Tuesday, March 28, 2006, 8:40 pm
A little fella got away
UKARUMPA, PNG — I opened the door and a tiny creature — round and almost without a tail — fluttered out of the flowers, straight up into a tree.
Was that really — a bird?
I locked the door and approached the tree, which is small. I stared into its leaves, but nothing moved.
Walking home, I imagined myself peering through the office window, watching a plain, tiny bird wriggle through the giant marigolds. I didn’t have binoculars, but it was close enough to see, almost to touch.
But no. I’d burst out the door, and the bird — if bird it was — had vanished.
David J. Ringer
