Greshmere

by Scott Wittenburg

  “Could I answer you later on, Shnark? I mean, I feel pretty sure that will be fine but I’d like to have a little more time to think about it.”

  “Of course, Gresh. Take all the time you need—I am at your service.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  “In the meantime, what do you say we explore the city? We’ll start at the Battery and fly north along Broadway.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  As they took flight, Greshmere felt a rush of exhilaration return. Shnarker was right—there was so much here to do and enjoy! He spotted the Staten Island ferry out of the corner of his eye and could imagine the throngs of people inside commuting to their jobs in the city. It felt so odd to be aware of that yet not know anything else about his former life. It was as though his memory has been meticulously erased prior to his arrival here. Retain the facts; trash the memories.

  He wished he could quit thinking about his former life so much. It kept showing up like a bad penny. He wished that he could stay focused on the present and leave the past behind. It simply wasn’t an option to just turn on a switch in his mind and live only for the moment.

  But Greshmere felt his concerns evaporate the closer they got to the tip of Manhattan. When they touched down at Castle Clinton in Battery Park, he was totally caught up in the magic and charm of New York City.

  * * *

  By the time night began to fall, Greshmere and Shnarker had taken in many of Manhattan’s offerings between Battery Park and Columbus Circle. They had not limited their travels to just the skyscrapers and the street life but had also spent much of their time at some of the popular venues along the way including Madison Square Garden, a Broadway theatre and Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. Shnarker knew how to get into these places covertly so as not be noticed by the humans.

  Greshmere felt he was beginning to get the hang of losing himself to the present. Being a bird with a human vocabulary allowed him to listen in on conversations without anybody being aware of it. Shnarker showed him how easy it was to simply land somewhere within listening distance of a group of humans and tune in to what they were saying.

  If he chose to, he could listen to three separate conversations simultaneously and understand everything that was being said, making him an expert in the art of eavesdropping. Most of the time he was amused by what he heard—but other times he heard unpleasant things, such as what some of the street people and hustlers said. It was disenchanting, but at the same time an important part of his learning experience. As Shnarker had reminded him, the world was rife with good and evil. One just had to accept that fact and glean what he could from it.

  Shnarker suggested that they fly up to the roof of the Essex House to take in the excellent view of Central Park. Together they flew the short distance from Columbus Circle to the top of the majestic hotel and alighted on top of its massive steel sign. Greshmere stared in awe at what lay sprawled out below him: the park in its entirety, resembling an enormous garden nestled within the neatly cut concrete boundary of the skyscrapers that formed walls along its perimeter. Beyond the park, he could see the northern tip of Manhattan all the way to the Bronx. It was a scene he would not soon forget.

  A short while later, the city was shrouded in darkness as a dazzling display of lights dotted the horizon. The air grew cooler and the wind began to pick up a bit. Greshmere felt comfortable just roosting there on the sign, watching nightfall. He felt that he could stay that way for hours on end.

  Shnarker seemed to have read his mind. “Would you fancy staying here for the night?”

  Greshmere nodded. “Sounds great."

  “Fine, then so it will be. This is one of my favorite places to stay the night whenever I’m in New York. The view is wonderful and the wind is usually tolerable. I once stayed atop the Empire State Building on a winter’s night and was nearly blown away!”

  “Will we fall asleep here, Shnark? I mean, I don’t feel tired but you had mentioned something like sleep would come when it seemed fit. When will that be?”

  “Nighttime is typically when you will feel the urge to sleep. As I said before, there is an absolute need to sleep and to dream—and to reflect on all you have observed. This requires being at rest and allowing yourself to be taken over to the other side.”

  “‘The other side?’ What is that?”

  “It’s a state that allows you to become totally free of yourself. Much like humans while they are asleep, but in a more meaningful way. Human dreams are little more than random bits of this and that; ours are more focused and consequential. Dreams are a positive experience, although they might not always seem so at the time. In the grand scheme of things they will make you a richer soul—a more complete entity. There is no need to fear.”

  Shnarker suddenly turned and faced Greshmere, his manner serious. “Have you given any more thought to my leaving you on your own, Gresh?”

  Greshmere had already prepared himself for this. He said, “Yes, I have. And I feel okay with it, Shnark. I realize that I need to start figuring things out on my own now that you have filled me in on what I am to do. I have no fear, just a great yearning to discover the world. To see how I fit into it. I have to admit that I didn’t feel this way earlier. But after thinking about it, I see what you were trying to tell me. That I need to become my own entity and make my own discoveries—and the sooner the better.”

  “Very well said, Gresh. Although you will continue having your doubts from time to time, you will also learn how to deal with them. That is the way of this world and it has always been this way. I am so glad that you’ve come to realize this.”

  “Will I ever see you again, Shnark?”

  “Perhaps, although I can make no promises. It’s a big world with lots of places to go. But who knows? Nothing is impossible.”

  “When will you leave?”

  “Sometime in the early morning, I suppose. I don’t expect you to spend the entire night all alone up here, Gresh.”

  “Thanks, Shnark,”

  “My pleasure, Gresh.”

  With that, the starling settled down and closed his eyes. Greshmere assumed he had decided to go to sleep. He took a final look out at the lights of Manhattan, settled down and closed his own eyes as well.

  A moment later, he felt a huge calming wave take over his entire body. The sensation was as intoxicating as it was unexpected. He felt his heart rate slow down to a steady rhythm in his chest and warmth radiate from his head to his feet. Soothing music ever so gradually filled his head—a song that in fact sounded familiar, yet he couldn’t quite place it…

  The yellow glow of his speedometer came into focus as he stared out past the dash at the pair of taillights up ahead. He glanced over at the passenger seat and saw Megan in the weak light fiddling with her hair as she so often did. A nervous habit of hers—just one of the many things that he found so wonderful about her.

  Randy and Gail were in Randy’s Honda Civic, leading the way through the forest to the Point. It was Friday night and Daniel could hardly wait to see what the night would bring. This was only his third official date with Megan and he had already fallen totally in love with the foxy little brunette. And who wouldn’t? She had everything a guy could ever hope for: big chestnut eyes, full pouty lips and a petite, perfectly proportioned body. But Megan’s beauty didn’t stop there. She was also friendly, easy to talk to, not conceited and one of the most popular girls at school.

  In a word, she was hot.

  So what had he done to deserve having this beautiful girl sitting beside him in his car right now? Nothing but get lucky for once in his life. And he hoped his luck would hold out long enough to go steady with the beauty before somebody else snatched her away.

  He had seen Megan Sands around school his freshman year but had never spoken a word to her. She had come to Smithtown High from the middle school located on the other side of town. Most of that crowd were virtual strangers. He remembered the first time he laid eyes on her like it was only yesterday. It
was at the first football game of the season and there she was, down there on the track with the other cheerleaders. He remembered her red and white letter sweater, her short red pleated skirt and the graceful way her body moved through the cheers just like a dancer, her long hair gently blowing in the breeze, her sweet voice echoing off the bleachers.

  He had fallen for Megan Sands like a lead weight that night.

  But the girl hadn’t been in any of his classes, so he never got the chance to know her. Since he was basically a shy guy, nerdy looking and not at all experienced at striking up conversations with beautiful strangers, he decided to try his best to simply forget about her the remainder of his freshman year. After all, there were no doubt a hundred other guys at school who also wanted her but were higher in the pecking order: football players, other assorted jocks and the popular preppies.

  So Daniel had spent ninth grade going out with a couple of different girls but deep down inside wished he were with Megan all that time. Because once you’d seen the best, everything else paled in comparison. Simple as that. But he had tried his hardest not to let it get him down. He had to be realistic and not set his goals too high, for all that would do is make him fall all the harder when the letdown came.

  It wasn’t until his sophomore year that he finally had the opportunity to speak to Megan Sands. Ironically, the girl was just about the last thing on his mind at the time. He had been sauntering to his sixth period class, having just gotten a C minus on an algebra quiz. His parents had grounded him for coming home late the past weekend and he had just found out that morning that there was something seriously wrong with his classic VW Beetle. He had been forced to ask his father to drop him off at school.

  So there he was in the hall with his chin down when he literally ran into Megan Sands. He looked up to see the startled look in her eyes and spoke before he had time to give it a second thought.

  “Jeez, I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you hurt?” he said.

  She smiled, looked up into his eyes and said, “I’m fine, no problem.”

  “That’s good.”

  “You looked like you were in another world,” she said.

  “I was. Hasn’t been a very good day at all.”

  “What happened?”

  Daniel proceeded to tell her about his day and when he finished, realized that they had edged close to the wall to stay clear of the other students.

  “That’s horrible! So how long are you grounded?” Megan asked.

  “Until Saturday. I think my old man may cut me some slack on Saturday night—only because he feels sorry about my car being screwed up.”

  “Don’t you drive the blue VW with the chrome wheels and pinstripes?”

  “Yeah, that’s my bug. It’s sorta hard to miss in a crowd.”

  “I love that car! Every time I see it, I wish I had one just like it!”

  “Really? Well, I could take you for a ride in it some time. That is if you’d like to.”

  “I’d love that! Listen, we’d better get to class before the bell rings. Why don’t you call me later?”

  “Sure, what’s your number?”

  She grabbed his hand and jotted her phone number on his sweaty palm.

  “There, I’d better go. See ya!”

  “Okay—you’re Megan, right?”

  “Yes, and you’re Daniel.”

  “How’d you know?”

  “I just know.”

  “Oh.”

  “Gotta go—don’t forget to call me!”

  “I won’t.”

  And that was how it all started.

  He discovered later that day that his VW just had a clogged fuel line and he had it running again in five minutes. So he boldly forged ahead and called Megan that night. His hands were literally shaking when he asked her if she’d like to go for that ride in his car Saturday night. She consented and the deal was done.

  Their first date had been short and sweet. He picked her up and they rode around for about forty-five minutes before stopping at the Dairy Queen for a milkshake. Megan was incredibly easy to talk to and in fact actually seemed to be enjoying herself. But when she flatly announced on the way back to his car that she needed to be getting home, Daniel feared that his relationship with Megan Sands had ended as soon as it had begun.

  His fears abated after he pulled into the girl’s driveway and parked.

  She had leaned over, threw her arms around him and gave him a long, luscious kiss. Not a peck, but a full-blown French. As they kissed, Daniel smelled the perfume she was wearing and felt himself being transported to a place he had never been before. It was absolute heaven.

  She couldn’t help but notice the stunned look of euphoria on his face when she at last withdrew and stared intently into his eyes.

  “Thanks for the ride, Daniel—it was awesome!”

  “I’m glad you liked it,” was all he could muster.

  “Can we do it again some time?”

  “Definitely!”

  “Call me tomorrow night. I have to go stay at my grandma’s tonight but I’ll be back home at around eight tomorrow.”

  And so he did. In fact, he had called Megan practically every night since. Their conversations had been pretty intense for a couple of sixteen year olds. And although they seemed to be getting closer to one another all the time, Daniel still felt like he was walking on eggshells. Like, this was just too good to be true!

  The brake lights on Randy’s Civic came on and Daniel realized they were almost at the Point. The Point was little more than a clearing located high up in the state forest overlooking the Ohio River valley. It was a popular place for the high school kids to park and drink on the weekends. The highlight was its grand view of the General Grant Bridge, a miniature replica of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

  “I wonder if anybody else is up here,” Megan said as Daniel negotiated a hairpin turn.

  “We’ll know in a second,” he replied.

  The Point came into view and thankfully the place was deserted. Randy pulled into the small parking area and Daniel parked beside him.

  “Let’s go check it out,” Daniel said.

  They joined Randy and Gail then walked over to the grassy area that overlooked the valley. The trees along the hillside had been purposely cleared out to allow visitors an unobstructed view, which was now almost totally obscured in darkness. A full moon provided just enough light for them to make their way up the small grade.

  “Let’s get a fire going,” Randy said.

  “Sounds like a plan,” said Daniel.

  The four of them searched the area for firewood and before long had a decent blaze going in the fire pit. Randy cranked up the stereo in his car and Gail brought over some snacks. They sat on an old railroad tie and stared into the fire, its flames casting long flickering shadows on the surrounding trees. Daniel had his arm around Megan, loving the way her warm body seemed to fit perfectly into his own. Like a hand in a glove. He gave her a squeeze; she stared into his eyes and kissed him. It was a long, heavenly kiss, her lips so soft and moist. His heart rate raced whenever they kissed and he always thought the same thing: is this for real? Is this really happening? Is there actually a chance that I could be with this girl forever?

  * * *

  The remainder of Greshmere’s dream was a continuation of all that had transpired that night in the forest. It was much like watching a scene that had been recorded by a hidden camera, with every little moment and every little detail playing out exactly as it had occurred. He was conscious of what was happening up until the moment it all abruptly ended. From that moment on, everything he had dreamt was totally lost to him—as though somebody had clicked the stop button and dragged the file to the trash.

  But its essence still remained.

  Chapter 5

  -Now-

  When he opened his eyes, Greshmere’s first thought was how totally relaxed and content he felt. He compared this to when he had awakened the day before and the
terrifying fall off the building ledge in the park.

  This was much better.

  He glanced over to greet Shnarker only to discover that the old starling was not there. He scanned the area in the dim morning light but saw no sign of him. Had he left for good?

  Assuming that he had, Greshmere looked out at the sun that was just beginning to creep over the horizon to the east. The first shafts of yellow light were illuminating the tops of the taller buildings fringing the west side of the park, creating a scene of tranquil beauty. He thought about his last twenty-four hours in heaven and still found it difficult to conceive. To think that he had once been a human in his former life and was now a bird in his afterlife was a real stretch, but apparently a fact. He didn’t doubt it; he was simply in awe of it.

  Now that Shnarker had apparently left him to fend for himself, Greshmere began contemplating what to do today. The world lay literally at his feet—there was no place on earth he couldn’t go. The options were limitless.

  He decided that he would stay in the city, at least for another day. He felt comfortable here and wanted to learn all he could about how things worked in heaven on earth. He had an itching desire to meet others like himself, something that he hadn’t yet experienced with the exception of Shnarker. He wondered how the two of them could cover as much area as they had the day before yet not consciously run into another living soul in the entire time. He hadn’t thought to ask Shnarker about that and now wished that he had.

  He recalled the old bird saying that there was only one way to know who the others were and he decided to give that a try. There were literally dozens of birds in any given area of this city at any one time. They were not always clearly visible but present nonetheless on the streets and walks, in the trees and perched on the windowsills of buildings. There were also no doubt plenty of them roosting and nesting on the countless skyscraper roofs well out of sight from most of humanity.