Whispers in the Sky

The wind rustled the branches of the tall slender trees, followed by the gentle swaying of leaves. The moon had emerged above the northern mountain ridge casting its light along the path we were following. Along the way, the wind picked up, and its rushing sounds felt urgent and enveloped us.

A bird sound came from the darkness. A deep hoot-hoot! Mary stopped. I didn't know owls were in this zone I said. Mary held up her hand to quieten me so she could listen again.

The owl's hoot came again. And it was so clear I thought it might be sitting right above our heads. Then a sound like whispers in the wind came and I looked up to see a silhouette of wings spread against the deep blue night.

Mary was a good listener. It was part of an ornithologist's job. We stopped so we were shrouded by a bank of trees where the moon's light couldn't penetrate. Mary pulled out her smartphone. The screen glow lit up her face and I moved closer to look over her shoulder.

She opened the app and swiped a few times, then pressed a scan button. She sighed.

'It's artificial.' She said looking up from her phone toward the tree where the owl had come to rest.

'Says it was made two years ago. The official name is Barn Owl Artificialis.'

'Makes sense.' I said. 'Would have been astonishing if it were the real deal.'

Enthusiasts no doubt I thought. Two years before, in a lecture, I'd seen a Peregrine falcon of a similar build. It perched on the lectern and made swift and astonishing loops of the room at the command of the lecturer. The advances in microbiological motors had come in leaps and bounds since then.

That evening when I'd had a chance to inspect the falcon at closer range, I could see the feathers had a patina like brushed aluminium and the bird's head movements were a little delayed and slow, which was a giveaway for me. But, from a distance of two metres, no one could see these flaws.

Since then, improvements had come at a rapid pace. New hardware and software releases were being introduced every six months. Prices had become more affordable and enthusiasts had begun building "species perfect" birds to keep and display at home and take outdoors, much like a person once upon a time would take out their radio controlled aeroplane.

Except that these birds were not radio-controlled. As the tech had developed to enhance feathers, flight, motor movements and intelligence, it had created an unforeseen effect where some birds no longer obeyed commands and left their owners to live out their existence in a natural habitat. Their software enabled them to mimic the lives of their biological counterparts. These birds had come to be known as ‘artificially wild’.

No doubt our little owl here was one of those. Escaped from a nearby home and now living out its life. (Well, living until its battery died). Which could be a few more years.

Two major companies had become the leading manufacturers and software creators of artificial birds to date – with more players about to enter the market soon. It was rumoured these two companies were working on mammals next. Large cats it was said, could be released within a year. All they needed were government approvals to sell these 'cats' to the domestic market. Detractors were making their argument loud and clear: if artificial mammals could be created that were indistinguishable from the real thing what would stop these manufacturers from making a human next? The debate was still being had.

At the same time, it had divided scientific opinion. People like my wife thought the artificial birds were causing unforeseen damage to the delicate balance of the existing species, the dwindling number of birds that were left anyway. While the other camp thought this might be the very answer to the problem of species extinction the world over. If artificial biology could be improved to such a degree that we couldn't know real from unreal then it was the very solution we were seeking.

We arrived back at the cabin an hour or so later. Mary looked deflated. Much like the other nights, we'd only seen a few real bird species. A few Sparrows arrived and darted back and forth from the grass to the verandah. A solitary crow circled above the cabin and perched on the telegraph pole by the edge of our property, its head moving from side to side listening and watching for a while. Mary's app was quick to categorise them. And she was happy to know there were real species still living around us.

But what she'd hoped for was the Barn Owl. Growing up she'd heard them near the cabin, but there hadn't been a sighting for years.

-

The Fundraiser Event was held at the Savoy ballroom and Mary had been preparing her speech all week at the cabin in the afternoons, by night, we'd both walk the trails in search of the elusive Barn Owl. We'd left the cabin the night before and when we gathered in the lobby of the Savoy, I felt we'd travelled a lot further than the fifty or so miles would suggest. The voluminous chatter and unrelenting clink of glasses was a jarring contrast to the tranquillity of the cabin. I was about to comment this to Mary when the organiser appeared with two elegantly dressed people hovering behind her. We were introduced to George and Stephanie with a flourish of a hand by the organiser that might suggest we were meeting royalty.

We smiled our finest. Mary looped an arm around mine for better effect. We clinked our glasses with theirs.

'It's wonderful to meet you, Mrs Patterson.' The woman said through bright red lipstick. 'We've read so much about you.'

'Read your scientific articles.' Her husband corrected and Stephanie quickly agreed.

'They've been wonderful to read.'

Mary smiled and thanked each of them in turn. I nodded in agreement. I couldn't help staring at Stephanie's diamond earrings that sparkled brighter than the chandelier in the middle of the room.

The time came and the organiser grabbed Mary by an arm to lead her to the lectern at the front of the room. I moved closer to a table of hors d'oeuvres, yet far enough away from George and Stephanie that I didn't need to make idle chit chat. I watched as I sipped my champagne.

When the speech was over, Mary gave the audience a beaming smile, more in relief I thought. The gathering of people in the room clapped in their most dignified way. It made me think this was all part of an everyday occurrence for them. George and Stephanie were very enthusiastic in their applause, occasionally glancing back to me to show their approval. I smiled and held up my glass to them in a gesture of thanks. I knew they were big donors, but I couldn't quite work out where I had seen them.

Mary had walked up to my side by now, I leaned down to put an arm around her and congratulate her on the persuasive speech.

'Let's hope it has the right effect.' Mary sighed.

'George and Mary will the first to hand over a cheque.' I suggested watching them as they entered a conversation with a group of white-haired men.

-

George and Mary were exiting the building at the same time as we were leaving. They looked tired but happy. As we reached the big double oak doors, they greeted us warmly.

As we waited at the top of the steps for our cars, I noticed Geroge looked up at the sky. He looked from one side to the other as if he expected a Barn Owl to appear that very night. I looked up too, hopeful, and also to see if I was missing something.

'We'd like to make a meaningful contribution to your cause Mary.' He said, not moving his gaze from the sky.

Mary, somewhat confused by his gaze and mine aimed at the sky, gave an answer that sounded less than excited. 'That would be fantastic. We'd really appreciate anything you can give.' She said.

'I don't mean money.' George said. 'Of course, we'll make a sizeable donation tomorrow. That's a no-brainer for us.'

'Oh.. thank you...um,' Mary trailed off not sure what to say. What else can you contribute? was what she was thinking. And so was I at that point. I was now staring at George, while he was still staring up at the sky and treetops that surrounded the building. Their car pulled up and the valet boy opened the door for them to enter. George turned to Mary and pulled a white card from his jacket pocket.

'Call me as soon as you can. There's no time to waste.' Handing the card to her. With that, they stepped into their car and drove away.

-

It's a frosty and still night as walk along our familiar trail. We've ventured much further tonight, hopeful we'll find what we're looking for. After a long while of silence, George comes to a standstill and checks his app once more. Mary and I stop next to him.

He points toward a dense group of trees not five metres from our position. The LED screen in his hand flashes a small red dot where it has located an 'artificial species' - it's a Barn Owl made a year ago. The software update was completed about eight months ago, so it's a good candidate.

George taps the locking signal and proceeds to send the update. A progress bar shows the steady upload of the new software being sent to the Barn Owl. Moments later, George turns to us with a smile and says, 'It's done.'

One more down I think. We continue walking.

It's been five months and the virus that George created has been doing a great job. Well, it's really his covert team of software developers that he handpicked to create it, (all of them committed to the cause). Until now, no one knows why the artificial species that escape into the wild don't last more than a few months. The news headlines mention a virus that's infecting the birds' software, but the identity of the creators of the virus is still unknown.

Goerge says his team are working on a virus for the artificial mammals too. A lot of R & D still do he says.

We are almost back to the cabin, tired from a long night's walk. Mary is leading the way. George and I are in conversation about tactics for the next version of software when she halts suddenly.

'Did you hear that?' She says in a whisper. George and I shake our heads.

As we wait in silence, the sound comes again. The hoot-hoot of a Barn Owl. We all look at each other in amazement. Over time we've become so aware of an artificial species version of the owl's call sounds different.

Mary pulls out her smartphone and checks the app. Her expression suggests she's not satisfied with the app's reading. She checks again. And looks up at the tree where the sound came from.

She turns to us.

'It's real!' she says with a huge smile on her face.

Now she does it in cocktail parties. Well, the ones we can attend at least. Like tonight's gathering. I've tried her technique and it never goes as smoothly. I always enter the group's conversation at the wront moment. The people look put out. Just as someone in the group was about to disclose a juicy bit of gossip, I come in, all smiles and hey! We're George and Mary, or this is Mary and I'm George. I even use the gentle hand touching of my wife's arm. It just doesn't work.

George talks to people

DRAFT - - At two in the morning, you listen more intently. At least that's what Mary said as she curled into bed. Her posture was a picture of sleep. Her long brown hair flowed over one side of the pillow so I could only see a sliver of her face, of skin. Her breathing was light and soothing. We'd drunk too much wine perhaps. We never spoke to each other in whispers. Not since before our marriage. And even then I can't recall any details. But this felt familiar. We were stepping back in time, a forgotten time. I kept quiet so as not to disturb her and this moment of revelation.

'You can hear so many sounds in the quiet of the night.' Mary was saying. Her face was still hidden from me.

And she let the silence stay between us like that for a while. Me, embracing her. Feeling the long brown curls brushing against my face and listened. Intently. Or should I say with intention?