The Library Canary

I wake up to the birds calling to me again. They have the same spark of imagination in their eyes and the beautiful song they sing. I like birds. I peer at them through the cracks in the curtains then opening the window to get some air, I reach into my pocket and give them some bread. They eat it thoughtfully then fly away into the sunrise. I smile and get to work. I start to write my schedule for today.

1. Get up
2. Get changed
3. go to school if it is a school day
4. If not a school day go down to the dairy to get some milk
5. If a school day walk home at 3:00
6. If not a school day draw
7. If a school day do your homework
8. Go to bed if its a school day or not at 7:30 precisely
9. Start the schedule again

It is not a school day today so I can tick off the get up. Tick off the get changed so now I need to go to the dairy. I walk down the road humming a song to myself. It goes;

La la la la

lo lo lo lo

Dance the song to

YEAH!

Lo lo lo lo

la la la la

Dance like a star

YEAH!

van van van van

zan zan zan zan

Dance like you can

YEAH!

The dairy is in the distance. When I get there I check the list.

1. Milk
2. Carrot
3. Chocolate (Of course)
4. More milk
5. Maybe another block of chocolate
6. Some flowers for my mother.

I go through the aisle putting in all of the groceries I need. I may have put one-to-many chocolate blocks into the trolley but it was because there was a ‘buy two get one half price!’ so I could not resist. I heaved up all the plastic bags and say “Thank you!” then leave the building. I think the person who made automatic doors is a very smart person because who would open the door for you if you had no spare hands? I am glad there is an automatic door at this supermarket otherwise I may have not been able to get out of the room. Anyway I am in such a rush to get home I don’t notice the open drain and I fell through the pipe.

I fall down, down, down until I hit the ground. When the mist clears, All I can see is a cold, damp, dusty floor with no walls apart from the barrier of dirt. Around me are quite a weird thing.

Feathers.

Then even weirder; I can hear cheeping.

Then the weirdest thing of the two; All I can see is books books books and birds. Yes books and BIRDS. Maybe it would be better to say birds, birds, birds and books because there were way more birds than books but there were still books never-the-less. Then maybe the weirdest thing of all the three; The birds talk! (I know. Talking birds do not sound real.) “Hello James” a little canary who was sitting up on a rock looking at me said stepping forward out of the darkness. “How do you…” I was cut short. “Know your name?” The bird asked. “Books boy!” The canary explained. I give her a blank expression because somehow it gets people to say more. “Everyone has their own story. In this library

we read the perspectives of different peoples lives to try to sort out problems. We do this by going through the characters memory bank to tell them what to say.” Again I give her a blank expression. “How do you go into the characters memory banks?” I ask. “We just do. Us birds just say in their mind ok how will I sort out this problem? Then we find the answer and we just tell them.” I am concerned. “Do you interfere their memories?” I ask. “Well obviously. We clear a few memories that do not need to me remembered. The human brain can only keep a few memories in their banks you know. If the human brain gets too full they will hardly remember anything.” I am starting to get it. “Why did I come here?”

I ask. Now the canary’s expression looks blank. “You just fell in. You did not really have a purpose to come here. You just did. You fell down the drain by accident not by purpose.” I sigh. I thought it would be like an adventure movie were the people (Or birds more rather) were in need and they were relying on ME to save them. I guess that is only in movies. And books too. Wait this is a book is it not? I still have hope.

I am stunned. “No you can NOT going home. You are going to stay FOREVER.” I gape in anger. “I want to go home!” I wail. Then that bird looks at me and says. "If you are this bratty you will be banished! Goodbye James.”

Then a mist blows around me. Then all I can see is black. Then I am out like a light completely.

When I wake again I am in a cage. Dangling over a greenish, purplish liquid. There are signs all over reading CAUTION THIS POTION MAY TURN YOU INTO A BIRD.

No please not more things about birds. I bang on the cage. That evil little canary is under me laughing, Cackling about my fate. “YOU EVIL LITTLE BIRD BRAIN!” I yell at the top of my lungs. “Do not call me that!” The canary cheeps as loud as it could. I am now regretting that I said I liked birds. That canary then clicked the button and the rope untied.

I wake up. I am in the hospital. doctors were rushing everywhere saying things like “Got the medicine? Or “No I am getting too that” and a lot of people gathered around me. They said I had been in a coma when I hit my head on the drain lid. When I am finally released I go home to rest my throbbing head. I think of the canary. “I will be back” It said in my mind.

I forget that for now and leave it for tomorrow.