Cut Short

By Rebecca Olsen

Blades whirr violently against the long grass, whipping up a fresh sweet smell to dull the intoxicating odour of gasoline.

Hidden, a chick hobbles, freshly fallen from the nest. Unaware of the power of its wings, it watches the noisy oncoming traffic innocently.

“You disappear into another world when you are gardening.”

Remembering the words brings Theo to his senses. A movement. His heart jumps. His hands fly from the controls. His heart thumps.

The chick breaks the ensuing silence with rapid calls. Theo carefully returns it to the nest several metres up.

“It was centimetres from death,” he later recalls.