Birds Whisper.

A fresh start was all Thomas needed. A new beginning from the chaos that disturbed his peace. Moving to this new city just might be what he needs, moving to this new house just might be what he needs. Everything he left behind is in the past, it's a new painting now, a new start.

Thomas shuts his car door. He takes a paper that's caught in this car wheel and scrunches it. The paper consisted of a missing child....

"So many missing childre-"

"Welcome new neighbor!"- Says a voice coming behind Thomas.

"Oh, thank you! I'm Thomas, I came from Australia!"- Thomas turns around to greet the kind old lady.

"Nice to Meet you Thomas, I'm Teresa from across the road. Australia! The capital city of birds."- She cackles.

"Oh, tell me about it, hoped to get away from those scrummy, loud animals once moving."

"Hm. the birds here are probably no different."- Teresa adds.

A loud bell suddenly occurs, Thomas turns around to hear where the bell is coming from. Rapidly turning around, a door from a massive house that seen in the distance not far from Thomas's new house opens. Dozens and dozens of little kids start to run out.

"CHILDREN. Stop at the gate!"- Shouts a nun who rushes through the door.

"An orphanage? That was an orphanage? I thought that was some crazy rich person's house."- Thomas turns to look at Teresa.

"Yep, Sista Carrie's Orphanage, established since 1987 by 4 nuns. "

"Now. Jeremy?"- The nun raises her voice.

"Here!"

"Eliza?"

Here!"

"Tia?"

"Here Sista Jane!"

The list goes on and on and on.....

"Now, you all have free time, you may head over to the park now."- She opens the gate.

The kids swiftly rush out of the gate, heading past Thomas's new house to the destination of the park.

"Afternoon Teresa!"

"Afternoon Te Te!"

The many kids who ran past us all waved and happily greeted Teresa, most of them also had nicknames for her.

"Afternoon my lovelies!"- She gracefully waves.

"I found this pink flower just for you, Teresa!"- The young girl hands a daisy to Teresa.

"Aw, Thank you beautiful! Now off you go, don't want to miss your free time!"- Teresa looks up to glance at the nun.

The nun walks by. "Welcome new fellow Neighbour!"- She nods her head.

"Thanks!" - I quickly say before she walks off.

A loud swarm of birds come out of nowhere, the tranquil chirping embraces and welcomes the family of birds through the soft melody that plays as each bird flies to the tree. They all sit on a tree that's sits in the orphanage 's front yard.

"There's the birds! Anyways, I must go now, it was lovely to meet you, Thomas. Please feel absolutely free to come over if there are any troubles. I mean it."

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day

I wake up from my wildest dreams,

Oh, what is that I hear?

A chirping bird? By my window.

Chirp, chirp

"Hm?"

Chirp, chirp

The bird is chirping right up against the window.

The bird's sweet tune,

Melody fills the still air,

Morning singing,

To start the day.

~~~~~~~~~~

As Thomas walks towards the orphanage to direct myself towards the grocery store. The bell once again goes off, the kids come running out the doors to play in the massive and open front yard. Some head towards the swing, some started playing games, and some went running up to a tree that holds all the birds that flew from the clouds.

~Chirp, chirp , Chirp, chirp , Chirp, chirp~

The kids are giggling... The kids are laughing... the kids understand the birds?

I walk past the tree that sits in the front yard in a fenced corner.

"Excuse me new stranger, that bird told me you're from Australia!"- The little boy points to the bird.

How did he know?

Thomas looks at the kid.

"Sorry?" - He says looking at all the kids staring at him.

~Chirp, chirp ~

Thomas looks at the chirping bird. "Did he now? What a smart bird!"

"But... That's not a bird!"- The young boy looks at Thomas.

"Yeah, that's a little girl."- A voice added.

Sorry?

"And what do you mean that's not a bird...?" - Thomas questions.

"Well the birds that come to this tree, speak to us!"

"They tell us secrets!"

Secrets?

~Chirp, chirp , ~Chirp, chirp ~

"What is the bir- I mean girl saying now?"- Thomas's confusingly asks.

They all listen...

~Chirp, chirp , ~Chirp, chirp ~

"Hm. Apparently, there's this crow who kills all the unwanted baby birds."

~~~~~~~~~~

Such a big walk to the groceries that I have now found myself sitting down for a quick rest.

The birds appear again...

They look like the birds from around my street.

~Chirp, chirp , ~Chirp, chirp ~

Oh. I guess it is the same birds...

~Chirp, chirp ~

"I'm not an orphan, I don't speak bird language." He laughs to himself.

~Chirp, chirp, Chirp, chirp~

~ The day the full moon appears, is the day the trade disappears, of the unwanted and unloved, chirp~

~~~~~~~~~~

12 AM at night

I wake up from my wildest dreams,

It's only 1 am.

~Chirp, chirp ~

"Not you again!"- I bang on the window.

I squeeze the pillow into my face with frustration. "This is worst than Australia."

~BANG~

A loud noise from downstairs hits the front door. I get up to go check it...

As I slowly walk towards the front door, my heart beat starts to accelerate. The footsteps echoed in the silent night as I tried to shake off the unease that had settled in my bones.... 1, 2... 3!

I open the door.

~Chirp, chirp ~

"Are you serious?"- I say looking at a bird with a broken wing.

Suddenly, a car starts to approach my street and I watch it go past my house as I quickly get behind my car. It heads towards the orphanage.

Creaking noises, engines, footsteps... that's all I hear.

I peak under my car.

A nun walks out the orphanage, a man walks out of the car. She hands him a massive rubbish bag that is carried by 2 other people who got out of the car.

"And this is for you Sista Carrie."- The unknown man hands her a bulky bag.

~Money is the root to all evil~

Who said that?

~I did~

Huh? Something is reading my mind...

I crawl around the car to discover the appearance of this voice.

~Chirp, chirp ~

I stop.

"Was that you speaking?"

~Shhh, they haven't finished the trade yet~

.......

"Y-you, can speak?"

~Well now that you've witnessed the trade, you can hear me~

"What do you mean trade?"- I say.

~Chirp, chirp~

I go back to watching the trade occur.

"I don't understand..."- I look at the bird.

~Those who witness the crime in this trade business, can hear beyond natures gift, chirp, chirp. The kids in the orphanage can only hear secrets we tell them because they are the closest people to witness the trade, but no you've witnessed the trade~

The car door slams. They drive off.....

"So, then. What exactly are they trading...?"- I question.

~Well, you can always ask Sista Teresa about it~

~~~~~~~~~~

10 am the next morning

"Hello? Teresa, Teresa?"- I knock on the door.

"Oh, hey Thomas! I just made tea come in."

"Well that's great because I need to talk to you."

"Do tell dear, what's on your mind." - She sits him down and brings over a kettle of hot tea.

Thomas stares at the 6 flowerpots in the kitchen that holds variety of flowers.

"The birds..."- I say.

Teresa places the kettle down.

"Did you witness it..."- Teresa looks at Thomas.

Thomas nods. "They were telling me all these secrets that lie within the orphanage."

Teresa exhales. "I didn't want to tell you about it firsthand, I knew you would catch it eventually."

"But, Teresa. What are they actually trading? The birds won't tell me"

"Dead unwanted children..."

...

"Excuse me..."- I stop myself.

"The chirping birds are all of the unwanted kids who were sadly murdered before being traded by the nuns. The birds try to warn the kids, but I'm not allowed to interfere and tell the kids what they are saying. For some reason only us nuns could understand." - She pours more tea in her glass.

"You're a nun?"

"Were. I used to work there. That's why I keep all those flowers, it's a way the nuns tell me how they are taking away another poor, innocent life" - She sips her glass.

"Whatever you do, don't go anywhere near the orphanage. And do not tell a single soul about this. "- She continues.

"I can't just leave it like this, I have to tell the police, we have to tell the police. How come you've never told anyone about this?"- Thomas get ups.

"You can't, remember... the birds. Whatever you do, don't listen to them. They just want their life back."

~~~~~~~~~~

11pm at night

I can't sleep, I can't stop thinking about it.

I can't just not tell anyone...

~Chirp, chirp~

I sigh. "You obviously want something from me. At least your wing is fixed now." - I lay back down.

~Missing~

"What?"

~The walls, chirp~

"I still don't understand, you were speaking fine last time."

~I want revenge, will you help me? ~

"No, I'm not trying to get myself in trouble."- I assert.

~But what if, you reborn as a bird, who tells secrets. You could really help heaps of us dead children~

~~~~~~~~~~

45 Minutes Later

As Thomas walks outside, he holds his gun in place. Dozens of birds fly over, without making a sound as they gently sit on the big tree.

Thomas opens the gate. Getting closer and closer towards the house.

Kicking the door down, he helps himself inside.....

*GUN SHOTS* *GUN SHOTS* *GUN SHOTS*

"911 What's your emergency?"

"I would like to turn myself in for the murder of all those missing kids in Chicago."

~~~~~~~~~~

5 Years Later

Till this day, no one ever believed Teresa when she confesses how Thomas was never the real criminal... She burnt the orphanage down and complained to the police that teenagers committed arson. Sometimes Thomas comes to visit Teresa, but really, he just wants "help" to revive his life.

~Chirp, chirp~