The Birds

Yesterday evening the sky was grey. Twilight was rapidly coming upon me as I walked between two buildings of red brick and mortar. Above me I could here the caw of seagulls and the fluttering of wings. I thought nothing of it and continued walking.

Within a few steps though, my evening changed quicker than I could imagine. The seagull cries were suddenly closer. I looked up, and two seagulls were jousting with each other not 9 feet above me. One seagull admitted inferiority and flew to distant shelter. The other, seemingly standing guard over its nest returned to the concrete eve of one of the red brick buildings.

I glanced in its direction, intrigued. Its eyes were as sharp as mine. Somewhere in its feeble, frightened bird brain it perceived me as a threat. The joust was on again, and it swooped down upon me with all its speed. Whether it meant to simply drive me off, or to really attack I cannot say, but It came in very close indeed. I took off like a bolt around the grounds of one of the brick buildings. I hoped that it would see I was no threat and return to its nest.

However, I was wrong. Drunk on power and victory the gull pursued me. Sweeping in low for pass after pass against my head, it chased me around the entire building. I ran with all me strength steeply downhill, only losing the maddened harpy when I dashed into a dense line of trees. There the gull gave up, and I regained my freedom.

I have never feared birds before, but my head was exposed and I had no tools with which to silence the enraged flyer. With a speeding bird coming at me, my eyes and ears suddenly felt more precious than they had before.

But I will have my revenge. Poisoned bread or sardines should do nicely!

Once more into the breach,

Ben