Tag: nature

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Take a break from the holiday rush!

Take a break with a short story I hope will make you smile.

It’s All About Attitude

Karen Black

I woke up flat on my back, the sun blazing in my eyes, and a seagull standing near my feet. To my left, the ocean stretched as far as I could see. To my right, the white sand of a pristine beach reflected the sun. Waves slapped at the sand near my left arm. I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten there.

Think, Jeremy. What in heaven’s name have you managed to get yourself into now? 

Bewildered, a fuzzy memory surfaced. I’d eaten dinner and consumed several glasses of an outstanding cabernet while listening to a rock band until the last song had been sung. After saying good night to the others who had stayed until the end, I stumbled to my stateroom. With a glass of wine in my hand, I strolled onto the small, private balcony to enjoy the cool night air and sip my drink as the ship rocked and swayed over the ocean. Sitting on the rail in the quiet darkness, I’d closed my eyes.

I flexed my ankles, slowly stood, and tested my limbs for mobility. My arms and legs still worked, despite the scrapes and bruises scattered across them. I needed help but saw nothing to suggest any would be found nearby. An inventory of my pockets found a lighter, a wine cork, and a slightly smashed, cellophane-wrapped cigar.

 If I had planned a day at the beach, I couldn’t have imagined a more spectacular setting. Unfortunately, my current situation wasn’t planned. I was stranded. Realizing there was no sense in wallowing in self-pity, I pushed myself to my feet and began walking along the spectacularly gorgeous beach. A bird swooped down and landed beside me.

“Are you lost, too?”

He tilted his head in response. The bird reminded me of Hector, a character in one of my favorite books. He should have a name, so that’s what I named him. “Looks like it’s you and me, Hector.”

After walking for a short distance, I noticed a few coconut trees. A single coconut sat on the ground. Scooping up the coconut, I glanced at my new friend, and asked, “Do birds eat coconuts?” He didn’t answer.

After another few minutes’ trek, I noticed something glistening in the sand near the edge of the water and headed toward it. Hector waddled ahead of me. He seemed curious, too. Since it could have been a dangerous creature, we approached cautiously and verified that it wasn’t a sea monster. At least not a live one. Grasping the edge, I pulled the shiny object free. Hector flapped his wings twice, as if he were clapping, then he hopped closer to me. 

“These masks were worn for fencing practice,” I explained to the bird. “That’s why the front is steel mesh. It can be useful, but I wish we’d found a sword. We could use one to open this coconut.” 

Using the mask as a basket, I placed the coconut in it and continued on my quest to locate humanity. 

“Do you suppose there’s a grocery store around the next turn?” Hector squawked.

A steady breeze fluttered through the leaves of trees that became more plentiful the longer we hiked. Except for the sound of the waves, and my occasional comments to my sidekick, I’d heard nothing until a fluttering sound caught my attention. Scanning the area, I located the source. With its pages quivering and flapping in the breeze, an oversized dictionary lay open under a tree. It made me smile. I closed the cover and sat on the book. It made a decent little seat. Hector kept his distance but watched.

From my seat under a tree, I dumped the coconut onto the sand, lifted the mask above my head, and slammed against the fruit as hard as I could. A small crack appeared. The second hit sent a piece of the shell flying, which sent Hector airborne. But the coconut had opened.

“Dinner is served,” I announced, and Hector landed.

Nothing had ever tasted as marvelous as the coconut milk, which I guzzled. Breaking a piece of fruit from the shell, I tossed a morsel to Hector before eating the rest for dinner and plotting my escape from the island.

The ship can’t be far away, I reflected. Otherwise, I would have drowned getting here. I need a signal.

Using the coconut shell as a shovel, I began digging. Soon, a ten-foot-long, five-inch-deep trench, shaped like the letter S marred the smooth sand of the beach. Pleased with my effort, I dug a circle of similar dimension to the right of it, and then another S-shaped ditch. 

I stuffed the coconut shell with dictionary pages and dried seaweed that lay scattered along the beach. Ripping the remaining pages from the dictionary, I scattered them throughout the SOS trenches, added dried brush and seaweed to the pile, and waited for a plane or a ship to pass.

The rumble of an engine sounded before the lights of the small aircraft appeared above me. Like a Boy Scout, I was ready. After lighting the pages in the coconut shell, I used it to transfer the fire to my trenches and had a flaming SOS signal within seconds. Then I lit my cigar and waited. Life was good.

The plane circled twice. My signal had been a success. A couple of hours later, a helicopter landed on the beach. I was rescued at dusk, and Hector flew away.

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Are you smiling? Have a great weekend!

Karen

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New additions to the family: Feathered Dragons!

I’ve always loved birds, but never expected a pair of them to move in!

Coming back from the garden one morning this summer, I saw a blue bird on our deck. When I realized he was a budgie, I tried, unsuccessfully, to coax him into my hand. While my husband knocked on neighbors’ doors to ask if anyone lost a bird, I stayed and talked to the little guy. He’d approach me, but never closer than about 18 inches. Because he appeared to be in good weight with sleek feathers, I thought he’d recently escaped from somewhere nearby.

As I continued talking to the elusive creature, a green and yellow flash caught my eye. Yes, it was the other bird in the picture. She flew onto the table beside him. The two were obviously a bonded pair. They stayed for a little while, then flew away. I figured they were gone for good but when they returned a few minutes later, I filled a shallow dish with water, and my husband brought cracked corn and bird seed. After a few pecks at the food, off they went. When they hadn’t returned an hour later, I doubted we’d see them again, and hoped they’d found their way back to their owner. Budgies aren’t native birds and are chased and attacked by the wild birds in the area. The colorful little creatures are also a favorite meal for hawks. Although parrots typically have little homing instinct, I left the food and water on the table, just in case.

For the rest of the day, I checked often but they hadn’t returned. Near dusk, I went out to bring in the dishes and the birds were there, interested in “talking” to me, but not considering allowing me to touch them. Armed with a fishing net and a spaghetti strainer, I caught the female, put her in a cat carrier and brought her into the house near the door. The male came inside to sit with her and we herded him into the carrier, too.

My husband headed to the pet store to buy a bird cage and supplies, while I searched the internet, the humane societies, pet rescues, neighborhood chats, etc. attempting to find someone who’d lost a bonded pair of budgies. After a week of searching with no luck, we ordered a flight cage and gave them names, Kai and Kani.

Kai is named after Malacai, the dragon in my novel “Goldfield Forest,” and Kani’s name came from Makani, a dragon in the novel “Sanctum,” a story I loved, by PTL Perrin. I’m now in the process of taming the feathered dragons and am grateful they don’t breathe fire!

Has a furry or feathered creature ever adopted you? I’d love to hear the story!

Cheers!