Only just a dream

His feet uncomfortably shuffled on the branch. All that lay before him was the coal black night. Low gutteral sounds emanated from below.

This was his chance to break free. Pushing off from the branch he spread his wings and silently took off into the night. The scenery before him swirling in a tangled mess. Objects contorted and time continued to slip by. Nothing made sense anymore. All he knew was that he had to escape. It was now or never.

Thoughts raced through his mind. He had lost hope. Could he break free?. Would he see her again?. Was there any time left?.

He could smell the pungent musty scent. Taste the bitter blood upon her body. He longed achingly for the touch of her soft feathers against his. The constant beating of her heart; thudding as he pressed into her. Warmth emanating off her heaving body; electric tension building in the air. The only source of light coming from the sky above. Trickling in through the crevices around them. Illuminating the flecks of brown and white upon her.

He couldn’t give up hope. She was waiting for him. Waiting for him to return. He had promised her. As he had placed his head against that warm smooth surface he knew he didn’t have much time. They would be here soon and they needed his protection. They counted on him.

He had scoured the ground night after night hungrily scanning for any movement in the scrub below. The warm blood of his prey thudding as he drew closer. Screeching of terror scarring the silence of the night as he caught hold of them. Digging deep into their flesh and hacking through their corpses. The sound of bones crunching and cracking under his immense weight and power. When he was through; their lifeless bodies would be carried away. High into the tree tops to feed her. To satisfy her insatiable appetite; and when she was through he would discard the remnants of their victim. Tossing the remains upon the ground below. The gentle thud before silence enveloped the dark again.

He turned to face her. Locking his eyes into her coal black gaze. The penetrating stare barring into his soul. Tension rose within him. Heat rising from inside. He moved in closer. Pushing into her soft body. The contented sounds the only source breaking the dead of night. Their bodies pressed tight against one another as they stood silently staring out at the vast landscape. The inky black sky staring back. The sounds of the nocturnal echoing through. An occasional flutter of wings and buzzing of the insects. They continued to watch the night unfold. Silent and still. Nowhere else they needed to be. Nothing else they needed to do. They sat together and in the company of one another; he knew it felt like home.

As time moved on the dawn began to break; rippling through the land below. Casting light upon the shadows and illuminating the beauty below. The ground was covered with the thick green undergrowth of foliage. A narrow path winding through its midst. Tall trunks rose from the ground. Blocking out the heat of the sun. The vegetation was dense and vast. Providing shelter to the animals below. A safe place to live and grow. The heavy scent of the earth penetrating their nostrils. In the distance the trickling of a nearby stream. Ebbing through the forest; providing a source of nourishment for those needing it the most.

As they watched the landscape come to life their weary eyes hung heavy. The dark beckoned them to come forth. Falling into a deep sleep; the sounds from around and below fell away. Like distant echoes they too left this world behind.

Swirling thoughts once again entered his mind. The twisting and twirling of his dreams and hopes fading away. The echoing of the dawn reverberating through his mind.

Scraping and shuffling came to life. Lifting and heaving sprang forth. Voices rising and falling. Once again the morning had begun. The heavy scent of coffee filled his nostrils. The sound of laughter ringing through his ears. They would come soon. Every morning they came.

As time slipped by and the dawn sprang forth so too did they. Tall khaki figures appeared below his perch. Hands rising from the depths. Reaching out and moving around. The only thing separating them was the thick glass and a rope hung to the side. Lights flicked on and his new world was once again painfully illuminated. Below a small sign the only indication of the distant memory of his life. The words painfully etched into the plaque.

“Australian barn owl. Commonly found throughout the forests and wooded areas of Australia. These species are nocturnal predators found amongst the trees. Feasting upon rodents, insects and frogs. They can be found in pairs or singularly.

Locke was found alone in 2004 and brought to us here at Tamooka Zoo. Locke’s favourite past time is the night”.

That was all he had left. A glass cage preventing him from escape back home; and a plaque with a stupid name etched into it.

He wasn’t alone; he never had been. He did have her; but was she still eagerly awaiting his return?. Or had she moved on?. Had too much time lapsed between his departure?. His babies now fully grown and with families of their own. Never knowing who their dad was. Would the next time he see them be in a dream?. In another life where he would finally be free again?. He didn’t know because nothing made sense anymore and it was only just a dream.