A New World

Charlie, hand-raised Alexandrine Parrot.

Aussie Pet Stores
Thursday, 4th October

The first thing I noticed was that it was warm here. A good warm. It had been cold in the noisy building with the short man who spent so much time talking on the phone, and even colder when we were up in the air in the human's flying machine. Of course I could tell we were flying, birds always know when they're in the air. Humans take so much effort to fly, so much noise and fuss and heaviness.

But here there was warmth. There were people talking in the background, none close enough for me to understand their words. Human words are so swift they roll together and you can't understand anything unless you're close to them.
Then I heard a voice I understood. It was a girl's voice, and it reminded me at once of the one who had fed me as a chick and stroked the top of my head with gentle hands.
"All right kids, let's get you to the store." Friendly, welcoming, a little bit tired, but certain.
I felt the box move as the girl picked it up and watched the glass slide apart to let us outside. A red traveling box - I think they call them cars - loomed into view and the next thing I knew we'd been packed inside.
The girl spoke to us as the box roared to life, but after the flying machines we'd been in, the sound and the shaking seemed mild. And there was music! The short man's building had always played music, and the smaller, quieter building I'd lived before then did too.
"Won't be long, kids. Bear with me."
The girl was directing her machine. Her voice was comforting. I wanted her to take me out of this cramped box, so I used my attention whistle.
She laughed, another welcome sound, and whistled back at me. I was delighted. We whistled back and forth for a while, then I felt her machine take a sharp turn and halt altogether.
She picked up our box and we entered a building, with smells and sounds that reminded me of the short man's building. A second strange voice came then, a man this time. I turned my head to check on Paulie. He was a younger Alexandrine and was far more overwhelmed by all of this than I was. He hunched in the corner, his pupils expanding and contracting nervously.
Our box was carried into perhaps the noisiest room I've ever been in my life. But it was familiar noise - all made by birds. I could hear the rude squabble of lovebirds, the chatter of budgies, the whoops of cocktiels, meeping of finches, and a really weird, laughing call from a big cage nearby. Our box was set down. A small motor whirred to one side of the box and faint vibrations came through my feet. Then the door set on one side slid up, leaving a gap to the outside world.
I was still a little unsettled by the long journey and changing scenes, but I could hear the girl with the comforting voice moving around and speaking. I felt as if I wanted to meet her.
So I stepped down onto the floor of the box and walked forward to the gap.