Clunk!
The rude thud interrupted the peaceful morning as birds flitted about on the green lawn, gathering seeds.
Tap tap clunk!
One of the grey birds in the sunny suburban yard was trying to crack open a large nut. The others just looked at him and shook their heads. They were content to gather the more convenient, if not tastier, feeder seed. But this bird would not give up.
Tap, clunk! Tap tap
Holding the nut firmly in his small orange beak, the bird would hurl it onto the ground, then proceed to peck at it as if to test the shell for a fracture. But it seemed as if all his attempts were in vain.
Clunk!
Mocking laughter came from a few nearby observers, watching for amusement. “Give it up already!” One of them shouted at him. The stubborn bird continued to tap away at his gem as if he hadn’t heard.
“Don‘t bother; he’s got a mind of his own.” Another bird replied.
Tap tap
A slight fracture suddenly appeared on the nut’s smooth brown surface. Overjoyed at this sign of progress, the bird renewed his efforts with redoubled energy.
Clunk, clunk, clunk!
Just then the alarm was sounded from a sentry in the branches above; “fly, fly!” In an instant the peaceful yard was cleared of all fowl with a flurry of grey wings. All, that is, except for the one small bird with his nut. He hadn’t heard.
Clunk!
The moment this fact was realized, the tree tops were set ablaze with chirps and twitterings.
“What’s he doing?” One asked anxiously.
“Is he out of his mind?”.
“Well, it was good knowing him!”
“What was his name?”
Above all the chattering, one voice rose above the rest, high and frantic; “someone, do something!” Below, the deadly drama unfolded.
Tiddles, the much feared house cat, had been let out to enjoy the nice weather as well. At that moment, the silky white cat was batting at some daffodils in a nearby garden bed; but it wouldn’t be long before she would look for livelier game. The lone bird continued to work away at his nut under the swaying bird feeders; oblivious to all else.
Tap! Tap!
To his delight, a few chips of the shell flew off. It wouldn’t be long now before he had unveiled the delicacy inside. The flurry of his excited wings beating against the ground as he worked with the nut caught Tiddles’ attention. Bright yellow daffodils were no longer on her mind. Crouching low; so low that her immaculate white belly fur grazed the ground, she began to stalk the poor bird with slow, precise movements. “Oh, my poor nerves!” One of the watchers above nearly fainted dead away, and would have fallen through the branches and dropped to the ground, if her husband had not steadied her.
“Fly, fly!” The alarm rang out again. But it fell unheeded. Quite on the contrary, the bird below was in a state of ecstasy, rather than fear, as more and more of the shell broke away. He was so close; the golden nut inside could be seen now and was almost within his grasp. But the white cat had been making progress of her own; she had inched, slowly but surely, to within a few feet of the bird. Calculating the distance carefully, she drew herself together, readying for a spring. “Fly!” The birds above tried one last time to warn him.
Clunk!
The shell was gone! Triumphantly, the bird held up his prize for all to see; but to his puzzlement, nobody was around. Springing gracefully into the air, the cat bared her claws and hurtled down upon the unsuspecting bird. Feeling uneasy, the bird turned his gaze upwards, his nut still in his beak. That’s when he saw her; a dreadfully beautiful acrobat filling his vision. Letting out a squawk of surprise and terror, the hard earned nut dropped from his gapping mouth. The bird spread his wings to fly… but it was too late.
Thud, thud, thud.
The nut rolled to a stop in the dirt as a shower of downy feathers settled all around.