Tuesday, July 07, 2009

In which two hawks are held by their talons in the desert

The Atlas of Curiosities: Part 20

When we saw her she was far away from anyone else, out where the wind turned the sand into pieces of burning sky.  She was alone, and in her hands she held two hawks, which struggled only lightly, and opened and shut their eyes as if trying to rouse themselves from a mirage.

She beckoned towards us, holding out the hawks, but we were slow to approach her.

We grew curious, wondering what would happen if she released the birds’ talons and allowed them to move freely.  As we wondered this, she did, and the raptors lay still on her palms as if asleep in malarial haze.