That's when I started talking to it and sliding my fingers up and down his back . "I'm so glad you are alive but I don't know what to do to help you. Don't worry, I won't leave you, you opened your eyes, are you feeling better, don't close your eyes again, how can I help, let me make you comfortable in my bread basket."
I was at such a loss that I covered it up to the neck with a small cotton napkin and prepared to take it with me to the library in the hope that one of the ladies there would know what to do next. And the miracle happened. It's eye opened again, I uncovered it and I put my thumb on its belly to check for a heartbeat. Yes there was and .....it flew timidly up and landed on the floor where it lost some poo and walked away.
I talked some more to it telling it how happy I was that it can fly again, how worried I was it would not find it's way out and that I was very grateful that my being late to my job was due to the fact that it is alive and moving.
I learned talking to birds when walking by a feeder on the side of our building............ and just now quickly went out to take a photo to maybe show you one of my livelier and more colorful friends and there were none.
12 comments:
A lovely story, and one life saved. We occasionally have this problem. I usually pick up the bird, cuddle it in my cupped hands to keep it warm, until it recovers from the shock.
Tom!
Warm hands can do wonders, yes. Shall do so next time but not wishing for it.
Ellena! What a touching, beautiful incident! Did it fly away after you nursed it back to life? How did it get inside the room to land on your chair? Did this same bird come to see you before?
Birds are special, I believe that.
This is a wonderful book about our special relationship to birds.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jul/27/wings-desire-mark-cocker-birds
And this is a beautiful quote from that link:
"It is not just that we see birds as little versions of ourselves. It is also that, at the same time, they stand outside any moral process. They are utterly indifferent. This absolute oblivion on their part, this lack of sharing, is powerful."
Natalie!
This post was sitting in my drafts for a long time. I don't remember what exactly happened after the bird walked away. It must have walked towards the open patio door and flown out. The chair lives on the patio.
Sabine!
I read the entire link - thank you, Sabine.
Reminded me of coming home and finding a Robin inside the house. My Greek girlfriend of 25 years ago had told me that birds inside the house brought death. I could not remember but hoped that it applied to black birds only.
St Francis of the Steppes steps in again. Breathes life into that which was thought moribund, then trots round to the library but doesn't take out H Is For Hawk (Helen Macdonald), the subject being a bit too near the bone. Healing hands, that's what you've got.
You are Thumbelina with the magic touch. Remember how she warmed the swallow when she came across him? And then later he took her out flying.
RR!
I was looking for a name for my 'C-problem'. I shall call it Mabel - if it flies away, good and if not, also good.
Rouchswalwe!
Either I never read or heard of Thumbelina or I forgot. Ours was a fat Grimm Maerchen book.
I read the story quickly today - almost 200 years old.
What is remarkable is that in those days moles and toads did not disguise themselves as princes.
A very skilled TV playwright in Britain called Dennis Potter shared your problem. He called his Rupert, relating to the press baron Rupert Murdoch (owner, among other things, of Fox News) hated by left-wingers like me and Potter. Yours is the more felicitous solution.
RR!
After guessing it's meaning I looked up 'felicitous'. Thank you.
Now I wonder how large of a 'Wortschatz' a brain can hold.
I'm off for a brain scan by the way.
A truly effective brain scan would reveal the qualities in you I have previously lauded (passim)
RR!
(passim) = scatter
If wish I could yell "scatter" at some upcoming scans.
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