The Only

Here Again

"Daaaaaddy, Daddy! Come here!" The ten-year-old brunette had an object cradled in the center of both hands. A stream of tears trickled down, wetting paths on her cheeks below each of her eyes.

Track practice ended several minutes earlier, and Pearl and her father had just arrived back home, stopping the vehicle on the driveway out front, per usual. When the girl saw the injured bird in the front grass, she immediately unbuckled, threw the car door open, and then ran over to check it out. Noticing it thrashing for its life, she scooped it up and called her father for help.

The man ran to his daughter's side to get a glimpse of what his preteen was holding. "A bird? Pearl, it could have a disease. Put that thing down this instant."

"It's dying, Dad! I can't. I can't! Please. Do something. Anything!" At that moment, the squirming ceased and the bird's life ended, leaving its immobile body behind. Several tiny grey feathers and other unrecognizable pieces were scattered in the little girl's hands.

"Pearl. I-I'm sorry." Her father clearly didn't know what to say, it was the girl's first encounter with death. His eyes were also welling from the empathetic feelings of what his daughter was experiencing. He hugged the girl around the shoulders from behind and reached down to gather the carcass for disposal. Pearl yanked away and put both hands around the body, cupping it out of sight.

"No! Don't touch it." She sniffled and leaned her head just slightly; enough to wipe her face on her shoulder.

"Pearl, sweetie. We have to get rid of it. We can bury it if you want, or I can throw it over the back fence where it can decay as nature intended. I'd like to discuss the circle of life with you afterwards. We've never talked about death, have we?"

"I'll do it," the saddened adolescent stubbornly confirmed.

"That's my girl," her father encouraged, a grin of pride stretching his cheek muscles. He pointed to the fence, which was about 30 meters away. "Let's do it together."

"NO! I can do it alone." She was still sad but felt a sense of duty, wanting to prove to her father that she was a big, brave girl.

"Haha, fine, Pearl," the man giggled. The girl was at an age where she thought she was ready to take on the world without any help. "I'll be unloading the car if you need me. When you throw it over, don't touch your face or anything. Go right to the bathroom and wash your hands, got it?"

The brunette nodded and turned towards the fence. One slow step after another, her father, the house, and the car began to shrink behind her. During the walk, she moved her thumbs enough to peek inside the temporary hand coffin she had provided. There were no movements nor signs of life, as she expected.

When Pearl finally arrived at her destination, she didn't waste time. "Goodbye little birdy."

Having experienced throwing the shotput during her track and field practices, Pearl knew the approximate trajectory she would need to get the carcass out of her hands and over the fence. With a balanced step forward, the girl extended her arms with a snap, opening her hands as her weight was in the proper position.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as her body recoiled from the throw and she witnessed the creature sailing over and down towards the foliage-filled ground. Just before it hit, the bird spread its wings, twisted its body, and flew away. Her breathing hitched as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "It wasn't dead? It wasn't... dead."

Ecstatic from what she'd just seen she sprinted back to the house. "DAD! DAD! DAD! The bird!"

"Whoa, calm down, sweetheart. The bird what?" He crouched down on one knee in the grass beside the driveway. He steadily placed a hand on each of his daughter's shoulders in an attempt to focus the girl's energy.