4. Birdland

 

As they landed, the spaceship was leaning on the trees making it crack and swing. The branches looked similar to a cradle, from which joy has spread as little smithereens. Stirred space particles were hitting one another, while setting off sparks, metal"like clanks of collisions resounded throughout the planet.

Merry was whistling with a sense of serenity, and in the treetops greetings bursting out of the beaks responded to it.

“However, an extra weight makes dodging difficult,” concealed his thought Tim, while inspecting “Birds'” wing, which was grazed by the meteorites.

However, they have to stay here for longer. An irritation was stinging Tim, as if a ray of sun had gotten into his eye.

Europe, their new residence, was very lively. Verdure swarmed on the branches with a rustle, as if someone was playing hide"and"seek in it. Grayish birdies were hopping in the grass like toads and only if frightened would rise in one swing and show their existence. Merry's eyes were shining, curious of what else can be lurking in this moon of Jupiter.

Little lakes were filling grounds with mirrors of clear skies, leaving no space to settle down, so the only shelter available was unfolding in the branches of a tree. The last rays of sun were soaking into the bark. The birdhouses in the shapes of small cottages surrounded children's lair, weaved from birch rods and leaves. In whole moon wasn't a single sign of a creature, who could forge those homes for birds. At night lakes became starry pits filled with reflections. Above it, dust of space was refracting its light in various colors. There were no visible flight trajectories, only calming hazel or bluish green radiance. In little cottages radiance united into formations of throbbing crystals, probably brought as dust and shaken down from the wings after a daily flight.

Merry fell asleep while watching how warm garnet light faded as winged flier entered the birdhouse, something still gleamed through the fluffed feathers. Tim felt how Merry's breathing has changed as she fell into slumber, so he got up and started fixing up the spaceship warped by meteorites. Tim knew he won't be staying in Europe for long, even if Merry insisted, the space was still attracting him.

In the morning Merry's eye was caught by a falling feather, which was white like Eris snow.

“Beautiful,” she thought.

It was a strange temptation to fly off and leave this green paradise. All the grass was covered with a layer of feathers, fluffs were floating on the surfaces of lakelets. Only a large bird could shed such feathers, but here on ground level only petty grayish fliers resided. Strange attraction... She again raised her head, but the sky had no whiteness in it.

And so Merry waited... At the strips of light, landing through joyfully rustling tree crowns, puny creatures would gather... But Merry was waiting for something more extraordinary. And just a dream twinkled through eyelashes: white water"birds preening, splashing in the lakes and shape"shifting into humans. White water"people are observing children, perching around, shape"shifting into birds and guarding sleepers through the night. The girl opened her eyes more widely, but missed it, they have already flown away. Headed somewhere towards space, and only Tim could guess their direction by stars, yet the boy was leaning on the “Bird's” wing, napping.

Tim didn't believe in white birds transforming into humans. Maybe there were some creatures who do lose their feathers, but he didn't care much about this question. Such dawns have come, when children, had to wade in the grass, while searching for at least one fluff, but finding no visible sign that a white creature could have been nesting here.

“Your birds have migrated, we also need to abort this planet.” Tim found a reason to start the engine of a newly fixed spaceship. “Probably, something bad is going to happen in Europe.”

And indeed a cold mist has spread through Europe. Merry was afraid to see, that even such a prosperous planet is devastated by cold. Someday even Eris might have been blooming... Maybe all planets reach this period, when sounds, colors are suppressed, while it freezes for an entire era.

White fliers found another planet or block of a rock " something comfortable. Merry wanted to follow them, but if she had seen them as they were, all the attraction and admiration could fade. The girl just wanted to confirm, that birds have survived the transformation of Europe, nothing more " only a hint of their well"being. And she would believe, that white creatures on the furthest rock's block are preening their feathers, chattering with their beaks and pecking radiance of the cosmos, and sometimes accidentally turn themselves into humans again.

The greenery of Europe was still glowing while caressed by the rays. Somewhere in the hollow of a tree the feathers collected by Merry resided, and it was sad to know that even whistling in the tree crowns will vanish. White spaceship was rising like one of those enormous birds, spreading sparkling dust without any sound afterwards.