Different Views
It was a beautiful day. The sun was just right; not too hot, not too bright. It had rained the night before so the air was clean, crisp. She was enjoying her morning with her friends, when one of them glanced past her and made a frightened noise.
She looked up and noticed the man looming over her. She hadn’t even noticed that he had walked up to them. At first, like her friend, she was frightened. He squatted down to get closer to her. She was too curious to move away, and too scared to move closer. He reached out a hand, beckoned her closer. She hesitated. He held still, looking into her eyes. He had a predatory smile on his face, showing his teeth. He waggled his fingers at her, and she took a few small steps closer.
Despite her curiosity, everything in her body was telling her to run. He was tall, astonishingly so, and big. And he looked so different, so alien. The mixture of fear and curiosity kept her frozen where she stood. Finally, he reached out and picked her up, then stood. He held her close, and the warmth of his body felt good against hers.
Now that he was holding her, she felt herself relax a little. His grip was firm, but not painful. He didn’t bring her up to his face, which was what she feared most. Those gleaming teeth were still flashing in the sun, and his eyes hadn’t left hers. Instead, he tickled her under her chin for a moment, and made a murmuring, soothing sound.
After a few moments, he squatted again and set her down. She took a few steps away, then turned and looked at him. He made a noise that she couldn’t understand. Finally, she cocked her head and spoke.
“Bah-gawk!” she said. “Baaawk! Bah-gawk!” Something wriggling in the dirt caught her eye and, giant forgotten, she fluttered away to peck at it.
