Swallow Betty, SWALLOW!

It was as I walked out of class and turned the corner that I first heard the cackling laughter and shrill whoops and then my eyes were drawn to the forlorn figure that had fallen to the ground while everyone circled and pushed and shoved but never got closer. A poor swallow had strayed into the school building and possibly given itself concussion by trying to fly out of a closed window, ending up flat on it's back on the floor.

"Is it dead?", I asked. "No, no, no!", came the reply. "Perhaps it's sick," I suggested. "No, no, no!", the schoolgirls chanted in chorus as I reached down and scooped up the upturned bird. The little creature seemed comfortable perching on my finger and made no attempt to fly away. I wondered if it were in shock, but didn't know the word for this in Japanese. So after a brief spell of stroking it the girls asked me what it's name was. "Betty" came the reply. "BETTY?" "Yes, Betty". And with that one of the girls grabbed Betty from my finger and passed her round like a toy in a charity shop, until the bell for class rang and I took her back. "What should we do?" asked the girls. "I don't know, perhaps she wants water?", so with the girls trundling off to class I summoned a saucer of water for my charge and sat her in it hoping she would drink. Alas no. So I left her to rest, hoping that when I returned she would have recovered her strength and flown free with the other birds.

Twenty minutes later Betty was still sitting in the saucer of water, so I gently placed her back on my finger and carried her to where the other swallows were flying and swooping, hoping she would catch on and take-off. But no, she just kept looking at me, and I wondered if, like many a cartoon animal, she was going to start seeing me as her mother figure. But no. Seconds later she pooped in my hand and flew off.

Thanks Betty.