Robin

WARNING: Death. DISCLAIMER: Another older piece. A curious boy finds something strange.

Robin
Alira Cohen


It seemed that the bird hadn’t seen so much as a single day before it fell….

The small thing was lying limp on the ground when Toby found it. He watched in confusion as ants crawled over its pink and purple body, and he found it strange how its skin seemed to be almost transparent. Before seeing the creature, Toby didn’t know what baby birds looked like--he thought they hatched out fully equipped with feathers and wings, but the “wings” on this dead creature appeared more like two small, unimpressive lumps of flesh sticking out of its shoulders. There certainly weren’t any feathers to be seen, just pink skin, except for its eyelids and its veins, which were a dark, purplish blue color. These veins were shooting all through its body, and there was a bit of blood under its tiny head, which made the boy’s stomach turn a little. He was certain it must have been a baby and couldn’t have just been sick because there were pieces of blue eggshell all around it.
Toby didn’t know exactly what to feel looking down at the bird. He didn’t know what to do. So he leaned down and gave it a closer look, extending a finger to touch its forehead. Then he stopped; he remembered what his mother had said, that he shouldn’t touch even harmless animals because they might carry diseases. An idea popped into his head. He picked up a stick that was lying on the pavement next to the creature, and used it to nudge the lifeless bird.
Maybe it’s not dead yet, he thought.
He nudged it again, but it still didn’t budge.
Then again.
Then again.
Then again.
Toby sighed. Not once did the bird move. “Come on,” he whispered, “wake up. You can do it.” The bird couldn’t hear him, which Toby should’ve known from the start, but he liked to make believe in his head that, if he willed it just enough, the baby would wake up and understand him. “You can do it,” he repeated.
All of the kids had already left without him. They were safe behind the doors of the school as rain began to pour down from the grey sky, but Toby didn’t care that they’d all left him. He wanted to stay with the bird. Just in case it woke up.
“Hey!” one of the adults called from the front door of the school. “What’re you still doing out here? Come inside!”
He didn’t look up.
“Hey, don’t you ignore me!” the woman shouted. “You’ve gotta come inside!”
He looked up just a little.
Finally, the woman by the door said, “You can walk over here yourself or someone can come over there and get you. What will it be?”
Toby didn’t want to get in trouble. He looked at the bird one last time, threw his coat hood over his head, and started running towards the door. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
And the bird lay there alone in the rain.

Author's Note

As usual, please be fair and respectful if you are to comment. Thank you. Like I stated above, this is yet another older piece.

Reviews

[Ashi written tale & poe..]

You have written beautifully :)

[Alira]

Aw, thank you!

[_rabbitofhabit (1word)]

This is a very interesting concept: new life observing and contemplating the demise of newer life.

You nailed the end as well.

[Alira]

Thank you! It was another one of those things where I just thought of an image and rolled with it; even though it’s pretty old there are still some things I appreciate about this story, for sure. The ending is definitely one of those things lol

[Alira]

**forgive me for saying “those things” twice, lmao 😭

[_rabbitofhabit (1word)]

:) Can't lie. It went over my head.