I leaned on Mom as we walked out of the schoolyard to the car.
“I like Dr. Schofield,” I said to her.
“Me too,” said Mom, kissing the top of my head. “Me too.”
We dropped in at home so I could change out of my running shorts. I took off my trainers and had a good look at Cleo in the mirror. With more hard work, my limp will disappear. But my legs will never match. Cleo will always be sizes smaller.
I studied my scars, my skinny leg, and my small foot, and I knew that it didn’t matter what I looked like. Cleo didn’t have to be normal, because it wasn’t normal that mattered.
Levi and I had been laughing so hard after we found Ms. Sharma in the closet because we finally got it. Neither of us had found what we were looking for. Levi didn’t find his wormhole and I didn’t find normal. But it didn’t matter. We were together.
The best place in the universe was under our feet the whole time.
The End
Glossary of Alba’s Hummingbird Facts
Hummingbirds can’t walk.
Their feet are too tiny. They perch, but never walk. Hummingbirds are built for flight. Small feet are light and reduce aerodynamic drag. They can hop sideways on a branch, and perch for long periods, but do not walk.
Hummingbirds hear better than humans.
Hummingbirds have highly acute hearing. They need good hearing to communicate and to attract a mate. Some male hummingbirds even have ear tufts to impress the females.
Hummingbirds have zero sense of smell.
Hummingbirds have little or no sense of smell. The plants and flowers they rely on for nectar have no fragrance. They use their eyesight to find the nectar.
Hummingbirds weigh the same as a penny.
The smallest bird, the bee hummingbird, weighs as little as .06 ounces. A penny weighs .09 ounces.
Hummingbirds can fly over 3,000 miles every year for migration.
The longest migration on record is a female rufous hummingbird that flew from Florida to Alaska. That is 3,250 miles!
A group of hummingbirds is called a charm, a glittering, or a hover.
Another name for a group of hummingbirds is a troubling.
Hummingbirds have the highest metabolism of all animals.
The hummingbird’s efficient energy system is needed to sustain their rapid heart rate and wing speed. To conserve energy they can enter a hibernation-like state called torpor when they are not feeding.
Hummingbirds are not social and have been known to attack other birds.
Hummingbirds are little birds with big attitudes! Hummingbirds will show aggression if they feel their nests or feeding areas are being threatened. An angry hummingbird will chirp; dive; chase its opponent; and in rare cases, use its beak as a weapon.
The color red attracts hummingbirds.
Hummingbirds have terrific sight. They see every color humans do, but they also see ultraviolet light, so colors appear to be even more vivid. There is no scientific proof that hummingbirds are attracted to the color red, but they seem to favor the nectar of flowers that are red. Also, because bird feeders are usually red, it could be that hummingbirds have developed a conditioned response to the color.
Hummingbird migration.
If you live in North America, you may see a hummingbird as early as February (southern states). In the northern states of America, and in Canada, sightings are more usual in mid- to late May.
The bee hummingbird is the smallest bird in the world. They make nests from cobwebs and lay eggs the size of peas.
The Bee Hummingbird is the smallest living bird in the world. It is native to Cuba and measures only 2 to 2½ inches long. The largest hummingbird is called the giant hummingbird and grows up to 8½ inches in length. It lives in the Andes Mountain Range of South America.
Only the males have bright feathers.
Male hummingbirds have bright feathers to attract a mate and to signal dominance to other males. The patch of bright feathers on the males’ neck is called a gorget. Females are usually brown or green.
Hummingbirds migrate alone.
Hummingbirds make the long migration journey alone, often on the same flight path they have used before. They fly quite low, just above treetops or water. Young hummingbirds must find their own way without the guidance of their parents.
They excel in flight.
Hummingbirds are the acrobats of the bird world. Not only do they fly forward, but also backward, sideways, and straight up. And they can dive and hover. They can even fly upside down!
Author’s Note
Like Alba, I was born with a clubfoot. Congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV), commonly known as clubfoot, affects many children. One in every 1,000 babies in the United States is born with the condition. Treatment usually begins at birth with a series of bracing and casting. Most are responsive to this method and do not require surgery. In more difficult cases surgery is required. In my instance, the treatments and surgeries were completed before I started the first grade. I was fortunate that I did not experience reoccurrence as I grew older, but it can often be the situation. Alba is a fictional character, but she represents the children who require further treatment as they grow.
It was my experience of having CTEV that prompted me to write The Theory of Hummingbirds. But I suspect we all have something that makes us feel different; something that we might struggle with to gain self-acceptance. In writing the story I hope to honor the differences within us, whatever the diversity may be.
In the story, a parable about a hummingbird helps Alba to embrace her challenges. The hummingbird has symbolic significance to many indigenous cultures in South, Central, and North America. The Hummingbird and the Fire is a parable that is told all over the world. The origins of the tale are believed to be from the ancient Quechua culture in Peru, where the story is used to impart the importance of caring for the environment, no matter how insignificant the action may appear to be.
Or as Alba would say, Love who you are and love what you can do.
Acknowledgments
Giant wingspans of thanks to many who have helped Alba’s story take flight.
To my friend Chandra Wohleber, I send my deepest gratitude. Without Chandra’s gentle guidance on early drafts the project would never have left the ground.
Huge thanks to Ann Featherstone, Gail Winskill, Erin Alladin, and the brilliant team at Pajama Press—it is a dream come true to find a home with Pajama. Thanks to my writing group, Joyce Grant, Nancy Miller, and Gary Kohl, for their unwavering encouragement.
Thanks to the Ontario Arts Council for their financial support.
Thanks to Adam Tarvit, Health and Physical Education Teacher at Toronto’s Withrow Avenue Junior Public School, for his intel on elementary school cross-country races.
Special thanks to Dr. Andrew Howard, Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Toronto, for his invaluable insights and information on current paediatric treatments, surgery, and rehabilitation. Any errors are my own.
I am indebted to the awe-inspiring work of Stephen Hawking and his brilliant A Brief History of Time.
This book is dedicated to my mother, Judith Margaret. I wish to also remember my late father Ebet and send a shout-out to my amazing siblings Valerie, Rani, Andre, and Julia.
And finally, boundless love to my beautiful family, Sophia, Teddy, and Mark.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Contents
Chapter One Wormholes
Chapter Two Big Ideas
Chapter Three Lying to Strangers
Chapter Four Cowgirl and the Nutty Professor
Chapter Five Barefoot Librarians
Chapter Six The Edge of Reason
Chapter Seven The Fledgling Birder Camp
Chapter Eight Climbing Mount Everest
Chapter Ten The High-Performance Running Shoe
Chapter Eleven Field Studies and Pig Braids
Chapter Twelve The Supply Closet
Chapter Thirteen Google and the Cookie Monster
Chapter Fourteen Cleo’s Big Debut
Chapter Fifteen Storm Clouds
Chapter Sixteen The Story of the Hummingbird and the Fire
Chapter Seventeen A Golden Elm Celebrity
Chapter Eighteen Day of the Skinny Jeans
Chapter Nineteen Love at First Sight
Chapter Twenty The Break In
Chapter Twenty-one The Hummingbird Theory
Chapter Twenty-two The Best Place in the Universe
Glossary of Alba’s Hummingbird Facts
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
The Theory of Hummingbirds Page 8