Lies

He stepped out onto the balcony with his glass of orange juice and stopped as he stared at the empty cage. His chest tightened up as he remembered his brother’s warning.

Never leave her outside by herself, Mitch had said as he carefully filled the little plastic container with birdseed and fixed it to the inside of the cage. Currawongs eat smaller birds and they’ll grab a budgie with their beak and pull it right through the bars.

Squeak nipped delicately at his proffered finger then turned her full attention to the pile of seeds.

The sun was falling behind the trees across the valley. They’d all be home soon. He looked all around the cage but he couldn’t see any blood or broken feathers. He told himself she’d probably opened the gate herself and flown off. She’d almost managed it once or twice before but her frantic efforts always ended with her just poking her head out before the gate slid shut on her neck and she was left shrieking and flapping her pale blue wings helplessly. The cage sat mute in the dappling light. He decided that it wouldn’t be too much of a lie to say that he’d seen her fly off past the kitchen window. Mitch would be angry with him for leaving her outside but the thought of her flying away free and happy wouldn’t be so bad.

The cage was light when he picked it up and as he turned to carry it inside he heard a lone Currawong chuckle a melody that echoed across the silent valley. He looked over his shoulder but there was no movement in the trees.