I walk into my kitchen at home, and the central block of counter space, which is usually mostly clear, is piled with stuff. Over near the end are three bongs, which I assume belong to my stepdaughter, or belonged, as it appears she has abandoned them here. The rest of the counter top is a bird cage and other bird supplies, among them a dead parrot, lying in the open on a newspaper. It seems that her bird died and she deposited all the stuff here.

But as I'm looking it over, the bird starts to move. It's actually not the bird carcass that I thought it was; there is a different pile of feathers, which the bird apparently shed. The bird, which has lost almost all its feathers, squirms around a bit, like it is very nearly dead but still has some life in it.

I think I should take it to the vet, so I look for the number for a pet emergency. For some reason I open the door to the back deck just a little, but there are two cats - a rather small white one, and a somewhat larger tan-colored one - right at the door, trying to get in, so I close the door again real quick.