The Bird Song

It was well past midnight as I was making my way home from a party. It was quite a long walk, but as I had no money for a taxi and had drank too much alcohol to be able to drive, I didn't have much choice. The only other sound, apart from the steady drum of my shoes against the cold pavement of the road, was the sweet tweeting of a bird. The song it was singing was hard to describe. It was...hypnotizing almost. The longer I listened the more hooked I was to hearing more. I wanted to see this bird now. I wanted to capture it and never let it go, so that I could listen to the song it was singing for forever. I looked around frantically, whipping my head from side to side trying to decide where the bird was. There was a forest on one side of the road, while the other was lined with closed down shops. I determined the song to be coming from the direction of the forest. I crossed the empty road, heading towards the forest, all thought of going home blown away from my mind as if wind had picked it up as light as a feather and whisked it away. I had no more control of my body, as if it was controlled by the song, dragging it closer and closer. I was running through the forest, going deeper and deeper. The further in I went, the denser and taller the trees came, until eventually I was completely surrounded by trees so tall I couldn't see their tops, and so densely packed I was winding my way between that tree trunk and the next. I ran for what felt like hours and hours. My lungs were begging for air, but my legs wouldn't stop. They were moving faster and faster, too fast for it to be possible. Suddenly the trees stopped, and in front of me was a perfectly circular opening. The ground was covered in grass so green and soft, it felt as if it were from a dream. In the absolute middle of the opening was a apple tree, and on the tallest branch of the apple tree was a bird so pretty it couldn't be real. It's beak was golden, as were its talons. The feathers had every colour imaginable, and looked as smooth as velvet and as soft as bunny fur. I approached the tree feeling proud that I had found it, this beautiful and majestic creature. The full moon shined bright in the night sky, shining straight on to the tree, lighting its branches that glistened with waterdrops. Only as I touched the branches did the bird stop singing, and only then did I realize how odd it was for the branches to be wet, as it hadn't rained in over a week. Only then did I realize how sharp the birds beak and talons were, and how they glistened with a slight reddish tint. Only then did I realize the liquid on the branches was red. The bird started singing again, my hand still on the lowest branch, and I noticed that the bird didn't sound quite as sweet anymore. It's song had a tone of bitterness in it. Only then did I realize, that something was not right, and that it was too late to do anything about it.

Reviews

[roarke]

A beguiling story in classic fairytale style. Great opening set the scene well. Give some description during the narrative of who the "I" is in the story. I liked your straight forward narrative voice, and distinct descriptions that illustrated the forest and the bird. Enjoyed, well done.