WITH THE BIRDS

A dream carries Eva far away across the world and back in time to that breathless moment before the dawn.
Right there beside her, a tiny wet baby bird rolls out of its shell and onto a nest of grass.
Sister Chick is born. A curlew chick.
The Siberian summer sun yawns gently, stretching over a vast horizon of marshland bursting with the flurry of wings, croaks and gurgles, mosquitoes buzzing, cries on the wind, hungry mouths feeding…everything rustling and shaking and shimmering.
The smells are new to Eva, different from the mornings in her bunk-room with her big brother’s dirty socks and left-over lunch scraps still in his school bag.
Mosquitoes swarm in packs this time of year. Little Sister Chick opens her tiny beak wide. Breakfast comes flying in. Eva doesn’t feel that hungry yet.
Damp chick-down dries into striped brown and yellow fluff. Sister Chick’s small bird feet scramble to find their place on the earth. She stumbles out, pushing away from the safety of mother and nest, and into the light and the loudness of day. Eva goes, too. One step and a stumble, two steps then a flop.
Eva laughs at herself learning how to walk all over again. How could this be?
The fluffy little creature beside her leads on, unstoppable. Three steps, then four, five and six. Six and a run. Eva trips. She and Sister Chick tumble, exhausted, onto the soft ground. Resting there, Eva looks at her arm. Where her fingers once were has turned to fluff!
Together, Eva and Sister Chick grow strong. They hurry to keep up with the bigger birds. The mother-bird quietly probes the mud at the edge of the lake with her long, slender beak. Copying, Sister Chick pokes her small beak into the wetness and quickly out again. A tiny crab dangles from her beak. Squeezing it tight, the little curlew runs in circles around Eva, showing off. Eva cheers her on. The chick finally stops, gulps, then swallows. Nothing. The tiny crab has escaped, dropped back to the mud and safely down the nearest hole.
Eva bends down and pokes her own small beak into the mud.
Yuck, she thinks, ready to spit out the wriggly little creature she’s caught. Instead she gulps and swallows. Yum, raw worm!



meme mcdonald
Home	Sister Chick...an excerpt A dream carries Eva far away across the world and back in time to that breathless moment before the dawn. Right there beside her, a tiny wet baby bird rolls out of its shell and onto a nest of grass. Sister Chick is born. A curlew chick. The Siberian summer sun yawns gently, stretching over a vast horizon of marshland bursting with the flurry of wings, croaks and gurgles, mosquitoes buzzing, cries on the wind, hungry mouths feeding…everything rustling and shaking and shimmering. The smells are new to Eva, different from the mornings in her bunk-room with her big brother’s dirty socks and left-over lunch scraps still in his school bag. Mosquitoes swarm in packs this time of year. Little Sister Chick opens her tiny beak wide. Breakfast comes flying in. Eva doesn’t feel that hungry yet. Damp chick-down dries into striped brown and yellow fluff. Sister Chick’s small bird feet scramble to find their place on the earth. She stumbles out, pushing away from the safety of mother and nest, and into the light and the loudness of day. Eva goes, too. One step and a stumble, two steps then a flop. Eva laughs at herself learning how to walk all over again. How could this be? The fluffy little creature beside her leads on, unstoppable. Three steps, then four, five and six. Six and a run. Eva trips. She and Sister Chick tumble, exhausted, onto the soft ground. Resting there, Eva looks at her arm. Where her fingers once were has turned to fluff! Together, Eva and Sister Chick grow strong. They hurry to keep up with the bigger birds. The mother-bird quietly probes the mud at the edge of the lake with her long, slender beak. Copying, Sister Chick pokes her small beak into the wetness and quickly out again. A tiny crab dangles from her beak. Squeezing it tight, the little curlew runs in circles around Eva, showing off. Eva cheers her on. The chick finally stops, gulps, then swallows. Nothing. The tiny crab has escaped, dropped back to the mud and safely down the nearest hole. Eva bends down and pokes her own small beak into the mud. Yuck, she thinks, ready to spit out the wriggly little creature she’s caught. Instead she gulps and swallows. Yum, raw worm! HOW THE BOOK CAME TO BE WRITTEN BUY THE BOOK copyright meme mcdonald 2002

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With the Birds

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