I thought I was dead. I was in the “dead position”.

Then, a gentle being hovered over me and I felt a gentle finger stroking my belly. I instinctively moved my feet and found that they still worked, and I gripped her finger tightly, so tightly that my claws pressed into her soft skin.

I looked into her eyes, and then into a black rectangular thing, which I found out later from the older birds was a phone. She was taking my picture. They said she must have thought I was handsome, a handsome bird.

Handsome or no, all I could think was “I guess I’m alive?” “Maybe?”

“Maybe I’ve died and gone to heaven.”

A handsome bird like me…….should enjoy the experience of a long life……so, I gave a blessing.

I didn’t know at the time exactly how I did the blessing, but it didn’t take long.

I saw her smile.

I thought about it a lot, and decided it was a blessing of connection, of two hearts touching. Closeness, if even for a moment.

I did it, by being me, a handsome bird.

I flew away, leaving something lasting; a sweet memory, and a feather upon her shoulder.