A Bird Story

I am a bird.

An albatross.

Unsplash: free use

One of about 10,000 bird species today.

One with the longest wingspan (11 feet).

My wings are designed for gliding, or dynamic soaring.

I can spend months in the air above water.

I can eat, rest and even sleep entirely in the air.

I need dry land only occasionally.

Mainly for breeding.

When I mate, I may mate for life.

I do not have a name, but, if you wish, you can call me Alba.

I understand that in some languages, ‘alba’ means ‘white’ and, as you can see, most of my body is white.

You can learn more about me in this 6 minute video:

[embed]how do albatrosses navigate the ocean - Yahoo Search Results The albatross is one of the greatest long-distance travelers on Earth. This documentary explores its biology, flight…video.search.yahoo.com

There was a time when The Great Deluge occurred.

The patriarch Noah and his sons had built an ark, a seaworthy vessel into which 8 humans and a variety of animals went.

They started it before I was even an egg.

It would not hatch until the Ark was well on its way to being built.

I am about 50 years old now.

Soon I will pass from this life.

With good fortune, I may find myself in A Good Place.

There may be plenty of fish, squid or crustaceans, just waiting to be caught, close to the water’s surface.

But wait — maybe we’ll be vegetarian.

As a carnivore, I cannot fathom that.

And we may live longer than we do now.

These things are not told me, so I only surmise.

Experts estimate there may have been only about 74 bird species at the time of the Flood.

Just as it is thought all dogs sprang from wolves, so all the species today may have sprung from our ancestors, which were comparatively few in number.

There were 7 pairs of clean birds, such as the chicken, dove, or duck that came aboard.

There were 1 pair of unclean birds, such as the hawk, owl or vulture.

Some of my kin went aboard, waddling like penguins (which were also there).

Some of us are much more graceful in flight than on land.

I and my kin are among them.

Their heads darted about as they saw where they were going, their yellow beaks bright in the sun.

I was away at the time, foraging for fish when I witnessed the global upheaval.

Water poured out of the sky and erupted from the depths of the Earth.

Frankly, I feared for my life.

The water was so heavy I sank to a level just above the waves, which were considerable.

I struggled to fly.

I had to flap my wings more than usual.

Then I discerned a dark object in the distance.

It was the Ark.

I flew to it.

Even though large when seen close, at distance it bobbed like a cork in the maelstrom.

I alit on the top of the Ark for awhile and pecked the gopher wood with my beak, hoping to gain admittance.

But the door had been shut by an angel and would not be opened for another 371 days, when the waters receded.

No one could let me in.

Suddenly I heard a voice.

It was melodious, like the sound of waves in the wind.

I looked about but did not see anyone.

A voice came from the sky above, saying, “My pet, do not be worried.

You will survive.

Rest atop the Ark when you are weary.

There are plenty of fish in the waters upon which you can feed.

You are not the reason for the Flood.”

These words, which I understood perfectly, cheered me, and I did not worry anymore.

Rather, I rested on the crest of the Ark while lightning flashed and the sky thundered all around me.

I ignored the forces of nature and preened my feathers.

I was comforted to know that some of my kin were aboard the ark and were safe.

They did not have to forage for fish.

Noah and his relatives would see they were fed, as were all the other animals.

So time passed.

The first 40 days and nights were the worst.

Water everywhere.

I found a spot in an alcove on the ark — a place where the roof had overhang — where I could stay dry.

After 40 days had passed I built a nest of twigs floating on the water.

With time they dried out and I had a home of my own on the roof of the Ark.

I ventured out in quest of fish, which I found, but I always returned to the Ark when the sun dipped below the horizon.

I waited.

I did not keep track of time as some humans do.

They make a mark on the surface of something to mark each day’s passage.

We birds do not do that.

One day, I saw someone open a window.

It was Noah.

He released a raven.

Pixabay: free use

Ravens are smart birds.

They sometimes use sticks as tools.

I have seen them do that and am amazed at what they are capable of.

This raven flew off and did not return.

Noah also released a dove.

They are smaller than a raven and figure heavily in Holy Writ, both that written before and after me.

Pixabay: free use

This bird did not find a place to alight so she returned to the Ark.

I wanted to say: “Send me. I might find a place to alight.”

But Noah did not send out any of my kin.

Seven days passed, and he released the dove again.

This time, just before the sun went down, the dove had an olive leaf in her beak.

So Noah knew the waters were receding.

In seven more days Noah sent out the dove again.

This time she did not return.

She found a place to alight.

I returned to my nest and tucked my beak beneath the wing and fell asleep.

One day not long thereafter, I saw a wondrous sight.

I had never seen anything like it before.

An arc appeared in the sky.

First, an Ark.

Then an arc.

Coincidence?

Unsplash: free use

For a bird, I have pretty good color appreciation.

This thing was glorious.

A combination of wonderful colors in a hemispherical pattern.

It was a symbol that the Almighty, who had preserved me during this time of tumult, would never again destroy the Earth by water.

You may not believe my story to be true, but I say, if there be fish stories, why not bird stories?

I rest my case.