There is a bird in the living room
It is relatively small and has a long, thin beak
It is dark brown in colour and appears to be tame
Anna moves her hands towards the bird, beckoning it to climb upon her
With knowing eyes, the bird obliges with a single hop
The bird has delicate, red, petal shaped feet
I had not noticed beforehand
I put my hands out for the bird to climb on
As its feet land, the floral form disappears and in place a pair of off white oblongs press heavily into my palms
An uneven pattern of sharp metal follows the edges of the feet
They break the skin enough to cause some pain
For its size, the weight of the small bird is unexpected
I encourage the bird back to Anna
Its feet peel out of my skin
The bird hops onto Anna’s hands, which are behind the arm of the sofa and out of sight
We discuss taking it to the garden
As we do, Anna lifts her hands back into my line of sight and I notice the feet once more
Now a pair of large, translucent yellow fans have appeared at the bottom of the bird’s thin legs
We take it outside immediately
ALCEDWRDS 