Bea and Her Bird Brother

Bea arrives at the hospital only to learn that her brother has just left, having come and gone before the start of visiting hours.  She proceeds to her father Asa’s room and reflects on his failing health.  Bea finds Asa in bed, and he greets her with a melodious voice.  Asa laments that his son, Benjy, has not and will not see him.

To Bea’s surprise, Asa insists on sharing a story about his time with the bird people. He describes fleeing the Big People and losing his companion, Annie. Retreating further from human civilization, Asa found himself in a remote land of giant flowers and tall trees inhabited by winged men and women. 

Asa remembers scaling tree trunks and lamenting his inability to fly.  After some time among the bird people, Asa resolved to return to his own kind.  Asa scrambled branch-to-branch, descended to the forest floor, and began a perilous journey home. Bea thinks about her childhood and her father’s fearlessness.

Bea’s father asks her to recall a distant memory.  Closing her eyes, Bea manages to remember herself hidden among improbably giant leaves.