Pigeons Picking Sides
The story of Lew continues as new powers interfere with the heist and friendships are tested…
Hi!
The story of Lew continues as new powers interfere with the heist and friendships are tested…
Here’s a link to the full Lew series:
And feel free to subscribe if you haven’t!
Also, do you know someone who might enjoy Story Whale?
We all stood together in the back room of the billboard club – Francois, Joan, Ruby, Howell, and I. There was also Oscar off to the side, the little bird we met previously who worked with human electricity. He was fiddling with a human lightbulb, deep in concentration. When he pressed the button, the light started flashing, blinking bright red.
“What do you need my help with?” Ruby asked Francois.
“The mall heist,” said Francois. “There’s a vent on the roof of the mall. We need your lockpicking skills to get in.”
“Lockpicking skills, huh?” said Howell with a smile. “That would explain a lot.”
“Very funny, Howell,” said Ruby, then turning to Francois. “What can you tell me about it?”
As Francois and Ruby discussed details, I saw Howell quietly call over Oscar. Oscar came over and Howell whispered some instructions in his ear. The little bird then went to the back wall of the room and pushed open a small flap that was blended into the wall. He then ducked through the gap and flew away.
“Is it dangerous?” Ruby asked.
“For me, yes,” said Francois. “For you, also yes, but less so. You won’t need to leave the vents, but we still don’t know what it’s going to be like in there. We don’t know how to get out of the vents on the other side just yet. We haven’t gotten that far.”
“If I do it, what will my cut be?” asked Ruby.
“You’ll be paid well,” said Francois. “I promise.”
She thought it over for one last brief moment.
“Ok,” she said. “I’m in.”
“Birds working together,” said Howell with a big smile. “That’s what I love to see.”
“Well, I had better get back to work though,” said Ruby.
“Wait, stick around for a second,” said Howell. “Don’t go just yet.”
Everyone looked at Howell, waiting to hear what was left to be covered.
Howell then walked over to the red lightbulb that little Oscar had been working on. The light was bright, but it wasn’t flashing anymore. It buzzed quietly.
“You know,” said Howell, “if you guys actually find a way to get in and out of the mall, that would be quite a feat. It could change everything for all of us. All birds. We would be able to truly spend as humans spend. Perhaps to live as humans live. At the end of the day, it’s a project much bigger than just you, Francois. It matters for all of us. So long as we work together…”
I could feel a subtle shift in the air -- a breeze of tension passing through the room. Francois’ face was very serious.
“That’s what it’s all about,” said Howell. “Teamwork. We’re all a team. Even the blue birds, they’re on your side too. Every bird in this club. Every bird in this city. Every bird in the world. That is how we achieve something like this.”
He was talking about the red lightbulb.
“That is how we bring light to the dark,” said Howell.
There was the sudden sound of someone else coming into the back room. I looked around and it was the little bird Oscar with a big pigeon following just behind him. It was the pigeon from Central Park – the leader, Mac.
Francois saw Mac and immediately looked to Howell for an explanation.
“Here’s the deal,” said Howell. “We need to make sure that we all work together.”
Mac walked to Howell’s side and looked at Francois with a nasty smirk.
“I heard about the little scuffle the two of you had,” said Howell. “How’s the injured bird doing, Mac?”
“They’re still with the vet,” said Mac. “They’re recovering.”
“I hear that the two of you made an agreement together,” said Howell.
“I wouldn’t call it an agreement,” said Francois. “Just threats.”
“The point is this,” said Howell. “Mac came to me and told me that you owe him a debt. Working together means paying one’s debts. Which is where Ruby comes in…”
Ruby’s face dropped.
“She’s going to be keeping an eye on you, Francois,” said Howell. “Again, all we have to do is work together…”
I could see a frown of guilt on Ruby’s face.
“You do the heist, Francois, and you come straight here,” said Howell. “This isn’t something you can wiggle out of. Work with us, not against us, and everything will be fine. I promise you, you will still be made rich.”
Francois didn’t respond. He looked furious.
“One more thing,” said Mac. “It’s time to pick a side, Joan. Us or them.”
The question hung in the silent air for a long tense moment. Joan finally lowered her head, avoiding eye contact, and walked over to be by Mac’s side.
Francois kept a stern face and didn’t flinch as Joan stood beside Mac like a kid whose just be reprimanded.
“I guess that’s that then,” said Mac.
“Anything else to discuss?” asked Howell to all of us.
No one spoke.
“Now, I doubt you will want to stay around for a bite to eat…” said Howell to Francois.
Francois immediately turned away and started walking towards the door. I quickly went after him, as did Ruby, leaving everyone else behind.
Francois, Ruby, and I walked out of the room and back into the main area of the club. The partying blue birds stared us down as we walked past, but Francois didn’t even look at them. He didn’t care in the slightest.
Leaving the club, we flew in silence back to the cinema roof. The night was brisk and still and it was if the traffic had quietened its usual cacophony just for us in solidarity for the lousy evening we were having.
We landed on the cinema roof, still unspeaking, and pecked around for some stray kernels of popcorn.
There were big gaps between each of us as we organised our newspaper scraps into separate beds to sleep. A passing bird may well have thought we were three total strangers who just happened to land on the same roof.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!