Lo, There Shall Come a Bird!

A gray-ish bird lurking behind a bush outside my apartment

Sitting outside yesterday morning, drinking my coffee, I noticed a bird in the bushes outside my apartment’s front window. The bird wasn’t doing much, just poking his beak into the mulch. Looking for food, I guess.

I gave the bird little thought. He’ll be on his way soon enough.

I went inside. Half an hour later I came outside again, the bird was still there, this time huddled in a ball behind the bushes.

A gray-ish bird lurking behind a bush outside my apartment
A gray-ish bird lurking behind a bush outside my apartment

Was he hurt? He didn’t seem to be in any distress. He was just chilling.

Sometimes, he’d get up and waddle to some other location, then cocoon back into a little bird ball.

I went to the grocery store.

A gray-ish bird lurking behind a bush outside my apartment
A gray-ish bird lurking behind a bush outside my apartment

When I came back, the bird had moved. No longer was he behind my bushes. He was now exploring the grass in front of them, between my apartment and the sidewalk.

A gray-ish bird standing at the edge of the mulch and grass outside my apartment
A gray-ish bird standing at the edge of the mulch and grass outside my apartment

I went back to the grocery store–I had forgotten to get anything for dinner when I was there, like a maroon–and this time when I came back the bird was at the sidewalk.

A gray-ish bird standing at the edge of the grass and the sidewalk outside my apartment
A gray-ish bird standing at the edge of the grass and the sidewalk outside my apartment

The grocery store is a mile away. Not a big deal.

I went inside, and when I came out later, the bird was again in my bushes. This time, my photography clearly irritated him, because he took flight.

A gray-ish bird taking flight because I got too close outside my apartment
A gray-ish bird taking flight because I got too close outside my apartment

This was a lucky shot. I would never consciously be able to take a photo of a bird taking off.

He flew into one of the trees outside my apartment building. I took photos. He gave me a death stare.

A gray-ish bird giving me a death stare from a tree above me outside my apartment
A gray-ish bird giving me a death stare from a tree above me outside my apartment

I had a good thing going! You schmuck, you had to ruin it by coming outside and looking at me!

An hour later, the bird was still in the tree, still chilling. Clearly tired of my shit, he flew off to another tree, at the other end of the building.

Now outside someone else‘s apartment, if the bird was in fact sick, injured, or dying, he was no longer my problem.

That death stare, though! Yeah, I did not make a friend.

Published by Allyn Gibson

A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over fifteen years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.

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