heads.”
“And his wings are battered. See, here? Like he’d been running into things again and again. I knew something was wrong, but …” His voice trailed off as if his strength had at last wound down.
Sammy said, “I didn’t think birds got blind.”
“Well, they don’t live long if they do. A blind bird’s not even a bird. He can’t fly. He can’t find food or water. He can’t do nothing. He just waits and if he’s lucky he dies fast.”
“Maybe he’s not blind though. You can never tell with a bird. Maybe—”
“Nature don’t help a blind creature.”
“But, listen, maybe—”
“Look at that.” His grandfather put his hand up to the crane’s head. “See? Nothing. No reaction at all. And you can look at the left eye and see it’s injured.” He motioned Sammy around so that he could see.
“How could that happen though?”
“He just ran into something most probably. All the injuries are on this side—the wing, the breast, the eye. From the looks of it, I’d say he flew into some electrical wires.”
“But I see birds sitting on wires all the time. They practically live on wires.”
“Yeah, but if a bird flies into the lead wire and hits another wire at the same time—and a bird the size of this crane could do that real easy—well, he could get a burn like this.” He pointed to the bloody feathers on the bird’s breast. “You see this here and here?” He pointed to the wing, the head.
Sammy nodded. “But why would the other eye be damaged?”
“Well, as I figure it from the look of that burn on his breast and wing, he hit right into the wires and there would be a flash in his face, an electrical flash, and it would be bright enough to burn his other eye. It would be like you staring into the sun for a while. It burns the eye.” He shook his head sadly.
“Does that kind of burn clear up?”
“Sometimes if it’s not too bad. Sometimes it don’t ever get better.” He paused, then added, “If it don’t …”
“If it don’t, what?” Sammy asked quickly.
“Nothing,” his grandfather answered.
“No, I want to know—what? You wouldn’t kill him.”
His grandfather was a long time in answering. Finally he said, “I ain’t going to keep a bird if it’s in misery. Some things ain’t right.”
“But he’s not miserable. How do you know he’s miserable anyway?” Sammy answered. “It’s only your opinion. I don’t think he’s miserable.”
His grandfather looked out beyond the pen. “I’ll tell you something, boy. Life turns out to be a lot more precious than you think. There ain’t nothing more precious. It’s like—”
“But what about the crane?”
“I’m coming around to the crane. First you look up there at the sky.”
“But—”
“Look!” Squinting a little, Sammy looked up. “You know what’s up there, don’t you?” his grandfather said.
Sammy looked and then glanced at his grandfather. “Clouds?”
“Beyond that. Beyond that,” his grandfather continued without waiting for Sammy to answer, “is planets, boy, and then more planets and more planets. They say it goes on like that forever.”
Sammy looked at his grandfather without speaking.
“And sometime, in your lifetime, boy, men are going to get up to the planets. They are going to get to planets you and me never even heard of. And you know what they’re going to find?”
“What?”
“Nothing!” He clamped his mouth shut on the word. “They’re going to find one dead planet after another, that’s what I think. You’ll be picking up the newspaper and reading one sorry headline after another. No life on Jupiter. No life on Mars. No life on this planet. No life on that planet. And not until you’ve seen every one of those headlines, not until you know there’s not any life anywhere, then, boy, is when you’ll know how precious life is.” He glanced at the crane. “I know it right now just by being an old man, or I wouldn’t have carried that crane
“And his wings are battered. See, here? Like he’d been running into things again and again. I knew something was wrong, but …” His voice trailed off as if his strength had at last wound down.
Sammy said, “I didn’t think birds got blind.”
“Well, they don’t live long if they do. A blind bird’s not even a bird. He can’t fly. He can’t find food or water. He can’t do nothing. He just waits and if he’s lucky he dies fast.”
“Maybe he’s not blind though. You can never tell with a bird. Maybe—”
“Nature don’t help a blind creature.”
“But, listen, maybe—”
“Look at that.” His grandfather put his hand up to the crane’s head. “See? Nothing. No reaction at all. And you can look at the left eye and see it’s injured.” He motioned Sammy around so that he could see.
“How could that happen though?”
“He just ran into something most probably. All the injuries are on this side—the wing, the breast, the eye. From the looks of it, I’d say he flew into some electrical wires.”
“But I see birds sitting on wires all the time. They practically live on wires.”
“Yeah, but if a bird flies into the lead wire and hits another wire at the same time—and a bird the size of this crane could do that real easy—well, he could get a burn like this.” He pointed to the bloody feathers on the bird’s breast. “You see this here and here?” He pointed to the wing, the head.
Sammy nodded. “But why would the other eye be damaged?”
“Well, as I figure it from the look of that burn on his breast and wing, he hit right into the wires and there would be a flash in his face, an electrical flash, and it would be bright enough to burn his other eye. It would be like you staring into the sun for a while. It burns the eye.” He shook his head sadly.
“Does that kind of burn clear up?”
“Sometimes if it’s not too bad. Sometimes it don’t ever get better.” He paused, then added, “If it don’t …”
“If it don’t, what?” Sammy asked quickly.
“Nothing,” his grandfather answered.
“No, I want to know—what? You wouldn’t kill him.”
His grandfather was a long time in answering. Finally he said, “I ain’t going to keep a bird if it’s in misery. Some things ain’t right.”
“But he’s not miserable. How do you know he’s miserable anyway?” Sammy answered. “It’s only your opinion. I don’t think he’s miserable.”
His grandfather looked out beyond the pen. “I’ll tell you something, boy. Life turns out to be a lot more precious than you think. There ain’t nothing more precious. It’s like—”
“But what about the crane?”
“I’m coming around to the crane. First you look up there at the sky.”
“But—”
“Look!” Squinting a little, Sammy looked up. “You know what’s up there, don’t you?” his grandfather said.
Sammy looked and then glanced at his grandfather. “Clouds?”
“Beyond that. Beyond that,” his grandfather continued without waiting for Sammy to answer, “is planets, boy, and then more planets and more planets. They say it goes on like that forever.”
Sammy looked at his grandfather without speaking.
“And sometime, in your lifetime, boy, men are going to get up to the planets. They are going to get to planets you and me never even heard of. And you know what they’re going to find?”
“What?”
“Nothing!” He clamped his mouth shut on the word. “They’re going to find one dead planet after another, that’s what I think. You’ll be picking up the newspaper and reading one sorry headline after another. No life on Jupiter. No life on Mars. No life on this planet. No life on that planet. And not until you’ve seen every one of those headlines, not until you know there’s not any life anywhere, then, boy, is when you’ll know how precious life is.” He glanced at the crane. “I know it right now just by being an old man, or I wouldn’t have carried that crane
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