The tiny pearl encrusted shells washed up on the incoming tide & scattered themselves across the sandy beach, as each wave gently pounded the shore line & had left odd pieces of driftwood lying higher up toward the sea wall during a recent storm.
The Cobb, a wide curving sea wall nearby, stretched out & around the small boat harbour of a seaside town, on the West Dorset coast. An elderly lady walked slowly around the top of it, as if in deep thought. She was feeling very lonely & had just lost her best friend, a small West Highland white terrier dog named Zeus. Also she had not long lost her dear husband of many years, who had had a short illness & died suddenly. She was feeling very lost at the moment as she & her husband had been together since their young days, whiling away summer holidays by the sea, a little sailing & tennis, but music & the performing arts were their greatest enjoyment. They loved the drama of the Beethoven symphonies & concertos & occasionally were able to attend a Mozart opera. Contentment in each other resulted in not producing any children. They had also shared a love of poetry & the plays about Greek tragedies in which Zeus played a vital roll & their dog was called Zeus from the day he had arrived. He had accompanied her almost everywhere, but she now lived alone in a pink cottage by the sea which looked as though it was tumbling down the steep road that lead to the Cobb. The small front garden was kept in pristine condition with several pretty plants cascading over & through the front fence & black painted gate.
This particular spring day was not a lot different to past ones & the lady would sometimes stroll on the Cobb wall & along the beach. But today, being bright & sunny & even a bit warm, the sun was glistening on the incoming tide, several boats bobbing about in the small harbour, she had decided to eat lunch in a small restaurant first, as a special treat, being her birthday.
Her name was Martha & as she now wandered slowly along the curving wall, head down & thoughtful, a small bird the size of a robin, flitted over to her & stood near her feet, chirping almost constantly.
"Hello my little friend" said Martha, in a quiet hushed tone so as not to frighten the little bird away. "Have you come from afar?" "It's nice of you to keep me company & I expect you will soon fly off again!" But the small bird stayed where he was, hopped a few paces & chirped again. Martha smiled gently, enjoying the cheerfulness of the brief encounter with her new companion. She decided to walk on a little, but the small bird seemed to hop & then fly a little to keep up with her. As she turned to go back toward home, the bird followed, hopping & fluttering in the warmth of the afternoon. Gradually she made her way, alone she thought, to her front gate in front of the pink cottage.
She was resigned to the idea that she had seen the last of her small companion, opened the front door & walked through the hallway into the kitchen at the back & looked longingly at the empty dog basket in the corner, Zeus had occupied. She felt lost & alone without him, as they had all spent many happy years together.
In the pink cottage, Martha had finished her supper, listened to some music on the radio while she completed the cryptic crossword in the paper, then retired to her bedroom for the night.
The next morning arrived with a slight breeze blowing through the apple tree in the garden & across the waves, rippling them in a gentle torment. It seemed to sigh around the windows & filtered through to the kitchen table where Martha sat sipping her morning coffee. It shone softly through the back windows & in the garden, casting shadows across the grass as it ventured from behind wispy pink & blue clouds in the eastern sky.
Martha stood up, washed out her cup in the sink & opened the back door to wander quietly in the soft morning light of another perfect spring day. She loved the small back garden & had grown a few herbs & flowers & often strolled around out there when the weather was not inclement. Today it was invitingly pleasant & as she sat down on a seat by her small table to ponder, the little bird had flown down from what appeared to be nowhere & stood chirping on the table in front of her.
Martha was so surprised & delighted & somehow she knew it was the same bird by his mannerisms, that had accompanied her on the Cobb.
"Well I never," she said in a low, rather hushed voice. "Have you come to visit me again?" "And how on earth did you know where I lived?" She paused & bent down a little & said, "well well little friend, I'm very glad you have returned!" "We must both prefer the warmer spring weather." The little bird fluttered out its wings in a quick motion & chirped again, hopping a little on the table. Martha said, "if you wait for a moment, I might be able to find you something to eat." She moved quietly back into the kitchen & found some small pieces of brown bread in the usual container. Martha returned to the table & two chairs in the garden & incredulously, the bird was still standing on the table. She sat down slowly, so as not to frighten it & held out her hand offering the small crumbs of bread. Amazingly, the little bird chirped again & hopped over to her outstretched hand without hesitation. He accepted a few crumbs & fluttered a little to the other side of the table. "Well I never" Martha said again, "You appear to be very tame indeed."
As the spring passed into summer, the little bird had continued to visit Martha from time to time & they became firm friends, at the same time, taking her mind off the loss of Zeus. The summer days came & went, the sun-drenched days lingered into the evenings, the occasional storm saturating the harvest that had not yet been gathered from the fields. The sun-kissed sea had ebbed & flowed with the constant tides & when the rain came, it drenched the sand on the beach & tore at the fossilized cliffs not far away, eating at the rock & washing it down to the bottom of the cliff where it met more rocks & sand.
When Martha returned to the garden on the better days, the small bird had often visited her, keeping her company as she sat by the outside table. He hopped about & chirped through the summer, bringing a new joy & sense of companionship to Martha. who missed Zeus very much.
The year slipped by & turned into autumn, the deciduous trees in the parks & gardens, turned golden then red, until the leaves fluttered to the ground one by one. Then winter had set in, the wind & rain pelted the pink cottage, frost & ice had turned the grass silver, crunching under foot & the cold nights froze the small, almost bare garden.
When the next spring returned & late in April, Martha was once again strolling on the Cobb wall. The day was fresh & the sea sparkled like jewels in the morning sun, as the small boats rocked from side to side facing the incoming tide. Martha was deep in thought about something & happened to look down & there, hopping in front of her, the small bird had returned. With delight, she just knew it had to be the same one who visited her previously. She paused & bent down a little & said, "well, I'm so glad to see you have returned." "We both seem to prefer the warmer weather!"
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