Story: Dean and the Bird (End/Week 5)

The cook took the dead body of the bird, chopped it, boiled it and prepared it for the captain who was strangely sitting in his cabin in silence, with white eyes.

Once the cook finished with the preparations he took it personally to the captain’s cabin place it on his desk. The captain ate it like any other food it is. The taste was excellent.

The boy sat miserably on deck with the rest of the men, some of them hardly spoke, they were just bedazzled what just had happened.

Then all of a sudden, the captain who was silent came out of his cabin in an ecstatic state.

"Any of you want that bird’s meat?" the captain said, looking around at his men on the deck.

"Not me," the cook said. "I think I'll go down the deck."

"Me, too." Another crew said. "I'll best be getting to my work," said another crew member.

The captain watched them go. Some of the others excused themselves.

"What do you suppose the matter is?" the Captain said. He turned to

the boy. The boy opened his mouth but no sound came.

The Captain put his hand on the boy's shoulder. And the boy felt a sudden shift a familiar when the hands of the captain was on his shoulder.

"It is only organic matter, now," the Captain said. "The life essence is gone now. I, myself, love to eat. It is one of the greatest things that a living creature can enjoy. Eating, sleeping on one’s shoulder, discussing things, philosophy."

The boy nodded. Two more men got up and went away. The Captain drank some water and sighed.

"Well," the Captain said. "I must say that this was a very enjoyable meal. Very fine. I had long wanted to taste rare meat before. But I was prevented from enjoying this pleasure in times past."

The boy wanted to leave, disgusted by the Captain, but before the boy could get up, the Captain pulled the boy.

"Come, come," he said. "Cheer up! Let's discuss things."

He smiled.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted, the role of Odysseus in the

Myths…"

The boy jerked up, staring.

"To go on," the Captain said. "Odysseus, as I understand him…"