I was in 6th grade when the incident happened. By neighbor, two doors down, was an eccentric character. He approached me while I was playing basketball in my backyard one day and asked me if I wanted to watch his homing pigeons for him for a few days, as he was going on vacation. I quickly declined but when he offered me 75$ for a few days worth of work, my 6th grade head exploded. I thought, 75 bucks, wow! I thought that this was going to be the easiest money that I ever earned, boy oh boy was I wrong.
The neighbor walked me to the pigeon coup and provided me my instructions on a Sunday, the day before his departure. The coup was located in his backyard, which was approximately a 12 x 15 foot shed. Inside the coup, had little wooden open square holes on the wall, approximately 2 x 2 feet where the pigeons primarily sat. The coup housed approximately 50 pigeons. My neighbor had a huge “X” made out of tape which covered the roof of his house. He would let the pigeons out of the coup, wave a flag, at which time the pigeons would fly in patterns and land on the “X.” Then, he would wave his flag again and the pigeons would fly back into the coup. My job was supposed to be simple, on a daily basis, walk into the coup, take out the feeder and water jugs, fill the feeder with food and the jugs with water and place them back into the coup. The feeder was a long rectangular shape, approximately 5 feet with wooden slots slightly wider than the pigeons head, so they could line up and place their heads through the feeder to eat bird seed. I did not have to even let the pigeons out. Okay, it seemed simple enough to me.
Monday morning came around and I went to the coup before school. This was the 1st time I had to walk inside the coup. It was still slightly dark outside and it was at the end of winter so it was also cold. I took one step in and all the pigeons began flying around. All I could here was the sound pigeons make, and the smell was of pigeon shit. Scared, I quickly ran out before I grabbed the feeder and jugs. Shit, I thought, how was I going to do this? I conned my friend “Gamer Z” who I walked to school with for doing it for me. Although scared, “Gamer Z” was able to complete the task. I thought, okay “Gamer Z” will handle this for a few days and my job will be over. But, “Gamer Z” thwarted my plan. “Gamer Z” wised up to my idea and decided to leave earlier for school the next day, thus avoiding me and the situation entirely. So, I woke up my brother Walt, who was a freshman in high school to assist me with the task. Walt walked right into the coup, with birds landing on him with no fear at all. He stayed in the coup and grabbed the feeder and jugs. After filling the feeder and jugs up, my brother placed them in the coup.
Walt helped me out until the next to last day, when I had overslept and he already left for school. With “Gamer Z” and Walt no longer around to assist I would have to handle the job myself. I stood at the doorway of the coup hoping no pigeon would move. With school time starting, and not wanting to be late, I felt the pressure. There was a break in flying inside the coup and I quickly ran in and grabbed the feeder and jugs. After filling them up, I slid the jugs from the doorway back into the coup and picked up the feeder. I took a step inside in the coup, and lost my footing. I feel to the ground, facing up, inside the coup with the seed landing on top of me! Being barely light and looking up from the shit covered ground which, it felt like I was stuck to, the pigeons flocked to the food which was all over me. I could see shadows of pigeons flying all over toward me! The beasts were pecking away at me to eat the seed! I was paralyzed with fear and laid there for several moments, to me, the time felt like it lasted an eternity. I was able to see the doorway from the floor and realized some of pigeons were by the door of the coup which I had left open. Mustering enough strength, I broke free from my paralyzed state to try and close the door. It was too late, one pigeon had flown out!
I got out of the coup, and the stupid bird and flown on top of the coup. I found a net in my neighbor’s garage and tried to lasso in the bird. However, whenever I got close the bird would fly up and then land back right on top of the coup whenever I would take a step back toward the bird. I gave up and went late to school. That night it snowed.
On the last day of the job I went back to the coup. The pigeon that had gotten out, stayed on top of the coup overnight and was frozen like a Creamsicle on top of the coup. Mortified, and wanting to hide the evidence of my misdeed, I climbed on top of the coup and grabbed the dead frozen bird. I transported the dead frozen bird several blocks and threw him down a sewer.
I did not know if my neighbor, upon his return, would realize that I killed one of his beloved birds. I didn’t know if knew exactly how many birds he had, if he could distinguish them, if they were all named. But, when he came home he walked over to my house and paid me for a “job well done.” Two things happened after that day… One, I never watched the pigeons again. And two, as most people who know me are aware; I have a phobia of pigeons!
The neighbor walked me to the pigeon coup and provided me my instructions on a Sunday, the day before his departure. The coup was located in his backyard, which was approximately a 12 x 15 foot shed. Inside the coup, had little wooden open square holes on the wall, approximately 2 x 2 feet where the pigeons primarily sat. The coup housed approximately 50 pigeons. My neighbor had a huge “X” made out of tape which covered the roof of his house. He would let the pigeons out of the coup, wave a flag, at which time the pigeons would fly in patterns and land on the “X.” Then, he would wave his flag again and the pigeons would fly back into the coup. My job was supposed to be simple, on a daily basis, walk into the coup, take out the feeder and water jugs, fill the feeder with food and the jugs with water and place them back into the coup. The feeder was a long rectangular shape, approximately 5 feet with wooden slots slightly wider than the pigeons head, so they could line up and place their heads through the feeder to eat bird seed. I did not have to even let the pigeons out. Okay, it seemed simple enough to me.
Monday morning came around and I went to the coup before school. This was the 1st time I had to walk inside the coup. It was still slightly dark outside and it was at the end of winter so it was also cold. I took one step in and all the pigeons began flying around. All I could here was the sound pigeons make, and the smell was of pigeon shit. Scared, I quickly ran out before I grabbed the feeder and jugs. Shit, I thought, how was I going to do this? I conned my friend “Gamer Z” who I walked to school with for doing it for me. Although scared, “Gamer Z” was able to complete the task. I thought, okay “Gamer Z” will handle this for a few days and my job will be over. But, “Gamer Z” thwarted my plan. “Gamer Z” wised up to my idea and decided to leave earlier for school the next day, thus avoiding me and the situation entirely. So, I woke up my brother Walt, who was a freshman in high school to assist me with the task. Walt walked right into the coup, with birds landing on him with no fear at all. He stayed in the coup and grabbed the feeder and jugs. After filling the feeder and jugs up, my brother placed them in the coup.
Walt helped me out until the next to last day, when I had overslept and he already left for school. With “Gamer Z” and Walt no longer around to assist I would have to handle the job myself. I stood at the doorway of the coup hoping no pigeon would move. With school time starting, and not wanting to be late, I felt the pressure. There was a break in flying inside the coup and I quickly ran in and grabbed the feeder and jugs. After filling them up, I slid the jugs from the doorway back into the coup and picked up the feeder. I took a step inside in the coup, and lost my footing. I feel to the ground, facing up, inside the coup with the seed landing on top of me! Being barely light and looking up from the shit covered ground which, it felt like I was stuck to, the pigeons flocked to the food which was all over me. I could see shadows of pigeons flying all over toward me! The beasts were pecking away at me to eat the seed! I was paralyzed with fear and laid there for several moments, to me, the time felt like it lasted an eternity. I was able to see the doorway from the floor and realized some of pigeons were by the door of the coup which I had left open. Mustering enough strength, I broke free from my paralyzed state to try and close the door. It was too late, one pigeon had flown out!
I got out of the coup, and the stupid bird and flown on top of the coup. I found a net in my neighbor’s garage and tried to lasso in the bird. However, whenever I got close the bird would fly up and then land back right on top of the coup whenever I would take a step back toward the bird. I gave up and went late to school. That night it snowed.
On the last day of the job I went back to the coup. The pigeon that had gotten out, stayed on top of the coup overnight and was frozen like a Creamsicle on top of the coup. Mortified, and wanting to hide the evidence of my misdeed, I climbed on top of the coup and grabbed the dead frozen bird. I transported the dead frozen bird several blocks and threw him down a sewer.
I did not know if my neighbor, upon his return, would realize that I killed one of his beloved birds. I didn’t know if knew exactly how many birds he had, if he could distinguish them, if they were all named. But, when he came home he walked over to my house and paid me for a “job well done.” Two things happened after that day… One, I never watched the pigeons again. And two, as most people who know me are aware; I have a phobia of pigeons!
1 comment:
looks like the original coop...seen one coop you've seen them all
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