“But you have never been a scout, " she said.
“Yes,” I agreed, “but I know these woods, and I will do a terrific job.”
So she hired me as her scout.
I showed her the layout of my bank, and we peeked at my eggs.
I have to incubate them tomorrow, I warned her
So I will have to have tomorrow off.
She could see that she had hired the right kingfisher
When I took her to see the bee-eaters,
mot mots, todies and ground rollers.
It was unfortunate when Uncle Azure flew too hard at his tree and fatally injured himself, falling at her feet.
A friend of yours? She asked me.
“A relative,” I told her.
She hired me, and I showed her the kingfisher family
in Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
She was amazed at our long pointed bills and long heads.
I was amazed that she wanted to give me paper as payment,
when I wanted bugs and invertebrates.
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