It is close to the end of 2012.
A small flock of brown pelicans visited Victoria in December but when the temperature dropped they flew south. I enjoyed watching them flying in formation or singly. Yesterday brought an unusual sight. As I set out on my walk by the sea a swan appeared, swimming from west to east. Where it came from is a mystery since there are no swan ponds near by.
There are swans in Beacon Hill Park but if the swan came from there, it is way off base. I imagined a swan with an injured wing trying to get to the park and could not fly up over the cliff. I pictured it climbing up the steep slope. There is a little children's story here that I might flesh out. A courageous swan is lost and is determined to find her way home. I decided to make her a female.
She is beset by ducks when she swims into their territory. They flap their wings at her and hiss through their beaks. One or two peck at her but she fights back. She is bigger than the ducks and hisses back at them. But she is sad and wants her swan family. She has a mate at the pond and their cygnets are nearly full grown. A tall man standing on the breakwater raised his bow and shot an arrow
at her that grazed her left wing. "Try again, Dad," a boy shouted. "Try
and kill her." I'm pretty sure it is illegal to kill swans and an off duty cop sees what is happening and charges the bow hunter. Why would anyone want to hurt a swan?
Her wing is painful and she is tired from paddling in the cold sea water, her legs are weary and she makes her way to the rocky shore where great monstrous logs are piled up on the gravel beach. How can she fly over them?
And that is as far as I shall go to-day.
Have a happy and safe New Year celebration. Celebrate on Tuesday as the holidays wind down and buy my e-books. Have a peaceful read. Find my books at: www.anitabirt.com
Anita
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