3236. The bird feeder © Bruce Goodman 14 June 2025

The garden was derelict. The grass was long, the hedges were uncut, garden plants had surrendered to the onslaught of weeds. Hanging from a broken branch of an old pear tree was a plastic bird feeder. It was empty of course. No one had filled it with seeds for possibly several years. Phillip wondered who last had lived in this place. There was no building but the foundations of a house were still there. One could see the layout of the garden and it paths. Phillip suddenly felt swamped in nostalgia. He felt sorry for the last inhabitants. He felt sorry for the birds. Wandering down town he purchased some bird seed and returned to the abandoned garden. He filled the bird feeder. That was when he stood on a venomous snake. Contact Author Back to Index Next Story Previous Story