The Asha Chronicles--Part 13

Below, my ravenous reader, lies Part 13 of the Asha Chronicles. This story is based on a picture I've had for 14 years that just needed it's 15 minutes of fame and obligatory 1000 words. Now, I'm pretty sure there is way more than 1000 words below and I also know I'll leave this episode up for about 4 days before uploading the next adventure, so my above discription may be a tad inaccurate. What's not inaccurate, however is that you'll need at least one box of tissue at your side, ready and waiting, when you read this story. If you've ever been owned by a critter, dog, cat, bird, lizard, etc, well, just read on.......

At the end of this little story is a very special picture.....read the story and the picture will take on a whole new meaning.......

The Asha Chronicles Part 13
Ease Their Pain
By
Timothy Graham and Julie Stilwell
March 4, 2008

Asa again woke from a fitful sleep.
It was that dream again, the same one that had been haunting her for the last two weeks. The image of the two cockatiels with their backs to her and their wings spreading over each other’s shoulders in a loving embrace had become seared in her mind.
But why was the same dream coming to her every night? And why these two birds? She did not recognize either one of them but still they kept coming back to her night after night. She thought about trying to awaken her Granny but then she heard a noise to her right and she turned. There she saw the vision of another cockatiel with its wings outstretched to her in supplication.
“Help them! Help them please!” the spectral bird whispered.
That was quite enough for Asa as she immediately fell off her perch and landed at the bottom of her cage with a resounding ‘thud!’ That was enough to awaken every other bird in the house and the resulting chaos ended any chances for bird or human to get more sleep that night.
The next day Asa emailed her friend and fellow member of the Feathered Friends Asha in Georgia. Asa tried to explain what had been happening but, not truly believing it had really happened, had a hard time getting the point across to her friend.
“You must have come across some bad pellets,” Asha said in an effort to calm her friend. “We’ve all had some of these visions in the past when we were on a mission. We’ve seen Rosalie and others who have passed over the Rainbow Bridge. Maybe it is something like that.”
“Yes, but we knew who they were and we know why they were contacting us,” said Asa. “I don’t recognize any of these birds and have no idea why they would be trying to contact me.”
Later that day Asa was engaged in her favorite activity-chewing one of her toys into sawdust-when she heard a rustling behind her. She turned and there was the astral vision from the previous night.
“Help them! You have to help them! You are their only hope!” the vision said plaintively and disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Asa shook her head and tried to gather her thoughts.
“This is totally crazy,” she said to herself. “Maybe Granny can help.”
Asa waddled into her Granny’s work room and climbed up on her shoulder. Her granny was busy sewing a shopping sack for her online business but she was never too busy to pay attention to Asa.
“Beep!” said Asa. “Beep, beep!”
“I sure wish I knew what you were trying to say,” said Granny. “Do you want to help me sew?”
Asa jumped down to the floor in disgust. “Humans!’ she said to herself. “They can’t understand anything!”
As she waddled from the room she turned and saw the vision again, this time hanging in the air behind her Granny.
“Help them!” the astral cockatiel said. “Help Cherry and Ralph!”
Playing a hunch, Asa waddled back to her Granny and climbed back onto her shoulder.
“Beep!” she said. “Beep! Cherry! Ralph!”
“What did you say?” her Granny said as she dropped her half-finished grocery bag. “What did you say?”
Asa kept quiet because she knew that her Granny’s chain of thought would eventually travel to where she wanted it to.
“I could have sworn you said Cherry and Ralph,” she said quietly. “I’m sure I imagined it, but still, let me tell you about those two. Ralph was still around when you were hatched in 2001 but you never knew the whole story. Cherry and Ralph were two of the most beautiful ‘tiels you have ever seen. Cherry Lace came to me back in 1993. It was obvious that she was lonely and needed a friend so we found Sir Ralph D’Artagnan about six months later. They immediately bonded and were the most loving couple you have ever seen.
“I remember how they would sit on their perch with their wings around each other’s shoulders just like a pair of human lovers,” Granny said. “Wait a second! I think I still have a copy of that picture I took one time.”
Asa’s granny went to a nearby sideboard and began rummaging in several boxes before finally shouting “Here it is! I found it” She brought it over and showed it to Asa who came close to having a fatal heart attack. It was the dream she had been having. The two birds with their wings wrapped around each other’s shoulders. The same dream that had been haunting her for weeks.
Granny showed Asa another photograph. “And this is their only fledgling. His name was Diamond Sunshine.”
This one did not catch Asa as nearly by surprise. She was pretty much ready for anything by now. Of course, it was the bird from her astral visions.
“Diamond Sunshine was hatched in 1996 and his mother died soon after due to a genetic defect in her pancreas,” Granny said wistfully. “The same defect took Diamond Sunshine in 2000. As you know, Ralph lasted until 2005 and he finally passed due to old age and a broken heart. He never got over losing his Cherry Lace and their son. If humans would only love each other as much as those two birds did…..” Granny stopped and gazed at the two photographs.
“So many memories and so many missing friends,” she said as she dabbed a tear from her cheek with a handkerchief. “The only thing that helps me is knowing that they are happy together on the Rainbow Bridge.”
Granny left the room leaving Asa alone with the photos. She was totally unsurprised when the vision of Diamond Sunshine appeared as soon as granny was gone.
“I guess you know the story now,” Diamond said to Asa.
“Yes, but why are you here? I thought you all would be happy together over the Bridge. Why are you here keeping me awake at night?” Asa asked.
“That is the problem!” Diamond said. “We are not all happy together. Mom and I have been there waiting for Dad to show up but he never has. We’ve waited there for three years for him and there has been no sign. We need for you to find out what happened and bring him to his rightful place on the Rainbow Bridge.”
“You want me to find out what happened to the spirit of your father and return it to the Rainbow Bridge” Asa asked in shock.
“Exactly,” said Diamond Sunshine. “I don’t know how long mother can go without him. She is the only bird up there who is plucking their feathers. Everyone tries to raise her spirits, but nothing helps. She has to have Ralph.
“Will you please help us?” Diamond asked tearfully.
“Sure I will,” said Asa. “I’ll just call up a little help and we’ll get right on it. I can’t guarantee anything though, we’ve never tried anything like this before.”
Thank you Asa,” Diamond said as his spectral vision began to fade. “Thank you for both of us.”
Asa immediately got onto the internet and left word for the other three members of the Feathered Friends. They emailed back that they were on their way and by the following afternoon all four were perched on a tree limb outside Asa’s house. It took a while, but Asa was finally able to tell her story. And it took even longer for the others to believe what they were hearing.
As usual, Asha was the resident skeptic.
“OK, I have to apologize here, but my Dad raised me to take everything with a grain of salt,” the Amazon said. “I don’t really think I believed this Rainbow Bridge business until I actually went there, but my understanding was that the spirits of all companion animals went there to await the arrival of their humans.”
“That’s right,” said BabyGirl. “When they get there they are cured of any disease or health problems they might have had here on Earth. It is a wonderful place of fresh air, good food, and lots of fun!”
BabyGirl was nothing if not an enthusiastic young Amazon.
“So why wouldn’t Ralph have gone to the Bridge?” asked Cecil. “Do they have a different place for bad birdies to go to? Maybe Ralph was a bad birdie?”
“I don’t know the answers to any of those questions except the one about Ralph. I knew him for four years and he was a good bird,” Asa said. “Our problem here is that we don’t have enough information.”
“Well, that means we need to get some information and there is only one place we can find it,” said Asha. “We’ve got to go to the Rainbow Bridge.”
“How do we do that?” Cecil asked. “Kill ourselves?”
“No,” Asha said with a smile. “We need a guide. And I know just the bird for the job.”
Asha waddled to the computer and sent out an email to an African Grey friend of hers named Buddy. He soon emailed back and said he was on his way.
“Buddy is quite the traveler,” Asha told the other three as they munched on fruit and veggies provided by Asa’s granny. Granny seemed not the least disturbed or surprised by the sudden appearance of the extra birds. She and Asa seemed to have a psychic connection at some levels.
“Buddy has actually been to the Rainbow Bridge as a visitor,” said Asha. “He was given a tour of the place by Rosalie. I was hoping that he would be able to get us up there and show us around and maybe introduce us to someone who could answer our questions.”
After a restful sleep Buddy showed up the next morning and agreed to help out the Feathered Friends.
“Rosalie said that I was welcome to come back any time,” Buddy said. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me bringing you all along since you and she are friends.”
Buddy waddled off a few feet away from the others and appeared to concentrate on something far away. A few seconds later all five could see a vision of their old friend Rosalie.
“Buddy, good to see you again,” Rosalie said in her rich, melodious voice. “I see you are with my friends the Feathered Friends. What can I do for you?”
“We would like to visit the Rainbow Bridge,” said Buddy. “They wanted to ask some questions about the place and I agreed to show them around.”
“You are all more than welcome,” said Rosalie. “We are all in your debt. Anything we can do, you only need ask.”
Suddenly the five felt a breath of wind and then a flash of light and they were standing on a wide expanse of grass. As far as they could see birds and other animals were flying, walking, running, and crawling to their heart’s content. There were many small ponds of cool, fresh water scattered everywhere along with piles of food of all description. In the distance they could see a bridge which literally shown with all the colors of the rainbow.
The five found that their hearts were in their throats and an indescribable joy was in their hearts. Asha was the first to break the silence.
“How did you ever find the strength to go home after being up here,” she asked with a noticeable catch in her throat.
“It was hard,” Buddy said. “It was very hard. “It was only the love of my Mom and my flockmates that allowed me to go home. We need to start walking towards the bridge. If I understand what you have told me, it is there that you will find the answers you seek.”
The walk was a long one but none of the five grew tired or bored of the journey. Sometimes they flew for a stretch, but seemingly by an unspoken agreement they mostly walked in an effort to extend the time they would spend in this place.
About halfway to the bridge they heard a loud barking and saw a beautiful young Collie approach.
“Are you Asha?” the dog asked.
“Yes, I am,” she replied. “Who are you?”
“You do not know me but I have a message for you to deliver if you could,” the dog said. “My name is Lucy and would you please tell your Dad that I miss him and I will be here to see him when he has to make the journey.”
The dog then turned and ran away across the grass.
Shortly afterwards they saw a large African Grey parrot fly up to meet them. He seemed familiar, but none of them recognized him.
“I can understand that you do not recognize me,” the Grey said with a laugh. “The last time you saw me I wasn’t in good shape. I’m Sammy.”
The Four then immediately recognized the bird that had been killed by its evil owner a few months back. The Feathered Friends had tried to rehabilitate Sammy’s owner but were finally forced to take the ultimate revenge against him for his crimes.
“I just wanted to thank you for what you did,” Sammy said. “Too many of the animals up here arrived the same way I did, suffering at the hands of an evil human. I am one of the few who can say that my passing was avenged and for that I will be eternally grateful to you. Now I can fly free!”
Along the remainder of their walk each bird would share similar experiences as dogs, cats, or birds would come up and ask them to remember them to their current companions. By the time they reached the bridge all five were choked with emotion and perched on a large rock to get their bearings.
After a few minutes Rosalie flew up and asked what questions they had. Asa explained their mission and said they needed to speak to someone who could explain what had happened to the spirit of Ralph.
“That is a difficult question that I would have no answer for,” said Rosalie with a shake of her majestic head. “It sounds like you need to speak to the High Spirit.”
“How do we find him?” asked Asa.
“Oh, you do not find the High Spirit,” laughed Rosalie. “Just walk over the Bridge and if he wishes to speak to you, He will find you.”
The five walked over the bridge and down the other side. They walked down a tree-lined path into a small grotto centered around a small pond. Perched on the lower branch of a majestic Maple tree they saw a large owl.
“We meet again I see,” the owl said. “You four are very persistent creatures. What do you require of me now?”
“Why, you are Oppenheimer!” said Cecil. “This is wonderful. We haven’t seen you since we helped out Sammy. Are you here to help us find the High Spirit?”
“Cecil,” Asa said in a hushed tone. “I have the felling we just found the High Spirit.”
“Indeed you have,” the owl said.
“That’s cool,” said BabyGirl. “The High Spirit is a bird just like us!”
“It isn’t that simple,” said Oppenheimer. “If you were dogs you would see a Saint Bernard. If you were cats you would see a wise Siamese. Each species has their own conception of the High Spirit. I understand you have questions. Feel free to ask.”
Oppenheimer spread his massive wings and glided down to perch on the rock wall of the pond as Asa explained the problem. When she finished Oppenheimer looked at her for a couple of minutes before speaking.
“I have no idea why Ralph is not here,” he finally said. “He should be here, of that I have no doubt. But I have not the power to snap my talons and produce his spirit; that is reserved for those even more powerful than I. All I can say is that there is a place for the spirits of the good and a place for those who are bad. And there is a place in between. Sometimes spirits go there while a decision is being made on their worthiness. Sometimes they go there by error. My guess is that Ralph is there, waiting.”
“How do we get him here?” asked Asa.
“You will have to go and find him and bring him back with you,” said Oppenheimer. “But let me warn you, it will be no journey for the faint of heart. And only one of you can go. I have the power to send you there, but I cannot help you once you leave here. Choose wisely.”
The owl glided back to the tree limb and turned his head as if in sleep. But they could feel his powerful eyes on them every second.
“Well this is a toughy,” said Asha. “I suppose this is a job for Ninja Bird! Ain’t nothing stood up to these talons yet!”
“Thank you dear friend,” said Asa. “But this is flock business. It’s my duty.” She turned her head up towards the owl. “Send me on Oppenheimer.”
“As you wish,” he said and Asa suddenly disappeared.
When he vision cleared she found herself in the middle of a barren and parched landscape. The ground was the shade of bricks and the sky the shade of blood. Asa felt a fear in her she had never felt before. But she also felt something else, a feeling that tugged her towards the north. Asa alternately flew and walked north for what seemed like weeks and months. She drank from brackish pools that she would have turned her beak up to on Earth but which she welcomed deliriously here. She ate bugs that were small enough to choke down her throat while others she avoided altogether in fear they would eat her. She finally arrived at a huge castle guarded by an enormous moat filled with beasts out of a fever dream. She looked up at the drawbridge and rested for a while.
Suddenly a voice spoke out.
“Who seeks the spirits of those abandoned?” the voice trumpeted.
“I do,” said Asa. “I seek the spirit of Sir Ralph D’Artagnan.”
“Enter,” the voice spoke as the drawbridge fell. Asa walked across and into a massive courtyard. When she reached the center of the courtyard she noticed that the walls were ringed by huge beasts with huge teeth and huger claws. She swallowed hard but still stood as tall as she could.
“Is this some jest?” boomed the voice from a window in the courtyard wall. “A tiny bird has come to challenge my control over the spirits of the abandoned?”
“This spirit is not abandoned,” Asa shouted. “I have come for it and am ready to die in the attempt.”
Asa looked up and saw what appeared to be a bear more than ten feet tall with blue fur. He was clad in some kind of weird leather clothing and he was staring directly at Asa.
“You realize I could have you killed in less time than it takes to draw a breath?” the bear asked.
“Yes, I do,” said Asa.
“And you still contest my hold over the spirit of this Ralph?” he said.
“Yes, I do,” Asa repeated.
“Bah!” the bear shouted. “This Ralph is as much trouble as you are. There is something about you birds, can’t stand you. Here, take him and never darken my door again.”
Asa saw Ralph flutter out of the window and alight beside her.
“Hello young Asa,” Ralph said with a smile. “It has indeed been a while.”
Suddenly the landscape changed and the two were back in the grotto beyond the Rainbow Bridge.
“Congratulations,” boomed the voice of Oppenheimer. “A lost spirit has been found and returned to those who loved him.”
Asa and Ralph looked up and walking towards them were Cherry Lace and Diamond Sunshine. The welcomes were long and tear-filled but a few minutes later the five friends found themselves together under one of the large Maples.
“Quick work Asa,” said Asha. “You couldn’t have been gone more than a minute.”
“A minute?” said Asa. “It took a month if it took a second. I hope I never have to do anything like that again.”
Oh Asa!” boomed the voice of Oppenheimer. “Before you go there are some others you need to see.”
Asa turned and saw walking towards her Precious, her little sister, and her parents Rowena Rose and R.B. Bird. Asa broke down in tears as she tried to wrap all three in her wings.
“And I call myself a Ninja Bird,” Asha said as she shook her head.

(Cherry Lace and Ralph in their lovers embrace)

The Asha Chronicles Part 12

Ah, Cary Grant in Arsnic and Old Lace, one of my all time favorites! Ok, this is the 12th Episode of the Asha Chronicles, not Arsnic and Old Lace.......or is it?

The Asha Chronicles Part 12
Stormy Dark Knight
by Julie Stilwell and Tim Graham
February 28, 2008

“Glad you got my message, “said Cecil to Asha, Asa and BabyGirl as the Feathered Four assembled in a sun puddle on the roof of Cecils apartment building.
“We all saw the news report, too. Another what the humans call a Yuppie murdered. BabyGirl and I went over what we each remembered from the news on our way up here.” began Asa. She lived in Arkansas and BabyGirl lived in Missouri, just north of her. The two members of the Feathered Four had flown side by side to Cecils home in northwestern New York.
“Dad’s had on the sports and ESPN, not the news, so I don’t know too much, just that 12 Yuppie’s have been murdered. What do you know that we don’t Cecil?” asked Asha.
“Mostly I just have ideas.” Cecil began as he shifted his weight in the little puddle of sunshine he was perched upon. “My Mom and Dad have had the news on a lot lately even thought the murders are taking place in Augusta, Maine and not here. I’ve been listening closely to what the news has to say and I think there are some clues the police aren’t looking into that we should look into so no more humans die.”
“Like what clues?” asked Asa before she answered her own question. “Like the one of the blue synthetic hairs left at the last scene and the question why human goo called Ben Gay was used to grease the window tracts so the window wouldn’t squeak……oh, and why the Yuppies.”
“The Yuppies I think is pretty easy to answer.” said Asha. “They’re humans whose behavior irritates other humans due to things called pastels and being rich or some other such human nonsense.”
“I think it’s more than that. I think the killer is picking Yuppies for a more personal reason.” BabyGirl thought out loud.
“Yeah, that’s one of the things BabyGirl and I talked about on our way up here. There has got to be a personal reason for the Yuppies being singled out, like they’ve been wronged by a Yuppie in their life, can’t get rid of it and kill the others to feel better.” said Asa.
“You’ve been reading too many of your Granny’s stories.” Asha scolded Asa lightly , “Stuff like that only happens in humans imaginations.”
“Not necessarily.” Began Cecil, “From all I’ve heard on the news, that’s what the police and FBI and other such Human organization are saying, too. It’s the clues that are baffling them. They’re looking into some human they think wanted to be a Yuppie, but couldn’t do it, so he’s mad and killing other Yuppies. But, I don’t think they’re on the right track….”
“Because of the synthetic blue hair and ben gay, right?” asked Asha.
“Yeah, because of the synthetic blue hair and the ben gay. Also found was makeup powder and at one crime scene a message was left in turquoise eye shadow.” Cecil said knowledgably.
“It sounds more like that teacher my Granny had when she was in the 3rd grade she’s told me about before, Mrs. Hanf. She was an old lady with way too much powder on her face, blue hair and turquoise eye shadow. Mrs. Hanf also had bright red lipstick, too. Was lipstick found anywhere in any of the 12 crime scenes?” Asa offered and asked.
“Hmmm….” Cecil pondered, “No lipstick found that I can recall.”
“Well, if Mrs Hanf is the killer, where do we find her?” Asked BabyGirl logically.
“I think she died forever ago since Granny is so old now herself and it happened when she was a little girl.” Asa enlightened.
“So, you think we’re looking for an old lady?” Asked Asha thoughtfully.
“Yeah.” said Cecil simply.
“So, were do we find a crazy old lady?” asked Asha again.
“Well, Edgar Allan was once owned by a hair dresser lady. Lots of old ladies go to hair dressers to make their hair nice and blue.” Asa offered as a starting point.
“Well, there are those senior centers, too.” offered BabyGirl.
“We need a place that has yuppies AND old ladies.” said Cecil. “We should go to the crime scenes and see if we can see anything the police missed.”
“Good idea, since if I sit in this nice warm sun puddle much longer I’m going to need a nap!” said Asha with a huge yawn and an even larger stretch.
The Feathered Four took flight and headed East to Augusta, Maine. When they finally arrived a few hours later they alighted in a pine tree in the back yard of the scene of the first murder near a bird feeder.
“Well, I do hate old stale wild bird seed, but my tummy is saying otherwise. Join me ladies?” Asked Cecil and he filled his tummy with the feeders offerings.
“Totally disgusting, Cecil!!” said Asha and she dove into the feeders offerings, too.
“I think this is budgie seed, not wild seed.” said Asa, also with a beak full.
“You guys are pathetic!” said BabyGirl with a roll of her eyes as she picked at a pine cone hanging near her face.
After the quick snack Asa went up to the house and easily popped the storm window latch and then the latch holding the window closed, “Come on, lets go in and look around.”
The Feathered Four entered the dimly lit house and began to waddle around on the floor, each figuring that it would be a clue on the floor that the tall humans would miss due to being so high up. They searched under the beds, dressers and in the nooks and crannies of each closet and found nothing but dust bunnies.
“I HATE dust bunnies in my feathers!” muttered Asha and BabyGirl at the same time.
“Hey, Asa, under here!” called Cecil from under the china cabinet in the dining room.
“What did you find Cecil?” asked Asa as she flattened herself a little to fit under the china cabinet.
“A piece of paper and it seems to be stuck, too. I need help so I don’t rip it and ruin the clue.” he explained.
“It’s hooked on a staple.” explained Asa as she reached for the staple used to hold the bottom of the china cabinet together and pulled.
“Wait! If that staple is holding this cabinet together, won’t we be buried alive down here if you pull that out?” asked Cecil.
“No, humans have to use a lot of staples and nails to get their things to stay together. My Grandpa has built a jungle gym for us, and when my Daddy pulled one nail pulled out and the jungle gym it didn’t fall apart and is still fine. Pull out more than one and then you’re in trouble.” Asa explained as she pulled just one corner of the staple loose, just in case she was wrong, and dislodged the corner of the paper Cecil had found.
“So, what’s the paper say, Asa?” asked BabyGirl as she preened the last of the dust bunnies out of her lush emerald green feathers.
“Just a sec, let me flatten out the paper.” Asa responded as she tried, with a bit of help from Cecil and Asha. “Ok, this is what it says: “Asa began as she translated the human writing for her fellow crime fighters. “Thank you for baby sitting my Stormy Knight. Please accept these Oatmeal Raisin Cookies as a token of my gratefulness for all you did for my baby girl. And, then it’s signed Edith Jean.” Asa ended.
“Well, I’ve heard some funny human names before, but ‘Stormy Knight’? That’s a really weird one!” said BabyGirl.
Asha caught Asa examining a corner of the note so closely that it was only a quarter inch from the tip of her beak, “Do you see something else?” asked Asha.
“Yeah, a munch mark from a bird.” Asa said softly as if speaking louder would make the evidence disappear.
“Munch mark?” asked Cecil and he joined Asa a quarter inch from the note paper clue.
“Yeah, that’s how my Granny has us sign our names on birthday cards and letters she writes. It looks to me like Stormy Knight is a bird, not a person.”
“So, we’ve got an old lady killing yuppies by luring them into her trap with a bird?!” Asha asked totally astonished.
“We need to contact the Underground for a Stormy Knight.” Said BabyGirl.
“Why don’t we just check the humans address book for someone named Edith Jean?” asked Asha, thinking logically. “My Dad always keeps important humans to contact in his address book….or on his computer.”
“Party-Pooper!” said BabyGirl, who often got word out to the hundreds of other birds she knew via the Underground to let them know of her latest ‘social gathering’.
Asa and Asha headed for the little secretary style desk located across the room from the china cabinet and Cecil and BabyGirl headed for the little office they’d searched earlier for clues for the computer they’d seen sitting there.
After just a few minutes of searching the four met back in the middle of the dining room, Asa and Asha both carrying a medium sized purple, green and pink striped address book in their beaks and Cecil and BabyGirl each with a corner of a one page print out in their beaks.
“Whatcha find?” Asked Cecil to Asha and Asa as he dropped his corner of the printout onto the floor.
“We found Edith Jean.” Asha began.
“She lives at 1298 Truly Circle.” Asa finished for Asha.
“We found a map in the computer next to her name in the computers address book.” Said Cecil.
“I really think we ought to call in Knuckles and have her meet us at this address. Knuckles is just a bit of extra muscle against anything we may find. Plus, she takes that Sam Spade thing very seriously.” suggested BabyGirl.
“Good idea! And, then there is Buddy, an African Grey that lives in Wall, New Jersey. He’s a master of disguise, too and he’s been all over the world!” said Asa “Oh, and it’s ‘Samantha Spade’.” she quickly added.
“Yeah, put a call in, Asa and Cecil, to Knuckles and Buddy ask them to meet us at 1298 Truly Circle.” said Asha.
“Yeah, ‘Samantha Spade’.” Cecil chuckled.
With calls made the Feathered Four headed out to Edith Jeans house just a few miles down the road and began surveillance. From one of the lower branches on the maple tree in 1298 Truly Circle’s backyard the Feathered Four huddled closely together, hoping that Cecils light blue feathers wouldn’t be seen. Asha and BabyGirls’s lush emerald green feathers blended in nicely with the leaves of the maple tree and Asa’s cinnamon brown feathers blended in with nearly everything. Through the open kitchen window the Feather Four heard and saw a human soap opera of sorts unfold before them:
“But Biff, Reginald and I didn’t have an affair!” Tiffany whined to her husband.
“Then what were the two of you doing in bed together?” Biff queried. Biff was a 30 something man with his chiseled frame currently ensconced in a pastel pink Izod shirt with a white cable knit sweater draped over his shoulder with the sleeves tied loosely around his neck and a pair of white Docker slacks encasing his muscular legs.
“Reginald was in the bed and I was standing beside it. Reginald is one of the owners of Lord Pimlym Furniture and he came over to test the bed frame. I told him of the creaking we were hearing last night. He’d climbed onto the bed to see if he could make it creak, that’s all.” Tiffany whined at her husband as she grabbed her tennis racket and gym bag and headed for the front door. As she reached for the door knob, she turned to her husband Biff and added in an icy cold tone of voice, “Think what you wish, nothing happened. Don’t forget to feed Mother and that bird of hers. We don’t need the authorities knocking on our door again.”
“I’m not feeding Mother any of our good food! The old bitty doesn’t deserve it!” Biff ranted to his wife.
“There’s some old bread and gelatinous peanut butter in the pantry, give Mother that and be sure to give her a cup of water and the bird some seed, too.” his wife screeched back icily and she closed the door behind her and headed off for her tennis lesson at the Country Club.
“Can’t believe we’re saddled with this old bitty! Why can’t we just lock her away in some home somewhere?! Or why can’t Tiffany’s sister take her!” Biff continued to rant under his breath as he carried a tray of two old PB and J sandwiches, a bowl of bird seed, and two small glasses of tap water to the locked door at the end of the hallway. Biff honestly had nothing personal against Tiffany’s mother; it just wasn’t good for his image as a CEO at MaylarTech to be playing nursemaid to the senior citizen. “Edith Jean.” Biff cooed as he undid the dead bolt to the master bedroom door and carried in the tray of stale offerings. “I have your breakfast and your lunch here for you and Stormy Knight.” He concluded in a tone normally reserved for communicating with two year old children as he put the full tray down on the little patio table that served as Edith Jean’s dining room. Then, without a further word, Biff left the room, dead bolting it behind him.
“Why did my precious Tiffany marry that dolt?” Edith Jean asked her Indian Ringneck Parakeet, Stormy Knight. “He’s so mean to us! Just look at what he brought us to eat, rotting food! My mother provided better meals for the fifteen of us during the Great Depression!” Edith Jean said as she flipped one of the sandwiches over, checking for both mold and poison before flopping it back down on the dirty plate. “No worries Stormy, we’ll go out for breakfast at Denny’s. That Chef Bart is such a nice guy, giving us a table in the storage room so we can eat together. I wish Tiffany had married him instead of Biff.” Edith Jean ended as she extracted a key from the depths of her brassiere.
Stormy Knight twittered and warbled for Edith Jean happily.
“Yes, after a good breakfast we’ll head over to that house on Thayer. That guy I think works at Biff’s business. We’ll take care of him next. It’ll be fun. Maybe, just maybe, Biff will fear for his life, leave my precious Tiffany, and we’ll be done with him once and for all. Maybe we can even get Tiffany to marry Chef Bart?”
Stormy Knight warbled and puffed up within the confines of her small cage, conveying to her owner a dark but happy thought.
“Well, you’re right. This is getting a bit messy. I can’t believe I had to waste my Ben Gay to get that window open at that last place. People just don’t respect what they’ve got. They take such poor care of all they’ve been blessed with.” Edith Jean rambled on, going off onto a tangent, before turning around and continuing her original thought, “If this next one doesn’t scare Biff into leaving Tiffany for his safety, then we’ll just have to go after Biff, himself.”
Stormy Knight chirped and tweeted.
“Yeah, I hate to hurt my precious Tiffany like that, but we just can’t keep living like this. Maybe with Biff gone we can move to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I’ve heard all sorts of nice things about the senior facilities there.”
Stormy Knight twittered and warbled the strains of a minuet for Edith Jean which put a smile on the elderly lady’s wrinkled, but well made up face as she toddled precariously to the dead bolted door, stuck the key she’d extracted from her brassiere into the dead bolt, and turned it…..
Just then Buddy and Knuckles showed up and alighted on the same branch the Feathered Four currently were occupying.
“What’s going on?” asked Knuckles.
“Did you request the master of disguise, too?” Buddy asked with a snicker.
“Have you two heard about the Yuppie Murders?” Cecil began and then continued by explaining all that he knew and the Feathered Four had found over their relatively short time on the case. “We need the two of you to follow the old human named Edith Jean and see where she goes. Your grey feathers are much more suited for tailing a human than ours are. We don’t know if this is the Yuppie killer or not, but we need to find out.” Cecil concluded.
“What’ll you guys do?” asked Knuckles
“BabyGirl pilfered the cell phones of the humans that live here. You take one and we’ll take the other. Cecil and Asa already programmed them both so all you have to do is bite the number 1 button and it’ll automatically dial us. Keep us updated and we won’t be too far behind you.” explained Asha.
“Yeah, you follow Edith Jean and we follow you, but from far enough away that we won’t be seen and so that if you need to call us the phone ringing won’t alert any humans to our presence.” Asa clarified.
So, the now six feathered crime fighters sat on the maple branch and waited, but not for long. About an hour after the Yuppies had left an elderly lady with blue hair, turquoise eye shadow and bright red lipstick schemered on her lips and cheeks appeared with a too small of a bird cage in her right hand that was barely housing an Indian Ringneck parakeet. The elderly lady toddled precariously on her varicose vein covered legs as she grabbed her purse in her free hand and toddled out the front door.
“We’re off!” whispered Knuckles and she and Buddy took flight over the roof of the house and toward the front yard.
“We’re off, too!” said Asha as she and the Feathered Four took flight a short 3 minutes later and headed over the roof of the house to the front yard and then to the left and down the street.
“Are you sure we’re headed the right way?” asked BabyGirl to no one in particular as Knuckles and Buddy were long gone and nowhere in sight.
“Yeah, we’re going the right way. Just follow Asa, her Daddy is leading us.” Asha answered as she nodded in the direction of a faint ghostly blur flying just in front of Asa.
They flew with Asa in the lead, for nearly 20 minutes before Asa steered them onto the metal faux Spanish tile roof of a little bungalow. “They’re across the street, in that Victorian house.” whispered Asa to Asha, who’d just landed next to her.
“We just wait for Knuckles to call?” asked Cecil.
“Yeah, we wait.” responded Asa.
Meanwhile, inside the Victorian house Knuckes and Buddy continued to shadow Edith Jean and the Indian Ringneck parakeet she was still carrying in the miniature gilded cage.
“Thank you so much Deary for watching my Stormy Knight for me. I will be back in two days to pick her up. Do you have any questions on how to take care of her?” Edith Jean asked the thirty something man in the pastel blue Izod shirt and white Docker slacks.
“No Nanna, I don’t have any questions. Stormy Knight is a very beautiful little girl. I look forward to getting to know her better.” the thirty something man answered in a tone of voice that most men used when trying to humor a woman.
“Ok Deary, then I’ll be off to my Senior Ladies weekend retreat.” Edith Jean twittered as she kissed the man on the cheek and toddled out of the house.
“If she’s leaving, how is she going to kill the yuppie guy?” asked Buddy.
“Good question.” answered Knuckles, equally as baffled at the most recent turn of events. “But, I think we should stay here and watch the yuppie guy either way. She may come back.”
“Yeah, you go call the Feathered Four and I’ll go put on one of my disguises. I’m thinking rag doll, since he’s got several on that shelf up there.” Buddy began as he nodded toward the shelf of rag dolls just above the living room fire place. “I’ll be able to see into all the rooms fairly clearly but the kitchen, which I’ll only be able to see the middle of from up there. After the call, go into the kitchen and hide up on top of the fridge, it should give you a good view of what I can’t see. We’ll whistle as our signal if we see something. That yuppie guy will assume it’s the bird, ok?” Buddy instructed as he began to waddle in the direction of the living room fire place.
After the call to the Feathered Four the plan was put into motion. Asa broke into one of the upstairs ducts into the attic, which allowed the other three crime fighters to enter the Victorian home unseen and unheard by the homes occupants. Cecil took up guard in the yuppie’s bedroom as he matched the wall paint nearly perfectly. Asha hid behind a stack of books in the upstairs library and BabyGirl hid in the pile of clean but not yet folded laundry in the laundry room.
The rest of the afternoon went by as any other. The yuppie guy went about his normal routine of a bit of cleaning before preparing his dinner. Buddy, who was cleverly disguised as a rag doll on the fire place mantel, nearly gave himself away with a sneeze when the yuppie guy dusted him. Knuckles, the expert private eye she was, managed to duck into one of the buckets of cereal when yuppie guy began dusting a bit too closely to her hiding place.
With cleaning done, and Knuckles tummy happily almost too full, the yuppie guy began preparing his dinner of a Marie Calenders chicken fried steak, gravy, mashed potatoes and corn frozen dinner. It was then something odd happened.
The yuppie guy went over to Stormy Knights cage to give her a bit of fresh apple for her dinner. He opened her door to put the apple slice in and Stormy Knight flew out of her cage and began screaming hysterically as she flew in circles around the yuppie guy. Upon hearing the commotion, the Feathered Four left their posts and headed down the stairs oh-so cautiously and silently. They arrived in the kitchen just in time to witness Stormy Knight flying strait at the yuppie guys head.
“The cell phone!” Asha whispered almost too loudly. “It has a camera on it, Cecil, you make it work!”
With Asa’s help, Cecil opened the flip phone and bit the cameras shutter button as hard as he could. One picture after another the camera dutifully captured the outrageous scene that unfolded before everyone’s eyes, both feathered and human. Stormy Knight continued to circle and dive bomb the yuppie guy, forcing him to back up for his own protection. He kept backing up until he bumped into the kitchen counter and suddenly dropped dead.
Stormy Knight, her job expertly and precisely completed, screeched one last time before heading back into her cage, closing and latching her own door behind her. Too stunned to move for a moment the Feathered Four, Knuckles and Buddy remained in their places. Then, just as Buddy was about to come out of hiding, they heard the front door open. The Feathered Four quickly ducked behind the trash can so as not to be seen by whoever just entered the house. Knuckles once again ducked into the cereal bucket while Buddy continued to pretend to be a rag doll on the fireplace mantel.
“Is Nanna’s little baby girl all done with her job?” asked Edith Jean.
Stormy Knight fluffed her feathers as her way of saying a very proud ‘yes’.
“That’s Nanna’s little angel.” Edith Jean cooed to the Indian ringneck parakeet and she picked up the cage and toddled out the front door on unstable varicose vein covered legs.
“What on earth just happened?” asked Knuckes as she peeked out of the cereal bucket.
“Is the yuppie guy really dead?” asked Buddy as he removed his rag doll disguise and waddled into the kitchen.
“He’s dead alright.” affirmed Asha.
“How?” asked BabyGirl.
“Not a single clue” said Asa
“I just called the police and will leave the cell phone with one of the last pictures on it up on the screen. We’ll have to leave the rest of this case to the humans.” said Cecil.
“Lets go before they arrive.” said Asha and Asa at the same time.

The Disapearance of Diamondmeenuh

Just posting a little note to let those interested in knowing where I've vanished to.

For approximately the next two weeks you won't hear from me as on March 11, 2008 I'm being admited into the hospital for a double radical mastectomy. It's no biggie and I'll be fine. I just won't be on the computer again till I can use my arms and hands, that's all. My 5 tiels have expressed interest in taking over and blogging and sewing in my absence, but they're still working on figuring out how to do this.

For those interested, I've got one friend who should be updating those interested on a yahoo group as to what's going on with me after the surgery. If you wish to read and are brave enough to read the posts of a bunch of crazy bird people (all of our bird are hormonal right now which makes for some interesting posts!) then go to Flocktalk .

Have a fabulous two weeks!
Julie Anne of Diamondmeenuh Creations

The Asha Chronicles Part 11

Ah the age old 'sports hero' delema. Steriods and lifestyles we really don't want to hear about as we, as humans in general, like to put our hero's up on a pedistal and think they can do no wrong.

Read on to find out how 2 Amazons, 1 Cockatiel, and 1 Budgie, other wise known as The Feathered Friends, deal with this particular issue.....

The Asha Chronicles Part 11
Feet of Clay
February 26, 2008
Julie Stilwell and Timothy Graham

Asha was spending the day doing her favorite thing: napping in the fresh air.
Her Dad had rolled her cage out to their screen porch a couple of hours before and since then she had had been sitting on one of her many perches slipping into and out of sleep. There is one no-fault way you can tell if a parrot is feeling safe and secure: if they stand on their perch on one foot with the other tucked under a wing. Asha was definitely sitting on one leg.
There was only one tiny dark cloud barely on the horizon of her thoughts. Her Daddy’s birthday was coming up and she wanted to get just the PERFECT gift for him. She had racked her brain but couldn’t think of just the right thing. She had tried asking her Momma but she didn’t understand Parrot language and Asha couldn’t talk human to her. Some parrots could communicate with humans in special circumstances, but Asha and her Momma did not click. Anyway, Asha was slightly jealous of her Daddy’s wife, although she would never admit it.
She peeked through the French Doors into her Daddy’s bedroom where he was watching a baseball game on his 50-inch Hi-Def television. Asha knew it had been a gift to him from his wife and that was a spur for her to try to get him something even better!
Asha was able to figure out that his Braves were two runs down in the bottom of the ninth. There were two runners on base and two outs. His favorite player Johnny Flynn was coming to the plate.
“You can do it Johnny,“ her Daddy hollered. “Show those stupid Mets who’s boss!”
Suddenly Asha heard a loud crack and her Daddy jumped into the air and started doing a crazy dance.
“I knew it” he shouted. “We’re in like Flynn! Braves in first place!” He whooped a couple of more times before collapsing back into his chair.
All of a sudden a light went on inside Asha’s green, yellow, and blue feathered head.
“Humans like mementos of their sports heroes,” Asha said to herself. “If I can get Dad something to remind him of this Johnny Flynn guy, he would really appreciate it. That would really show Momma who is the Top Bird around this house!”
Asha waddled to the family computer while her Dad was still doing war dances and watching replays of his hero’s home run. Asha contacted the other three members of the Feathered Friends and asked them to meet her outside Turner Field in Atlanta at the statue of Hank Aaron.
The next morning Asha found herself perched lightly on the bat of Hammerin’ Hank while she waited for her friends to show up. Before long a small, blue Budgie flew up and took his place on the bill of Aaron’s cap.
“How’s it going Cecil,” Asha asked. “Nice day for a ball game isn’t it?”
“I guess so, but I’m more of a football fan. I always thought that if I had been born a human I would be a big defensive lineman,” Cecil said. The words would almost have been hysterically funny since they came from a bird who barely weighed 41 grams. But Cecil had the spirit of a giant and Asha could well imagine him sacking a quarterback.
Next to arrive was BabyGirl. She was an Amazon like Asha and she took station in Hank’s shoulder as she began preening her feathers.
“This is such a dirty city,” BabyGirl complained. “My boyfriend Ben would turn his beak up at me if he saw how filthy I was!”
The final member of the group to make an appearance was a cockatiel named Asa. Asa was a legendary escape artist who could chew her way through concrete. When she took her place beside Asha on Aaron’s bat she stopped her beak a couple of times on the statue and glared at Asha.
“What is this thing made of?” she asked. “I don’t like perching on things I can’t chew through if need be.”
“I think it is something called bronze,” said Asha. “But that is hardly what is at issue here.”
Asha quickly told her friends what her goal was and they agreed to be of any assistance possible, with one caveat.
“Before we do anything I want something to eat,” said Cecil. “What do they have to eat around here?”
“When at the ballpark, you eat hot dogs,” said Asha and the four took wing and headed for the nearest hot dog vendor.
“OK,” said Cecil. “Why don’t we let BabyGirl distract the vendor while the rest of us grab some dogs?”
“I hate to be a wet blanket, but I don’t eat hot dogs. I’m vegan,” said Asa. “Do you think they might have a tofu dog?”
“I think tofu is illegal in the South,” said BabyGirl.
“Don’t worry Miss Fussy, we’ll get you some popcorn,” hissed Asha.
“What about buns and chili?” wailed Cecil. “You can’t eat hot dogs without chili!”
“Only if you want to be as fat as a housecat,” said Asha as Baby Girl took off to provide a distraction. She perched on top of the food cart and, just as the vendor was adding relish to a customer’s wiener, dropped a nice ball of poop onto the dog.
But the customer and the vendor looked around in shock and finally settled their sights on the offending parrot.
“What the heck is going on here!” shouted the customer. “Can’t you keep these damn pigeons from pooping on the food?”
BabyGirl noticed that the customer had taken out his wallet in order to pay for his hot dog, so she swooped down and grabbed the wallet from his hand and flew over to an adjacent popcorn stand.
“Come and Get me!” the parrot shouted as the customer and the hot dog vendor ran in her direction. At that moment the other three parrots landed on the hot dog cart and grabbed a wiener in each claw and quickly took off to return to their perch on top of Hank’s statue. BabyGirl saw that the thievery had been successful, so she dropped the wallet, grabbed some popcorn for Asa, and followed the others.
“That was fun,” Cecil said between bites of his hot dog. “I think stolen food tastes better than any other kind of food, especially when you steal it from humans!”
“Cecil, I’m afraid that our adventures have permanently corrupted you,” laughed Asha as she daintily took bites from her meal. She would take a bite from one end of the wiener, rotate it with her talons, then take a bite from the other end.
“Yum, yum!” she said. “If only they made Cheetos this large!”
The four finished their meal and then cleaned each other’s feathers of any leftover hot dog or popcorn. When done with that Asa asked the question they all had on their mind.
“Well, just how are we going to get this guy to give us anything?” she asked. “And what do we get? I don’t see us hauling a baseball bat all the way back to Byron, no matter how strong Cecil thinks he is.”
“What I was thinking we might do is try to catch him after the game when he is alone and have Cecil tell him what we want. Then he might agree to come down and give Dad some stuff in person,” Asha said. Among the Four, Cecil was the best at communicating with humans in their own language.
“That does have the benefit of being a plan,” said Asa. “Not a good plan, I guess it is a plan. What do we do in the meantime?”
“I guess we watch the ballgame,” Asha said and the four took wing and perched on top of one of the light towers in right field. They finished eating their hot dogs and popcorn as the crowd finished taking their seats and the game got underway. Flynn had three hits and saved the home team’s win jumping high over the right field fence to rob the visitors of a home run. The crowd began leaving the stadium with smiles on their faces as the Four began looking for a way to get into the Braves’ locker room.
They flew down to the Braves’ dugout and saw a large hamper filled with dirty towels and uniforms. They dove into the hamper and dug themselves a cozy cave under the dirty laundry.
“We better get something good out of this,” whispered BabyGirl. “This stinks!”
A young man soon came up and began wheeling the hamper into the depths of the stadium. He pushed the hamper into the Braves’ locker room where it soon became full to overflowing with sweaty-stained jerseys and uniform pants.
After a while Cecil stuck his head out of the pile of dirty laundry and scoped out the situation. He ducked back under cover and reported to the others.
“That Flynn guy just got through talking to some guys with notebooks and cameras,” Cecil said. “They’re getting ready to leave.”
All four of the Friends poked their heads up just in time to see Flynn head through a door with ‘Training Room” written on it. The rest of the locker room was empty so they flew over to the door and looked inside. Asa noticed a window on the wall nearest to where the birds were standing so they flew up to stand on the ledge so they would have a quick escape route in case they needed it.
Flynn was sitting in what the humans called a whirlpool bath and seemed almost asleep.”
“Hey, Cecil,” Asha whispered. “This might be the chance we were looking for.”
Cecil was about to fly down to speak to Flynn when another human suddenly entered the room. Flynn looked up and gestured for the other man to come over to where he was.
“It’s about time you got here Oscar,” Flynn said. “I’m past due for my next shot.”
“Yeah,” said Oscar. “I noticed that that last home run of yours barely left the park. That would have been an out if it wasn’t for a friendly wind.”
“So quit talking and give me the juice before somebody else comes in,” Flynn said as he got out of the whirlpool. Oscar gave the player an injection in his buttocks.
“What do you want me to do about those Macaws you wanted ready for the Bird Show,” asked Oscar. “They still aren’t as big as you wanted them to be.”
“Did you give them the steroids like I told you to?” asked Flynn.
“Of course I did, but they didn’t react well to them so I cut the dosage. I was afraid some of them night die,” said Oscar.
“Idiot!” said Flynn. “We have a dozen of the damn things and all we need to win is one. Double the dosage! I want the Blue Ribbon this year!”
“You’re the boss,” Oscar said as he hurried from the room.
Flynn laughed to himself as he rubbed the injection site.
“And those stupid fans think it is only idiots like Bonds and Clemens on the juice,” he said to himself. “I go them and that fool Vick beat.”
Asha turned to her friends and said quietly, “We need to get out of there fast.”
They flew back to the Aaron statue where Cecil asked, “What were they doing,” he asked. “Was the Flynn guy sick or something?”
“No,” said Asha. “He wasn’t sick. He was taking what the humans call steroids. It helps make them run faster and hit the ball further. They are illegal.”
“You mean your Dad’s hero is breaking the law so he can play better,” asked Asa.
“That’s exactly what I mean,” said Asha quietly.
“Your Dad won’t like it if he finds out about that, will he,” asked BabyGirl. “What are you going to do?”
Asha just looked at her, wiped a tear from her eye with a wing, and said, “I don’t know, I really don’t know.”
“But what was that about giving steroids to those Macaws,” asked Cecil. “Is that illegal too?
“Yes, it is,” said Asha. “This guy is as dirty as they come. I think we are going to need help to take him down. Let’s get back to my place and get in touch with the Underground.”
The four flew back to Byron in silence as each one thought over what they had just seen. It was bad enough for a human to take an illegal drug, but to give it to a helpless animal? They got angrier and angrier until, by the time they got to Asha’s home, they were all ready to sharpen their talons and go after Flynn.
“The first thing we need to do is contact the Underground,” said Asha. “Cecil, you get on my computer and spread the word.”
“Wait,” said Asa. “Didn’t those guys we met in California, Mark and Clyde, join the Underground?”
“Great idea!” said Asha. “Cecil, see if you can get in touch with them and see if they can come here and give us a hand.”
As it turned out, Mark and Clyde were available and agreed to get on the first airplane for Georgia. They met up with the Four Friends at Turner Field. It was decided that Mark and Clyde would follow Flynn to try and try to get some evidence to prove his drug usage. They were armed with a video camera and their reserve deputy badges. The Four Friends would wait until Oscar showed up again and follow him and find out where he was keeping the macaws.
The four parrots took shifts waiting for Oscar to come back to visit Flynn and he finally did three days later. When he got back into his Hummer the four were stashed in the back seat. The drive was about an hour as Oscar stopped the car and parked. Cecil stuck his head up and reported that they were parked outside a small house trailer and there was a barn nearby.
“The barn is probably where the macaws are,” said Asa. “Let’s fan out and approach it from all directions.”
Asha took the northeast quadrant and was able to find a seam between the wooden boards to see the interior of the barn. What she saw horrified her. There were almost thirty large cages, each of which contained a blue-and-gold macaw. The birds seemed to be well cared for but what made Asha stifle a gasp was Oscar reaching into one cage and pulling out the corpse of one of the macaws.
“Damn,” Oscar said. “I told that idiot Flynn that increasing the dosage would kill these birds. This is the fifth one this week to just drop dead. This just isn’t right.”
Asha quickly flew up to the top of the barn and squawked loudly in order to get the attention of her friends. They all few up to where she was.
“Look, I think we might be able to get this guy on our side,” said Asha. “He seems pretty disgusted with what he is having to do. Cecil, I think we’re going to need some of your communication skills.”
Asha outlined her plan and Cecil flew down and sneaked into the front door of the barn and took up a position behind where Oscar was working cleaning out the cage that had held the recently deceased bird.
“Why did you do that to me?” Cecil asked in his best imitation of a ghost.
“What was that?” Oscar shouted as he spun around too late to see Cecil who had hidden inside a ten-gallon feed container. Oscar looked around the barn but couldn’t see the source of the voice. He finally got back to work on the cage when Cecil stuck his head back up and said, “What have we ever done to you?”
Oscar again tried to find the source of the voice and failed. “This dirty job must be getting to me,” he said to himself. “Lord only knows why I agreed to do this. Getting Flynn his steroids is one thing, but this is totally different. I always loved animals.”
Oscar shook his head but went back to work on the cage. Cecil popped up behind him again and said: “Do the right thing. Help us to live.”
Oscar again spun around was too late to catch his tormentor.
“That is just about enough,” he shouted as he tore the gloves off his hands and threw them to the floor. “I don’t have to live this way, “he shouted as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone.
“Information,” he said. “I want the number for the Atlanta Parrot Rescue Society,”
Cecil flew back out the door and joined his friends on the roof of the barn. He was congratulated all around as the parrot heard Oscar give the rescue society the directions to the barn. They waited until two vans arrived and the rescue personnel began to carry the cages out of the door. Oscar had left by then, but not before they heard him make another call, this one to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office and asking to speak to the person in charge of steroid abuse cases.
The birds returned to the Aaron statue at Turner Field where they found a note from Mark and Clyde asking them to meet them at a motel out in the suburbs. When The Feathered Four got there they found their two human friends watching-what else-a Star Trek episode on their portable DVD player.
“I tell you Clyde,” Mark was saying as the birds walked through the partially open door. “That Kirk is as smooth as molasses. I’d like you to name just one woman who was on that show that Kirk didn’t put the moves on.”
“Spock’s mother,” Clyde said with a laugh.
“Well, aside from her,” Mark said just as he noticed the four parrots standing just inside the door.
“Hey there little buddies,” Clyde said. “How did things go with you?”
“Some of the macaws passed over the Rainbow Bridge before we could save them, but we were able to get the others to safety,” said Asa. “What about your job?”
“Let me show you,” Mark said as he turned off the DVD player and turned on the television set. “ESPN has been running it about every five minutes.”
When the set came on the birds saw a picture of Flynn sitting in a Jacuzzi with a couple of girls flanking him and a drink in one hand and what appeared to be a marijuana cigarette in the other. He was obviously under the influence of something as he bragged to the girls about taking steroids and other drugs and getting away with it by swapping someone else’s urine when he was required to take a drug test.
“How did you get this?” asked Asha.
“Well, those are our girlfriends, Suzie and Elaine,” said Clyde. “They just showed up at Flynn’s place with the camera in a gym bag and he did all the rest.”
The Four Friends thanked Mark and Clyde and began the short flight back to Byron. They exchanged hugs on the roof of Asha’s house and then the other three took off for their respective homes. Asha feared what she was about to face but knew what she had to do. She slipped onto the porch and through the French Doors into her Dad’s bedroom. He was sitting in his chair with his head in his hands while ESPN played the Flynn tape on his television.
Asha flew up to the back of the chair and gently started preening his hair as she softly cooed into his ear.
“Why did he do it?” her Dad said softly. “Why? I thought he was a hero. I’ll never be able to trust anyone like that again.”
Asha jumped down onto her Dad’s lap and started stroking his cheek with her wing as she continued cooing, wishing she could tell him the words that were in her heart. And, all of a sudden she knew that she could.
“You can trust me and all the others who truly love you,” Asha said. “Trust isn’t earned on the baseball field. It is earned here at home.”
The initial look of shock on her Dad’s face was replaced with one of joy and wonder.
“Truer words were never spoken,” he said as he hugged Asha to his chest. “How about I go make some of that spicy popcorn you love.”

The Asha Chronicles Part 10

Ah, Episode 10! No need for seat belts in this episode, but I do highly recommend a bikini, sun block and a flame resistant beach towel.

This episode of the Asha Chronicles pays a bit of tribute to the heros of the California Wildfires of 2007. Ok, birds really didn't save the day, but there were plenty of angels during the fire that did have invisible wings. My bestfriend Tina, her budgie Huey Lewis (pictured and yes, the love of my Cleo's life), dog Camry (she's either a small sporty model or she was concieved in the back seat of one....), and cat Cricket (aka Franken-Kitty) had the San Diego fire come within 6 miles of their home. They were forced to evacuate and were one of the lucky ones. They got to go home again.

Of course the following story has a bit of 'literary license', but what else would you expect?

Got your sunblock, bikini and flame resistant towel ready? Good, read away and enjoy!

The Asha Chronicles
Part 10
Flame and Glory

by Julie and Tim
February 23, 2008

Huey Lewis, a handsome turquoise budgie had his face happily buried in a small ‘Huey sized’ dish of Beak Appetite when something caught his attention. His Mom who was sitting and knitting was startled when Huey took off out of his condo and buzzed the top of her head on his way to the flower pot in the window that faced the backyard.
“Huey! A little more altitude next time, please?” Tina said, slightly exasperated at the fact Huey’s ‘lack of altitude’ caused her to drop three stitches.
“Sorry Mommy.” Huey said in English, clear as a bell. Huey, like Cecil, had mastered English and spoke it clearly in front of his human.
Huey landed oh-so precariously on the blossom of a purple petunia and stared intently out the window and off into the distance. He wasn’t sure what he saw, but he knew he saw something. He continued to watch for another moment, the purple petunia bending slightly under his 36 grams of body weight. ‘Was that smoke?’ Huey asked himself. ‘It is smoke. There’s a fire somewhere, I just know it! I need to tell Mom!’ Huey further debated and reasoned.
Huey flew back over to his Mom and landed on her right hand as she continued to knit. “Well, I guess this is better than being buzzed, but it’s not the easiest way to finish this sweater Huey.” She said to him as she got to a stopping point and put her knitting down. “Now what is it Huey?”
Huey knew the English word for ‘fire’, he knew what it was, too, but he also knew it’d be too much of a surprise to his Mom if he just spoke a fluid sentence of ‘Mom there is a fire in the canyon and it’s headed our way, we need to evacuate.’ So, instead Huey took flight again and landed on the top of Camry, big brother dogs head and said several things in budgie to her. Camry, apparently understanding every word, got up and walked over to the window Huey had just vacated, put her paws up on the sill and began barking like crazy.
Tina was first off startled by the fact Huey had actually landed on Camry and then even more startled at Huey riding on Camry across the room to the window, just sat and watched the pair for a moment. She knew Camry wouldn’t hurt Huey, but she watch warily, ready to jump up at a moments notice to rescue him.
While Camry continued to bark at the barely visible smoke plume off in the distance, Huey turned to his Mom and began saying, “Come here you. Come here you. Come here you.”
“What on earth do you see out there?” Tina asked as she got up to see what the commotion was all about. Tina stared out the window as Huey moved from Camry’s head to Tina’s shoulder and began yelling in budgie in her ear. “What?” asked Tina to her Huey.
“Go for a walk.” Huey said clearly in English for the very first time, causing Tina to turn to try and stare at him.
Huey once again resorted to screaming in budgie while Camry’s barking also got louder.
“What on earth…..” Tina began, her voice slowly trailing off as she finally saw what Huey saw, the plume of smoke, which was growing larger and darker by the second. “Oh, my!” was all Tina was able to exclaim while she grabbed Huey from off her shoulder and carried him to his Fort travel cage and popped him rather unceremoniously in and locked the door. Huey, for once, didn’t put up the usual fight. He knew something wasn’t right. He was sure Fire was headed their way.
As Tina quickly grabbed her important stuff, Huey’s important stuff, Camry and Crickets important stuff and stuffed them into her RAV4, Huey closed his eyes and went into a deep meditative state. He and Cleo, Asa’s older sister, had a way of communicating that baffled both Moms, but apparently the pair really did communicate via this deep focus and concentration, so called BSP, for lack of a better term by Tina and Asa’s Granny, Julie.
Meanwhile, in Springdale Arkansas, Cleo sensing Huey’s presence and receiving his message of their plight loud and clear, began shrieking her siren noise at the top of her extremely powerful lungs.
Asa got her big sisters message loud and clear and immediately popped the lock on her cage and went to go start up her Granny’s computer. Her Granny and Grandpa, fortunately, had taken Tyson Parker and Edgar Allan to Tulsa to the avian vet for their yearly physical. Asa, Worthington, and Cleo had gone for their physicals last week. Her Granny wouldn’t be back for 5 hours, since Tulsa was a good 2 hour ride away.
While the computer warmed up and Bird Channel came into view on the screen, Asa quickly popped the locks on both Worthington and Cleo’s cages. “If Huey is right about the fire…”
“…And you know he is.” interrupted Cleo.
“Of course he is. I wasn’t implying anything, just explaining.” Asa snipped back at her sister before continuing, “ As I was saying, we’re going to need the Feathered Four and probably all of their fiblings who are willing to help us with this one. I’ll message both BC and Flocktalk…oh, and Granny has another site, Tailfeathersnetwork.com that she has book marked for bird information. There are a lot of others on there, too.”
“Why do we need to contact so many?” Asked little Worthington. He was the baby of Asa’s flock at just 1 year old. This was also the first time he’d even been asked to join in one of his sister Asa’s adventures.
“Because it’s a fire and fire is a really scary thing. It eats everything in its path and nothing ever survives. There are going to be animals that need help getting away from Fire and humans as well. There is only four of us in the Feathered Four and we can’t be everywhere at once. We are going to need EVERYBIRDIE” Asa ended with emphasis on the word ‘everybirdie’ as her talons flew over her Granny’s computer key board. She left message after message on as many BC pages as she could before sending one seriously odd message via Flocktalk, ‘toast your feathers in sunny California, we need everybirdie now.’ She knew it’d make sense to Maude, head of the Bird Underground, but since there were humans reading, sending and receiving messages on Flocktalk, she had to remain as mysterious as possible. Then off to Tailfeathersnetwork.com to leave a human thing called a thread and post with the same mysterious message as she’d left on Flocktalk. Her Granny had told her that Tailfeathers was a rather cliquish, but she figured if someone could get past she and her Granny weren’t part of the ‘in crowd’ and join in and help, it was worth all the effort it took her to make the computer keys work on their own. Especially since her Granny’s space bar stuck and would leave paragraphs of space before inserting the next word if she didn’t yank up on it with her beak now and then.
“Ok, everyone is messaged and alerted.” Asa concluded as she shut her Granny’s computer down and turned to Cleo before saying, “Did you try to reach my Daddy?”
“I said a prayer the best I could. I do hope he heard me.” Cleo answered as the three fiblings left Springdale for California.

---------------

Out in California the freeways were jammed with residence trying to escape north; just to find out their only escape was west, to the Pacific Ocean. The small plume of smoke had grown into billowing putrid black clouds that rained hot embers down on all it could. The ravenous appetite of the fire grew as it consumed more property, wilderness and lives, both human and animal.
Huey and his family, thanks to Huey’s early warning, had managed to take the freeway north to Julie’s Uncles house in San Pedro long before the evacuation of the San Diego area went into effect. Tina knew San Pedro was well out of any normal burn paths the yearly fires took and that she, Camry, Cricket and Huey would be warmly welcomed. Once there, Huey’s travel condo was placed on the back sun porch with Jason a 40 year old cherry headed conure, and Icarus a 50 year old lilac crowned Amazon. The birds had met once before and were friendly with one another. Huey still just wasn’t sure what to think of their large beaks, but he knew the two seniors were too old to do much more than sit and tell stories about their younger days.
“I need to get out there and try and save my Grandma’s house!” said Huey to the Old Timers.
“We’ll cover for you youngun. No worries, the humans will be way to busy with the TV and human news to pay any attention to us as long as we’re quiet. Go save your home, Huey.” Said Icarus to his little turquoise friend as Huey popped the lock on his travel cage (a trick taught to him by Asa herself. Huey was a very fast learner) and flew out the open window and headed toward home.
The flames leapt and stretched themselves skyward over the dry San Diego canyon they were currently having for an afternoon snack, as if the sun itself was also on its menu. The air was densely thick with smoke and every firefighter and police officer within a 200 mile radius had been called in to help evacuate the humans too stubborn to leave their homes, mostly due to the fact the evacuation shelters didn’t allow pets.
As the police and firefighters both battled the flames on the ground, desperately trying to get to the last few obstinate humans who were still alive, the Feathered Four, Huey, Cleo and Worthington set to work from the air. Their first mission was to guide the terrified, confused and unwillingly abandoned animals to safety.
“Baby Asa, there is an old human school building with a bomb shelter in its basement. Lead who will follow there and they’ll be safe. Rosalie and I will talk to those too scared to move. For some, it’s their time, for others it’s not. She and I will do as we can.”
Asa, Asha, BabyGirl, Worthington and Cecil were startled for a moment at the speech coming from a Yucca plant just to their left.
“I’m glad you got Cleo’s message and mine.” said Huey, who like R.B. Bird and Rosalie, was a special being sent to earth to watch over the humans they’d been assigned to by the Great One. Huey had also messaged R.B. Bird and Rosalie for their help in saving his Grandma’s home, the home is Mom loved and had grown up in, during the long ride to San Pedro.
“Daddy?” asked Asa, knowing full well only one ever called her ‘Baby Asa’, and that was her Daddy, “I’m so glad it’s you and you’re here with us.” Asa paused to look around for a moment before adding, “Where’s Rosalie?”
“She’s inside talking to Bootsie and Muffy, the Siamese cats under the childs bed. They’re too scared to leave what they think is safety.
“Only problem with rescuing cats is they look at you like you’re they’re lunch! We’re alive and breathing, not spirits like you, how are we to get those ‘beasties’ into the shelter?” asked Asha logically.
“Rosalie and I will lead the cats, you seven go head east to the clearing. There is a team of firefighters there and I think they’re going to be in trouble soon. We’ll catch up in a minute.” R.B. Bird concluded as Rosalie appeared with Bootsie and Muffy from around the left side of the house.
Fire was approaching fast, the Seven feathered rescuers could feel the heat of its breath breathing deeply in their faces and R.B. Bird and Rosalie led the cats to safety.
“Cleo, you, Huey and Worthington head north east, but stick close together. Help the other wildlife up there. I think I heard a raccoon family crying in the distance.” instructed BabyGirl.
Team Huey followed BabyGirl’s instructions without argument. It was getting way too hot in their present location to remain put and discuss matters further. The Feathered Four headed east to where the firefighters were battling the heart of the fire.
For what had to be hours, the Chelmsford Group, the Oklahoma Gang, Eva’s Flockily, Knuckles family, and about a dozen other flocks of BC and Flocktalk Birds, proudly spoke fluent clear English to the weary smoke filled firefighters and policemen, guiding them free of the ambush Fire kept trying to set up. Not one life was lost due to the efforts of the BC and Flocktalk birds.
Those wearied by the fire flew to Vegas to Dolly’s house, one of the many humans in the Bird Underground who knew the birds secrets and guarded them closely, where Dolly would feed them nutrition and energy packed bird goodies and, of course, offer those interested, a plate of her famous tomato gravy and noodles. They were allowed to rest up, too before heading back to the San Diego fire.
After a break and an almost too large a plate of Dolly’s tomato gravy and noodles, the Feathered Four found themselves flying a bit too close to the heart of the beast Fire. They were led there by Rosalie, who’d told them of two firefighters who were trapped by Fire and were nearing death.
As the Feathered Four grew closer they thought they could hear Fire laugh in triumph of yet another kill. Fire, in too soon of a celebration, as the firefighters at this point were still very much alive, shot its flames up a good 100 feet in the air and belched out a deep thicker than pea soup cloud of acrid black smoke. The Feathered Four lost their way. The smoke was too thick for them to see. Cecil coughed as he tried to take in a breath, but got nothing but dense smoke instead.
“What now?” asked Asha as she bumped into a tree branch and for her safety, alighted there.
“Not sure.” said BabyGirl as she perched next to Asha.
“My Daddy will find us and so will Rosalie. We’ll be fine.” Asa said hopefully as she, too sat down on the branch to wait.
Then, as if someone had turned off the smoke machine, the air cleared as Rosalie appeared in her normal spirit form before them. “This way, the firefighters are over here.” she said simply and her translucent form turned and let the Feathered Four through the now miraculously clear air, dense, all consuming black smoke still everywhere but the bubble of ‘clear’ that Rosalie had created for them.
Upon reaching a small area barren of anything but the two smoke encrusted men in firefighting gear, Rosalie approached them and spoke clearly to them in English, “Please, I know this is unusual for you Humans to see me and hear me, but please follow my flockily to safety.” Rosalie pleaded as The Feathered Four caught up to her.
“Hi, I’m Cecil, the King of All Budgies.” Cecil politely introduced.
“Cecil!” scolded Asha, “All that matters is that they listen to us and follow us and Rosalie out of here!”
“Yes, please get up if you can and follow us and we’ll lead you out of here.” Asa reaffirmed.
“Clyde, do you hear what I hear or have I eaten too much smoke?” Said the bigger of the two firefighters to the smaller.
“If you mean that there are four live parrots in front of us talking and a ghost bird, also talking, telling us to follow them out of here to safety. Yeah, Mark, I hear them, too.”
“You know, this reminds me of that Star Trek episode…um…The Tholian Web, I believe it was called, where they thought Kirk was dead but his ghost kept popping up but it turned out he was really alive.” said Mark.
“Yeah, me too. In that episode they strapped Uhuru down in the sickbay when she saw Kirk. They thought she was crazy and that’s exactly what they’ll say about us, too. Birds talking, ghost bird talking. I think I’d strap us down right now if I was sure this was all really happening.” said Clyde.
“But, we’re both seeing all this, so does that make us both crazy?”asked Mark.
“Well, which is crazier, seeing a Dead Captain Kirk or a ghostly bird and her flock?” Clyde asked Mark right back.
“I don’t know, Clyde. Kirk was just a television character but talking birds are really weird. I’d say we’re more likely to see Kirk.” Mark reasoned back.
“Do firefighter humans always act so weird?” Asked BabyGirl to the rest of the Feathered Four. “You’d think they’d just want to get out of here and would just simply get up and follow us!”
Clyde and Mark continued their debate, completely ignoring BabyGirls comment.
“Too bad Spock isn’t here to tell us what the logical thing to do would be.” Clyde added as he looked from Marks smoke caked face to the four live bird and one ghost bird perched on a small bush directly in front of them. Fire trying, without success to penetrate the bubble of clear clean air that Rosalie’s spirit had created around them.
“We don’t need Spock to deal with talking birds, we need Dr. McCoy and a good shot of burbon.” Mark added with a faint smile, his white teeth peeking out from in between black soot covered lips.
“You know, you two can continue this debate from now until the cows come home, or you can just get up and follow us.” Asha interrupted, fed up and tired of the conversation and beginning to feel the heat of Fire as Rosalie’s strength began to slowly fade. “Now, get up off your tail feathers and MOVE IT or I’ll be forced to Ninja me some firefighters into next week!” Asha ended a bit louder and a bit angrier than necessary.
“Rosalie can’t hold this bubble of clean air for long. She doesn’t have a lot of strength back her over the Rainbow Bridge. For all our safety, please just come with us.” Asa prodded.
“Follow me! The King Budgie of the Great Budgie Divide!” Cecil chimed in in his most macho tone as he took flight and led the way out of the heart of Fire.
Once out of the heart of Fire and into the safety of one of the evacuation centers set up especially for firefighters the Feathered Four caught their breaths on a branch of a dogwood tree just outside. They’d only perched for about 2 minutes when Huey, Cleo and Worthington flew up to them in a total panic.
“MY HOUSE!!” Huey cried, “THE FIRE IS ALMOST UP TO MY BACK FENCE!!! WE’VE GOTTA SAVE MY HOUSE!!” the little turquoise budgie cried.
“Asa, we don’t know what to do.” Cleo explained in a tone not much calmer than her bonded forever mate, Huey’s.
“Let’s go!” said Asha as she took off for Huey’s home.
Once there, the Feathered Four, Huey, Cleo and Worthington were greeted by the second spirit bird from over the Rainbow Bridge, Asa’s father, R.B. Bird. His ghost like form was perched in stately form on Huey’s back yard fence. As the seven parrots approached they could hear R.B. Bird actually talking to Fire.
“This is my family you’re threatening. It was my daughter, my only surviving daughter, you tried to take the life of back in the canyon. Those are her special friends you singed the feathers of. And, nobody, but nobody messes with my family, you got that Fire?” R.B. Bird said in his most and very intimidating tone.
Fire’s spirit flickered for a moment, unsure of what to think. It’d never been spoken to like that before and especially not by a silly bird. But, something told Fire spirit that this particular bird was not one to mess with. Fire spirit had, for the first time in it’s current life, a life given to it by an 8 year old arsonist who just wanted to see the pretty posy burn, felt a twinge of fear.
That twinge of fear Fire spirit felt was very real. R.B. Bird, when he was alive, was willing to give his life without question for his human and his flock. Being spirit himself hadn’t lessoned his desire to protect. R.B. Bird knew if he could once again give his life to save Huey’s home, he would. He had no life left to give, so he called down his elder sister, Moana, also a resident of the Rainbow Bridge, and Rosalie. With the three spirit birds on Huey’s back yard fence and Fire spirit directly in front of them, daring them to even try to stop it, they began to flap their wings as hard as they could.
Asa, being very much her Daddy’s little girl, understood exactly what her father had in mind and flew up to the fence and began flapping too. Fire spirit millimeters from her breast feathers and millimeters from taking her life.
Undaunted, but totally terrified at the same time, Asa called to Asha, BabyGirl and Cecil, “Come on! It’s going to take all of us to save this house!”
“Bonzai!!!!” Yelled Cecil as he, too threw caution to the wind and landed on the fence and began flapping.
BabyGirl sensed Asha’s fear and said to her as comforting as she could, “You’ve just stared death in the face twice and survived. What’s once more?”
With a deep sigh, Asha and BabyGirl joined the others on the fence and began flapping as hard as they could. Fire spirit refusing to give up and continuing to lick their breast feathers in an attempt to send the heroes over the Rainbow Bridge.
“You’re not taking my Mom and Grandma’s house!” yelled Huey and Cleo at the exact same time as they and Worthington also alighted on the fence and began flapping.
Undaunted, Fire spirit continued to fight.
A moment later a thunderous flapping of wings could be heard as the Chelmsford Gang, Eva’s Flockily, Stubby, Asha’s fiancé and his flock as well as several other flockilies of parrots all joined them on the fence, flapping as hard as they could. Fire spirit couldn’t hold on. Slowly but surely Fire began to back away from Huey’s home. As the massive flock of parrots continued flapping with all their might, Fire spirit began to grow smaller. Then, just when the massive flock began to feel fatigued from all the flapping, the Fire spirit gave up the ghost and extinguished itself. Nothing was left but a small puddle of smoldering embers. The San Diego Canyon fire was out.
The army of parrots soon scattered. Some returned to their homes while others went back to the fire lines to make certain that all abandoned animals had been rescued. After a while the only parrots left were Huey and the Feathered Friends.
“Thank you for saving my home,” Huey said. “It was a wonderful thing you did. How can I possibly repay you?”
“Well, that is kind of the same question we have too,” came a human voice from around the corner of the house as Mark and Clyde walked up to the seven birds.
“You saved our lives,” said Clyde. “Everyone else had abandoned us yet you birds risked your lives to save us. Why did you all do that?”
The birds looked at each other, none of them really having an answer to the human’s question until Asa cleared her throat. “My Daddy always told me that, deep down, the only difference in all of us is that some have feathers and others have skin,” Asa said. “As for what you can do to repay us, just remember that one fact. All life is sacred.”
Clyde and Mark shook their heads in agreement and turned to leave. As they walked away Mark grabbed Clyde’s shoulder and asked: “Didn’t Kirk say something like that in one of those second season episodes?”
“No, you idiot,” scoffed Clyde. “It was Spock and it was in the third season.”
Asha shook her head as the two walked away. “Well, as those humans would say, it is time for us to boldly go where no parrot has ever gown before,” she said with a grin.
“To heck with that,” said Cecil. “I’m going home and I sincerely hope it is very cold there. I’ve been too warm for too long. Anyway, scorched feathers stink.”
The Four with Cleo and Worthington took off for their respective homes as Huey surveyed his home with a smile. It had survived Fire. Huey flew over the now no longer smoldering embers of Fire, just to make sure it was really gone before taking off for San Pedro to get his Mom, Camry and even Cricket and tell them it was time to go home.

The Asha Chronicles---Part 9

With spring right around the corner and craft fairs and craft shows getting ready to sprout out of the ground like a field over populated with wildflowers, and the AREtsy Street Team posting a very complete list of must read craft show tips, I felt now was a good time to post Part 9 of the Asha Chronicles. So, with out further ado, let the show begin!


The Asha Chronicles Part 9
Freedom Isn’t Necessarily Free
By Julie and Tim
February 21, 2008

Aunt Eva’s place was just what the doctor ordered for Asha and her frazzled family. After having been chased all the way from Georgia to Charleston, South Carolina, but a flock of Lovebirds and Asha’s stalker Otto, a prescription of rest and relaxation was in order.
Asha and her Dad and Mom immediately fell in love with Eva and her husband Dan. It seemed like they had known each other all of their lives and they quickly settled in and began sharing stories; most of which began and ended with something related to parrots.
Asha also quickly settled in with Eva’s flock. The four : Leah Danielle Sharon, a Hawkhead Parrot; PaPa, a Ringneck Dove; TidBit, a Green Cheek Conure; and Ruby, a young but majestic Green Wing McCaw; immediately fell in love with the frazzled Amazon and they all became flockmates in no time.
That evening Asha’s Dad took her for a walk along the Greenway behind Eva’s home and Asha got a big kick out of it, although she found herself subconsciously looking for Otto and his henchbirds on each overhanging limb.
Eva announced the next morning that she had a treat lined up for everyone on the coming Saturday.
“I read in the newspaper that there will be an Exotic Bird Fair in Charleston over the weekend at the North Charleston Coliseum,” Eva said. “I figured that we could pack up all the birds and go see what they have on display. It might be a good chance to stock up on food and toys for our fids.”
Everyone agreed and when Saturday morning came the birds were all packed into their traveling cages and the four humans got into their cars and headed for downtown Charleston. Charleston is one of the most beautiful cities in the country. Along with being a thriving seaport, it has been able to hang onto a lot of the antebellum charm of the Old South.
On the way to the convention Center Eva took Asha and her family for a tour of some of the magnificent mansions that survived the Civil War and which have been painstakenly preserved. Asha’s parents were fascinated by the combination of progress and love for history that the city exhibited.
When they arrived at the Coliseum the humans took the travel cages out of their cars and carried them into the building where they purchased their tickets and entered the exhibition hall. Their senses were immediately assaulted by the sound and smell of hundreds of birds. All along the walls and in aisles traversing the hall were cages of birds and tables filled with all sorts of items of interest to bird owners.
“We’ll never be able to see all of this,” said Asha’s Dad. “This place is huge!”
Eva suggested that they split up and plan to meet together in the center of the hall in one hour and compare notes.
As Asha’s Dad carried her traveling cage down the first aisle of caged birds Asha was stunned by the sight of the birds inside. To her they seemed lifeless and extremely bored. Several times she tried to call to them but none paid any attention to her. They all seemed drained of life. She also noticed that the larger birds were kept in cages that were way too small for them. Noble McCaws were housed in cages that barely allowed them to stretch out their long tail feathers. Anger soon began to build in her chest as she saw cage after cage inhabited by birds who seemed totally oblivious to what was going on in the world outside their cages.
He Dad stopped in front of a cage containing a pair of double-yellow headed Amazons. Asha looked at the birds and she was shocked to see how large they were. They were at least twice the size she was. She thought to herself that they would probably be unable to fly even if they had the chance.
Asha’s Dad called the owner of the birds over to the cage.
“Just what do you feed these birds?” he asked.
“We feed them bird seed,” the man answered.
“Don’t you know that bird seed is bad for caged birds if that is all you feed them?” Asha’s Dad responded with growing anger in his voice. “That is why they are so fat. You need to feed them nutritionally complete pellets along with vegetables and fruits. A seed diet will lead to them getting liver disease and other problems.”
“We feed them what they like, and if you’ll excuse me,” the man said as he walked away hurriedly.
Asha looked at her Dad and saw a growing sorrow in his face.
“How could they treat these birds like this,” he said to his wife. “They are intelligent creatures and they are being treated like merchandise at grocery store. Let’s find the others, I think I want to go.”
They soon found Eva and her family in the middle of the hall and it was obvious that they had not enjoyed their visit to the Fair either.
“I am so sorry,” said a contrite Eva. “I had no idea they were treating the birds like this. Let’s get out of here, please.”
The four humans hurried out of the hall and sat down together beside a small fountain in front of the Coliseum.
“This is not good,” said Dan. “I knew they sold birds at these Fairs, but I assumed they were regulated in some way and they treated the animals with decency and respect. They would be better off being sold at that Wal-Mart across the parking lot. I would hate to see what an Avian Veterinarian would say if they saw that.”
“Well, I found out the name of the company that puts this thing on and I assure you that they will hear a few choice words from me,” Asha’s Dad said. “I’m sure that most of the people in there selling food and toys were fine bird lovers, but those breeders had no excuse to treat those birds that way.”
The four humans agreed to return to Eva’s house and settle down. When they got back they put the birds into their cages and went into the kitchen. Asha quickly called the other birds together.
“We’ve got to do something about this,” she said with cold fury in her voice. “Writing letters to some company isn’t enough. We have to do something to get those birds out of there. The first thing we need to do is get in touch with my three friends Asa, Cecil, and BabyGirl.”
Ahsa turned to Eva’s Hawkhead Leah.
“Leah, you need to get on your momma’s computer and start getting the message out. We need to have those three here first thing in the morning,” Asha said. She then snapped a pair of talons as if she had just had a thought.
“I also need you to get word to an old friend of mine up in Virginia,” she said with a smile. “I need Beavis’ wisdom now more than ever.”
Leah slipped into the home office and started sending out emails to the other three members of the Feathered Friends and Asha’s friend Beavis. Beavis, an elderly but spunky Quaker Parrot, had just got home from Las Vegas where he had gotten into the snorting Cheerios habit. The Four Friends had rescued him and when they left he was in a birdie rehab center run by the mysterious Parrot Underground.
The new friends spent the rest of the evening eating, sleeping, and getting to know each other better. Most people would have been surprised to see birds of five very distinct species get along so well together. But birds aren’t people, and they did not even think about it, they just quickly bonded and were soon telling each other their life stories.
Around dawn TidBit awoke to hear a scratching on a window and flew over to let a small, green Quaker Parrot into the room. Asha’s face lit up like a beacon when she saw Beavis and she rushed over to wrap him in her wings.
“It is so good to see you old friend,” she told the newcomer. “I’m glad to see you are back to your old self. Why, you don’t look a day over 20.”
“I may not look it, but I feel every one of my 28 years,” Beavis said as he preened the side of Asha’s head with one of his talons. “What is going on that is so important that a parrot my age has to fly down here from Virginia, Although I shouldn’t complain too much, the warmer weather does wonders for my arthritis.”
“You just sit here and rest up and I’ll tell the whole story when everyone gets here,” Asha said.
The other three Feathered Friends arrived over the course of the morning and around noon they moved outside to a secluded spot along the Greenway and Asha began telling them about the trip to the Bird Fair and her plans to release the birds.
“The Fair ends this afternoon so we need to get going as soon as possible before those breeders start packing up and leaving,” Asha said. “The sooner we get there the more birds we can save.”
“That just makes my blood boil,” said Cecil. He was just a Budgie, but with the heart of an Eagle. “Packing those poor birds into those tiny cages and then selling them like they weren’t living things. We need to do something and do it fast.”
“I agree,” said BabyGirl. She was an Orange Wing Amazon. Her sweet looks belied a hot temper. “This is just horrible. Some of those birds are probably dying from being treated like that. Let’s get going!”
Asha turned to start giving instruction when she noticed that both Asa and Beavis were holding back and looking at each other.
“What is the matter you two? Don’t you see what is at stake here? We got to get moving. Time is wasting,” Asha shouted.
“Maybe we need to think this through a little better,” said Asa. She was a Cockatiel who could chew through concrete and crack any lock.
“My flockmate Tyson Parker was one of a group of cockatiels who were thrown out by their owners when they moved and decided they didn’t need to worry about their birds anymore,” Asa said. “Tyson was lucky enough to be found by my granny but others in his flock were not so lucky. They died.”
“What has that got to do with this situation?” asked a frustrated Asha.
“Tyson and his flockmates had been raised in captivity from eggs,” said Asa. “They knew nothing about living in the wild. When they were suddenly thrust into a situation where they had to find their own food and shelter they didn’t know what to do. They died of exposure or hunger.”
“Don’t you see Asha,” interjected Beavis. “Those birds down at the Coliseum are the same way. They may not be in a good situation and it may hurt your heart to see them like that, but you have to look at the alternative. What happens if you go and open all their cages and tell them to fly off and live free?
“Most of them have probably had their wings clipped and they couldn’t fly. They would probably waddle out the door and get run over by a truck,” Beavis said. “If they dodged the trucks, where would they find food? Where would they keep warm at night? Do you think Eva here can feed all of those birds if they decided to follow you back here?”
Asha’s face grew red with anger but them she slowly calmed down as she began to think about what Asa and Beavis had said.
“You have a good heart Asha,” said Asa. “We know you just want to help those birds. But just tossing them out into the cold, cruel world would not be doing them any favors.”
“We might just have to admit that those birds are beyond our help,” Beavis said mournfully. “Probably the best we can do is swear we will do our best to make sure that the same thing won’t happen to another generation of birds.”
“I just don’t know,” Asha said. “I understand what you say, but it just doesn’t seem right. It just doesn’t seem right!”
Suddenly the small clearing they were standing in was covered with a cool, dim light. In the middle of the light they just barely make out the form of a stately and beautiful Blue & Gold McCaw.
“Rosalie!” shouted TidBit. “It’s Rosalie!”
The birds just stood in awe. Rose had been one of Eva’s companion birds until she went over the Rainbow Bridge several months earlier. Rose had been one of the most popular birds on the Bird Channel and was a legend in the avian community.
“Asha, come closer. I want to speak to you,” the spectral form of Rosalie said.
Asha moved closer to the vision, scarcely trusting her sight. “Is that really you Rose? Is it really you?”
“Yes it is me, dear Asha. I cannot stay here for long. I have many duties over the Bridge and it takes a lot of energy to come here like this,” Rosalie said. “As Asa said, your urge to help shows you have a good heart, but you must use your mind as well. You have trusted the wisdom of Beavis and Asa in the past, do so now. If you free those birds you will be sending many of them to the Bridge before their time.”
“OK Rose,” Asha said with a bowed head. “I will follow their advice no matter how hard it will be to stand aside.”
“Rosalie,” stammered Beavis. “Could I ask you a question?”
“Certainly Yoda Beavis, you may ask me anything you want,” Rosalie said.
“I am an old parrot, many years past my prime,” Beavis said. “Just what is it like beyond the Rainbow Bridge. Is it as happy a place as I hear? Will I be young again? Will I see my mama when it is her time to pass over?”
“Yes to all of those questions Beavis,” said Rosalie with a smile. “But don’t be so anxious. Your time on this Earth is not yet up. You will have other opportunities to give advice to these young birds.”
The vision of Rosalie faded with the light. The birds all stood in a circle looking at each other as if they were afraid to break the silence.
Suddenly Asha broke the mood with a laugh as she slapped her leg with a wing.
“Well, I’ll tell you what I will do,” she said as she got ready to rocket into the air. “I’m flying down to that dang Coliseum and poop on the windshields of every one of those stupid breeders. How about that, old wise Yoda?”
“The Force will truly be with you on that one,” said Beavis with a smile. “As will I!”