Chapter 5. The Aftermath

The next day, the entire parrot clan gathered together, feeling uncharacteristically upset about the Council meeting. Ivy felt that Dorian was being paranoid, and Indy didn’t appreciate the eagle’s dismissive tone. Clearly, things had gotten out of hand.

“We don’t live in a ‘fantasy world,’” Indy fumed to his fellow parrots. “This is reality. We look for the bright side because it’s obviously there for anyone to see!”

“If the bright side isn’t there,” replied Ivy, “then how come we keep finding it?”

“Ya’ got that right!” exclaimed Iggy, a senior member of the clan.

“Hey, remember when we got back from vacation last winter? Even the owls said it was quiet without us,” recalled Iris, a young parrot in the crowd.

“Yeah,” said Indy. “When we’re gone, they miss the energy. But when we’re here, they complain that we live in a fantasy world!”

All the parrots agreed.

Suddenly, Iris leapt off her branch and headed straight up to the clouds. Indy, Ivy, and Iggy followed right behind. All at once, they stopped flapping and dropped like rocks, screaming “Swaaaaaaaaaan diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!” The bird that fell closest to the ground without crashing won the game.

They hadn’t played Swan Dive for a while—not since the Ira incident—but today, it seemed necessary to lift the mood.

The familiar, happy shrieks reverberated throughout the land, delighting some and annoying others. “If one of those crazy parrots hits the ground again,” thought Dorian, “I am not going to help this time!”

Not far off, Clark and Crystal each reflected privately on the day’s events. Eventually, Crystal broke the silence.

“Clark, don’t be upset about Dorian and the grid. He means well.”

“I’m not upset,” Clark stated.

“Really?” asked Crystal. “I would be if I were you.”

“Well, I’m not,” he reiterated.

After a few minutes of cleaning the same spot over and over again, Clark erupted. “You do realize that Dorian would have seen the problem immediately if he had followed our system. The fact that he just flies around up there admiring his ‘big picture’ without bothering to analyze what’s happening down here in the real world is an outrage. And furthermore—”

“So, you’re not upset?” Crystal interrupted.

“Of course not!” exclaimed Clark. “And don’t get me started on those shrieking parrots.”

“I understand,” affirmed Crystal.

“Of course you do!” continued Clark. “They are completely oblivious to what is going on, and they have no sense of responsibility. Don’t they understand the value of structure? They are so...random! How do they manage to feed themselves and keep their nests? It’s inconceivable! The parrots have no respect for what owls contribute. Without us, this forest would be chaos.”

“They seem to do just fine to me,” smiled Crystal. “I’m just glad you’re not upset.”

“Me?” Clark insisted. “Not in the least.”