Story: Dean and the Bird (Week 2)

The ship took off from the island, away from the villages and into the ocean. The boy and captain Dean headed to the ship’s kitchen, where lies the old crooked hunchback, grey-haired cook lies with his pot and other cooking tools.

"Good Lord," the cook said. "What is it?"

"The boy says it's a special kind of bird," Dean said. "It belongs to the boy." Captain Dean has the bird in his grasp, the bird pants in tiresome.

"What's the matter with it?" the cook came over and observed the bird. "Is it sick?"

They watched. The bird rolled its eyes mournfully. It gazed around at the

men.

"I think it's thirsty," the boy said. He went to get some water using the palm of his hands as a bowl, the bird sip the water. The captain shook his head.

"Let's have a look at it." The captain pulled away the bird from the boy, squinting critically. "You got this from the native, you say?"

"Yes, sir," The boy said. "It eats almost anything. I fed it a piece of bread and it liked that. Then I fed it potatoes, and mash, and surprisingly scrap of meat, and it even drinks alcohol. It seems to enjoy eating. After it eats it just stands on my shoulder and goes to sleep."

"I see," Captain Dean said. "Now, as to its taste. That's the real

question. I don’t think this bird can get any fatter if we try, so no point of fattening it then. It seems fat enough to me already.”

The bird managed to get away from the grasp of Captain Dean and flew to the boy’s shoulder and croaked weirdly. The bird had majestic feathers, but it had the voice of a dying vengeful siren that could shred a man’s ear right off.

"Really, Captain," the bird said. "I suggest we talk of other matters."

The room was silent. The boy opened his mouth in fear, that the bird standing on his shoulder just spoke words, words that only humans could.

"What was that?" Dean said. "Just now."

"The bird, sir," the boy said. "It spoke."

They all looked at the bird in fear and in astonishment at the same time.

"What did it say? What did it say?"

"It suggested we talk about other things."

Dean walked towards the bird, his eyes staring at the eyes bird, like a leopard preying on its food. He went all around it, examining it from

every side. Then he came back over and stood with the cook, who almost had a heart attack.

"I wonder if there's a native inside it," the captain said illogically thought, no man could fit into the medium sized bird, but there was no other explanation.

"Maybe we should open it up and have a look,” the cook suggested ready with his knives.

"Oh, goodness!" the bird cried. "Is that all you people can think of,

killing and cutting?"

Dean clenched his fists. "Come out of there you demon! Face me and you shall know death. Whatever you are, come out!"

Nothing stirred. The men stood together, their faces blank, staring at

the bird. The bird swished its tail. It croaked again.

"I beg your pardon, sorry for the horrible voices I made, I must clear my throat" the bird said.

"I don't think there's anyone in there," the boy said in a low voice. They

all looked at each other.

"I think this a demon, sir, best we kill it before it kills us, Captain? Is this not a reasonable decision," the cook said.

"Maybe a demon, but if it was capable of killing us, it would have killed me when I took out its feather," Dean said. "So maybe a demon, but does not have the strength of a demon. But I just have to know how it taste, the meat must be so good to eat."

The cook and the boy look at Captain Dean who was oddly weird, his eyes blare up at the bird, just as of the leopard. The captain was mad, in obsession to eat this bird.

"I think we should have a talk," the bird said. "I'd like to discuss this

with you, Captain, if I might. I can see that you and I do not agree on

some basic issues at hand."

The Captain took a long time to answer, calming down. The bird waited good-naturedly.

"Bird? Would you mind following me into my cabin," the Captain said at last. He turned and walked out of the kitchen. The bird rose and flew following the captain. The men watched it go out and into the cabin, the young boy followed as well, but waited outside the captain’s cabin.

"I wonder what the outcome will be," the cook said. "Well, I'll be in

the kitchen minding my own business."