You Came, You Conquered and then Departed, Leaving us in Tears!!

On a cold December evening, as  I happened to step out of the door at dusk. I was planning to upstairs, to take in the evening air. This work-from-home was taking a toll on me, just like many others. As I was about to start my climb, I noticed a shadow near the staircase. Puzzled, I went in for a closer look and realized it was a pigeon, which for some reason had landed where it was. It was disoriented and panicked as I approached. The bird then ran towards a back alley, away from me. Not wanting to leave it at the mercy of the hunters of the dark, I and my brother carefully trapped it and took it inside the house. The next morning, upon releasing it in a protective area, we realized that it had probably hurt its left-wing as it could not spread the wing out. The bird otherwise, looked fine without any other visible injury. It also seemed to have a good appetite. Hoping that it will recover on its own, we tended to it. It had now all of a sudden, become a member of the family.

Over the last couple of months, as a family, we had endured a lot of hassles. There was a lot of stress that we were going through. But suddenly, this new member of the house had taken everything away. We were all engaged in talking to it and giving it our attention. To my mother, this was like a new child. She spoke to the bird, fed the bird and noticeably was much calmer than she has been lately. For my father, an acute dementia patient, this was a new distraction, often enquiring with us, if he did not notice the bird for some time. This bird, though injured, gave us so much happiness and cheer.

I seemed to be in a strange dilemma. Though I wanted the bird to recover and fly away, I also wanted it to stay. I seemed to have developed a bond with it, as I had somebody to talk. But I have always observed, many a time you do not get, what you wish. Last night, I noticed that the bird was not as active as before. I thought, maybe it was the cold weather. Today morning, the last day of the year 2020, she seemed normal to me. She drank water, munched on some wheat granules. I was relieved and was going along with my day’s work. All of a sudden, there was a shout from my mother. My brother rushed downstairs. The bird had flipped over and was gone from our midst!!

We all went numb in disbelief. The bird was gone, too soon. Draping the bird in a warm towel, I took it to its final resting place.

For me, 2020, had thus ended on a horrible note.  This bird had come, conquered our hearts and yet, left us in tears. RIP, my friend.