After The Storm

Excellence Award in the 'Step Write Up 2011' competition

Anna walked through the paddocks on the way to the horses, carefully picking her way through the debris that had fallen after the storm. The birds were warbling their morning song, the sky was brightest blue, and the air was amazingly crisp, the way that it only is after a storm.
Anna was on her way to feed the horses and clean out their stable, the way she did every other morning. She had to walk through half a dozen paddocks and a patch of forest to do so. Only this morning, her way was made even harder by the fact that fallen branches were barring her way, and at some points Anna had to wade through puddles that were up to her knees, way past her bright pink gumboots.
As Anna was walking through the forest, she heard a quiet cheeping noise mixed in with the rest of the sounds. Anna walked over to where the noise seemed to be coming from. She looked around, but could see nothing, until she changed her gaze to a clump of bushes. On the ground just below one of the bushes, was a small, bedraggled bird.
It looked to be no more than three weeks old, and if birds could be blue with cold, this one would be. It had obviously been blown out of its nest during the storm, and had been sitting on the ground for most of the night.
Anna speedily reviewed her options. Her parents had told her many times before, “If a baby bird comes into contact with a human, its parents may decide to abandon it.” On the other hand, if its parents had left it here all night, why would they come back now? Coming to a quick decision, Anna carefully scooped the bird up in her hands and cuddled it into her jacket.
When she reached her house, Anna showed the bird to her mum, and asked for advice on what to do with it.
“It’s a she, that’s for sure,” Anna’s mum had pronounced as she examined the chick. “She looks healthy enough, that’s for sure, but it might be worth calling the vet just in case.”
This was how Anna had ended up sitting on the waiting room outside the vet’s room, with one of her mum’s arms wrapped around her. It was a day since they had gone to the vet’s, where he had taken a look at the chick. He was unsure of whether she would survive or not, so he had kept her over night.
Anna jumped violently as the vet called out her name, and she grabbed her mum’s hand, pulled her up, and dragged her into the vet’s room. They sat down, and waited anxiously for the vet to speak.
“She’s a fine, healthy bird. She’ll live.”
Anna scooped up the bird and placed her in the special box they had prepared for her.
“Lucky. That’s your name. Today was your lucky day.”

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