Dreamers Awake: Chapter 9.
Chapter 9
That bird was staring at her. Its beady black eyes kept looking at her, she knew it. She was sure if anyone saw her out here having a staring contest with a normal, every day sparrow; they’d think she was insane. And right now, Jenny was pretty sure she wouldn’t disagree with them. That dream had just been so vivid, she hadn’t had one of those in a really long time, at least not that she could remember. Still, even though she knew she was acting crazy, she stood there, smoking her cigarette slowly and staring at the bird, trying to will it to speak.
A little chirp and it tipped its puffy head, watching her carefully. With a small hop it brought itself just a hair closer and Jenny took another drag off her cigarette. Another chirp and another hop brought it just that bit closer and Jenny felt a slight, tremulous smile creep to her lips. This was crazy; the thing was just coming closer to her because it probably thought she had food. Animals didn’t actually know what she was thinking. It had just been a dream.
She had been trying to convince herself of that fact all morning. But after four cups of coffee and barely any work done, she still couldn’t shake it. It was just too weird. And why had Rhine been there? She hadn’t thought about that poor Dog for years. Tock made sense, she owned him right now. But the neighbors cat, the crow, it was just weird. She had always liked animals, had always found them fascinating, always wanted as many of them as she could. Her Mother had only been willing to let her have Rhine, and then a little Beta Fish she had called Bluey.
But, she wasn’t Dr. Doolittle or anything; it had just been a dream. Still, as the Sparrow hopped ever closer, she couldn’t help but wonder. Blinking slowly she let out another drag off her cigarette and turned to put it in the ashtray. And then the small bird had hopped up from the ground and flapped its wings the short distance until it was sitting on the edge of the ashcan, just inches from Jenny’s fingers.
Instantly she froze, a breath of laughter dying on her lips. This was insane, stuff like this didn’t happen. With her luck the thing had rabies. But then again, could birds even get rabies? Still…mingled with the tension and fear that the proximity of the bird stirred within her, she was intrigued as well. Tentatively she lifted up her hand, fingers bent slightly, reaching, slow millimeter by slow millimeter towards the small bird but then, a voice broke her concentration and the bird flew off.
“Those things bite ya know.”
The frown that pressed against her lips was sudden and furious. Turning around with a glare she found herself looking at Peter Smith, one of her friends/adversaries at work. She liked but hated him all at the same time, she wasn’t sure how that was possible but, she did all the same. With a sigh she leaned against the wall and crossed her arms stubbornly before her chest, saying lightly, “Biting requires teeth…if anything it would’ve pecked me…”
She heard the clink of a zippo lighter and glanced with narrowed eyes to watch as he flipped the contraption open and quickly lit his cigarette. The cover clacked closed and he tossed it in his blazer pocket, dragging the smoke into his lungs for a long time and watching her with narrowed eyes. But his eyes weren’t narrowed out of anger as hers were; they were narrowed to ward off the sting of smoke as it drifted off on the breeze. And once he had let out that breath he motioned towards her with his cigarette and began walking down the stairs towards her, though Jenny visibly stiffened.
“So, you’re a bird expert huh? A member of the Audubon society and everything?”
Rolling her eyes she let out a sigh and couldn’t help but smile as she shook her head and brushed a stray strand of curly brown hair from her eyes, saying quietly, “No…”
He walked down the rest of the stairs and then moved to sit on the last one, stretching his long legs out and crossing his ankles together, pointing at her with the glowing cigarette. His eyes were still narrowed but now it was because of the gleaming afternoon sun shining brightly off the windshields of the many cars stretched across the parking lot. She listened to his words and watched dimly as the smoke drifted off his cigarette.
“So for all you know, that bird could be like the only bird with teeth and I just saved you from a vicious mauling from a rabid sparrow.”
Pursing her lips together she lifted a brow at him and said with a grin, “Are there many rabid sparrows here in Seattle?”
The man spread his hands wide and then rummaged in his pocket for a minute to pull out an extra cigarette and hold it out to her, saying with a smile that was all teeth, “Oh hundreds.” Taking the offered cigarette she lit it quickly and then sat down next to him, saying through a breath of smoke, the smile unmistakable on her lips, “Well, I guess I owe you a thank you then.”
She felt him shrug and his voice was easier now as he said quietly, “Eh, I’ll write you an I.O.U for now, I’m in a generous mood.” A slow drag was taken off her cigarette and she let out the breath with a laugh as she nodded and stared across the gleaming parking lot, saying low, “Well, looks like today’s my luck day.”
“Damn right it is” was said with a gleam of teeth through the corner of her eye and then they continued to smoke in silence.
