A Bird Most Fowl

At the diner, I ask the questions.

I say, "How are you Raymond?"
I say, "Raymond, can I ask you a question?"
I say, "Would you rather dig a very short tunnel through hard earth in order to escape from a hole or would you rather climb a long distance in order to escape from this hole?"

I do not know where the question comes from. The diner is all whispers today and my question is heard by all six customers. Three roofers from one roofing company, two roofers from another, and Raymond. I stack the plastic coffee cups. I polish silverware and wipe the counters. Belle Star stops her swearing because she is thinking about my question over potatoes and onions.

The bird comes through the door. A starling that sings an ugly song like wind chimes kicked by too forceful wind. Belle Star stops her cooking. "Motherf***er, I know you didn't just fly into my diner." The bird flits above the stove and then perches on top the coffee maker. The customers exchange quick glances and Belle Star opens a drawer below the cash register.

Raymond clears his throat and wipes his mouth with a napkin. "Curt," he says.

Belle Star takes out a gun, a small revolver, and cocks the hammer. "You have five seconds to get the f*** out of here," she says to the starling.

The other customers leave quickly and it is just me and Raymond, Belle Star and the bird. Belle Star shoots. An eruption of sound. A cloud of dust and through this cloud, the bird perseveres. It flies in panicked circles and Belle Star takes aim again, until the bird finds the door from which it came and leaves, carrying with it a new song, like gunfire.

"Curt," Raymond says, "what's outside the hole?"
"Curt," Raymond says, "if you've fallen so far into the earth, how will you know that what's on the outside will still be there when you manage to make your way out of the hole?"
"Curt," Raymond says, "what will you do once you've made your way outside the hole? Don't you think that things would be different because you've achieved a difficult escape? Wouldn't things seem boring?"

Belle Star puts the gun back in the drawer.
I can hear the sirens.
Raymond waits for an answer.

He waits. He stands up. He pays.

He passes the officers on his way out.


They ask Belle Star many questions.