Bird and Seek

A bird sat in a dim, lonely enclosure, looking away from the [[TV screen]] as the video on the screen changed. A man comes in to drop off a [[bowl of water]] and some [[dry bird food]]. He has a phone held to his ear this time. "Tomorrow, great!", he says. "I'll have the bird ready for you. Alright, sounds good. See you then." The sun started to set, and the little bird drifted off to [[sleep.]]

With the address he found, the bird thought it was ready to try to escape. Now, it would have to sneak past the parents somehow, quick! [[Hide as bird phone case]] [[Hide as bird salad]] [[Switch places with a twin bird]]

The bird looked around the bedroom. Everything looked like it did before. But what was that sticking out of the closet? It looked like a familiar shoe. One that the kid was wearing! [[Land on the shoe|found]] [[Land on chair nearby|found]] [[Chirp|found]] [[Go to living room|Go to living room2]]

It showed off this bird species to the human visitors. A rare and colorful species, somewhat dulled by captivity. [[<< back|real.]]

The bird took a sip of lukewarm water. [[<< back|real.]]

It could look like berries, if he thought about it, the bird thought. The bird crunched on some of the food. [[<< back|real.]]

Fresh morning air and sunshine streaming through the leaves[[...]]

Fresh morning air and sunshine streaming through the leaves... Birds free in the wild, with trees to perch on and berries to eat[[... ]]

But it wasn't [[real.]]

The next morning, the bird woke up inside a small cage. It couldn't see, but it could vaguely hear human voices outside. Soon, it felt itself being moved. "Sorry about the small cage," he heard. "Just try to get comfortable in it for now!" The bird waited inside until the moving stopped and it was released in a [[house.]]

You are in the hallway. The bird looked around for a place to hide and saw a phone, with an identical looking bird on it! It had no idea why, but for some reason, it thought that may be a good hiding place. The bird set itself up on the phone and got comfortable. [[...|phone]]

You are in the kitchen. The bird saw a salad on the kitchen table and got an idea. With its green, colorful feathers, it would blend in perfectly as a bird salad! Plus, the veggies would be great to snack on while it's waiting for the parents to leave. The bird jumped into the salad and hid under the salad leaves. [[...|salad]]

You are in the living room. Maybe it would be best to just hide in plain sight, the bird thought. I mean, there are plenty of toy birds lying around the floor and around the room. The bird picked up one of the toy birds with its beak, and placed it inside its cage. Then, it stood on the bookshelf where the toy was, surrounded by other toy birds. [[...|twin]]

This was, in fact, the best hiding place objectively. Who would think to look for a bird in a salad? But as the minutes went on, the bird could not help but snack on the fresh, crispy lettuce surrounding it. Why is it so hard to stop eating? Soon, it was just a bird in a bowl...looking lost and confused. Suddenly, the little girl in the family appeared, finding the bird who was now in plain sight in the empty bowl. She says something the bird can't understand, and then runs off somewhere! The bird gets the feeling that she wants it to follow her. [[Go to bedroom|bedroom]] [[Go to hallway|hallway]]

As the bird sat on the shelf, it wondered if anyone would see through its masterful disguise. The bird had to be very still and quiet for this to work[[!]] However, there was some dust on the bookshelf and the bird thought maybe it was allergic to reading, because it started wanting to [[sneeze...]]

As the bird hid on the phone, it tried to make himself as flat as possible to look like a case. But that was not the case, as it seemed that someone spotted him, wondering what a real bird was doing there trying to be flat. It turned out to be the little girl in the family who had found it. She says something the bird can't understand, and then runs off somewhere! The bird gets the feeling that she wants it to follow her. [[Go to kitchen|kitchen]] [[Go to bedroom|bedroom]]

Can birds sneeze? I guess we know now. The kid in the family walks into the room to investigate the noise, and sees the real bird on the shelf immediately. She says something the bird can't understand, and then runs off somewhere! The bird gets the feeling that she wants it to follow her. [[Go to kitchen|kitchen]] [[Go to bedroom|bedroom]] [[Go to hallway|hallway]]

The bird stays still, holding in its sneeze as much as it can. Time passes, and the bird is not found. Suddenly, the opportunity appears. The family opens the door to go outside and... [[Go through the door]]

The bird goes to living room, deciding to avoid the situation. The kid is not coming out anymore, maybe she is waiting for something? [[Go back to bedroom|bedroom]] [[Wait in living room]]

Outside. Fresh air and sunshine[[...|2]]

Outside. Fresh air and sunshine... Plants with berries planted on the balcony[[...|3]]

Outside. Fresh air and sunshine... Plants with berries planted on the balcony... And, in the corner[[...|4]]

Outside. Fresh air and sunshine... Plants with berries planted on the balcony... And, in the corner... A familiar-looking tiny [[shoe]]?

"You found me!" So that's why the window was open, because she had been hiding outside! In her hands was a bird house she was building, with berries inside. [[Go in the bird house]]

[[Outside.]]

In this warm house, the bird thought of all it had been through here, all of the experiences it had shared with this person. [[...|no one else]]

The bird thought, out of anything or anyone in the [[world,]]

There was nothing else he'd rather find. [[Bird and Seek, by Marina]]

Where you go I will go, and where you stay, I will stay. Ruth 1:16 <img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49453928697_19b1f6a5eb_m.jpg"></img>

The bird flies out the door... What is the address supposed to be again? Suddenly, the bird feels very lost. Suddenly, an [[attack]]--

Time passes, and the bird is not found. The kid doesn't come out, either. Suddenly, the opportunity appears. The parents open the door to go outside and... [[Go through the door]] [[Go back to bedroom|bedroom]]

A crushing bite brings the bird to the ground, Surrounded by a pack of wild dogs, The bird flies up, trying, but it cannot go very fast anymore, it can't keep up the chase for very long, Suddenly, the world is becoming a blur, A million thoughts go through the bird's mind, [[...|thoughts]]

In the middle of all the madness, there is a familiar sight. One that looks worried, one that's running towards him... He flies over to her as fast as he can, and she runs, step by step, chasing the angry dogs away, She cries as she picks him up from the ground, He goes to [[sleep.|new]]

[[It's all a blur...|thoughts]]

No...the bird thought, I have to [[continue...|thoughts]]

The bird opens its eyes. There is a bandage on its wing. It slowly registers its surroundings, back at home in the [[living room.|cage]]

It notices that its cage had been taken away. Sadly, the bird thinks, maybe the family doesn't want a bird anymore. A bird that tried to escape. A bird with a broken wing... The balcony window is open. Maybe they are trying to say that it is time for the bird to leave. Maybe a life of solitude was what the bird was destined for, the bird thought sadly. Preparing to face whatever dangers may be outside, the bird weakly walked over to the window... [[Fly out the window|Outside]]

"Hey, you found me!" The kid laughs. It's night time now. The bird hears the parents say it's bedtime for the kid, and they come to put the bird back in its cage. "Goodnight bird," the kid says, "We can play again tomorrow!" [[...|sleepy]]

The bird goes to the kitchen. Other than a tasty looking [[salad,]] there is nothing there. [[Go to bedroom|bedroom]]

He couldn't help but eat some salad though. [[<< back|kitchen]]

The bird goes to the hallway. Other than some cool looking [[books about birds,]] there is nothing there. [[Go to bedroom|bedroom]]

"100 Herds of Absurd Birds" by Alfred McBird [[<< back|hallway]]

The bird is put in a cage high in the corner of the living room. It could see so many new things now! There are bird toys and memorabilia all over the room in posters, figurines, and stuffed animals, and a little girl was busy playing with them. Maybe there would be some way to find out about the outside. [[Look at photo]] [[Look out the window]] [[Look at newspaper]] [[Look at TV]]

The title, "Hide and Seek," stands out to the bird. The bird examines the book more and sees that it's about friends who take turns hiding and finding each other. It looks like they are having fun, and happy being with each other, he thought. He thought about today. For some reason, he started to feel happy and warm. [[<< back|sleepy]]

It's the next morning, and the bird wakes up to find its cage door unlocked again. Time to go explore! [[Go to window]] [[Go to living room]]

As the bird sits in its cage feeling sleepy, it sees a [[book]] on the ground among all the bird toys and books. Sleepy, the bird [[drifts off to sleep.]]

A window attached to an outside balcony. The window is locked and cannot be opened. A bird flies past in the sky outside. The bird wonders what it would be like. [[<< back|house.]]

The bird sees an advertisement with other birds on the newspaper. It is titled "Angry Birds". [[<< back|house.]]

A show is playing on the TV, and the bird thinks it sees another bird. On the corner of the screen, there is an address: "123 Sesame Street". [[<< back|house.]] [[Write down address|Hiding]]

The bird explores the living room. It notices a pack of seeds on the ground, marked "Remember to plant".

The bird flies into the kitchen and sees the parents are at the dining table having breakfast.

The bird explores the hallway. There are bird toys and figurines on a shelf.

It's the next morning, and the bird wakes up to find its cage door unlocked again. Go to kitchen Go to living room Go to hallway kitchen: see parents having breakfast in the dining room Must choose to put a bag of seeds on the dining table (from the living room) and then hide in bathroom Now a new path is unlocked, the parents went to garden outside and left the balcony window open

The bird looks out the window, admiring the sunny day outside. But something feels different, some wind on its feathers? The window is open! Is it time to escape and be free? The bird thought. But there were many things on its mind. [[Think about the kid]] [[Go outside]]

There is the usual assortment of bird toys and figures. A stack of newspapers and plain paper is on the shelf. [[<< back|drifts off to sleep.]]

The bird thought about the kid that he had gotten to know here. For some reason, it didn't want to leave as much anymore. But either way, it wondered what it could do for her. [[Go to the bedroom|bedroom no one]] [[Go to the living room|living room paper]]

Should he go back? Or go outside? He wasn't sure. There was so much that he had experienced here. But maybe he could just check out what was outside first. [[<< back|Go to window]] [[Go outside|Outside]]

There is the usual assortment of bird toys and figures. A stack of newspapers and [[plain notebook paper]] is on the shelf. [[<< back|Think about the kid]]

The bird flies into the bedroom where the kid was. But the bird notices sadly that she's not there anymore. [[<< back|Think about the kid]]

The bird lands on the paper on the shelf. It thought, maybe it could do something with this. The bird chewed and shredded the paper with its beak. When it was done, the paper was in the shape of a girl, with a bird perched on her shoulder. Leaving its creation for the kid to find, the bird decided it was time to see whatever was waiting for it outside the window. The breeze flowed through the room, and the bird waited, and finally, [[flew...|Outside]]

On the wall was a framed photo of a family with a mom, dad, and the little girl playing in the living room. Would they be the ones taking care of me now? The bird thought. [[<< back|house.]]