The Adventures of Lilttle Bird

THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE BIRD

Dia de St. Carmen

16 July 1993

Dazzling explosions of sparkling lights lit the cool night air, shimmering lights, dangling . Rockets and bombs bursting. Breathtaking and earth shattering.

It was the fiesta de St. Carmen, the fishermen´s day.

Naturally, the great event was being held at the La Sabina port.

* * *

As I leaned over to retrieve my fallen napkin, I caught sight of a tiny creature…a little bird on long spindly legs. His eyes were wide with fear and terror from having been blown out of his nest in the middle of the night.

* * * *

I picked him up and cupped him in the palm of my hand. He was so frail, so tiny in this big menacing world with its pleasure being loaded with noises and great flashes of light in the middle of the night.

´´Little bird´´as he became known, relaxed slowly into his new-found environment. He didn´t try to bite; he didn´t try to escape. He, in fact, seemed to settle into his destiny with a kind of bird´s resignation.

Maxi came along with a group of his pals. I showed him my little treasure. Tenderly, he took the little one from my hand and made it walk up the ladder to his shoulder.

The little bird seemed to accept his new loft with a bird´s view.

All night long on this night of St. Carmen, ¨Little bird ¨ perched on Maxi´s shoulder. He accompanied Max and his friends on their adventures, passing to and fro and from hand to hand – getting a glimpse of the way humans of fourteen years old lived on this special night.

Little bird even ventured into the magic castle where he hung on tightly as Maxi and the boys jumped around in their air-inflated paradise.

Arriving back in Can Marroig, Maxi and I made a little nest for the bird with a basket over his head. We didn´t want menacing cats eating him in the night.

The following morning, Maxi awoke to the gentle chirp of his new-found friend. The little bird hopped to the window sill where he peered in all directions – abit wont for what to do.

He called again with his recognizable chirp.

As if from nowhere, a flock of his fellow tribe appeared on the gateway arch.

Little bird flew off to join his mates, lifting off to fly who knows where to find food and shelter and perhaps a good night´s sleep where he wouldn´t be awakened by man´s fireworks on a special day like that of the fisherman.

Dana 1993