Surprise
You’re Not What I Thought
As the bird alighted on a branch only a couple of feet overhead, I looked up and said, “Good Morning Mr. Car — .” (Yes, I fully admit to speaking aloud to animals with whom I do not have a personal relationship. Is that strange?)
By the time I got to what was supposed to be the word Cardinal, I realized my mistake. I was expecting the ordinary, but instead was treated to a short glimpse of the extraordinary. The bird blinking back at me was not a Cardinal. It was a stunning red-orange Scarlet Tanager.
In the moments it took me to recognize I was seeing a rarity to my every day, the curious fellow and I shared a mental exchange.
I pleaded, “Just stay for a moment. Let me fumble with my phone to find the camera function. Just a moment, please?”
And in that moment he said, “Nope.”
Unfortunately, he did not find me extraordinary in any way. He flew off without a backward glance.
“Curse you,” I said — not really meaning it at all.
Story inspired by Susan Christiana’s Blue Jay photo.
