Chapter Six (A count down)

As autumn approaches, herons begin to leave the eelgrass meadows . . .

– The Great Blue Heron/ Robert Butler

 

 

                                           Chapter Six

 On library day, I returned my book The Blue Heron by Avi. I loved it! So did Gabrielle, sharing with me that Maggie in the story was like what she was going through. Guess her folks is getting a divorce. But I had to know if that heron bird was coming back. So, I did me some more research. “not until Spring”, I find out. In the south, birds stay all winter. Gabrielle was right. This migration thing was something new to me. Birds in Mississippi never left. That gave me an idea what to write.

 

Pine Lake, Indiana

Mid-October, 2005

Dear Diary

                           My Secret

                            Mama kept a secret from me.

I’m gonna write my daddy

A secret letter.

                           Sometimes, I feel like my daddy

sent that bird to me.

Once in a dream, he even told me he did.

“He ain’t gonna fly away no more.”

Maybe he can come back, too

Like that heron bird in the Spring.

 

 

I didn’t notice snoopy Victory looking over my shoulder. “What’s your secret, ‘June bug’?” she says real mean-like to her snooty friends Clarrisa and Jennifer. Of course they all laughed and pointed. Didn’t bother me none. I had Gabrielle for a friend.