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A CIRCLE OF TWO
copyright © 1999, 2000,2001   Andrew V. Smith. All Rights Reserved

 
1
A bird in the hand, continued

 
back, but before she can make contact a brilliant flash of light knocks both friends into the air and onto their backs and elbows.
          April’s eyes overload. She can hear some excited chirping from the mother bird and what sounds like chirping is coming from the baby bird. As her vision begins to clear, she sees Sandy on her knees.
          Sandy gently cups the bird in her hands and slowly begins to stand. She turns and raises the baby bird back into the nest with its mother and siblings.
Two miracles occur this day, April thinks. The first miracle is saving the baby bird life, and the second is mother bird’s acceptance of the baby touched by human hands.
Sandy knows better. Saving the baby bird’s life is the only miracle to her. A part-time bird watcher, she knows from her readings that the rejection of a human-touched baby bird is an old wives tale. Most birds have a very poor sense of smell. They do become upset by the presence of people near their babies. This mother bird seems grateful, though,
and accepts her baby back.
April stands up in a daze. Both girls’ backsides are covered with the dust from the dirt along the roadside. It has to be a dream, April thinks. 
They both look up at the nest. Sandy turns to April. She’s crying again.
April is pretty sure that they aren’t tears of sadness. How can they be? We just saved a baby bird’s life, April thinks.
Sandy opens her mouth as if to say something, but no words come out. Without warning, she bolts down the road, towards home.
April is stunned. She doesn’t know what to do. She picks up the backpack Sandy’s forgotten, tries to dust herself off, and begins to head home. On the way home, April realizes something. My own middle name is Maeve! A shudder ran up her back. April sprints the rest of the way home.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
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