Using Pigeon Greed
A Lost Pigeon Named Lew...
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Today’s chapter is the latest in the series, A Lost Pigeon Named Lew.
For those who are new here, this is the story of a lost pigeon in New York City.
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We raced across the open sky. Down below, the big city became small.
I was too scared and too desperate to properly consider if Ruby’s plan was any good or not. It didn’t make a difference anyway. We didn’t have any other option.
As you would expect, the gap between us and Mac started to close. We didn’t have long.
Down in the subway everything had felt so boxed in and claustrophobic. I felt like I barely had room to fully stretch out my wings.
And now everything was the opposite. There was nothing anywhere near us. We were way out in the open and it was terrifying in a whole new way. I felt like a small fish in bottomless water… being chased by a shark. It felt inescapable. There was nowhere to hide.
The nerves were getting to me.
“Do I do it?” I asked panickily. “Do I start dropping stuff?”
“Not yet,” said Ruby. “We need to let them get closer. We need to make sure the sparkle catches their eye. The closer they are, the bigger it looks. The bigger it looks, the more likely they’ll go for it.”
Her voice was strangely strong and calm.
Not yet…
The gap closed a little more.
I looked back and they were close enough for me to see their faces clearly now. There was a rage in Mac’s dogged gaze that made my feathers fizz and my skin shiver. It was a look of terrifying determination.
Time ticked on and even Francois was getting uneasy.
I could hear their wings flapping behind us now. I could practically feel the breeze coming off of them.
“Ok, let’s do this,” said Ruby finally.
This was it. This was the moment. The big test for Ruby’s plan. Sink or swim, fly or fall.
“You start, Joan,” said Ruby. “Something nice and shiny to grab their attention.”
Joan moved around some of the jewellery that she was carrying in her claws. There was a shiny gold ring that she was balancing at the end of one of her talons. Carefully, she let it go.
Time stopped as the little gold ring fell through the air, spinning and spinning, catching the light as it dropped.
To the eyes of a normal bird, it was just the size of a tiny leaf; to us greedy pigeons, it was the size of an asteroid — you couldn’t possibly miss it.
Just as we’d hoped, one of Mac’s pigeons immediately caved under the pressure of pigeon greed. I could see it in their eyes, that sudden big-eyed urgency, like their whole lives had changed in an instant and now only one thing mattered. The pigeon tucked in their wings and dove through the air after the falling ring.
Mac shouted out after them. “Stop! Get back here!”
The lone pigeon didn’t react to his voice in the slightest.
Just like that, they disappeared out of sight.
One down. A lot more to go…
I cried out, “It worked!”
I couldn’t help getting excited. We actually had some hope again. Ruby’s plan just might work.
Still, Ruby wasn’t celebrating just yet. Clearly, she didn’t think we were in the clear.
“It’s not over,” she said.
The chase was still on. There was still a whole flock right on our tails — about a dozen pigeons after us, with Mac snarling at the front, madder than ever.
“Joan, drop something else,” said Ruby.
Joan shuffled a silver earring down to her talon, ready to let it go.
The moment the earring left her talon, two pigeons split from Mac’s group and went straight for it. They pounced after it without a second’s hesitation, bumping and barging into each other as they chased the ring down through the air towards the city.
Mac barked like an angry dog at the other pigeons that were still with him, demanding them to keep focused and to ignore whatever we dropped next, no matter what. The lack of a response from the other birds only frustrated him further.
“Your turn, Lew,” said Ruby.
I had a big droopy bangle around my head that I had been desperately wanting to get rid of. I tucked my head in and wiggled out from under the bangle, finally dropping it free.
This time three of Mac’s pigeons split off and went for it.
We needed to use the momentum while we had it. All of those pigeons that were still sticking around were going to get more and more jealous with each little treasure we handed over. No one would want to miss out.
Joan and I dropped shiny piece after shiny piece, with one or more of Mac’s pigeons going after each and every little thing we let go. Rings, bangles, earring, necklaces, shiny little trinkets I didn’t even recognise.
With so much less stuff to carry, I felt myself getting lighter. Flying was becoming easier.
Eventually, there was just Mac and his two most loyal followers left.
Joan and I were stilling carrying a small fortune of shiny bits and pieces, including the monumental diamond ring that Joan was holding in one of her talons – the most luxurious treasure of them all.
I dropped a necklace next and one of Mac’s last pigeons briefly hesitated and then dove after it. Mac called them some nasty names as they scrambled after the falling jewellery. Another bangle from Joan and Mac’s last friend also left the party.
Now it was just Mac himself…
He was speeding up. The anger was probably giving him a boost in strength.
I shuffled an earring down to my talon and dropped it into the air. It fell straight down towards the city, Mac completely ignoring it.
He wasn’t giving up easy.
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