Reader Response Exp.

Gabrielle Buffaloe

Ms. Asuncion

English 9H

1 October 2015

Birds

“The world was new,” he began.

            It was her favorite story, and he knew it. She was sick today, and he was trying to cheer her up a bit.

            “There were not any cars or planes or technology. Just the earth, and the sky, and the animals, and the plants, and the people. The people were good, there were not any wars, and everyone was happy.

            “There was a little boy, who lived with his grandfather. This little boy was actually just about your age.” He poked the tip of her nose as he said it, and the little girl giggled. Then he continued on with the story.

            “His grandfather taught him the ways of the world, how to respect all the creatures great and small. Most of all, he taught him about the birds, how every once in a while the birds would choose someone who they thought worthy to fly over the treetops with them, how if that person wished with all their heart to fly with them, also. Then the mother of all the creatures would allow it.

“So the little boy learned, and he grew. When his grandfather died a peaceful death of old age, he grew very sad. For he loved his grandfather dearly, and now he had no one to care for him, nowhere to go. Even though he was older than he was before, he was still a child with much to learn. He did not know what to do or where to go, so he turned to the birds. He hoped and he wished for them to help him, to show him what to do and where to go.  They answered him. They heard him calling, and they called back. The mother of all heard him too, and she allowed it. Finally when the birds called to him for the last time he turned his face to the sky, and his heart was filled with, he began to change. His arms turned to wings, and his skin to feathers, and he flew to the others. They welcomed him into their flock, and they flew above the treetops.”

            “I wanna fly with the birds, too,” she said.

            “Maybe you will,” he replied. “But maybe later, I would miss you very much if you left.”

            “I’ll never leave you, Daddy.”

            “I know you won’t, Sweetie. I gotta run to work really quickly to grab some papers. Ok?”

            “Ok.” She answered, sounding glum.

            “I won’t be gone for long. And then we can read some more stories.”

            “You promise?”

            “I promise. I’ll be right back.”

            He kissed her on the forehead, and then walked out the door. She pulled the big storybook out in front of her and opened it up.

            “T-he w-o-rl-d w-as n-eew.” She sounded the words out loud. “Th-ai-r w-uz nu-t an-y c-ar-s or pl-an-es or… or…” This word made her pause for a moment.

            “T-e-ch-no-lo-gee.” She smiled, proud of herself, and then continued reading till she was near the end of the story.

            “H-is ar-m-s  tu-r-n-ed t-o wi-n-gs, a-nd h-is sk-in t-o f-ea-th…” But then her aunt burst into the room, she was crying.

            “Oh, sweetie…” She started to say, and then burst into more sobbing. “It’s your Daddy.”

            “Where is he?” The girl asked. “He said he’d be back soon.”

            “Honey, he was in an accident, a car accident. Honey, he’s dead.”

“What?” She asked, her lip quivering. “No, no, you’re wrong. He said he’d be back, he promised.”

“I’m so sorry. You’re gonna come and live with me now. Ok?”

The little girl wasn’t listening, though. She was crying now, sobbing. She let her aunt pick her up and carry her into a car. She felt the car start, but she didn’t open her eyes. They kept driving, and she lost tack of time, too busy thinking of what she would do without her daddy. Who would walk with her to the bus stop? Who would read her stories?

“Wait,” she said. “Wait, we forgot the storybook.”

“We can come back for it later,” her aunt responded.

“No, we have to go back now.”

“I’m sorry, honey.  But we’re too far away right now.  We can get it when we come back for the rest of your stuff.”

“Ok,” she said shakily. It was clear that it wasn’t alright, though. It was the opposite.

When they pulled up to the house, she finally pried her eyes open.  It didn’t look like much, but then again, neither did their house.  They walked into the house and her aunt showed her to a room.  She let her aunt fuss over her until it was time for bed, unable to understand that her daddy was never coming back.  When she crawled into bed, she couldn’t fall asleep.  She kept thinking of the storybook in her room back at home. The clock kept ticking, and the anxious feeling wasn’t going away, it was getting worse, stronger and stronger. Until she couldn’t focus on anything else. She didn’t know what to do. She tried to recite the story from memory, but she kept on mixing up the words. This place was too different, everything was mixed up.

 Finally, she couldn’t take it any longer.  She quietly climbed out of bed and slipped down the stairs, careful to not wake up her aunt.  She slipped her shoes on and quietly opened the door.  She would take the bus.  She’d ridden the bus enough times to and from her aunt’s house before.  She knew what to do.  She went to the bus stop and boarded the bus.  She would just go there and come right back.  She wouldn’t be gone for long.  She just couldn’t sleep without her stories.  She got off the bus and walked to her house.  She went around back because they normally kept the back door unlocked, but it was locked. She broke down into sobs. She found herself wandering to the field behind their house, and she fell to her knees.

Why couldn’t anything go right? She thought.

“Please,” she said.  She didn’t know who she was talking to, there wasn’t anyone there, just the soft, pale moonlight and the faint chirping of birds.

“Please,” she said again.  The bird calls grew louder until they sounded as if they were right next to her.

“Please,” she asked again, this time in just a whisper.  Then she, felt something change.   She felt herself get lifted up off the ground, until she couldn’t feel it beneath her anymore.  And when she opened her eyes, she saw feathers and wings.  She realized she was flying, right next to the birds, with their wings shining in the moonlight.  Up, up, and up, over the treetops until all she could see was the clouds.  She smiled.  She flapped her wings and rose even higher because she knew she was where she was meant to be.