Her Baby

Maggie generally believed in animal welfare, but had no specific interest in birds, as such. Dutifully, she would keep a bowl of water on the balcony ledge in summers, to quench their thirst. This was one of the many acts she carried out regularly – like feeding stray dogs and cats. Cute birdie pics like this one, were just forwarded to her birdwatcher friends, and then forgotten.

Today, she was the leading ornithologist of the country, and had won several awards for her books on the subject. It was popular perception that she had taken this up as a hobby, to fill in the void created by her three year old son’s tragic demise, after a fatal illness.

Only Maggie knew that it was the blue-and-white magpie that got her hooked to birds. The magpie visits her quite often, and imitates the sounds of her child’s laughter. The bird had picked up those sounds, when she came to drink water, and used to hear Maggie tickling her son, and playing with him.

Please don’t miss this video.

Magpie laughs just like a baby

Flash Fiction for the Purposeful Practitioner