Birds in Human Spaces
The heist is heating up…
The heist is heating up! Operation distraction is a go and now Lew and Ruby have to take their shot to sneak into the jewellery store.
If you’re new here, welcome!
This is the story of a lost pigeon named Lew in New York City. A lot has happened. If that sounds interesting, I would recommend jumping back to the start to catch up!
Here’s a little link to the full series:
I hope you have all been liking the story so far. I love what it has turned into.
Now, please do enjoy today’s chapter!
“Go!”
Ruby’s voice was sharp and strong. The door to the jewellery store would open at any second. We had to get into position.
I followed Ruby in a rapid dash to the right side of the automatic doors. Through the glass, I could see the human couple just about to trigger the invisible mechanism.
I looked over and the security guard was still chasing after Joan, kicking and swinging, too livid to control himself as he gradually drifted further and further away from his post by the store entrance.
Joan was ducking in and out of his reach, playing with him. Too quick, too smart.
At that moment, the doors wheezed airily open and two sets of human legs stepped out into the laneway of the mall.
Ruby and I were about to rush inside, but we had to stop ourselves. The humans had stopped in their tracks and were blocking up the entrance. I looked up and they were both watching the chaotic scene unfolding between Joan and the guard. Who could blame them? It was very entertaining. Joan had him completely under control.
The humans in the door then took a sudden step forwards, apparently ready to move on.
Ruby looked back at me and nodded.
Running on the floor so as to draw minimal attention, we bolted for the open door. The moment the humans stepped away, the mouth of the door began to close again, causing us to have to run even further towards the gap.
Just in time, we slipped through the shrinking opening just before its teeth could catch us.
There was a brief moment of frozen panic as the doors patted shut behind us. We were plonk in the middle of the entrance area of the store, totally in the open. At any second, someone might see us.
The store was even brighter than the mall beyond. The floor was made of sun-like pearly tiles, like a lake made of nothing but glassy midday reflections. There was the noise of tame chatter and calm footsteps and the heavy artificial smell of the human interpretation of flowers.
Standing there, thankfully, it seemed like no one had noticed us just yet. Another step completed.
Still, we couldn’t stay out there in the open for any longer than we could help it. We needed somewhere to hide. That was our new priority one.
We scanned around frantically for some cover. It was a relatively open store and it didn’t seem like we had many options.
Finally, we saw a small cabinet to the side that we could hide behind. We looked at each other and instantly agreed without words.
I ducked my head down and made the dash, running as fast as my little legs would take me. There was along tense pause once we made it to the cover of the cabinet. For that moment, it was all out of our hands. The next few seconds would tell us if we had been seen or not.
The moment came and went and, thankfully, no human boots came stomping around the corner.
We took some time to catch our breath. My heart was racing.
“What now?” asked Ruby.
I snapped back into the moment. It was my job to come up with the plan. I was the one who was supposed to have some experience with the store.
I looked out around the corner of the cabinet we were hiding behind.
Now that we were actually there inside the store itself, things looked very different.
From the window, when Francois and I were scoping the store out, everything had seemed so clearly laid out. Looking at the store from a bird’s eye view, it had all been so simple and straight-forward. Now I was inside, it was a totally different story.
I’m a bird! I was built for seeing things from above. Not from below.
Being on ground level in human spaces is always a disorientating and overwhelming mess. The jewellery store was no different.
Everything was giant and close. The colossal humans stomping to and fro, the cabinets looming over us like cliff faces. It felt like the store was swarming us.
I tried to slow things down in my mind and think it all over. I knew this place. I did. Just not from my current perspective. I needed to think back to the layout I had known previously.
What we needed to do was follow the wall and get behind the main cabinets where the shiny goods were kept and the cases were more regularly opened and closed.
I looked up and saw a slice of light coming in through some glass. That was where we needed to go. Follow the glass and wrap around the back.
I ducked back behind the cabinet where Ruby was waiting.
“We have to get to the sunlight,” I told her. “We get there and then we follow the glass around to the main cabinets. Then it’s the hard part…”
I waited for Ruby’s response.
Her voice was solemn. “I trust you.”
There was a giant wall of cabinets that ran around the outside of the store. I looked towards the sunlight side of the store that faced the street. That was where we needed to get to.
“Are you ready?” I asked Ruby.
She promptly nodded.
I looked around the corner for a final check of if the coast was clear. My view was limited, but it looked like no one was there.
Without another word, I just went for it. I bolted across the shiny gloss floor and tucked in against the bottom of the new cabinet, waiting for Ruby to go next.
It looked like things were still clear so I gave her a nod.
Without hesitation, she charged on over.
She made it.
My heart was well and truly racing again.
I looked at Ruby and nodded upwards at the cabinet.
“Up and over…”
Thanks for reading today’s new chapter!