The Mental Patient

Chapter 31 - It's All a Lie

And then there was me. Derek "Mazie" Maze, second in command to Pecker, we were that must of best friends we finished off each other's sentences and usually saw eye to eye when it came to having fun and causing mayhem.

In a lined formation, we four already bored on a gloriously saffron morning of the best day of the week, Saturday. We walk down the dust alley at the back of our neighbourhood, we hung out there, telling jokes, looking at saucy magazines one of us had stolen from our big brothers, or let Peeps come up with a great way to cause havoc in our town without getting caught.

"God, I'm already bored and it's barely even weekend, tell me if this is what getting old means then life can keep it, cause' I never want to be bored." Pecker spat, chucking dust rocks at trash cans.

Peeps lay on the grass opposite the trash cans. I sat racking my brains, trying to figure out how not to waste this perfect day with my friends. Ste dribbles a half-crushed coca cola can with his feet.

I pipe up. "Peeps what's on your mind buddy?" With his hands placed behind his head, he stares up at circling birds.

"Did you know when birds hatch from their eggs they imprint on the first bird or creature they see."

"That's it!" I leap from the trash can. "I've always wanted a pet but my mom is allergic to cats and dogs and money is kind'a tight but she always said I could have a bird."

With his arms opened in an order to us all. "Well, let's go get Mazie a pet bird." Pecker urges.

We all arrive at the Gershwin Tree, the biggest tree in all the state. My dad used to tell me the story of the Gershwin Tree before bed. Legend has it the tree only homes crows, crows help deliver souls to the other side once they had passed. Hundreds of crow's flocks around the area where we stand; the tree is a shrine for them all. It feeds and homes them. Caws and flapped wings are all you can hear. More than a dozen birds keeping watchful eyes on us from the floor as they forage in the ground for worms.

"You want it Mazie, go fetch." Pecker commands with a pointed finger.

Is it a bad time to reveal this is a bad idea?

"Yeah Mazie, good luck teaching a stupid bird anything buddy, why not get a grass snake their probably hundreds in this field to feed this murder." Ste amps his smirks comment at me.

One or two birds are fine to be around but when I am climbing up a prison full of these murders my thoughts will begin to race. One - two steps; I am standing in the shadow of the godlike conifer tree. The calls of the birds echo deep within my soul, a wild fear takes hold of my breaths. I reach my hands up, take hold of a furry terracotta branch, and begin to hoist myself upwards. Every level of the colossal tree no less than five birds flees their homes from this unwary invader.

"Hurry up you wussy!" The hollered yells egg me onwards and upwards. "Just pick one already!"

Deep within the confines of overlapping corbeau branches sits a nest; the sunlight peers in ever so slightly to look upon the secret bird which tweets away chirpily to itself. I creep closer, hanging on for dear life.

"Hey there little guy." I introduce my head, blocking out the rays of light. The tweeter stands shocked, facing away from me, his left eye glued to my motion. I hesitate for a sec before I unwittingly take which is not mine. My hands clamp around the body of the chirper whilst it squiggles his or her jerking head.

"Hey he's got one, hurry bring it on down here!" Heckles make my mind made up.

I clamber down the maze of shedding bark and cobwebs with one hand, as I reach the last few meters there is a three-meter drop blocking my freedom from this cell of bird droppings and screeches from beyond the grave.