The Perched Guardian

Most nights I can’t sleep, so I stay perched as low as I can be without being seen. I know how it sounds, I must have a desire to have my presence be known, what a common barn owl. But, in actuality, I love observing the people down below. They do the most amazing things when they think no one is watching.

For the longest time I watched the farmer's daughter. She was the most interesting specimen I had seen. Some days she would sneak out of her room to climb up the hill and sit under the tree I perched on above. She had a flashlight in one hand and a good book to read in the other. Sometimes she’d hum while she read, other times she’d hum and dance to her own song. It was mesmerizing, so much that I even slipped and tried to sing along, giving away my secret hiding place.

She looked up at me and smiled. There was so much love in her eyes.

She then began to sing out loud in a language I didn’t understand, but the sound was even more beautiful than the humming before.

After that night, when she climbed up that hill and read her book she read it out loud so I could hear the story too. And as each night passed I found myself perching lower and lower down that tree. Dare I say it, she was my best friend if I had ever had one before.

But then one day, her visits stopped, the sun raised and set 4 times before I saw her again. At first I was filled with joy because of how afraid I was that she would never return. When she came back she was in tears, her arms were bruised all over, her eyes puffy and wet. But that love in her eyes when she saw me was still there. For the first time I flew out of my tree and I perched on her shoulder. I nudged my head against her cheek and her crying stopped. “You’re my best friend if I had ever had one” she whispered.

At that moment it finally hit me. I understood her and although I knew I couldn't speak the way she could she knew I felt the same way.

A loud yell came from the bottom of the hill. Her father fumbled climbing up with alcohol in hand and rage in his eyes. I flew up into the tree hiding away.

She tried to climb up the tree as well to join me but she was too small. She screamed in fear. I couldn’t let him hurt her, so I flew down instinctively and pecked an eye. He was down one but his flailing arms got me and I fell to the ground.

“Damn barn owl, more like a rat with wings,” he spat out in disgust. He stepped on my left wing and I couldn’t move.

“This is it,” I thought to myself. This is what happens when you fly down from the tree. But I’d do it all over again. Just then I heard a loud “CLANK.” The young girl hurled his own bottle at his head and he fell to the ground lifeless.

“My dear sweet owl” she exclaimed. She leaned in close, tears in her eyes. I struggled but I managed to mimic the sounds she said to me before.

“You’re my best friend if I had ever had one” then everything went black.

I woke up to my left wing wrapped up, laying in a shoe box next to the girls bed. I struggled to hop out onto her pillow where I laid nuzzled against her wavy, chestnut hair. I'm not sure what happened, nor what's going to happen next but as long as I can stay perched watching over her from up above, that’s what matters.