I enjoy watching the hummingbirds and so did my cat. Except, my cat watched them for a different reason. One day she “gifted” me with a hummingbird. Of course, when I saw the little bird laying on the living room floor, deader than a doornail stiff, I shrieked. My cat was very proud of the gift she had given me. I was horrified. They are sweet little birds that shouldn’t be on my cat’s menu. Sassy was a well fed cat and didn’t need to kill birds to eat. Therefore, she got no pity from me.
Picking up the little body, I wrapped it very carefully in paper towels and gave her a quick funeral in the trash can. I walked off to do something else and my conscience told me to go get that little bird and bury her outside. I turned around and went and took her out of the trash. Wait… What? Why is this little bird moving? Dead birds don’t move. I quickly unwrapped her from the paper towels and discovered she was alive! She had only been in shock. After inspecting her and confirming there were no wounds on her, I took her outside and sat her on the patio table hoping she would fly away. She tried, but her little wings couldn’t take flight. I determined she must have a broken or bruised wing.
I set up housekeeping for my little bird, in a box with a hummingbird feeder. To keep her safe from a certain death, I kept her locked in my bathroom for a few days.
I bought her a bird cage and put her in the area where I am most of the time, the kitchen. My cat wasn’t too happy about her “gift” being in a cage on top of the freezer, but she dealt with it. One day I tried covering her cage thinking that might be calming to her. She threw a fit. So, I took it off. I named her Flower, and she would cling to my finger as I lifted her out of her cage to kiss the top of her tiny head. Every few days I would set her on the patio table to see if she would fly, but to no advail.
Thanks to the Humane Society, a couple was found that rehabilitates birds and then releases them. Reluctantly, I gave them Flower.
Two weeks later the woman called me and told me she found Flower flying around her cage that morning. So, she put her cage on the picnic table, leaving the hatch door open. She said she watched as Flower poked her head out the hatch door but she wouldn’t fly out, until another hummingbird flew into her cage to eat from her feeder. Flower then made her escape to freedom and in just enough time to migrate with the other hummingbirds.
Last summer, while I was sitting in front of my large kitchen window a little hummingbird came flying right up to the window, hovering for a few minutes as it watched me, then flew away. I can’t say for sure if that was Flower, but I certainly like to think so.
My cat never again gifted me with a hummingbird. But at least I got to save one little bird, and her name was Flower.
I was kindly nominated to participate in the Five Days Challenge by snowsfissuresandfractures and was asked to post five photos, one per day for five days, and write five stories, one for each day. Today is day 5.
Next, I am to select one person (each day), to carry on this challenge.
Today, I choose JR, author of the blog, Nuggets of Gold. I am asking you to post a photo every day for five days and write a story to go along with each photo. This story can be fiction or non-fiction and can be from a short paragraph to a page. Next, please select one person each day to carry on this challenge. This challenge is not mandatory and can be refused. (However, I hope you will agree to participate and to join the fun).
This is my last day of the challenge and I wish to tell snowsfissuresandfractures thank you for this opportunity.
I would also like to thank all of you who have so graciously accepted this challenge.
BEAUTIFUL WORDS 