three blackbirds press
When it began to get dark the children stopped and the girl child caught some fat salmon for dinner. They roasted the fish over a little campfire and ate mangoes and pecans for desert. As the children were about to lie down to sleep near their fire, one of the strange birds they had never seen before came into their makeshift camp. This bird was tall, handsome, and had deep blue feathers; the crest on his head was comprised of golden feathers edged by dark scarlet. He tried to speak with them but they could not understand his language. Finally, they understood that the bird was trying to lead them somewhere. The children followed the tall blue bird a short distance from the river and into a forested area. Sleeping birds were roosting on almost every branch of the trees. Fantastic tall birds standing on one leg were perched on the soft mossy ground and assorted birds were sleeping on many of the tall rocks. A great big empty nest was to the left of the children and the blue bird beckoned the children towards that nest. As the girl climbed in, the boy ran to the camp to put out the fire and get their bags full of warm clothes. When the boy came back he saw that the girl was asleep in the nest surrounded by three of the large blue birds. The boy climbed in amongst them and he slept the softest warmest most comfortable sleep of his life.
It was late in the morning and the children awoke alone, the only evidence of the many birds from the night before were the unique feathers that littered the ground. This morning they had avocados, boysenberries, hazelnuts, and breadfruits as they continued their walk upstream. If possible, this day was more fantastic than the day before. A constant loud drone comprised of the chatter of the myriad birds filled the air. The congested sky sometimes grew dark as the thick throngs of birds flew overhead. The food supply on the ground never looked depleted although birds were constantly swooping down to grab the type of food they liked the best. Sometimes there were so many swans, ducks, geese, and other assorted waterfowl that the children could not even see the water. Yet no matter how many fish were caught there were still thousands of fish to be seen swimming in the clear water.
