Headline: Disaster Narrowly Averted

It was a beautiful morning, after what had been a cold rainy Spring. Finally able to enjoy the outdoors, Bob and his wife lolled on their bedroom balcony, sharing a cup of Sunday coffee, as the hoards of not-so-distant cicadas resumed their crescendoing serenade.

Cicadas were everywhere: flying, landing, creeping and crawling by the thousands, so it was not surprising that one of the critters would land on his shoulder. For a split second that’s what he thought, before quickly realizing that something was amiss. This was no lightweight cicada!

He bolted up, just in time to see a tiny bird fly through the open sliding door into the bedroom, followed in excited, persistent pursuit by Bandit, a mischievous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. In an instant, the Sunday morning serenity was shattered!

More importantly, there was a life hanging in the balance. After corralling Bandit and removing him from the scene, Bob assessed the unfolding chain reaction:

• Cicada alights on human.
• Bird pursues cicada, hoping to snatch the tasty morsel:
• Human brushes shoulder; Cicada escapes unharmed, Bird is swatted to deck.
• Dog chases bird into bedroom.
• Human secures dog.
• Bird hides in fear, under the bed!

The path was clear, Bob had to save the bird. With some coaxing, it was nudged out from under the bed, only to be wedged in the corner, still trembling with fear. Gently, Bob pushed the tiny bird out onto the deck, where it shakily sought shelter in a large shrub-filled planter.

Finally, Bob lifted the the protective wire mesh and little birdie flew away, probably to resume his cicada quest. Bob smiled and poured himself another cup of coffee, as he imagined tomorrow’s headline:

“Disaster narrowly averted: Man saves cicada-hunting, dog-fleeing, bedroom-imprisoned bird. “

 

 

 
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