73 THE PIGEONS

CHAPTER 73 THE PIGEONS In the very heart of the city was a great swath of greenery. The old park. It had rolling lawns and flower gardens and dense wooded areas. It had lakes and ponds and fountains. It had playgrounds and benches and miles of cobblestone pathways. It also had pigeons. Thousands and thousands of pigeons. The city pigeons witnessed things you wouldn't believe. Nothing shocked them. They certainly weren't shocked by robots. So when Roz marched into the middle of the park, the pigeons there weren't troubled in the least. She approached a flock that was about a hundred birds strong, all cooing and strutting across the cobblestones as if they owned the place. But as Roz stomped closer and closer, the pigeons scuttled out of the way to let her pass by. However, Roz didn't pass by. She stopped and glanced around, and when she saw that she was alone

with the pigeons, she started speaking to them in the language of the animals. "Hello, pigeons, my name is Roz." The pigeons cocked their heads, which meant, "Is this robot actually speaking to us?" "Yes, I am actually speaking to you," continued Roz. "I am searching for my son. He is a goose named Brightbill. Have you seen him?" For the first time in a long time, the pigeons were shocked. Several of them fluttered away from the talking robot, but most were too curious to leave. One pigeon was so curious that she strutted out from the flock and right up to the robot. "Let me get this straight," said the curious pigeon. "Your name's Roz, and you've got a son named Brightbill, who's a goose?" "That is correct." "I can't believe it!" The pigeon flapped her wings and turned to the others. "You guys, this is Roz! From Graybeak's stories! Remember?" The flock began cooing excitedly. "You have heard of Graybeak?" said Roz. "Everyone's heard of Graybeak!" said the pigeon. "A while back she started telling stories about a

goose whose mother was some kind of wild robot. We all thought she was joking, but I guess not!" "She was not joking," said Roz. "But I have lost my son, and I do not know how to find him. Perhaps Graybeak could help. Do you know where she is?" "I hate to tell you this, Roz, but Graybeak is dead." The birds all lowered their heads. "Ya know, life ain't easy for us pigeons. We only live a few years out here, if we're lucky. But we were especially sad when we lost Graybeak. She was one of the best." The others cooed in agreement. "I am sorry for your loss," said Roz. "I wish I had gotten to meet Graybeak. My son was very fond of her." The pigeon gazed up at the robot with a steely look in her eye. "Any friend of Graybeak is a friend of

ours. If Brightbill is lost, we're gonna find him." She turned to the others. "You heard me, flock! Hit the skies! And tell every pigeon you see to start searching for a goose named Brightbill!" At those words the flock erupted into flight. Only the robot and the curious pigeon remained. "By the way, they call me Strutter," said the pigeon, fluffing out her chest feathers. "It is very nice to meet you, Strutter," said the robot. "Thank you for searching for Brightbill. What can I do to help?" "You can help by staying put! I want you in this park when we return with your son. Don't hide or wander off and make us go searching for you too! "Oh, and another thing," Strutter added. "Stay away from the park ranger robot. He spends most of his time taking care of the grounds, but he's always on the lookout for troublemakers." The pigeon gave a quick salute to the robot. Then she joined the search for Brightbill.