Two Reasons to be Curious.

It’s a curious fact that if you’re subjected to a noise while you’re asleep, you still hear it in a way that’s quite different from a dream. That was how the woman’s voice I heard early this morning sounded. I didn’t recognise the voice, but it called my name clearly. I half woke and then heard it again. The second time it woke me up completely. I looked at the clock: 6.30. And then I went back to sleep.

At twilight this evening a dark coloured bird appeared out of the gloom and flew past me so swiftly that I only managed the briefest glance at it. I didn’t recognise the bird either. And two things about it were odd. Firstly, its wing beats were silent, unlike the usual garden birds whose wings make a rapid fluttering noise when they fly. Secondly, it flew a straight course to within inches of my arm. None of the garden birds ever do that.

The thought struck me that the two occurrences might have been connected in some way. Whether they were or not, I don’t know. And whether I shall ever find out remains to be seen.