The Mourning Dove

"Did you see the bird that was sitting on that rock?"

"I just missed it"

"That's too bad, it is my favorite kind of bird"

"Excuse me, I saw the bird, it was a mourning dove!"

"Yes, that is exactly what it was!"

"Oh, mourning dove's are my favorite too."

"May I ask why mourning dove's are your and your friend's favorite?"

"Oh, I don't actually know this person, he just happened to be standing here when the mourning dove flew off"

"I see, well, can you tell me more about the mourning dove?"

"It's the sad song they sing, it reminds me of a time where pain didn't feel as heavy. The soft sound carries me home, to before the fire took my partner's life 3 years ago."

"Your heart's remembering."

"Exactly!"

"And how about you, sir, why is it your favorite bird?"

"The mourning dove may seem small, but it is a stong bird and it can fly up to 88km per hour! It reminds me, that even the smallest of things can impact us in bigger ways than we may even realize, I can bring this knowledge into interacting with others. We can't always see other people's pain, but that doesn't mean that it isn't there, and something may seem small to us, but we can't always see it from the other person's perspective, it may effect them deeply, or have some bigger meaning to them."

"Having knowledge of this bird seems to have helped you in deeper ways than some may even comprehend."

"It sure does, every time I see that little bird, I see all the little things that make me strong, too."

"Such a small bird, with such big meaning."

"I must fly off now, this conversation has given me a lot to think about, thank you."

"Thank you for... oh wait, where did they go?"

"Did they say fly off?"

"Oh look! The bird is back on the rock over there!"

"It's looking right at us."

"Coo-oo-woo, woo, woo, woo"

"It sang for us, how adorable."

"You're adora..."

"Wait, what? What are you saying?"

"Oh, never mind, it wasn't, um, it just wasn't important."

"I think that it's important to speak your mind, before it's too late, there are so many things I would have said if I..."

"Would you like to go for a coffee with me?"

"A coffee, when?"

"Right now."

"Right now? Oh, um, coffee. Now, let's see, do I have a place to be, where was I going before this, oh man, I don't really have anything else to do, well then, let's go get some coffee then."

"I know this great coffee shop just down the street, I go there all the time, it has the best coffee in town."

"Are you referring to Carl's Crazy Coffee? That is my favorite place, I go there all the time!"

"Yes, that is the place I'm talking about, I don't think I have ever seen you there though, I pretty much live there."

"That's understandable, lots of people go there. Maybe you've seen me and you just don't recall, I'm not very memorable."

"I wouldn't say that you're not memorable, but strangers tend to all meld together for me, especially when I am in a rush."

"I see, I am usually hiding in the corner doing work on my laptop anyway."

"Well, now that you say that, I have definitely seen you there before, but I never want to stare to much, I always wondered how someone could focus so diligently in a busy coffee shop."

"The first secret is my trusty noise cancelling earbuds"

"Can I get a dirty chai please"

"Hey, that's what I usually get"

"It's funny, I've never known anyone else that gets a dirty chai"

"It's the only way I'll drink coffee"

"Look, your favorite table is free, let's sit there"

"Actually, I kind of want to see if the mourning dove is still on the rock"

"A little stroll back to the river it is then!"

*

Challenge: Nothing but voices