Working in retail often results in having a great amount of stories to tell. Some stories are about good times, others about bad times, and sometimes there is a little adventure. This story, is definitely one of adventure.
On this particular day I was scheduled to work in the fitting room. I happened to have some downtime, so I straightened up the clothes that were left behind. Folding the arms of a blouse, I notice some movement out of the corner of my eye. I shifted my body to the left to see what was happening, not having any idea of what awaited me.
Looking in the direction of the front door, my eyes met those of a small grey bird who quickly swooped under the door frame and directly toward me. Faster than I could comprehend, the small speed demon flew past my face, and directly into the huge mirror behind me. With a loud smack the bird made direct head-to-glass contact, and proceeded to slide down to the ground in what felt like the longest two seconds of my life.
My jaw dropped to the floor. In utter shock, I glanced around to see if anyone had noticed the event that had just taken place before realizing that I was alone. This small, twitching bird (we’ll call him Barry) was now my responsibility, and like any other responsible adult I decided to act in the only way I knew how- panic.
What do I do? Is he okay? Is he going to fly away if I go near him? He’s totally going to fly away if I go near him.
My coworkers and I wear walkie-talkies in order to communicate during our shifts. As I frantically explained the situation to them, they convinced me to go near Barry in order to usher him out.
As one would expect, my gentle tip-toeing was enough to scare the small creature enough for him to fly up to a pole in the ceiling. I looked up at Barry and sighed as he stared back at me, tilting his head. At least now he can make his way toward the front of the store and leave.
About thirty minutes went by before I was switched positions to be up at the cash register. As Barry made his way throughout the store, my coworkers and I updated each other about his location over our walkie-talkies. There was an area in the ceiling near me where he lingered for a while, staring down at me with a judgemental stare. I rang up multiple customers before my manager asked me to take over in the fitting room for one of my coworkers who was going on break.
I made my way to the back and began fixing some of the clothes to go back on the sales floor. As I was buttoning up a large jacket I saw a familiar flash of gray zoom past my head. I immediately looked at the large mirror to see Barry, yet again, face-plant into the glass and drop to the ground.
Just then, Barry began to flutter around, flustered. This time, I had no hesitation. Barry and I had gone through this twice now, we clearly had a connection.
When I had spoken to my coworkers after Barry hit the mirror the first time, my manager grabbed a large plastic container from the basement and had set it down in the fitting room area. I had assumed that Barry would eventually fly out on his own, so the thought of having to actually use this container seemed so far-fetched to me.
Yet here I was, in a staring contest with a tiny grey creature that had practically tried to commit bird suicide twice on me already. Slowly approaching him with plastic lid in hand, I silently begged Barry not to fly away. With no objection from Barry, I gently scooped him into the container and shut the lid as fast as I could.
My legs shook as I made what seemed like the longest walk of my life to the front door of the store. Mind you, both of my hands were holding the box so I had no way of communicating to my coworkers that I had just caught the bird.
Every single customer in the store stopped what they were doing and stared at me, eyes wide in awe. I was so nervous and on such an adrenaline high that through the entire walk I was shaking and laughing nervously. My arms stuck out to zombie-like lengths as I held the box as far away from myself as possible.
As I was let outside by my manager (who was nearly jumping for joy to see that Barry was captured safely) I set the box down underneath a tree and opened the lid. Barry promptly flew up to one of the branches, taking flight into the sky shortly after.
Turning around I noticed customers were glued to the windows of the store, watching as Barry left without a “good-bye,” or a “thank you.”
My time with Barry, although short-lived, had taught me many things. First, I learned that when a bird flies into a mirror once, he will probably do it again just to spite you. Second, I learned that if you capture a bird without telling anyone, they will stare you down until you feel the most nervous you have ever felt before. Finally, Barry taught me that there is nothing quite as rewarding as saving something smaller than yourself. I implore you to strive to do a small act of kindness every single day. Who knows, you might even end up saving a little bird, too.
