Pigeon

On the way to work for the last few days, I saw a pigeon huddled in a corner by the door of a brownstone. It was in the same little area for a few days. I worried that he was sick, but when I approached to throw him part of a bagel I had, I realized he just had a broken wing. He hopped away from me and under a parked car, but I left the bagel pieces in his corner for when he went back. A girl passing me said, "That pigeon's been there for a week. He must have a good hiding place." What do you do when you see a pigeon who is sick or stuck somewhere? You can't bring him to the vet or anything like that. I thought of calling the Health Dept to help him, but I didn't know if that was the right thing to do.

Then, two days ago, I saw another pigeon bringing him food! Anyway, I took some crackers with me yesterday and today on the way to work in case he was still there, but he seems gone. I think this is a good sign. Usually, when they're sick (not just waiting for their wing to heal) they end up dead in the same area they've been hiding in. This one was hopping around, so he may just have moved to a safer location.

Reader response

I don't believe your pigeon story.
It's too good to be true. I think you embellished it.
I do believe it is, in the spirit of the memoir genre, emotionally true, so I guess that's all that really matters.

Fine. I don't have to prove nothin' to youse.