babel

I felt the sudden rocking of the small boat we had taken as it skimmed past an underwater mangrove growth. An outlying branch almost cut my skin as I shifted with the boat. This place was unfamiliar, water unclear, plants--most of which I've never seen. I heard the cacophony of birds, probably confused at me, a strange intrusion in their undiscovered ecological bubble. Here in the jungle, nothing is certain.

The boat continued gliding, gathering tree litter and strings of seaweed-like plants at the helm. "Ca, coo, caw," as a bird dove towards a tree. The scuffle caused branches to shake, allowing the only wind I've felt over the past four hours blow on my forehead. The bird was indeed large, a wingspan of possibly three feet, plumage was unique to the region. I asked the local I hired to steer the boat if he had seen it before. He shrugged and motioned towards my left with great force. His dark, dirty hands shaking frantically.

There were hundreds of them as we passed silently under the outcrop of trees. The local and I lay back and looked up in wonderment. Birds, beautiful birds spiraling upward towards heaven as tiny beams of sun crept through the foliage. In the center, there he was, magnificent monster I hadn't noticed before, but he had a crown of feathers stemming from his head. The local smiled, yellow teeth shining against his skin. "King," he said. "King."