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11/17/2004 Upon returning from Winnipeg, I sank into a deeper depression then the one I was in when I was there. Things had changed so much, but that is a different story. Since my arrival home in B.C, I rarely left my room in the basement for more then 10 minutes at a time during the daylight hours. I hadn’t changed my cloths in a week, and I showered maybe 3 times. My depression lumped me into a state of utter laziness. That pattern was finally broken November 16th when I came upstairs and went onto my computer and saw the sun for what felt like the first time in months, my eyes hurt, but it was nice. I stepped outside and walked to the mailbox. This made me happy. That’s when I decided that the next day I would go for a walk, I was sure it would make me feel better. I awoke November 17th, it was raining outside, and so I thought that my plans would be foiled. Then the sun came out. I went to the bathroom and took a long warm shower, shaved, bushed my teeth, washed my hair, got some warm clothes and put them on, got my boots and laced them up. Before I went off on my journey, I grabbed my camera and two beers. I then left my house and walked to the docks with my dogs. Some of the neighborhood dogs fallowed. I took some pictures of myself on the docks, and then walked into the woods with my dogs. I was only halfway thru my first beer when I watched Floyd, out of nowhere, run into the woods. I thought he was simply chasing a lizard of a rabbit. I kept looking that way, and then noticed something move, I didn’t quite comprehend what it was at first then I realized it was a birds (It was a Cormorant, a type of sea duck) head and neck bobbing around. I quickly ran to it, and dropped my beer as I stood above it, looking down at its right wing. This was no small bird, it was about two feet end to end, and it was about 20-25 lbs and its wing was bent in a way that could only signify that it was broken. The Cormorant itself was laying on its back, I noticed what I thought were blood worms on its face, but were actually clotted spots of blood, about 5 wounds in total spanning the side of its face down its neck. Its right wing was off to the side horribly twisted around. My first thought was that I couldn’t leave this thing like this; it was lying alone in the woods, just waiting to die. So I took out my camera and took two pictures of the Cormorant. Then I removed the lace from the camera and approached the Cormorant to tie its beak shut, as to prevent it from attacking me, which at the time wasn’t very likely. The bird seemed to have no energy, and it didn’t try to strike me as I approached it or started to tie its beak shut. I then slid my hands under the Cormorant and started to lift then let it down the second I saw the real damage on the wing. The main bone spanning from the body was broken at the base, and was protruding from the wing over and inch. I knew then that this bird was going to die. But I still couldn’t leave it here. I lifted the Cormorant up, and gave it ample support under it’s savaged wing, I assumed at this time, due to the other Cormorant and birds flying above, that it must have been attacked, though there was a windstorm earlier in the day, but the wound didn’t look particularly fresh, it was not bleeding profusely. After about half a minute of walking with this bird in my arms, it somehow managed to wiggle out of the lace that was tied around its beak and it struck at my face and tried to flap its wings, falling out of my arms and hitting the ground. It then proceeded to try to fly, and then scuttle away from me into the woods towards the water. I fallowed, until it led me to a small pile of dead fish. I tried to tame the Cormorant, but it was starting to get vicious, striking whatever came close to it, including the bushes blowing in the wind, as well as my boot. I took of my toque and tried to place it over it’s head, most animals will settle down when they can’t see anymore, my attempts were futile. It then made a run for it again, it only made it another ten feet before stopping under a fallen tree. We had a ten-minute stand off, as I attempted to place this toque over its head. I almost stopped and said fuck it, but I couldn’t, I couldn’t just leave this animal out there like that. I took off my hoody and pushed the bird out from under the tree with my boot, then after another some long moments, I managed to get my hoody over its head and body. It settled down right away. I then picked it up again and started walking my way out of the forest. As I left the woods I was thinking of what to do, who to talk to, where to go, I really didn’t know. The sun had hidden itself again, and clouds of rain were forming. As I approached my house I saw a man across the street looking at this truck, I approached him and asked him what to do. He told me to call the RSP (which I still have no idea what it is) and that if I needed a ride into town he could give it to me. I thanked him and left. I placed the bird into a small fenced off area meant for my dogs, so it wouldn’t try to get away from me and so the neighborhood dogs wouldn’t rip it apart. As I slid it out of the hoody it once again struck at me. I placed my hoody on the steps and walked inside the house. This is when I noticed I had blood on my hands. I pulled out the phone book and looked up pet shelters, I wasn’t sure what to call so I ended up phoning a vet on a road near here. They gave me the phone number for a place called ‘Wild Arc’ they said that they were located right off of my street but I would have to take the Cormorant there myself. I went out to ask the man for a lift, but he had gone somewhere in the short time. I went back inside and got my camera and took 3 more pictures of the Cormorant, who I now named Frank. Twenty to Thirty minutes later my mother arrived home from work, and I told her that we had to go to this wild arc place right away, and then showed her Frank. I received one of the dog blankets we keep outside from under a truck cap and wrapped Frank in it. It started to gargle and sound quite sickly, so we got into the car and took off. Wild Arc was only a five-minute drive away, on the way Frank just stopped moving, and I felt warmth start to flow across my leg. It worried me, I didn’t know if it was just Frank or if it was blood, I moved part of the blanket aside so I could see its head, just to check if it was alive, it looked at me. When we arrived we were met outside by one lady, as I got out of the car and held up the blanket, I could feel the bone push through the treads and stick into my hand. She came back with a box and placed frank inside and asked us to step inside for a moment to fill out a time of capture form. When I had finished the sheet off she came back and told me that the break was really bad, and that they were just going to put it down. She thanked me for bringing it in. I said it was just for the best. I haven’t felt the same since. |
Running For Home they
beam things into your head |