Bloodline

She comes upon the clearing and a word arrives with the bird: ballgown. It pops into her head just like that, maybe because the bird, a cardinal, reminds her of a woman in a red fancy dress. But no, a red bird like that is most certainly a male bird, and a male would not wear a ballgown. Not that a bird would wear a dress at all, of course, so it is maybe doubly or even triply stupid of her to hear the word ballgown in her head when she sees a bird in the woods. But the word flew into her head like the bird flew into the clearing, and the word and the bird landed at the some moment.

Gail stands in the clearing. The cardinal stands in the clearing. The bird stares back at her, still, still, still. Gail feels a sudden sharp tug, as if the bird were about to swallow her into its eye. She shakes her head sharply, and the bird flies up into the high branches of cedar.

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