy target.
Master comes over to me, holding out his hand. Like the good boy I am I put my head into it so he can scratch me. His touch irritates me but I pretend to like it, wriggling around until he laughs. He ignores the others in their large cage next to me. We both know I'm special, from my colors to my voice. Master likes it when I copy him so I laugh along with him.
After Master is done with his case, he walks over to the cage next to me, picking his next victim. the others see him and fly around the confines, but he grabs one of them (Fiona) and moves to the smaller, nasty cages. This step always seems unnecessarily cruel to me but none of us stand a chance against Master. As he shoves Fiona into the good cage, I can almost see her relief. She won't die tomorrow. The others, seeing the empty death cage, panic even more, I hear bodies crashing into things as they cry out and try to escape. Fools. Master picks a second victim and Fiona's sister Mary is taken. Her small body quivers with fear but she doesn't resist as Master deposits her in the death cage. It smells of the blood and remains of her friends and family.
As Master walks away and grabs his bottle, I also settle in for the night, cleaning my feathers with my beak. Tomorrow we have to entertain a new group of children and I need to look pretty. The life of a magician's parrot is not easy but I am content.
