The Adventures of Little Dude: Epilogue

Epilogue:  Saying Goodbye

Little Dude was carried into a building where he was welcomed by quite a few other humans saying nice things to him, including the nice lady.  After such a long and scary ride, he needed all the comfort he could get.  Fingers came and wrapped themselves around, lifting him out of his cozy little nest.  Those fingers were soft and warm and reminded him of Mama, which also reminded his belly that he hadn’t eaten for a long, long time. 

Straightaway he opened his beak, thinking excitedly, FOOD!

Sadly, nothing came.

“Aww, you’re a hungry fella, aren’t you?” said the new lady that was holding him. 

“I think Little Dude worked up an appetite on the car ride over,” the nice lady replied.  “He wasn’t too happy about the drive.”

There was a soft chuckle.  “Is your name Little Dude?”

Little Dude chirped in response, making the new lady chuckle again.  Then soft, gentle fingers started probing his head, neck, and also his wings.

“Is he okay?” the nice lady asked.

“I can see that he’s dehydrated, but other than that he seems okay.”

“Oh good!  I was worried that maybe he hurt himself during the two separate falls that he took.”

There was more conversation that went on, but Little Dude wasn’t really listening.  Was he in Hollywood?  Had he finally made it?  More importantly, where was food?  He really could use some right about now.

The nice lady’s voice slowly cut into his thoughts.  “Well Little Dude, I guess this is goodbye.  I hope you enjoy your temporary new home until you get a little bit older.  Make sure to grow up healthy and strong!”

Wait, the nice lady was leaving?  But—but—

“Thank you!”  Little Dude squawked.  “Come see me again in Hollywood!”

The nice lady chuckled, and then she and her mate walked out the doors, and Little Dude was taken to go get cleaned off and fed. 

Even though he hadn’t quite made it to Hollywood yet, the wildlife rehabilitation clinic was a very nice place, and he made some new friends that didn’t tease him about his big beak.  He was fed and taken care of and plumped up into a nice young Starling that was ready to fly away several weeks later. 

When Little Dude felt the wonderful rush of air ruffle his feathers and found the heat thermals that let him soar high in the sky, he thought of the nice lady, and was glad that she had brought him to the best home he ever had.

As he flew away with a group of his friends, they all had one mission in mind:  finding Hollywood.  

****

There you have it folks, the story of Little Dude!  I hope it was entertaining for you.  It was enjoyable to write.

A little bit of fun facts:  this was based on a true story.  I found Little Dude on the ground in the carport of my apartment complex.  That evening was just as much as an adventure for me as I’m sure it was for Little Dude, which is why this story fluttered to life.  Though fictionalized to some extent, the events written here are true, as are the pictures and video.  They are the real McCoy, Little Dude himself!  I would love to hear your feedback.  Do you have any favorite moments you particularly enjoyed?  Would you like to see more short stories in the future?  Leave a comment please!

On Sunday I will be posting information about my WIP (Work In Progress).  I haven’t spoken much about the future project I am writing. . . get ready for the reveal!

A few other things I realize I haven't advertised:  You can follow me on twitter @booksbysmiles, and I am also on facebook too.  I am in need of gaining more likes on that page, so if you haven't already, please go on over and like it!  Facebook: Books By Smiles

Thank you so much for your interest!  I hope to keep it :)        

The Adventures of Little Dude: Part Six

Note to self:  Blogger's 'blog schedule' eludes my technical skills.  I thought I had this set to post in the morning, but low and behold, it hasn't!  Without further ado, here's the continuation...

 Part Six:  Little Dude’s Adventure

Little Dude was excited.  Did the nice lady just say they were going on an adventure?  Did she understand him when he explained about wanting to go to Hollywood just now?  Oh, how he hoped!

Suddenly his nest was being lifted into the air, which made him so excited. 

“Oh yay oh yay oh yay!” he squawked. 

A bright red car door opened up, and inside he went, his nest settling right onto the nice lady’s lap.  Did the lady have food?  Boy, he could sure use some right about now.  He was going on an adventure!  One needed to eat when going on an adventure.  He opened his mouth, but nothing came.  That made him a little sad.  When was he going to get food? 

Very soon, something happened that made Little Dude forget all about nourishment.  A great loud rumbling sounded, followed by some scary vibration.  Was this the car starting up?  Jeepers, it sounded a lot more scary now that he was inside of it!

If Little Dude thought that was the worst of it, boy was he wrong.  He started sensing movement and knew that the car was now driving, but it felt. . .

WHOA!

“What is that?!  What is that? Ahhh!” Little Dude squawked with panic.

He was moving very fast now, but this didn’t feel like the right kind of movement!  His wings weren’t flapping and he didn’t feel any wind, but his tiny body was going on a very fast and very bumpy flight. 

“This doesn’t feel right!”  Little Dude yelled.

“Shhh,” the nice lady responded to his terrified chirps.  “It’s okay Little Dude.  I know this must feel very strange to you, but I promise you’ll be okay,” she soothed.

The very fast movement and the bumpy-ness continued though, so Little Dude wasn’t at all comforted.

“This doesn’t feel right!” he continued to chirp away.   

After what felt like a long time, the movement slowed down and came to a stop.  That made him feel a little bit better, so much in fact that he stopped screaming for a minute.  Was he in Hollywood already?

“Hey,” said the nice lady’s mate.  He sounded like he was laughing.  What was so funny?  “I think he likes the car better when it’s not moving.  ”

Well that was certainly true, Little Dude agreed.

“We’re at a stop light, Little Dude,” the nice lady explained.  “This will only last a little bit, and then—”

“Ahhhh!!” Little Dude yelled.

“Yup, we’re on our way again,” the nice lady explained.  “Shhh, it’s okay little guy.  We’re taking care of you.  This will be your first flying experience.  It’s always scary the first time.  Just wait until we get on the freeway.  You’re in for a rush!”

The nice lady continued to talk, but Little Dude wasn’t really paying attention.  He was very concerned about the bumpy movement that did not feel right.  Maybe he should have waited until he was just a tad bit older so that Mama could show him the way to Hollywood herself.  He much preferred flapping his wings compared to—

“AHHHHH!!!”

The car was now going much, much faster now.  The bumpy-ness turned into very fast and very scary vibration.  What did the nice lady say to him?  Something about a freeway?  He really did not like the freeway.  Nope, he really didn’t.

The bad part was, this freeway thing went on for a very, very, VERY long time.  How far away was Hollywood?  He knew that some part of him should be braver than he was, but it was so hard to find that bravery inside when he was traveling so fast in such an unnatural way.  The nice lady was trying to soothe him, but he just couldn’t help the squawks that continued to pour from his beak. 

This is so scary!

That thought went over and over in his head until. . . was the movement slowing down?  Yes!  The car wasn’t going quite so fast, and then it was going even slower.  Finally, after what felt like an entire life time, it stopped, and the rumbling noise and the bumpy-ness went away.  For the first time in ages, Little Dude wasn’t screaming.

“We’re here Little Dude!” the nice lady exclaimed.  “You made it!  Here’s your new home until you’re old enough to go out on your own.”


Stay tuned for the epilogue on Friday!  Thanks for your interest in Little Dude!   The page views have been awesome to monitor this last week and a half.  Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know how you have (or haven’t) been enjoying this little story.        

The Adventures of Little Dude: Part Five

Part Five:  Decision Making

Sarah felt very glad to be out of her pooped-on t-shirt.  Her face, her rubber gloves, and now her hands were all scrubbed clean when her husband walked through the door.  That surprised her, because she was trying to be as quick as she could so she could join him downstairs.  Their plan was going to be bird watching to see if Mama returned to the nest.

Before she could ask why he had come up, he spoke and answered her query.  “He fell out of the nest again.”

Sarah felt her heart drop.  The first thought that surfaced was one of surprise mixed with I-wondered-if-that-was-going-to-happen mixed with, “What?!”

Her husband nodded. “I saw him fall.  Good thing I placed the bowl with towels we had him in right under the opening, so he fell onto that instead of the ground.”

Sarah felt relief, but still, she wondered, “Is he okay?”

“I think so.  It was a soft fall this time around, at least.  He seems fine.”

Sarah felt a little bit better hearing that, but worry plagued her.  Little Dude was going to be a problem.  She sighed and walked downstairs to the carport with her husband.  There was Little Dude, sitting a little awkwardly in his makeshift nest, but otherwise looking fine.  He was now starting to squawk and make noise.  Sarah bent down and stared at him.

“Why did you have to fall out of your nest again?” Sarah asked him.

A series of squawks erupted from Little Dude in answer.   

I wish I could understand bird language.

Sarah heaved another sigh.  What was she going to do?  Sure, she could try to put Little Dude back up in his nest for a second time, but she couldn’t trust that he was going to stay there, and if she continued to hang out near the nest, Mama might be nearby and feel threatened that her home wasn’t safe anymore and would abandon it.  That would endanger the other baby Starling that was still up there.

Sarah left Little Dude and walked to the other end of the carport with her husband.  There were two options left to them:  try to take care of Little Dude themselves, or try to contact someone else who could. 

After some more discussion, the decision was becoming clearer:  Sarah needed to contact someone, because she really didn’t know how to take care of a baby bird on her own.  She feared that Little Dude would shrivel up if she tried to take him under her wing. 

After some phone calls (on a Saturday evening, no less) Sarah finally got the phone number to her local Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic.  They asked if she could send a picture of the bird so they could know how young and what breed he was.  Sarah did so, and they confirmed that Little Dude was a baby Starling that was too young to be out of his nest.  He wasn’t a state protected bird, so Sarah had the option of taking care of him if she wanted, or she could bring Little Dude to them.

Sarah stared at Little Dude, wanting to give him the best possible chances for survival.

“Would you be able to take him?” she asked the woman over the phone.

“Yes,” the woman replied.

“Okay, what is your address?” Sarah asked.  The woman gave it to her, and Sarah’s heart stammered a little bit.  The wildlife clinic was forty-five minutes away!  For a city girl, that was quite a drive, and with gas prices being what they were, she and her husband measured their amount of driving carefully.  Despite all that, though, taking the drive was what she and her husband were going to do. 

Hanging up, Sarah stared at her husband, and with that silent look they gave each other, they both knew that Little Dude’s survival was worth it.   

Sarah then walked up to Little Dude, picked up his makeshift nest, and said, “Well Little Dude, this will be a different kind of flying, but you are going on an adventure with us.”

Stay tuned for the finale.  Part Six will be available Tuesday!

The Adventures of Little Dude: Part Four

Eeep!  Meant to post this in the morning, but life's circumstances got the better of me.  Onward ho, toward the continuation of Little Dude's adventure. . .

Part Four:  Little Dude’s Sticky Situation

Sarah felt a ray of hope inside.  She would investigate the nest, figure out where it was, and go from there.  She grabbed a mixing bowl from her kitchen, found some comfy towels to put inside, and carefully lifted Little Dude into his temporary makeshift nest.  She placed a small towel over him so that he was nicely warm and snug.  Then she went outside on a mission. 

With a chair and flashlight in hand, Sarah carried her items down to her covered parking area, stood up on the chair, and tried to peer her flashlight into the two holes that were directly above where Little Dude fell.  Sarah’s suspicions were confirmed:  She wasn’t tall enough to see clearly into those holes and figure out which one held the nest.  She didn’t hear any chirping either, which made her wonder if there were any other siblings in there at all.  She really needed to know that.  She didn’t want to put Little Dude back into an empty nest!

So she walked upstairs and found one of her neighbors outside.  Right away she explained the situation, and asked her neighbor if she had a small ladder available.  The neighbor didn’t, and felt bad that she didn’t know how to help out.  Then another neighbor came out, and he was a tall neighbor. 

Oh good!  I need someone tall!

Sarah went to him, but he told her the same advice about Mama not accepting the baby back into the nest because of human scent.

That silently frustrated Sarah for two reasons.  One: she just didn’t want to believe it. Two: It meant neither of her neighbors, nice though they were, were going to help out.  Little Dude’s fate now rested entirely in her hands.  She thought for a moment, and there was one conclusion she came to: there was only one way to find out which theory was right.  She decided to take Little Dude down with her in his makeshift nest, and she was going to bird watch for Mama’s return until her husband came home from work.

Not much time had passed until his car pulled up.  He got out, and straightaway Sarah enlisted him to step on the chair and see which hole carried the nest.

She was so glad her husband was tall, because he spotted the nest right away.  The problem was, out of the two holes, Mama had planted her nest in the smallest one.  Sarah stuck a winter glove on, and barely had enough room to fit her hand up into the hole.

 

How was she going to get Little Dude back up in there?  Should she even try?  After plenty of discussion with her husband, they both decided that it was the first course of action they should at least try for.  It was, after all, what Wikipedia suggested (and Wikipedia is never, ever wrong). 

Donning some kitchen gloves (Sarah was concerned about handling Little Dude with bare hands again, just in case Mama wouldn’t approve) and a face mask for safety measures  (because you never know what you are dealing with when you stick your hand up into a hole filled with insulation and a bird nest), she cupped Little Dude in her hands and slowly raised her arm up like an elevator shaft, carefully positioning Little Dude to slide right up into the hole. 

Little Dude didn’t quite like the lift, and scooted around on Sarah’s gloved hands, refusing to leave.  Suddenly his butt lifted, and—SQUIRT!

Down poured a thin stream of white liquid poop onto Sarah’s face and shirt.

Sarah got bird bombed.

Thankfully it hadn’t penetrated her eye, but the runny poop was slowly moving down into that area, so she asked her husband for the small towel that she had used to place over Little Dude (this was the second time she wasn’t freaking out about warm poop getting on her.  Boy was she proud!).  Her husband, not realizing it had gotten onto her face, quickly lifted it to her. 

After mopping it up— with Little Dude still sitting on her gloved palm—she wiggled and twisted her hand enough so that Little Dude was forced to step onto the ceiling’s ledge.  After that, she finished squeezing her hand up into the hole, where (as gently as she could) Sarah lifted him so he was sitting next to his baby brother again.  Little Dude squawked loudly during all of this, because little did Sarah know, he did NOT want to go back up into the nest with his little brother.

“Back from Hollywood already beak-brain?” Little Dude’s brother pestered.  “What, was your fat beak too ugly for them, too? Ha!”

Little Dude groaned.  This was not what he wanted.  A very nice lady had lifted him up and carried him somewhere very far away.  Her hands were warm, and there was even a new nest he was placed in.  Okay, yes he had been scared, but now that he was back with his annoying older brother, Little Dude realized that in a very short time, he had outgrown his home.  

Maybe the nice lady would take him to Hollywood! 

That thought excited Little Dude very much.  Scooting back to the ledge of his home and ignoring his squawking brother’s comments, Little Dude opened his wings, sure that this time would be different.  This time his wings would work, and he could—

PLOP.

Fall right back down the hole again.

 

Two installments left!  Stay tuned for Part Five on Saturday!

The Adventures of Little Dude: Part Three

Oh! Oh!  Looky!  Shameless plug before I delve into part three.  For today, and today only, The Coin: Kindle edition is FREE!!  Go on over and enjoy some nice reading on a lovely Sunday like today.  And now, for what you are really waiting for. . .

Part Three: Figuring Out What To Do

Sarah stood there, unsure of what to do.  She tried to examine the bird to see if maybe its wing was broken, but there wasn’t any telltale sign of injury that she could see.  That didn’t mean too much, though, because Sarah was no bird expert. 

One thing she could do, though, was keep this baby warm.  Already she could feel the heat from her hands beginning to warm the baby up, and that made her feel good.  It seemed very content to be in her hands.  It wasn’t struggling, and it had stopped opening its mouth for food, but rather snuggled into her palm when she cupped her hands closer together that cocooned him inside.

Slowly Sarah walked up the steps to her apartment building, glancing around uncertainly, hoping to spot some of her neighbor friends that she could ask for help.  Unfortunately, no one was outside.  She went up to two different doors and knocked, but no one answered. 

Sarah felt the only option left to her was to go inside, boot up the laptop, and Google how to take care of a bird that had fallen out of its nest. 

With very careful hands she kept the baby in one hand—she couldn’t help but be amazed at how tiny it was, and how easy it fit into just the palm of her slender hand, and how big its beak was—and used her other hand to grab the apartment keys and unlock her door.

Once inside, Sarah took a moment to stare at the baby bird.  He wasn’t the cutest baby she’d ever seen, but he wasn’t terribly ugly either—just a little bit ugly.  She figured he was going to be cuter when he grew into his large beak, but in a way, that’s what made him so cute as he was.  At least, that’s what she thought.  Then that was when it happened.

The baby pooped in her hand.

Sarah grimaced.  She really hated warm poop in her hand.  She felt proud of herself, though.  She didn’t freak out at all, something she was tempted to do, because she really hated warm poop in her hand.  Instead, she sighed.  

“Okay Little Dude, I’m gonna have to put you down so I can boot up the laptop and clean off my hand.  I need to figure out how to take care of you.”

Before she did that, however, another idea came to her.  She really wanted a picture of Little Dude, so small inside her hand.  So she carefully grabbed her cell phone out of her purse and clicked a picture of him.

 

Then she uploaded it to Facebook, asking for helpful advice on how to care for this Little Dude she just found. 

Facebook will give me answers probably faster than I can boot up my laptop.

While she waited for a reply, she just had to call her husband, who was still at work.  He answered the phone, but he was busy, and although she knew the answer, she had to quickly ask him, “What do I do with a baby bird that has fallen out of his nest?”

Her husband was surprised by that question, and his immediate response was, “Oh wow.  Um. . . I don’t know, but I’m busy, can I call you back?”

Sarah glumly let her husband go, not feeling confident in handling this situation by herself, but nonetheless knew that she was going to have to.  After hanging up with her sweetheart, she gently put Little Dude (which was now his name, Sarah decided) onto the carpet.  She wasn’t sure if this was a good idea, but she was curious to observe Little Dude to check if he really was injured. 

Little Dude stuck his wings out for balance as he was put onto the ground, and Sarah noted that they seemed in good working order.  He stuck his wobbly legs out, and unsteadily began to hobble around.  Sarah watched very carefully, trying to decide if Little Dude was hobbling because he was hurt, or because he was still so very young that he was unpracticed at walking.  After enough observation, she concluded in her unprofessional opinion that it was the latter.

Sarah then went to thoroughly wash her hands, boot up the laptop, and by the time she did all of that, she checked her phone, and found that already she had responses from her friends on Facebook.

Sarah found herself smiling, because the very first response was from a dear online friend she had known for years, and this friend gave her a Wikipedia link, “How to take care of a baby bird that has fallen out of its nest.” 

Those were the very words she was going to Google!  I knew my friends on Facebook would come through for me first.

Right away she tapped on that link and began reading the information.  The very first tip on that page was saying not to feed it any kind of liquid, because baby birds can asphyxiate really easy.  That made Sarah feel better that she hadn’t tried to do anything like that yet.  She read on.  If you are curious about the information she found, here’s the link:  http://www.wikihow.com/Help-a-Baby-Bird-That-Has-Fallen-Out-of-a-Nest

Sarah felt happy when the advice she read mentioned to put the baby bird back into its nest.  That was her first instinct.  The problem was, there were a couple of holes in the ceiling of her carport, and she wasn’t sure she was tall enough to see which hole had the nest in it.  That’s when she really wished her husband was at home, because he was definitely tall enough.

Her Facebook notifications pinged at her, so she checked for the responses that were coming in.  Two separate responses both told her that there was risk of Mama not accepting the bird back into her care once human scent got onto her baby. 

Sarah could feel her heart sink.  She had already handled Little Dude with her bare hands.  What was she going to do with him if she couldn’t put him back in his nest?

At that point, a third response came onto Facebook, and told her not to worry, that it was an old wife’s tale that a Mama bird wouldn’t accept her baby back after being handled by a human. 

That made Sarah feel better, but still confused on what advice to believe.  She really wanted to make sure Little Dude survived.  Making the right move was critical.

To be continued. . . Stay tuned for Part Four on Wednesday!

The Adventures of Little Dude: Part Two

Yes, I am posting this early! You see, there was a space time continuum breakdown where I believed myself to be posting Part One on an entirely different day than it was actually posted. But rest assured, I figured out the conundrum (it happened to be myself). Saturday is much too far away for Part Two, don't you agree? Hopefully you do, because here it is. Further updates will be labeled correctly this time :)

******

Part Two: The Discovery 

Sarah pulled into the extra parking space in her apartment complex, feeling happy that she got the spot.  It was a first-come-first-serve extra covered parking spot, and often times the other cars belonging to her various apartment neighbors got to it before she did. 

Yay!  I got it this time! she thought happily to herself.

As she got out of the car, she was idly wondering what she was going to do with her evening.  She and her husband didn’t have any plans.  Her co-workers had asked what she was going to do, and she didn’t have an answer.

I really need to write, she thought.  I am going to work on the fourth chapter of the series I am working on, she decided.

As she was thinking this, she was staring at the ground and passing the other cars that were parked underneath the covered parking area.  Sarah always had a habit of staring at the ground ever since she was a little kid.  Why, you might ask?  Well, so often, Sarah is in her own little world, thinking away about something.  Maybe she’s thinking about her day, or maybe she’s thinking of some kind of story in her head, or thinking about the current story she is reading and how she wants to go upstairs and read more, but she should really write instead.  In any case, on this particular day at this particular time, Sarah’s thoughts were halted when she happened to catch sight of a baby bird lying on its side on the ground.  It wasn’t moving.

Sarah’s eyes widened, her heart dropped a little bit, and she moved her foot—which was raised up in the air, getting ready to land another step—over the small bird so that she didn’t trample it.  Sarah thought this poor little guy was dead. 

You see, Sarah has a really soft spot in her heart for animals.  She hates seeing road-kill in any shape or form, and for a second or two, she always mourns the poor animal that didn’t make it.  She had lived in this apartment for over five years, and she was well aware of the nest up above that produced new baby birds every year.  She had seen varying ages of bird fetus lying on the ground in years past, the eggs having fallen out of the nest and smashing on the ground. 

This was the oldest looking baby she had ever seen fall, and she stopped to stare and mourn at its loss.

Something strange happened, though.  The little bird’s feet started to move.  Sarah’s eyes widened, and it was then that she saw the little chest go up and down.  It was breathing!  With a jolt that made her heart zing, Sarah realized that this poor creature was still alive. 

It’salive It’salive It’salive! Went Sarah’s whizzing thoughts.

Straightaway she bent low to the ground, staring at the baby and watching it.  The little guy’s legs were starting to move a lot more.  He was struggling to get up onto his feet, but she could see that he just didn’t have the strength.

You poor thing!   

Before she could properly think, Sarah’s heart lurched into her arms, and she gently scooped the baby into the palms of her hand, hoping against hope that she wasn’t hurting it.  It was then that some part of her brain told her this might not be the wisest thing to do, but that is also when she felt the baby’s cold body against her skin, and instinct took over: wise or not, this baby needed warmth, and she could provide it.

Strangely, the baby didn’t make any sort of sound at being handled, which made Sarah wonder if he was hurt or just stunned from the fall.  Instinctively, she cupped her hands to add more warmth, and the cute (but sort of ugly) baby opened its beak, asking for food.  Sarah felt awful.  She didn’t have any food for this guy, nor did she even know how to get food, or if she even should. 

In fact, she realized she had given herself a tough assignment for the evening.  What was she going to do with a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest? 

She didn’t have the first clue!

 

To be continued. . . Stay tuned for Part Three on Sunday!

The Adventures of Little Dude

Part one:  Hollywood Mindset

Once upon a time, there lived two baby Starling birds.  Their cozy little home was a nest that Mama Starling had built up inside a hole in the covered parking ceiling of an apartment complex.  They were safely tucked away among warm, fuzzy pink insulation.  As these two baby brothers waited for Mama’s return to bring them yummy things to eat, they sat in their private nest, and heard many different conversations from the people below them, coming and going with their loud cars.  The noises were strange and new and very curious. 

One day, the youngest sibling overheard a particular conversation that really set his curiosity buzzing.  Two people were talking about driving to a place called Hollywood.  Hollywood was a place of beauty and glamour.  This couple was going there because one of them wanted to have their lips altered so they puffed out really big and lots of people would admire them and say they were pretty. 

This was a very interesting conversation to the little Starling, because you see, his older brother was always giving him a hard time about how big his beak was.

“You’re all beak, bone head!  I can’t even see your face!”
 
Those words didn’t make the younger Starling feel good about himself.  He couldn’t help that he had a big beak.  Since being hatched, that was all he had ever heard his brother tease him about.

“Fine!” the younger Starling baby said.  “You may not like my beak, but Hollywood will, so I will go there instead!”

The baby Starling started inching his feet forward, intending to fly out through the hole like Mama, and drive off with the couple going to Hollywood.

The trouble was, you see, the baby Starling hadn’t exactly walked before.  Sure, he’d circled around in his nest and adjusted positions, but he had never travelled outside of his cozy little area.  His legs were very wobbly and unsteady, and he admitted that he was feeling nervous the closer he got to the hole where all of the light shone through, but he was determined to show his brother that someone, somewhere, would think his beak was beautiful.

That hole slowly came closer and closer until he could feel the air whip through his downy feathers he was sprouting.  One more little inch forward, and he would be flying like Mama!
He boldly wobbled forward, felt air beneath his body, felt gravity pull him down, spread his tiny little wings like he watched Mama do so many times—and fell all the way to the ground.

PLOP.

Oof!  That didn’t exactly feel very good.  What had happened?  Why hadn't his wings flown like Mama's?  Now here he was, lying on his side on the ground, hearing the couple bid goodbye to someone.

Now was his chance!  He worked his tiny wobbly legs, but it was very hard to get up.  He hadn’t ever fallen over before.  He tried and he tried, but he just wasn’t able to get up onto his feet.

He heard the noise of car doors open and the even louder noise of a car starting, but the noise that was the saddest to hear was the sound of the car backing up and driving off.

The baby Starling was not going to Hollywood with those people.

His tiny little heart was now feeling quite sad.

It made him aware that he was now in a very bad position.  Not only was he not in his nest anymore, he was getting hungry, and when Mama came back, she would find that he wasn’t there.  He kicked his little legs, but nothing was happening.  He wasn’t strong enough to get back up on his feet. 

To make matters worse, he had fallen onto a cold hard surface, and he was getting colder by the minute.  Brrr!  How much he missed his warm nest already!  Who knew he could feel so cold?

A despairing thought suddenly entered the baby’s mind.  What was he going to do?!

 

To be continued. . . Stay tuned to find out!  Part 2 will be available on Saturday!

Behind on the Times

*Blows some dust off the screen*  There, that's a little better now.  Who knew an online blogging spot could collect dust? 

I am on facebook, twitter, and here, and I have yet to get on hootesuite and manage my time better, so unfortunately this place has suffered the effects of neglect.  It has been two weeks since The Coin's official launch.  Whew!  Time travels so fast.  I wish to thank those of who you have supported me.  If you have purchased online, please be kind and leave a review and rate my book.  That helps me out greatly!  If you feel so inclined, I would appreciate any comments down below as well.  I love hearing from you :)

I wish to be short and simple right now.  I have a confession to make.  It's no secret, really, but I do have a weakness: I love to spend time with my husband.  He is a great source of happiness in my life.  This may sound cheeky or dorky, but well, we are both fans of the television show 'Survivor' and Wednesday nights are our date nights.  We rush home from work, make a quick dinner that can get prepared just in time to eat while watching the show.  I never used to be a fan until I met him.  Now?  I love the show.  This season has been a very entertaining one, and I suppose it sounds corny that a television show is actually a bonding experience for us, but suffice it to say, it is. 

And I love it.

Tonight we went out on more of an actual date.  We went and ate at a local eatery and then took a stroll through a nearby park.  We enjoyed seeing the dark clouds of rain slowly stroll in until they covered us and forced us to retreat to the car.  I managed to capture this a few minutes before we made a retreat.  I thought the contrasting sky mixed in with the scenery was a beautiful canvas of color.

It took me about three pictures before the men playing soccer spread themselves wide enough for me to capture a shot without them in it.  Hooray!

It is mother's day weekend, so I hope all of you have someone special you are going to dote on.  Might you forgive me for a shameless plug that The Coin would be a perfect mother's day gift?  Yes, I thought you wouldn't mind.  She will enjoy it, trust me!