“Squeaks, there’s a bear out there!” said Momanita.
“Bear!”
I hoped it wasn’t a grizzly. They weren’t friendly. When Momanita and I watched a TV program about Yellowstone National Park, I hid my eyes under my wing when a hungry grizzly spotted a lone bison. I’m glad grizzlies didn’t eat cockatiels!
“There’s also a dog. He’s chasing a lion.”
“A dog chasing a lion? Do lions eat dogs? Do lions eat cockatiels?”
Dogs didn’t have the best judgement. Cockatiels did. My rolly coop kept me safe.
To other hootmans this sounded like squeals and whistles, but not to Momanita. She MOSTLY understood cockatiel speak. I MOSTLY understood hootman talk.
“A dragon flew around them all.”
“A dragon! That’s worse than an owl terror bird.”
“Wait a minute. Dragons are make-believe.”
Momanita’s smile let me know she teased me.
More Than Meets The Eye
“I AM teasing. Constellations, groups of stars in the sky, form images of the bears and others. At least that’s what humans long ago thought when they star gazed. I wonder how many constellations there are.”
When Momanita wondered, she thought of questions.
When she thought of questions, she looked for answers.
When she looked for answers, she needed my help.
“Aren’t the constellations inspiring, Squeaks?” asked Momanita. “I saw the stars. I didn’t see the constellations until I used the app StarView. With practice I’ll find them without the app.”
“It’s late, Squeaks. Almost your bedtime, but . . . “
“It’s never too late to inspire and write.”
I climbed out of my rolly cage into my writing nest. Momanita climbed the stairs to HER writing nest. She scooted her chair to the computer and tapped the keyboard. I perched on top the writing nest.
Two Dog Night
“I only saw a few of the constellations. According to Google, there are 88 of them. There are two dogs. One is named Canis Minor or Lesser Dog. The other dog is Canis Major, Greater Dog. It’s too far south to see.”
“If we visited Australia where cockatiels live, we could see it.”
I’d like to visit Australia, my homeland.
“Long ago people watched the night sky and thought of stories about them.”
“That’s like what we do! I think of posts and you write them for me!”
“Canis Minor’s story is that Zeus, a powerful god, turned Lesser Dog into stone and put him in the sky.”
I’m glad Zeus wasn’t around anymore. I liked Zoey and Maggie, the doggos that visited me. I wouldn’t want them to be stone.
Lion’s Share
“The lion’s official name is Leo. It’s one of the bigger constellations.”
“Did Zeus turn the lion into stone, too?”
“The lion was more of a monster than a lion. It scared the villagers.”
“Owl terror birds scare me.”
“Hercules, a strong hero, defeated the lion. Later, it was placed in the night sky because it’s the king of beasts.”
“The night sky, far away from villagers and cockatiels, is a safe place for it!”
Bear Up
“Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are the bears,” said Momanita. “Ursa Major is Great Bear and Ursa Minor is Lesser Bear.”
“Are they grizzly bears or black bears or koala bears?”
I like koala bears. They eat eucalyptus leaves not cockatiels.
“The bears weren’t always bears. They were women. Zeus turned them into bears to protect them. Then he turned them into stars to keep them safer.”
“I think the world is safer without Zeus.”
I wouldn’t like being a star.
What’s Your Story?
“All this time the sky held stars, the stars formed constellations, and the constellations told tales. I didn’t know the stories until I took the time to know them better.”
Momanita figured out I could write because she took the time to know me better.
“You know ME better,” I said. “That’s important. We should write about that.”
“Let’s write about how it’s important to take the time to really know others, their stories. Then we’ll get along better.”
I scooted up Momanita’s arm to her shoulder and dictated my post.
To other hootmans this sounded like squeals and whistles, but not to Momanita. She MOSTLY understood cockatiel speak. I MOSTLY understood hootman talk.
Anita Borgo 