it's the middle of the night, eyes only able to see parts of the room lit by the dim moonlight from the window. leaning over the edge of her top bunk, she sees the resting form of her twin, chest rising & falling with easy breaths. speaking in a voice slightly louder than her indoor voice, she asks, ' hey, do you think pigeons have feelings? '
Bʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪs ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴏʟʟᴇᴅ. Mɪɴɪsᴄᴜʟᴇ ɢᴇsᴛᴜʀᴇs ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴇsᴛ ʀɪsɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴ’s ᴅɪᴍ ʟɪɢʜᴛɪɴɢ. Iᴛ’s ɪʟʟᴜᴍɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ sᴜʀᴇʟʏ sᴇᴠᴇʀᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛᴏʀɴ ғʀᴀɢᴍᴇɴᴛs ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴ sᴄᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅ ɪɴ sᴘᴀᴄᴇ. Sʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴɴᴏᴛ ғᴇᴇʟ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏᴏɴʟɪɢʜᴛ’s ɢʟᴏᴡ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀ sᴋɪɴ, ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʀᴍᴛʜ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟs ᴀʟᴏɴɢsɪᴅᴇ ɪᴛ, ɪᴛ ᴍᴇʀᴇʟʏ ᴇxɪsᴛs ᴛᴏ ᴄᴀsᴛ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡs. Bᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ’s ᴡʜᴀᴛ sʜᴀᴅᴏᴡs ɴᴇᴇᴅ ʀɪɢʜᴛ? A sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʟɪɢʜᴛ. Tʜᴀᴛ sᴏᴜʀᴄᴇ ᴏғ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪs ᴇᴠᴇʀ sᴏ ᴘʀᴇsᴇɴᴛ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛ’s ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪᴛ ɢᴏᴇs ᴜɴsᴇᴇɴ. Hᴇʀ ʟɪᴅs ᴀᴄᴛ ᴀs ᴀ ʙʟᴀɴᴋᴇᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴄᴋᴇᴛ, ғᴏʀᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴ ᴄʟᴏsᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ. Tʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ ʟᴜʟʟs ʜᴇʀ ᴛᴏ sʟᴇᴇᴘ. Sʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ ғᴇᴇʟ ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ᴅʀɪғᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ sᴛᴀᴛᴇ ᴏғ ᴜɴᴄᴏɴsᴄɪᴏᴜsɴᴇss ᴀs sʜᴇ’s sᴘʀᴀᴡʟᴇᴅ ᴀᴛᴏᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴇᴅ. Tʜᴇ sʜᴇᴇᴛs ᴅʀᴀᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴄʟᴇᴀɴ sᴋɪɴ. Hᴇʀ ʙᴏᴅʏ ғɪɴᴀʟʟʏ sᴜᴄᴄᴜᴍʙs ᴛᴏ ʀᴇsᴛ ᴀɴᴅ sʜᴇ ɪs ɢᴏɴᴇ. A ᴍɪɴᴜᴛᴇ ᴘᴀssᴇs ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ɪs ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴇʀ sʟᴇᴇᴘ ɪs ᴘᴇʀᴛᴜʀʙᴇᴅ. ’ ʜᴇʏ, ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴘɪɢᴇᴏɴs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ғᴇᴇʟɪɴɢs? ’ Eʏᴇs sᴛɪʟʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʀᴇsᴛғᴜʟ ғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛ, ʙᴏᴛᴛᴏᴍ ʙᴜɴᴋ Yᴀɴɢ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ᴀɴsᴡᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜᴀsᴛᴇ. Iɴᴡᴀʀᴅʟʏ, sʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀɴ ɪɴʜᴀʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ. Nᴏʀᴍᴀʟʟʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʏᴏᴜɴɢ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇᴛᴏʀᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ᴡɪᴛᴛʏ ǫᴜɪᴘ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ sᴏ ʟᴀᴛᴇ, ʜᴇʀ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ʀᴀᴛʜᴇʀ ʜᴏsᴛɪʟᴇ. Sʜᴇ’s ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴘʀᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴏᴜᴛᴄᴏᴍᴇ (ᴏɴʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ sʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴇs ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪsʜ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴜɴᴋ). Yᴀɴɢ ɪs sʜᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴍᴇʀᴄʏ. “Iᴍᴍᴀ ɢɪᴠᴇ ʏᴀ’ ᴏɴᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴀ’ sʜᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇʟʟ ᴜᴘ.” Yᴀɴɢ ᴡᴀʀɴs. Yᴇᴛ, ʜᴇʀ ᴄᴀᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴀs ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴇᴇᴅᴇᴅ. Wʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ sᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ᴅᴏᴘᴘʟᴇɢᴀɴɢᴇʀ’s ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴇɴᴛᴇʀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴇᴀʀᴅʀᴜᴍs, ᴀ ᴠɪᴏʟᴇɴᴛ ᴜʀɢᴇ sᴘᴀʀᴋᴇᴅ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʜᴇʀ ʙᴏᴅʏ. Iᴛ ɪs ᴀs ɪғ ᴀɴɴᴏʏᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴇɴᴛɪʀᴇ ʙᴇɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴜs, ʀᴇᴍᴏᴠᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀsᴇʟғ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴜɴᴋ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴘɪʟʟᴏᴡ ᴏɴ ʜᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇɢᴀɴ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴛ ʜᴇʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴄᴋ ᴏғ ᴘʟᴜᴍᴇs.
