Hawks and Illusions

I heard the large bird hit the window, and I shuddered. I love birds and delight in watching them. As I walked to the window, I hoped to see a stunned bird who would soon right himself and fly away.

Instead, I saw a bird on its back, legs up, dead. Quickly, I turned my eyes away. Nearby, a large bluish gray bird I assumed to be his partner watched from the patio wall as my husband removed the carcass. My heart broke, thinking a pair had been separated by death.

The next morning that same bluish gray bird returned to the patio wall, looking for the missing one. I burst into tears and ran to my husband. "That bird is back to look for his partner! It makes me so sad."

He said, "Nancy, the bird who died was a quail. This bird you're looking at is a hawk, returning to look for a meal he thought he would get."

His words changed everything. This hawk looked different from those I normally see, and I didn't recognize a predator. Oh, my, the stories I can make up in my head!

You write it: Are there stories you have made up in your head that you need to share with someone, to get a different perspective?