Trusting

November 17, 2007

***
It was the scariest moment of my life. I thought I was never going to stop shaking.
***

I was patiently, or irritated, waiting for my bus. It passed me about an hour ago. I was annoyed. The people that were waiting with me left half an hour ago and I was alone once again. My music was blasting in my ear and I was walking in circles like usual. I checked the time. ‘5 minutes to go and I can finally get going.’ I looked up and something weird flashed in the field across the street. Dog? No. Cat? No. Coyote? Rabbit? No and no. It was white and black, had a beak and wings, wait, what? It hopped again and I was dumbstruck. Up it went once more. It’s a real Bald Eagle and it was injured. ‘Dad.’ I took my phone out and immediately called him. ‘He’ll know what to do.’ I started shaking. I don’t know why, I just did.
“Hello?” ‘Yes!’
“Dad! There’s a wounded Eagle across the street. What do I do?” ‘5 minutes till my bus.’
“A wounded Eagle?” ‘Do I leave it? No! I need to help it.’
“I have to do something. What do I do?”
‘This is so weird.’
I have to cover his face and wrap him up. Great. Cause that’s not scary.
“Call me when you got him.”
“Okay.”
Paper bag. Dad said Paper bag.
“Bal, do you have a paper bag?”
“No, sorry.”
“S’ok. Thanks.”
Ok, no paper bag. That might scare him anyways. I put my hand on my scarf that a friend gave me and thought ‘Something to cover his head with. Oh! Hello!’ My scarf! And I’ll wrap my sweatshirt around him. Great! Now, time to get to work. I walked back down the burm and slowly made my way to the Eagle I talked to it. Yes, I talked to it. It opened his mouth like he was going to squawk, but nothing came out. His feathers were coming up, so I put my scarf, folded, by his head so he can take a look at it. I made my way around him so I can see what I have to do for his wings. His right wing was badly injured, there was blood everywhere. The grass, his wing and his beautiful white tail feathers. I reached over and placed the scarf around his head and started moving his wings into its folded position. He didn’t move at all. His left one was extended so I was able to quickly put it in place and go for the right on. The break was right in the middle, bones coming out. I almost started crying. I looked closer as I was reaching for the wing and saw the powerful talons right near it. The wing was jammed underneath it. I went cold. I slowly started moving the wing, being as careful as I could not moving my gaze from the feet. I felt my hands become warm. Once un-jammed, I checked his head again and noticed he was moving, trying to see. So, I talked to him again. Soothing him. I think. I took my sweater and looked at it to him and back. ‘How the hell am I going to do this?’ the talons could kill me if I’m not careful. I tried to pick him up to put him on top of my sweater. That failed almost as soon as I started.
“Shit, this is going nowhere.” I looked down on him and started thinking. He just chilled.
I put my sweater on top of him, wrapped the scarf around his head and slowly wrapped my sweater around his body. Making sure the scarf wasn’t coming off, I started to lift him off the ground securing the sweater around his entire body. I soon realized I was caught on the grass. I wrapped the sleeves closer and tighter around him, making sure i have a tight grip on him cause if he fell it will be bad for both of us, and checked what was holding him/us down. He was real clingy. ‘I aint putting my fingers in danger.’ I had shifted my left arm holding him close to me and my right arm holding the scarf still so he wouldnt get scared. I was in a very awkward position, being bent over and all, so I just kind of pulled him up hoping for the best. Grass and all. It was just his right leg that was holding the grass, and the right that kicked, after it realized that it no longer had anything to grab onto for reassurance, and got it caught in the edge of my sweater, narrowly missing my left hand that was holding him up. Good, now we were both comfy. To an extent.
I walked back up the burm (small hill of dirt) and on my way home. I shifted my way to get my cell out to phone dad back and it started vibrating. It was Dad. He was on his way down. We talked about what we should do with the Eagle. Go to the Garage? Dogs. Gallery? Dogs and cat. Fine. I’ll wait on the tailgate of our truck. So there, complications. I sat with him on his back like a baby in my lap. He snapped a couple times, with his killer beak, at the scarf and hoodie when it opened alittle, probably wanting fresh air, and i had to keep closing the gap carefully. 20 minutes go by and I called home and got my brother to bring a blanket or towel over for the Eagle. As he was doing that, My Uncle came home. Good! He and his companions got out and came over shocked to find that I had an Eagle with me. My brother came with the towel and I lifted the Eagle so he can put the towel on my lap. I saw a glimpse of blood on my pants. ‘Oh god.’ My Uncle offered to drive to OWL with me, so we called Dad. He said to call the place to see if it was open, so my Uncle rane up to the gallery to get the number and call. And it was open. We were going to meet Dad there. I got in the car and we drove off. We talked and I told him all about it. Then I couldn’t take it anymore.
“There’s and Eagle, in my lap, right now. An Eagle! An Eagle!!”
There aren’t many times when you that happens to a common person, rare even. He found that I was lucky. It not once tried to attack me. Not once. It didn’t even squawk a warning at me. My uncle got lost but Dad came by and we followed him. Right through the gates they said and we did. The lady opened the door and went for the Eagle.
“Can I carry him in?” He was my baby.
“No, hand him here.”
“Please, can I?” I want to hold him, stay with him.
“No, give him here. I don’t want him to hurt you.” 'He didn’t then, why would he now?' He attacked her when she grabbed him roughly. ‘Serves you right.’ She was hurting him a lot. She walked right though the door and I followed. We went into an aid room where everyone crammed into. My Uncle left and two others came in and bandaged him up temporarily. And he was actually a ‘he’. Weighing 4kg 5g or 10 lbs. I filled out some forms and they said if he lives I can name him. His break was in between the two joints and broke through the skin. They said he was going to be okay. I was glad.
Everyone was so proud of me. Everyone was calling me a hero. I didn’t feel like one. I was just doing the right thing. It was the scariest moment of my life. I thought I was never going to stop shaking. So many questions run through your head.
Should I help it? Leave it?
I helped.
I think I’m going to call him Trusting.