One Night Stand

Actually I don’t know why call it one night stand coz you know you don’t just stand. That’s how it was the other night. And you people who had naughty thoughts while reading the line above, let me bring you to an anti-climax and tell the story from the beginning.

That evening as I entered the room, switched on the light, I saw the window wide open and some feathers on my bed. I looked up to see a pigeon couple perched on my fan and flapping their wings. As soon as they saw me, they decided that behaving like still life statues would make me think that they were not real. You know, we humans are not that stupid but are sometimes stupid enough to leave the window open.

I tired to shoo them out of the room but they started to dangerously fly around, hitting the blade of the fan, then sitting on one pelmet and then another. I envisioned bird feathers, blood and mangled bodies of bird on my new bed sheet and decided this strategy would not work.

After a while they decided (as you can see- all parties were thinking and strategizing) the pelmet was the safest spot in the room and stayed put there, not seeing the window across the room from which they could go outside. I hoped they would develop some sense and fly. But no!

Now this is the window where the cat loves to jump in and stay inside when it’s cold. Once it jumped straight onto my bed, right on top my blanket and I thought someone broke in and was trying to strangle me. I screamed with all my might and scared off the poor cat. Now every time it jumps in, it meows to let me know its come! Ok I am digressing and this is a story for another time.

So I got worried that the cat might see the open window and it would come in and find a lovely dinner waiting for it. So I closed the window and on grounds of sympathy decided to let the pigeons stay in. So yeah, basically I spent the night with pigeons in the rooms who first stood, then sat down and then slept. At some point in the night, it started unnerving me that I was sleeping in a room where some pigeons were right on top of my head and I, after watching too many horror films where crows start attacking humans, thought they would go crazy and start pecking at me while I sleep. I have irrational fears sometimes.

I spend the rest of the night on the couch.

Epilogue

The pigeon couple was evicted the next morning, amidst much drama, and using weapons like a long handled mop and pointing out the exit. It seems they really like my room because today morning they were sitting by the window sill, hoping the window would be open. I have learnt my lessons well and that window has been permanently closed.

My human friends have told me that the warm tones of my room (orange, yellow and red) make it look very inviting but I didn’t think the animal kingdom also thinks the same because this brings the count of animal species to pay me a visit to four and still counting.

A lizard which has taken permanent residency, (this reminds me - Sumit, how is your lizzy doing? Mine has decided to hibernate for the winters), seasonal insects, cat and a pigeon.

The snakes which live in the garden downstairs haven’t come as yet and so have the dogs who haven’t quite mastered the art of jumping like cats. Other feathered friends like owls, crows, sparrows, mynas, parrots and peacocks are also not invited inside because I think they look better on the trees outside rather than the pelmet inside.

For more pigeons stories in my home, read here.