It’s been eight days. Eight days since we finally stepped into the long-awaited new year. Eight days since something more unexpected happened, but am I permitted to talk about it? If I talk about it will anyone believe me?
You’re doing the math. Everyone always does the math when one specifies the number of minutes or hours or days or years since an event happened. You have surmised that the day my life changed was New Years as we stood balanced on the cusp of 2020 and 2021.
This was the year I finally got to celebrate New Years my way. I queued up my favorite selection of chick flicks, lined up my favorite toppings on the counter, and bought an extra quart of vanilla ice cream—just to be safe.
“Sundae celebration for one. I think so.” I smiled as I liberally poured toppings onto the ice cream in my bowl and smothered the concoction with homemade hot fudge.
Halfway through the third movie, I glanced at the clock and realized midnight was only five minutes away. “Time to switch to the ball. Sorry, ladies.” I smiled at the actresses on the screen as a tap of my finger disappeared them from sight.
Another click brought the ball in Times’ Square onto the screen. I let it hypnotize me as I tuned out the commentator’s thoughts on the preceding year and what we have to look forward to in 2021. Maybe I should have listened. It could have prepared me for what has been happening. That’s just wishful thinking though. Nothing could have prepared me for the completely unexpected.
I raised my spoon, once again laden with ice cream, crunched up cookies, nuts, and chocolate sauce. “Here’s to 2021. Hope it is better than 2020.”
Then the ball gently descended. As it reached its destination, welcoming the new year, a soft breeze blew across my face, causing me to look to my right. I gasped as I realized an ostrich stood at my side. He trilled at me in what I hoped was a friendly manner but I scooted away from him anyway.
He shook his head, stretching his slender neck toward me and regarding me with huge, dark eyes. He opened his mouth again.
Instead of trilling at me again, he spoke in a soft voice with a hint of a British accent. “It’s time to choose, child. Will you uphold the code of chivalry and take the Vow of the Ostrich as you enter into this new and unprecedented year.”
“Umm…” I stammered. “Did you just speak?”
“Yes, I did. Didn’t you hear me?”
I nodded my head.
“And you understood?” The bird took a couple tentative steps toward me and peered into my eyes.
I nodded again.
“So what is your answer?” When I still didn’t open my mouth, he flapped his wings, stirring up the air around me and filling it with fluttering feathers. “Did you forget how to speak, girl?”
“No,” I finally forced out a word.
“Then you do not wish to make the Vow of the Ostrich?”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea what is going on.” I looked down at the bowl of ice cream soup still clutched in my hand. “It must be all the sugar.” I placed the bowl on the coffee table and closed my eyes. “One. Two. Three. Four…”
“How high are you planning to count?” The ostrich interrupted.
My eyes flew open. “Until you disappear…”
“I can not disappear until you answer my question. I begin to think the home office didn’t contact you.”
“The home office?”
If it were possible to frown with a beak, the ostrich would have benefitted from that ability. He somehow managed to scowl with enough disapproval to be felt three states away without it though. As it was, I felt very sheepish for somehow bringing his disapproval down on me.
“Let me give you the quick and dirty explanation and then you can decide, but please listen carefully, I have other vows to witness tonight.”
I nodded my head, biting my lip and hoping the sugar would wear off soon. The beginning of 2021 shouldn’t be hallucinations of gigantic birds offering to induct me into a society so secret that I have never heard even a rumor of it. As the ostrich told me about the Vow of the Ostrich to remain chivalrous and kind even if it means sticking our heads in the sand, so to speak, in order to overlook the faults of others, I nodded slowly. In light of recent events, sticking my head in the sand didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Ah, yes, you would like to take the vow? Excellent! Excellent!”
Before I could reply, he produced a scroll from under one wing. He pressed his beak to it, leaving an imprint. “Sign above my seal.”
Confused by the sudden appearance of a pen in his other wing, I took it and signed my name. But now I am a member of whatever group makes the Vow of the Ostrich. And how do I find out about that? Can I just summon the ostrich back? Do you know?
Are you an ostrich?
~~So, dear readers, should I dive deeper into this train of thought? Seems like a lot of us are already took a similar vow. I am trying to avoid reading too many posts on social media right now because the world has gone crazy… So many things to write, so many time. So hard to choose which to move to the top…~~
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