The chickadees
were talking excitedly about their early morning encounter with a mysterious
presence, and Baldwin wished to hear more of their conversation, but they promptly
flew away when he drew near. “Hmph,”
responded Baldwin as he walked away with his head held high. “Who needs those little tweeting birds? Tomorrow is Sunday, and I will wake up before
sunrise to investigate this matter for myself!”
Still hearing
the snores resounding from his human mother, Baldwin made his way quietly down
the stairs into the kitchen at 5:30. He
took a quick sniff in his empty food bowl in the vain hope that he had left a
morsel from his previous evening’s meal, and then he peered out the window to
see the streetlights still glowing brightly against the diminishing darkness. “Good, it is still early,” he meowed
quietly. Baldwin jumped out the cat door
into the cool, damp morning. He felt
very bold as he made his way toward the main road to begin his search.
Baldwin was surprised
to hear all the birds chattering; he had no idea there was so much activity in the
early morning hours. He heard snitches
of conversation that came from the Robin family’s nest high in the tree:
“Harriet, where did I place that shiny button?” asked the forgetful Papa Robin.
“Check the side pocket of your red vest,” retorted the ever-mindful Harriet.
Baldwin kept
walking. In the dimmed light, he could just
begin to make out the outline of Amos the squirrel digging in the neighbor’s yard. Normally, he would give chase, but not now;
he was on a mission.
He began to run,
for he felt certain that it was almost time—time for the entity’s appearance. He arrived at the crossroads and turned left. Uncertain of what he should do next, Baldwin sat
down facing east, and looked around him for that unknown presence which the
chickadees had spoken of with such mysteriousness.
Looking up into
the heavens, he was distracted by a brilliant display of pink and orange hues,
and then he could look no longer. The
light was too bright, so with closed eyes, he raised his head high and purred
as he enjoyed the warmth of the sun’s presence.
“This is it!” thought Baldwin. “I
have solved the mystery, and like the birds, I too feel welcomed.”