April
I was sitting on a bench at the side of a road in the twilight, watching the sun set and reflecting on the end of my day. As the sun began to bury itself in the horizon, I was startled when a little bird suddenly landed right next to me.
It was just a tiny brown bird, but as I looked at it, I could see flashes of rainbow colors shining through its feathers. I'd never seen a bird quite like it. I was stunned that it sat so close to me.
In the far distance, I saw a car turn onto the road, headlights on under a deepening purple sky.
As I looked back at the bird, it chirped, and with a flick of its wings, weightlessly hopped onto my finger. It kept chirping and I was enthralled. I stared at it in amazement, this small trusting creature, and it looked at me. Frozen in place, I didn't make a move, for fear I would frighten the bird and make it fly away.
In the corner of my eye, I noticed the headlights coming up the road. “Don't worry, little bird,” I barely whispered to myself, “It's just a car.”
It was getting dark as the sun went down, the sky turning to charcoal.
Even in the twilight, the bird continued to sing to me. I could see its bright colors glowing as I studied each tiny, delicate feather. I tried not to breathe. I wanted the whole world to remain frozen in place. It was a magical, beautiful moment that I wanted to last forever, and never let slip away.
But the headlights grew nearer, the glare putting a tear in my eye, and the bird stopped singing.
I held still, wishing time would stop. Stop right at that one beautiful sliver of it, when everything was crystal and perfect and there was nothing else. Stop, and make that golden moment the last thing I remember. The only thing I remember.
But, relentless, the car rumbled past and the bird flew away.
I sat alone for a while. Slowly, as darkness grew around me, I realized it was night.
