Queer Quire - 1. Chapter 1

Quire knocked at the door and waited. He really had no idea why he was here, though the little pessimist inside him was screaming, ‘Danger’. Gulping, he glanced upwards and his small eyes fell on the huge, ancient castle. ‘United Nest of Golden Wings’ was written in gold letters, still glinting after centuries. But the walls of stones with thick ivy creeping on them were nothing like a nest. In fact, if he had to choose, he would say that it looked more like a prison.

The door opened and a snowy-white owl appeared, with small specs on his beak and a scroll held on his right wings.

“Quire DeBavarde?” he asked in a severe tone, and the young pink flamingo nodded. “Enter. The Vice-Chancellor is expecting you.”

The owl motioned Quire to follow him. The corridor was really long and full of massive doors. A few times, he would see other birds passing by -- a proud rooster, a White Egret who looked as arrogant as the rooster, and even two little hummingbirds humming to each other. Once, a door on which was written ‘External Affairs’ opened, and when he peeked inside, Quire saw two Emperor Penguins arguing vigorously with a parrot.

“Here,” the owl said, as he came to a halt in front of a huge teak door. It was very different from the other doors in the corridor. Not only it was more immense, but also intricate carvings depicting various historical scenes could be seen on it. In the middle was illustrated the Ultimate Meeting, where the representatives of all species of birds on the Earth had once met and talked on various issues. It was the most important event in Bird History. Quire was still admiring this masterpiece when the door was opened and he was pushed inside.

Quire didn’t even hear the door close because he was too pre-occupied by the Golden Eagle who stood in front of him. It was the first time he had seen a real one up so close. And it was…majestic!

“Quire!” the huge bird said, with pleasant surprise dripping in his voice despite the fact that Quire had come on appointment. Perhaps, it was the usual way to greet here. “Welcome. I hope you had no problem finding the place.”

“No, Sir. It was ok,” Quire spoke for the first time since he had arrived at the castle.

“You must be wondering why I called you. Right?” the eagle asked as the flamingo nodded. “Well, before I give you the good news, let me show you a few things.”

He led Quire to the extreme left. As he walked, Quire looked around and saw that the huge room, or rather hall, was adorned with huge paintings of birds. Some of them were those of Golden Eagles themselves but there were also other species too.

“This, Quire,” the Golden Eagle said proudly as he pointed to a painting, “is my great-great-great-great-grandfather. He’s the one who built this beautiful place.” If the castle was intimidating, it was nothing as compared to its builder. Quire just hoped that the coldness in the eyes of the portrait was a figment of the painter’s imagination.

“This is my great-great-great-grandfather who was the founder of United Nests of Golden Wings, the committee for the welfare of birdkind. And this is Henry McCorny,” he continued, now in front of the portrait of a strangely gaudy small bird, “alias, the famous Ugly Duckling, the one who revolutionized the children’s tales. He introduced the stupid humans to a sense of beauty and acceptance. This is The Dove, which helped Noah to find land by being loyal to him. Without him, nothing would have existed. Here is the Dodo, who shed his last flesh to feed famished shipwrecked sailors. A true story of self-sacrifice. Giving up last thread of their existence.”

And he kept showing him the paintings that depicted great birds. Every time, Quire would just stand and nod, though he was gradually becoming tired. But the big bird showed no signs of exhaustion.

“We birds have been everywhere. We’re in mythology and religion, where we are given status of deities. We are the symbols of political power and are always present on the emblems of great countries. We’re in children’s stories, adult literature, movies, songs…everywhere!”

The Golden Eagle’s voice kept increasing with each word, as well as the conviction and force in it. It reminded Quire of the speech of a politician he had heard a few months ago. He wondered if this one was heart-learnt too. But it remained impressive.

“But man is slowly forgetting our place in the society. They think we’re small things and only cats and dogs are animals!” he continued. “The other animals have started invading our space. It’s time to go and show them our true value. And for this, you’re going to help us!”

“Me?” Quire asked, as his small brain tried to process the information.

“Yes, you. You’re our hope, Quire. You can be one of these great birds. You’re the one who’ll give birds their lost value once again.”

“But..but..how?” the young flamingo stuttered.

“By letting us write your story. I have even thought about the title,” he said. His tone had changed to a soft and smooth one. “Queer Quire. I have done some research about your past and have taken the liberty of writing a bit of the story. If you don’t mind, of course.”

“It’s ok.”

“I’ll start. Once upon a time, in a land far away…,” the Golden Eagle began.

“But I live nearby in the Lake Union. I…,” Quire interrupted.

“It’s just a way to start. All tales must start like that,” the other bird admonished him. He didn’t seem very pleased about being interrupted.

“Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived a young flamingo….”

And he went on. There was many times where Quire thought he ought to correct him, but he was sure that the Golden Eagle wouldn’t like to be interrupted a second time.

“…and they lived happily ever after,” the Golden Eagle finished, and then asked, “how was it?”

“Really nice, but it makes me sound courageous and wise. But it wasn’t like that. It was just an accident,” Quire said.

“How modest!” the Golden Eagle beamed. “Anyway, these things are okay. You think that Puss in Boots was as brave as he sounded? It was just a stupid interfering cat. And Winnie Pooh is so fake. Bears are vicious cruel animals.”

Quire just nodded. He knew that the eagle would have his way, despite everything he said.

“Nice to have met you, Queer Quire!”