I don't remember when we first noticed her, but she'd probably been there for weeks. Maybe months. And it wasn't just her—she had a brood as well. But none of them really looked like her. Maybe they were her friends?
This little group had a home which was built on a rather precarious ledge, but they seemed content being there. There was no nest, and I guess there was no need for one since her babies (assuming they were her babies) had already hatched.
My sister named her Lucy. She was the biggest one in the group. I thought it was a fitting name because she looked like...a Lucy.
Lucy would wake us up with her incessant chirping on some days, and if there was no noise that morning, I'd wonder where she went. Interestingly, she and her family wouldn't really be around once the sun was up. But they always returned at night.
It's a really endearing sight: all of them huddled together, peacefully sleeping on that ledge. I always worried that they'd fall off. But hey, they're birds! I'd try to be as quiet as I could if I needed to go out to the balcony at night. I didn't want to wake them from their sweet slumber. But one day I knocked over a flower pot on the balcony. I looked up at Lucy and gang, expecting them to be gone. But there they were, still peacefully dreaming—probably of their breakfast in the morning.
One afternoon I found Lucy sitting not on the ledge, but on my balcony railing. And then she saw me, but she didn't move. I went out and stood as close as I could to get a good shot of her. And then I went even closer and closer. I'd gotten a ton of pretty pics of her by then. But Lucy didn't fly away. She liked me!
The management decided to give the whole housing a fresh coat of paint one day. They washed the walls and ledges before they started the work. All the twigs and leaves Lucy kept in her home were gone. And then Lucy herself was gone. Days after the paint job was done, the place still reeked of paint. I knew Lucy wasn't going to come back.
Some time later, I went to get something from the balcony. It was late at night. But even in that darkness I noticed a familiar sight—a blob of feathers nestled together on the ledge. It was Lucy and her little gang. Back in their favourite spot. Back in their home.
And that's exactly where she is right now; getting some good rest before a busy day tomorrow. Goodnight and sweet dreams, Lu!
Miks
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