OK, so I had this dream...
This was a dream I had. I'd love to rework it and make things up, but for now I'm just going to write it how it happened. I guess I'll have to make up names to assign to the characters, however. My dreams are big into symbolism now?
Meryl stared at the old metal bird cage sitting on her dresser. Inside, a small brown songbird sat patiently on a metal swing. It was a swallow, or maybe a starlet. Meryl could never remember the names of birds, that was always Jack's strong suite. Jack however, was gone.
When they found the song bird they were coming back from a private dinner together, and the bird flew from a copse of trees right into the windshield. The loud THUD scared the shit out of Meryl, who swerved the car and nearly went off the road. Jack, however, told her to stop, and exiting the car wouldn't stop asking out loud what a bird like this was doing flying around at night. They found its frail body lying on the pavement, its little chest still rhythmically rising and falling but its wing broken badly. Jack kneeled down to pick up the twisted creature, and as Meryl observed, ruined his nice dress pants in the process.
The song bird stayed in a shoe box at first. Meryl hardly watched the thing's progress, but knew it was getting better when Jack triumphantly pulled a large, black, metal bird cage out of the attic. He gingerly took the bird in his cupped hands, and looking like a statue of a saint you'd see in some touristy place, set the sleeping thing inside the new cage. When it awoke, it sang a few shrill notes and flapped its wings.
The next day, Jack left early as usual. What Meryl didn't know and what Jack didn't say is that he wasn't coming back. He would never come back.
A week went by of trying to explain to her children where Jack went. Truthfully, Meryl didn't know either. The police had nothing, his office had nothing. It was as if Jack simply vanished.
Finally the songbird's wings grew fit enough for flight and the small animal made terrible crashing noises as it tried to escape the cage. The banging and flapping noises were almost instantly too much to handle, so Meryl took the cage and her youngest daughter to the place where the bird was found to release it.
The weather was gorgeous. Unreal. The light came through the copse of trees as golden beams. Down the hill, purple flowers stretched on and on, waving gently in the breeze. She paused for a moment before her allergies kicked in, then opened the tiny little cage door. The bird paused for a moment and refused to exit the door. Meryl knew this would make her daughter feel even worse about letting the bird go. Then so fast it made her jump back, the bird shot out of the cage and flew straight up into the air. She thought of all the birds whose names she was unfamiliar with, the large black crows and swooping hawks.
The two watched, and Meryl knew that even if it did come back, they would never recognize it.
As she began to walk back to the car, Meryl's daughter noticed a small shape falling slowly to the ground like an autumn leaf. She reached out her hands to catch it, and saw what she had was a beautiful moth with blue wings. She sat in the back seat of the car, next to the large black bird cage, and slowly moved her finger across the moth's furry body. It's wings slowly opened and closed, as if the action was new or difficult for it.
Meryl looked at her daughter in the rear view mirror. The moth's wings left a chalky powder on the girl's hands. Surely someone like her daughter couldn't care for something so delicate. Then, Meryl took one look at the metal cage and drove home.
Meryl stared at the old metal bird cage sitting on her dresser. Inside, a small brown songbird sat patiently on a metal swing. It was a swallow, or maybe a starlet. Meryl could never remember the names of birds, that was always Jack's strong suite. Jack however, was gone.
When they found the song bird they were coming back from a private dinner together, and the bird flew from a copse of trees right into the windshield. The loud THUD scared the shit out of Meryl, who swerved the car and nearly went off the road. Jack, however, told her to stop, and exiting the car wouldn't stop asking out loud what a bird like this was doing flying around at night. They found its frail body lying on the pavement, its little chest still rhythmically rising and falling but its wing broken badly. Jack kneeled down to pick up the twisted creature, and as Meryl observed, ruined his nice dress pants in the process.
The song bird stayed in a shoe box at first. Meryl hardly watched the thing's progress, but knew it was getting better when Jack triumphantly pulled a large, black, metal bird cage out of the attic. He gingerly took the bird in his cupped hands, and looking like a statue of a saint you'd see in some touristy place, set the sleeping thing inside the new cage. When it awoke, it sang a few shrill notes and flapped its wings.
The next day, Jack left early as usual. What Meryl didn't know and what Jack didn't say is that he wasn't coming back. He would never come back.
A week went by of trying to explain to her children where Jack went. Truthfully, Meryl didn't know either. The police had nothing, his office had nothing. It was as if Jack simply vanished.
Finally the songbird's wings grew fit enough for flight and the small animal made terrible crashing noises as it tried to escape the cage. The banging and flapping noises were almost instantly too much to handle, so Meryl took the cage and her youngest daughter to the place where the bird was found to release it.
The weather was gorgeous. Unreal. The light came through the copse of trees as golden beams. Down the hill, purple flowers stretched on and on, waving gently in the breeze. She paused for a moment before her allergies kicked in, then opened the tiny little cage door. The bird paused for a moment and refused to exit the door. Meryl knew this would make her daughter feel even worse about letting the bird go. Then so fast it made her jump back, the bird shot out of the cage and flew straight up into the air. She thought of all the birds whose names she was unfamiliar with, the large black crows and swooping hawks.
The two watched, and Meryl knew that even if it did come back, they would never recognize it.
As she began to walk back to the car, Meryl's daughter noticed a small shape falling slowly to the ground like an autumn leaf. She reached out her hands to catch it, and saw what she had was a beautiful moth with blue wings. She sat in the back seat of the car, next to the large black bird cage, and slowly moved her finger across the moth's furry body. It's wings slowly opened and closed, as if the action was new or difficult for it.
Meryl looked at her daughter in the rear view mirror. The moth's wings left a chalky powder on the girl's hands. Surely someone like her daughter couldn't care for something so delicate. Then, Meryl took one look at the metal cage and drove home.