three blackbirds press
Magic in the pool made the golden water dilute to a sharp clear stream as it left the pool. The children watched and saw that as each bird made its way to the pool, it would lean over, take a long deep sip of the golden water and then fly off. Finally, the children reached the pool. The water was sparkly, shimmering, and thick as paint, and they were not sure if the golden water was safe for humans to drink. A cave bordered the edge of the pool and at the mouth of this cave sat the most intriguing bird of all. At first glance, this bird appeared to be all murky brown. But as the bird shifted position to return the children’s look, the light danced off his feathers, highlighting the hint of iridescent colors that were subtly entwined with the brown of his feathers. This brown bird had the most intriguing eyes the children had ever seen. Instinctively the children knew this bird could help answer their many questions. Thus, when the children spoke with this bird they were not surprised when he answered them in their own language.
He introduced himself as the guardian of the golden pool, his responsibility since time began. He said he knew every language ever spoken because birds came from everywhere in the world to drink at this pool. “Every bird ever born has to come here once a year and take a long drink from the pool,” the guardian bird explained to the children. “This sip of water gives the birds the ability to fly for one year. Before a year is up each of these birds must come back to this pool, take another sip of the water, thus gaining the ability for another year’s worth of flying. If any bird fails to come back to the pool, they lose the capacity to fly and will remain flightless unless they can make it to the pool, a very difficult journey for a flightless bird to undertake. The place you are in is a very magical place and the whole river path is a magical path. Since time began very few humans have ever made their way to the pool. I have seen a few pigs, squirrels, bats, some horses, and other animals. You are welcome to drink from the pool,” he told the children, ”the water is not toxic.”
Immediately the children ran to the pool and took long deep sips of the cool sweet water. The taste of the water was startlingly refreshing, reminding the children of the first warm day after a long cold winter. Lifting their heads from the pool, the children were dismayed to learn that they had no wings and could not fly. The brown bird told the children to wait until morning before they became too disappointed. Then he led them to a place similar to the place they had slept the night before. After climbing into a large empty nest, the children quickly fell into a deep sleep dreaming of wind, sunlight and a heady undecipherable scent.
