PLEASE FLY AWAY

I was sitting on the couch, completely engrossed in my book, when there was a loud bang against the picture window just inches from my head.

“What the heck!” I dropped my book and got up on my knees to see what had hit the window.

When I didn’t see anything unusual I got up to investigate further.

Walking out the front door I passed one of the rocking chairs and saw a robin laying on its back, his little feet sticking up in the air as he panted for breath. “No, no, no, no.” I whispered as I tried to decide what to do. He turned his head and looked at me. “I’m so sorry little man. I don’t want to scare you.” I said as I slowly backed away.

Once I was back inside the house my son Alex came out of his room. “What was that noise?”

“A robin crashed into the picture window and now he’s laying on the porch.” I went over to the window again to see if he was doing any better. “Nope. He’s still on his back.” I looked over at Alex. “What should we do?”

Alex shook his head as he came over to see. “Maybe he’s in shock and just needs a few minutes to get his act together.” Alex backed away from the window. “He hit the window pretty hard if I could hear it in my room.”

Alex went into the kitchen as I stood vigil at the window. “He’s still panting pretty hard and he’s still on his back!” I called out.

“Just give him a few minutes!” Alex called back.

I sat back down on the couch and picked up my book but soon realized I was reading the same sentence over and over again. I stood back up to see how our bird friend was doing. “Oh! He’s standing up now!” I called.

“See? I told you to give him a few minutes.” Alex came back in the room taking a bite from an apple he was holding.

I watched as the bird wobbled around, his footing unsteady. “He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” I said sadly. “I’m pretty sure he’s given himself a concussion.” I looked over at Alex. “Birds can get concussions, right?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders as he took another bite. “I don’t see why they couldn’t.” He looked out the window. “He’s pretty rocky on his feet but at least his panting has slowed down some.”

“Take your time little guy. We’re here if you need us.” I called out to him.

Alex looked over at me with a confused look on his face. “We are?”

“Well, I mean we’re here to cheer him on.” I looked back out the window. “You’ve got this!” I called as I pumped my arms in the air.

Alex laughed and shook his head. “Being someone who’s had concussions I can tell you that’s definitely not going to help.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “That’s all I’ve got.” I looked back out the window. “Hey! He’s gone!” I cried.

“I told you he just needed a few minutes.”

“Oh that’s just great.” I sighed as I left the window and headed for the kitchen.

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked as he followed me out to the kitchen.

I pulled some paper towels off the roll and ran them under the water. “I guess he was shook up enough that he left us a little gift before he took off.”