The Visitor

Before daybreak, I went out to pick the figs.  The birds would not beat me to the trees this morning!  Our two small trees are trying their best to show their appreciation for the quality care we have been giving them.  I picked almost a half of bucketful of the little jewels!  Not many by some standards but enough to make me smile!  After that chore was finished, I headed back inside to make a pot of coffee.  Just as I went through the door, something as quick as a shadow caught my eye! It was there and just as quick..gone!  Now, what was that?  I peered into the corner of the room.  Whatever it was..it was small!  This was strange indeed!  Ms. Ez had been in the room this whole time and never even made a whimper!  Some protective dog I have!   I kept staring where I last saw the movement...nothing.  Hmmm?  Perhaps this was just a figment of my imagination?

I made my coffee and called to Michael.  While we shared a cup, I mentioned what I had (or had not) seen.  It took a few moments before my constant prattle even made contact with his groggy brain.  I suppose that it is a futile effort to talk to some folks before that second cup of coffee!  Finally, he made his way into the living room to see for himself.  Aha!  I did see something!  There it was as plain as day!  I saw it again but at least this time, I had Michael as a witness!  There on top of the cabinet was a small bird!  A wren had somehow found itself trapped inside the house!  Not wanting to traumatize the poor, little bird anymore than necessary, we pondered how to extricate it calmly.  The plan was made for me to slip around to the right and open the screen door.  This I would have to prop open since it has a spring attachment that slams it shut.  While I did this, he would make his way around to the left of the bird causing it to veer towards the door.  All was going well, until I broke out in giggles! Michael was heading left alright only he had decided to do so by climbing across the back of the sofa! From there he stepped to the nearby cedar chest and then onto a wicker chair!  My giggles could not be contained!  These actions so reminded me of a game the kids concocted when they were younger.  The floor was the Bayou filled with alligators and they were explorers.  The object of the game was to climb from furniture piece to furniture piece to cross the room..err..Bayou without being eaten by the gators!  Michael was doing well at doing this!  The little wren hopped just out of his reach onto the window ledge.  It tried with all its might to find a way through the screen.  Next hop led the bird to my gourd stash and then to the top of Mom's antique sewing machine.  Michael finally made contact with the floor and amazingly was not eaten by hungry gators!  My giggle attack was starting to wane about this time as I realized that Ms. Ez had taken interest in the game.  She was crawling on her belly toward Michael.  Why she decided to do a belly crawl was beyond me but there she wallowed like some giant caterpillar!  Oh, geez!  The giggle attack struck again!  Poor little wren!  She was being held captive by a bunch of crazies! I lurched forward to grab Ez's collar while Michael eased toward the bird.  The bird, by this time, was mere inches from the open door.  Outside, another wren was calling frantically!  It had seen the little one in the window and knew something was afoul!  Only then did I realize that this was a baby bird that had just fledged!  No wonder the poor, little thing was lost!  At this point, Michael scooted the little one to the open doorway and away Little Wren flew to its mama!

What a story this little bird had to tell!  It had ventured into a scary place filled with alligators, climbing explorers, giggling, crazy ladies and fat caterpillar dogs!  All of these things were chasing the little bird but it was smart enough to find its way out!  It had entered the scary place but made it out alive!  Whew!  That is one brave little wren!