Isaac’s Adventures Underground: Chapter Eleven

The ground was suddenly further away, and the bird seemed much smaller.   He’d grown again. He sighed in relief.

The bird squawked and seemed to fall out of the sky. “Ouch, ouch, ouch,” she said. “That really hurt.” She looked up at Isaac and began to hop away quickly.

“I won’t hurt you,” Isaac said. “I just didn’t want you to eat me. Are you all right?”

The bird flapped her wings. One of them seemed a little stiff. “I think I broke my wing,” she said. She hopped a little further away.

“Let me see,” Isaac said. He started to step forward, and then remembered the eggs.   He’d grown quickly while standing right next to the nest.   He was a little afraid to look.

Luckily, the eggs were fine. He’d bumped one out of place with his foot, and he could hear faint cheeping. He carefully took a big step away from the nest.

“Hey, hey, hey,” the mother bird said. Isaac looked back at the mother bird. She was running towards him, dragging her wings on the ground. Had she injured both of them? Running around like that would probably hurt them more, but she must be worried about her babies.

Isaac took a few more steps away from the nest, trying to watch where he stepped. The grass was probably full of little ladybugs and angry ants and creatures he hadn’t met yet.

“Don’t eat me, tall cat,” the mother bird said.   “I’m sure I look delicious and defenseless, but don’t eat me.” She was running away from Isaac, then circling closer, and then running again.   Her wings continued to drag on the ground.

“Stop, stop. I’m not a cat. I won’t eat you. You’re going to hurt yourself.   Please stop,” Isaac said. He crouched down, smiled, and reached out a hand towards the anxious bird. She danced out of reach.

“Of course you’re a cat. Who else appears out of nowhere? Who else smiles like that?” She asked.

Isaac stopped smiling. “Cats don’t smile. I’ve never seen a cat smile.”

“Who else but cats can lie convincingly like that?” the bird said. “Help, help, help!” She hopped closer, and then away, and then ran in a little circle, away from her nest.   As she ran, she fluttered and dragged her wings and continued to yell for help.

Isaac looked around nervously. Was he going to go to bird prison next? “I’ll just leave you alone, then,” he said. “Can I call a doctor for you? Do birds have doctors?”

The bird paused. “Are you asking me to tell you where more birds are, so that you can eat them after you’ve eaten me? Cats are always so terribly sneaky.”

“I’m not a cat,” Isaac said. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Stop lying,” the bird shrieked. “If you’re going to eat me, just get it over with.”

“I think I’m just going to leave now,” Isaac said.   “If I see a doctor, I’ll send them to see you.”

“Help, help, help,” the bird shrieked. Isaac walked away, watching where he stepped.   The bird finally stopped yelling.   And then, behind him, Isaac heard a faint whooshing sound.

He turned around. The mother bird was again flying in circles in the air above her nest. There was no stiffness in her wings any more. She was just fine.

“She tricked me,” he murmured. Then he smiled. She was just trying to protect her babies. But, it wasn’t him that was the liar, after all.

He looked around the grassy meadow. He needed to find Miss Muffet to find the spider to find the key to find the way home, but he still had no idea where to look. Maybe he should retrace his steps and go back and ask for directions at the brick house. As long as he was careful, it shouldn’t take long. He turned around and started to look for the path.