Friend's Flight

Friend's rehabilitation was complete. I waited for the day to warm up, then took the box out into the yard and knelt down beside it with the camera running. As I lifted the screen away, I wanted to say something profound to send him into his new life, but my chest constricted with emotion and my mind blanked. The tears were streaming down my face as I spoke to him, bidding him to fly up, fly away. There were no words for this, no phrase adequate to express what had been shared between us, a wild creature and a human who had grown to love him, only a deep, choking sob which wrenched itself through my heart and spirit. My throat tightened around something beyond verbal expression. In the next heartbeat, Friend flew.

*****

There is one more entry to be made in this chronicle: Friend's Return.