[BBOT] Life, Death and Oil

She felt the soft fluttering of movement beneath her and looked down. With a heavy heart, she watched as her young ones struggled to breathe. They were fighting for life, but they were weak. The toxic fumes filled the air; her throat constricted, her eyes watered. She looked up at the sky. She longed to be up there; to feel the cool breeze and smell the fresh air, but she knew she would never again. Exhaustion swept over her, her head felt heavy. She had worn herself out, struggling to free them from the oily thick sludge that had washed ashore. It was too much and had come too fast. They were overwhelmed. She lowered her head to rest beside her babies. They lay together and waited. For what, she did not know, but she continued to hope.

Splashing.

She raised her head with difficulty. It was so heavy. At first, she couldn't focus, but gradually her sight became clear. She could see the tall, two-legged mammal walking towards them. Human. Her instinct was to retreat, but she paused and looked at her young ones. They were no longer moving beneath her wing. She listened. Their breathing was labored and wheezing, but they still lived. She raised her head and summoned her strength. She managed one loud, piercing squawk, "we are here!" It was all she could do. She hoped it was enough. She did not have the strength to try again. She lay her head down near her youngest and felt the baby move. She knew it was too late for herself, but hoped it was not too late for them. She closed her eyes and released her last breath as it all went dark around her.

A few yards away, the old rat watched as the human knelt beside the family of pelicans. This is good, he thought, the young ones will live. He felt a pang in his chest and a strange mix of emotion; relief, happiness, bitterness and anger. He knew that no human would be looking for him. He watched as the human gently cradled the baby pelicans, securing them for the return trip. The human stood up and turned in his direction. For a moment, it seemed she looked right at him. His heart skipped a beat. Maybe, he had a chance! With fire in his eyes, he struggled to make himself more visible. The human was walking toward him, only a step or two away. The old rat opened his mouth, but the noxious fumes all around him caused his throat to tighten and squeeze shut. He could not make a sound.

With a silent scream “look down! I'm right here!” he watched as she walked by.

The old rat felt despair. He dropped his head, resting it on a small rock just large enough to keep his nose and mouth out of the thick sludge he was trapped in. He twitched. He was tired. He closed his eyes for a moment and wished he could sleep. Somewhere deep within him the anger burned. It was a fire that would not allow him to quit. He opened his eyes and with renewed vigor, focused again on freeing himself. He had no choice. No one was coming for him.


... and far away from shore, beneath the deep waters of the Gulf, the oil continued to flow ...



______________________
Edit: to fix a sentence

[edit on 17-6-2010 by LadySkadi]

My first in the Writing Forum.
Comments are welcome and much appreciated.

Originally posted by LadySkadi
My first in the Writing Forum.
Comments are welcome and much appreciated.

Star and Flag.


You know this has to be about the best "First" attempt I've read in a while. Keep up the good work. Maybe someday soon we can collaborate on a short story.

PEACE
Slay

Good job LS!

Never have I felt such compassion for one of rodent friends.

Originally posted by SLAYER69

Star and Flag.

You know this has to be about the best "First" attempt I've read in a while. Keep up the good work. Maybe someday soon we can collaborate on a short story.

PEACE
Slay

Thank you.

Originally posted by ladyinwaiting
Good job LS!

Never have I felt such compassion for one of rodent friends.

Thank you! much appreciated.

You are a true natural, interesting I too considered creating the story from the eye of an aquatic animal. Your story made me cry and I loved the twist of the little rat.

S@F

S&F

That was truly amazing.

Originally posted by antar
You are a true natural, interesting I too considered creating the story from the eye of an aquatic animal. Your story made me cry and I loved the twist of the little rat.

S@F

Thank you! Really nice of you to say.
Much appreciated.

reply to post by LadySkadi


You really capture the animals concern for life.

Something rare in humans, both for animals, and for other humans.

At least from the lessons I have learned, humans are heartless animals.

Reminded me mildy of Riki Tiki Tavi.

Aw man.

What the hell is wrong with you.

That's the saddest thing I've ever read.

I loved it tho.

seriously tho, that was a really sad disturbing story. But beautifully written and lovely and so true. But sad...

But what happened to the rat? I don't care what you say THAT RAT LIVED HE LIVED!!!

*Izzy crumbles to the floor crying*

Excellent story and very moving!

Keep up the good work!

Originally posted by Wayne60
S&F

That was truly amazing.

Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it.

Originally posted by SpartanKingLeonidas
reply to post by LadySkadi

 

You really capture the animals concern for life.

Something rare in humans, both for animals, and for other humans.

At least from the lessons I have learned, humans are heartless animals.

Reminded me mildy of Riki Tiki Tavi.

Thanks SKL-
I hadn't thought of RTT - but that's a cool analogy.
Just tried to really look at this disaster from a different perspective.

Fantastic story, especially switching points of view from the mother bird to the rat. It was the first time I have actually felt sympathy for a rat. Great job!

Touching.
Maybe we can all learn a lesson from the rat...... nobody is coming for us!

Waiting for a hero is "the strong delusion."

reply to post by Izarith


Awww..... Izarith, the rat DID in fact, live. I called LS to confirm on the living situation and she responded in the affirmative.

He lived! Hossana!

Originally posted by Izarith
Aw man.

What the hell is wrong with you.

That's the saddest thing I've ever read.

I loved it tho.

seriously tho, that was a really sad disturbing story. But beautifully written and lovely and so true. But sad...

But what happened to the rat? I don't care what you say THAT RAT LIVED HE LIVED!!!

*Izzy crumbles to the floor crying*

I would like to believe (I do) the the old rat lived. He fought for it. He deserves it.
Thanks for your comments, they were what I was hoping for, with the story.

Originally posted by Ceriddwen
Excellent story and very moving!

Keep up the good work!

Thank you!
Appreciate your words.

Originally posted by Alethea
Touching.
Maybe we can all learn a lesson from the rat...... nobody is coming for us!

Waiting for a hero is "the strong delusion."

Well said and I agree. I had that thought in mind, as well.

I also thought about the characteristics one may have, or the resources, that would make one more "worth saving" than another. We aren't all the on the same scale, to be sure.