the first one to notice my arrival.
“Good morning,” he says with a smile that could rival the sun with its warmth. Mason walks around the table to meet me as I approach.
When I look inside the plastic container sitting on the table, I see half a dozen baby robins, with their mouths wide open, wanting to be fed. I instantly notice something odd about them.
“Why aren’t their eyes glowing?” I ask.
“Because they’re not dangerous,” Malcolm tells me. “It seems that nature has found a way to persevere. Only the adult birds were affected by the fourth seal, not the ones still inside their eggs.”
“But won’t most of the baby birds just die because they don’t have parents to take care of them?” I ask.
“Yes,” Malcolm answers bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat the truth, “but a few will find a way to stay alive, like these. In time, they’ll be able to replenish the bird population. I imagine some species have been lost forever, but most will find a way to survive, like most living things do.”
I watch as Leah places what looks like a pea-size piece of dough on the end of the toothpick she’s holding.
“What are you feeding them?” I ask Leah.
“Malcolm showed me how to make some baby bird food by soaking dried dog food in sugar water and grinding it up,” she answers.
“And how did you know how to do something like that?” I ask Malcolm, amused by his knowledge of such a thing.
Malcolm raises an eyebrow at me, like he’s surprised I feel the need to even ask such a question. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, you tend to pick up a few things along the way.”
“Are you hungry?” Mason asks me. His question makes me realize I feel a lot like the little birds in the container… ravenous.
“I’m starving,” I admit.
“Sit down and I’ll make you something to eat,” he says, leaning in and giving me a quick kiss that makes me realize I’m hungry for more than just food from my husband, but that particular need will have to wait to be satiated.
I sit down and continue to watch Leah feed the baby birds one by one. It’s not exactly a quiet time, with all the high-pitched chirping, but it’s soothing nonetheless. The presence of the little birds proves that all isn’t lost, even if those we fought against would have us believe otherwise. Life always seems to find a way to go on.
“Did you get enough rest?” Leah’s mother asks me.
“Yes. Thank you for asking,” I tell her, feeling better than I have in a long time. As I take my first long look at Xiulan in days, I notice a fine sheen of sweat dotting her brow. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” she replies, with a suspiciously quick nod of her head. I notice her tug on the right sleeve of the white shirt she’s wearing. “I’ve been fighting off a cold, and just feel a little tired is all.”
“You should get some rest, Mom,” Leah says, looking concerned about her mother’s health. “I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
Xiulan places a hand on Leah’s arm. “I want to spend as much time with you as I can,” she tells her daughter. “I don’t want to waste a moment.”
The earnest way Xiulan voices her words, and the way she’s looking at Leah, like she might not ever see her again, tells me something is definitely wrong. I can’t exactly ask her any specific questions in front of Leah. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to worry her daughter. I know I’ll have to find a way to get her alone to see what’s actually going on.
Mason makes me a large two-egg omelet, with cubed ham, spinach, and cheese. I eat it so fast I don’t really get a chance to savor my husband’s culinary skills. So, he makes me a second one to eat at a more leisurely pace. When Malcolm and Leah leave the kitchen to settle the birds in the solarium so they can stay warm, I take advantage of their absence to speak with Xiulan.
“What’s wrong with you?” I ask her rather bluntly,
“Good morning,” he says with a smile that could rival the sun with its warmth. Mason walks around the table to meet me as I approach.
When I look inside the plastic container sitting on the table, I see half a dozen baby robins, with their mouths wide open, wanting to be fed. I instantly notice something odd about them.
“Why aren’t their eyes glowing?” I ask.
“Because they’re not dangerous,” Malcolm tells me. “It seems that nature has found a way to persevere. Only the adult birds were affected by the fourth seal, not the ones still inside their eggs.”
“But won’t most of the baby birds just die because they don’t have parents to take care of them?” I ask.
“Yes,” Malcolm answers bluntly, not bothering to sugarcoat the truth, “but a few will find a way to stay alive, like these. In time, they’ll be able to replenish the bird population. I imagine some species have been lost forever, but most will find a way to survive, like most living things do.”
I watch as Leah places what looks like a pea-size piece of dough on the end of the toothpick she’s holding.
“What are you feeding them?” I ask Leah.
“Malcolm showed me how to make some baby bird food by soaking dried dog food in sugar water and grinding it up,” she answers.
“And how did you know how to do something like that?” I ask Malcolm, amused by his knowledge of such a thing.
Malcolm raises an eyebrow at me, like he’s surprised I feel the need to even ask such a question. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, you tend to pick up a few things along the way.”
“Are you hungry?” Mason asks me. His question makes me realize I feel a lot like the little birds in the container… ravenous.
“I’m starving,” I admit.
“Sit down and I’ll make you something to eat,” he says, leaning in and giving me a quick kiss that makes me realize I’m hungry for more than just food from my husband, but that particular need will have to wait to be satiated.
I sit down and continue to watch Leah feed the baby birds one by one. It’s not exactly a quiet time, with all the high-pitched chirping, but it’s soothing nonetheless. The presence of the little birds proves that all isn’t lost, even if those we fought against would have us believe otherwise. Life always seems to find a way to go on.
“Did you get enough rest?” Leah’s mother asks me.
“Yes. Thank you for asking,” I tell her, feeling better than I have in a long time. As I take my first long look at Xiulan in days, I notice a fine sheen of sweat dotting her brow. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” she replies, with a suspiciously quick nod of her head. I notice her tug on the right sleeve of the white shirt she’s wearing. “I’ve been fighting off a cold, and just feel a little tired is all.”
“You should get some rest, Mom,” Leah says, looking concerned about her mother’s health. “I’m fine now. You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”
Xiulan places a hand on Leah’s arm. “I want to spend as much time with you as I can,” she tells her daughter. “I don’t want to waste a moment.”
The earnest way Xiulan voices her words, and the way she’s looking at Leah, like she might not ever see her again, tells me something is definitely wrong. I can’t exactly ask her any specific questions in front of Leah. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to worry her daughter. I know I’ll have to find a way to get her alone to see what’s actually going on.
Mason makes me a large two-egg omelet, with cubed ham, spinach, and cheese. I eat it so fast I don’t really get a chance to savor my husband’s culinary skills. So, he makes me a second one to eat at a more leisurely pace. When Malcolm and Leah leave the kitchen to settle the birds in the solarium so they can stay warm, I take advantage of their absence to speak with Xiulan.
“What’s wrong with you?” I ask her rather bluntly,
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