Greshmere

by Scott Wittenburg

  “For what it is worth, you would have survived without my help, Gresh. My role now is only to make your survival less painful. So are you ready to move on? To put this behind you and embrace the present?”

  “I think I am. I just don’t know what I can do to keep my mind off of it. It’s so difficult to just forget.”

  “I have a suggestion. What would you think about a little trip? To Europe, say? Would that help ease your mind a bit?”

  “Are you kidding? That would really help!”

  “Then we’ll do just that. We’ll begin in Britain and perhaps move on to France or Italy from there. I shall be your tour guide, Gresh!”

  “You don’t know how great that sounds, Shnark!”

  “Then let’s do it! It’s only now beginning to get light. I think we have just enough time to make it to Kennedy and board one of the early London-bound flights.”

  “What? You mean we’re not flying ourselves?”

  “Egads, no! That’s much too rough a trip and takes entirely too long. We’re going to fly first class, Gresh!”

  Greshmere started laughing heartily. Shnarker joined in as Greshmere realized it was the first time he’d laughed in a long time. Leave it to Shnarker to find a way to do that.

  Chapter 23

  - Now -

  Two months later Greshmere had returned to New York, having traveled throughout much of Western Europe. During that time, the wounds left over from his horrendous experience in Columbus had healed substantially. The journey had allowed him to focus on the present and forget the negativity resulting from his rediscovery experience.

  He saw the trip as a rebirth of sorts.

  He and Shnarker had discussed his future throughout their travels. Greshmere recounted his visit with the Travelers and how he was seriously considering joining up with them some day. The prospect of spanning the globe and learning about other places and cultures was very tempting. He had grown to love travel and discovered that he felt most content when he was on the move as opposed to settling down in one place for too long.

  As he bade farewell to his Who-Key, Greshmere thanked his mentor for all he had done for him and wished him well. Shnarker remained behind to continue his own travels. Saying goodbye had been a bittersweet experience. As much as he hated to leave the security that the old bird’s wit and wisdom afforded him, he had a fresh new outlook on his afterlife and knew that it was time to make his own way in this world.

  Greshmere sat atop his adopted New York home and stared out at Central Park. As much as he liked the city, he knew this was not the place for him. He preferred natural surroundings to the hustle and bustle of big cities. This was one of the reasons he wanted to return to southern Ohio. Plus he wanted to know how Mitzy and the rest of the colony were doing. He doubted he would stay long, but he could at least wing it there for a while before planning his next move.

  Another reason he wanted to go back to Ohio was to challenge himself. He needed to find out if he had healed enough from those painful memories to move on with the future. He figured that if he could survive being in such close proximity to Smithtown without caving in, he’d be good to go. He felt cautiously optimistic that he could do it.

  He planned on heading out for Ohio the first thing in the morning. There was one last thing he wanted to do before leaving the city. He wanted to locate Kloob. He had often thought about the reclusive, cynical lark and wondered if he was still searching for the earthly woman of his dreams. Because Kloob’s situation was so much like his own, he wanted to share his experiences with him and warn him of the possible consequences of rediscovery. He knew that this would probably have little if any effect on Kloob, but he felt obliged nevertheless. He also knew that Shnarker would probably not approve, but that was a chance he was willing to take.

  It was early evening with no more than an hour of daylight left. Greshmere took to the air and headed northwest over the park. When he arrived at West Seventy-Fourth Street, he flew directly up to one of the two towers of the building where he had last seen Kloob. As before, there were many pigeons roosting along the many gables of the structure. He surveyed the rooftop but saw no sign of the lark. He flew across to the other tower but had no luck there either. He had hoped to find some other souls to inquire about Kloob but there were none present.

  Greshmere spent the remaining daylight scanning all of the buildings lining Central Park as far south as the Sixties and north to the Nineties. But he saw no sign of Kloob. He was disheartened when he realized that he might never know the fate of the misplaced Brit.

  Perhaps this is the way it’s supposed to be, he thought as he returned to the Essex House. Some things were best left alone.

  He settled back down on the sign, feeling the wind in his face as he stared out at the scene below. Tomorrow would be a brand new day, he thought. With a long sigh, he closed his eyes.

  * * *

  When he awoke just before daybreak, Greshmere’s first thought was how much he missed the feeling of pure exhilaration that he used to have upon waking in the morning. Ever since the nightmarish experience in Columbus, he had ceased having dreams of Megan altogether. And although he knew that this was probably a good thing, he still missed them. He wondered if he would ever feel half as wonderful in the morning as he once had.

  But still, the prospect of returning to southern Ohio made him feel upbeat—he was really looking forward to seeing Mitzy and the others again. He wanted nothing more than to be surrounded by trees and sky, away from the steel and concrete of the urban scene, catching up on things with Mitzy. He had always enjoyed their little chats and he had to admit that he really did miss the youngster. She had a special quality that he found intriguing and refreshing.

  There were strong gusts of northeasterly wind pummeling his little body, making it difficult to sit without wavering on top of the sign. The good thing was that the wind would greatly increase his air speed and make his trip all the shorter. Without another thought, Greshmere turned around 180 degrees, extended his wings and let the wind propel him to the southwest.

  By the time he reached New York Harbor, he was a mile high in the sky. He saw Ground Zero and marveled at the progress they had made on the new tower construction over the last couple of months. Liberty Island and Ellis Island grew smaller as he continued his upward ascent. He had no idea how fast he was flying and he was reveling in the moment.

  As he continued west over New Jersey, Greshmere focused his thoughts on the future. He wondered if he could ever truly be happy again. It was no simple task trying to forget Megan and his former life. Nothing in the world could ever erase those memories. He had often wondered what would have happened had Megan not been murdered that day. How would that have changed things? What would he have done?

  What if she had come home alone instead of with the murderer? What would he have done then? He recalled feeling the momentary urge to go see her. And then he had wisely not followed through as he realized how awkward that would have been. It wasn’t like he could have simply introduced himself as her former husband and gone on to explain how he had become a sparrow. Not only would that have seemed ludicrous to her; he couldn’t have communicated with her in the first place. He had no voice. Yes, he could have pecked out a message on her laptop computer; but besides freaking her out, it would have ultimately been for naught.

  The bottom line was obvious. He had no place in her world. He had mulled over this many times in the last couple of months, but had never mentioned it to Shnarker. He knew that Shnarker would probably reprimand him, insist that he forget all of that and focus on the future. But that was much easier said than done.

  Greshmere knew he had to quit thinking about all of this. He had at least a ten-hour flight and would go mad if he didn’t let it go.

  He turned off his mind, focused on the sky ahead and imagined himself living free in the forest. Away from the city, away from the humans, away from the painful memories. He managed to remain in this state the remainder of
the flight.

  Chapter 24

  -Now-

  Greshmere approached the General Grant Bridge and lit on top of one of the suspension cables. Looking down river, he could just make out Smithtown’s floodwall beyond the bend. He looked to the north at the range of hills on the Ohio side where the Point would be. He then took off and headed for the imaginary spot he had fixed his eyes upon.

  The sights, smells and sounds changed abruptly the further he traveled away from the Ohio River. There was a feeling of tranquility he had not felt since the last time he had been here. It was at that moment that he knew he had done the right thing in deciding to return.

  Halfway up the hill, he spotted the clearing he was looking for. Once he was at the Point, he figured that finding Mitzy would be easier. Without it as a starting point, he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to locate the obscure colony in the ravine.

  He flew through the clearing in the trees and saw the railroad tie just where it had always been. He swooped down and perched on it. His mind was racing now as he sat there looking out at the bridge in the distance. When he’d last been here in April, he hadn’t been able to put this place into perspective since he hadn’t yet pieced everything together. Now was a totally different story. He could clearly recall many of the times he had sat in this very place with Megan at his side. He remembered how they used to talk about what was going on at school and all the latest gossip. Who had gotten their driver’s license and what their hardest classes were. Who was going out with who and when the next school dance was.

  He recalled the day when he had carved their initials in the tree. He had just given Megan her half of the Mizpah and they had ceremoniously placed them around each other’s neck. It was official now: they were bound together forever. After making out for a while, he had taken Megan by the hand and led her across the clearing to the beech tree. He then took out his pocketknife and went to work on the tree trunk.

  The last time he and Megan had been here was around a year ago. They had come home to visit the folks and decided to come up to the Point before heading back to Columbus. He had brought a six-pack of beer and they had spent the afternoon chatting about old times and how much they wanted to have a child. They had been trying for so long but hadn’t had any luck. They were sure that it would happen in time, though—they just had to be patient and keep trying.

  Greshmere’s heart felt like lead as he fought back the despair gripping him. He knew he was fooling himself thinking he could ever get past all of this. His decision to come here to test his resilience had already failed miserably. He was not ready to move on. Nor would he ever be.

  Like a switch being thrown, his grief turned to resolve. He could do this—he had to! He had managed for the last two months—he couldn’t let this get the best of him. He was just going to have to work harder.

  Bolstered now by this dose of self-determination, he shot up off of the railroad tie in a flash and bolted through the clearing in search of Mitzy. He knew which direction to go and in a few minutes came upon the telephone pole path he recalled passing over on his way to the colony. He decreased his altitude and in a short time arrived above the ravine where the colony was. He was just about to re-enter the forest when a tiny yellow bird with black and white wings shot out from the trees, just missing colliding with him.

  “Greshmere!” he heard Mitzy cry as she swiftly circled around and slowed to a hummingbird-like hover in front of him.

  “Mitzy!”

  “How cool is this! I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, man!” she exclaimed.

  “I promised I’d be back! I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”

  “I was just heading out to join Bloomy and the gang and absolutely freaked out when I saw you! So what have you been up to?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Well, I’ve got the rest of eternity—fill me in.”

  “I don’t want to keep you from meeting your friends.”

  “You won’t be—you’re coming along with me!”

  With that, she kicked in the afterburners and shot up like a rocket. Greshmere smiled to himself and followed in pursuit. Mitzy allowed him to catch up and then led the way to the east.

  “It’s going to take us about ten minutes to reach Raven Rocks,” Mitzy said. “Everybody is all psyched out about some new flying game that Spanner dreamed up and today is the first day we’re trying it out. We picked Raven Rocks because it’s a great place for stunt flying. Everyone should be there by now. I got a late start because I was helping Harpy with the chores. So talk to me, Greshmere.”

  “Not sure where to begin, so I guess I’ll just begin with when I saw you last. After I left you that morning, I went into town and discovered that my name actually was Daniel K. in my former life. You were right about those initials in the tree!”

  Greshmere then proceeded to tell Mitzy the entire story from beginning to end. By the time he finished, she had interrupted him only once to express her shock and sorrow.

  “We are going to get you out of your funk, Greshmere—do you hear me? I want you to stay here with us until you get back on your feet, as the humans say. By the time we’re done with you, you’re not going to have time to think about your past! Sound like a plan?”

  Greshmere was surprised at how much better he felt after telling the girl his story. Her optimism was as infectious as always.

  “Sounds like a plan!” he heard himself reply.

  “Groovy! I am so happy you’re gonna do it—we’re gonna have a blast! Look, there are the rocks up ahead. See them? And look at that crazy Spanner flying around the place like a nut!”

  Greshmere peeled his eyes and saw a dozen or so birds gathered around some huge smooth rock formations jutting out from the side of a hillside. One of the birds was flying in an intricate flight pattern as the others looked on.

  Mitzy and Greshmere glided down to where the crowd was gathered.

  “Look who I just ran into!” she exclaimed.

  “Why, it’s Greshmere,” Bloomy said. “How goes it?”

  “Great, Bloomy. Hi, everybody,” Greshmere said.

  After more greetings, Mitzy called to Spanner, “C’mon down, you crazy bird and say hi to Greshmere!”

  Spanner did a quick double-flip then sped down to join them.

  “Hey, Gresh! Good to see you!”

  “Same here, Spanner. I hear you have a new game?”

  “Yeah, and it’s a doozy. Sort of a cross between tag and pinball. It requires a lot of fancy flying though, so you may want to sit this out with the other amateurs,” he jabbed.

  “Ya think?” Greshmere came back good-naturedly.

  “Just kidding! But seriously, it’s a good idea for all of us to get some practice in before actually playing the game. Except for Kenzy and Brea, of course.”

  Greshmere looked questioningly at Mitzy.

  “Oh, you haven’t met our recent newcomers, Greshmere. This is Kenzy and her Doo-Key, Brea,” Mitzy said, motioning toward a tiny bluebird standing beside a female robin. “Kenzy and Brea joined us only a few weeks ago.”

  “Hi,” said Greshmere.

  The robin said, “Nice to meet you, Greshmere. Kenzy is a little shy, yet.”

  “She is still learning how to fly proficiently, so she’s just here to observe,” Mitzy explained. “She’s a newbie, as in a true newborn,” she added.

  “What do you mean?” Greshmere asked.

  “Just like Spanner was when he first came here. Remember? Just a baby!”

  Greshmere recalled their conversation. “Oh yeah, I remember.”

  “Okay, enough of this standing around! Who wants to practice their flips with me?” Spanner said. “Last one up is rotten egg!”

  With that, Spanner took flight. Everyone but Greshmere, Kenzy and Brea followed suit.

  “Come on, Greshmere!” Mitzy called back.

  Greshmere took off and joined her.

  Spanner called out, “Let’s start with single
s. Everybody do a single flip but don’t fly any lower than where I am now!”

  The birds ascended in single file past Spanner with Bloomy in the lead. Greshmere stayed close behind Mitzy so he could figure out what to do. After he had flown past Spanner, Bloomy suddenly broke away from the flock, did a single flip and returned to his position. Aggie fell out of formation next and followed suit. The rest of the birds performed accordingly including Greshmere. Then Spanner joined them and announced the next stunt.

  They continued practicing stunts and maneuvers for the next forty-five minutes until everyone felt prepared enough to learn the game. Spanner then explained how the game was to be played, with Mitzy as his partner. Before long, sides were drawn up and the game commenced.

  An hour or so later the game concluded and the winning team was awarded a prize. The prize was to be the winners' choice of what game to play next time. The top two point makers, which were Spanner and Skeez, were to be the next team captains.

  As the flock commenced its flight back to the colony. Greshmere looked over and noticed the baby bird, Kenzy, struggling to keep up with the rest.

  “Is she going to make it?” he said to Mitzy.

  “Who, Kenzy? Of course she will! She just needs a bit more experience. You’ve got to keep in mind that she has only been out of the nest for a couple of weeks.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing!”

  Greshmere continued watching the tiny bluebird’s wings fluttering sporadically as she determinedly kept pace with the rest of the flock. Her Doo-Key, Brea flew very close behind, keeping a vigilant eye on the chick’s progress. He wondered what it would be like to arrive in heaven as an infant, having had no real life at all to speak of as a human. It was impossible to conceive.

  He then wondered if baby souls like Kenzy and Spanner ever considered rediscovering themselves. Probably not, he figured. After all, their lives had virtually begun in heaven so they knew nothing of their previous existence.