DAY 17: The Flock in the Rock

Cyrus was overtaken by the view of the expansive horizon, and he let out a mighty yawp.  He stood there in the sun, listening to his echo decay across the miles.  "You know, this used to be sea level," he said out loud.

"So, you were there?" his wife Aurora quipped.  She stood behind him, arms crossed, ready to lead him back to the trail.

He sniffed, "Missed it by a day or two."  He outstretched his shaking hand, and let Aurora guide him away from the outlook.  

To Cyrus, the Grey Pines Forest had been his great love affair.  He was thoroughly a creature of the city, but the speed of contemporary life could be overwhelming.  That stretch of wilderness centered him, provided him the axis on which his world spun.  The stolen moments of his life were littered through that forest, and the prospect of devoting time to their recollection had eased the transition into retirement.

Aurora tolerated his passion, as foreign as it was to her.  In her perspective, she wasn't retired - simply concentrating her nursing duties to one patient.  She appreciated good sunlight and pleasent breezes, but when Cyrus pointed yet another majestic vista, all she saw the affirmations posters she used to see physician's offices and powerpoint presentations.  

Cyrus was different when they came here.  At home, he seemed constantly overwhelmed, as guarded as a stranded tourist with no language skills.  Last Thanksgiving, they were forced to resort to using a larger kids table for the first time; the change was catastrophically drastic for him.  But the forest had a permanence that Cyrus found comfort in.  He was an erudite guide, calm and controlled, and so happy.

Three steps forward, and then Cyrus stopped.  "I need to show you something, Aurora.  I need to tell you something."

Cyrus pointed to the rock wall beside them, where the skeletons of three prehistoric proto-birds jutted from the stone.  "Don't they look like they're flying?  But they're kinda not built for it, with the legs like that.  They were grounded, like chickens, and they probably got caught got in a mud slide.  At least, that's what me and this paleontologist was thinking - there was a professor here, looking at the rock, when I was here a few years ago.  He pointed out the leg bones, and I told him what I thought about the mud slide.  He really liked that idea..."

Aurora nodded, and ushered him back to the trajectory of their parked car.  As he walked, he dragged his outstretched hand across the wall of rock.


inspired by Discover Magazine article, "Ancient Bird Shakes Up Avian Evolution"