Being watched

I have seen some wonderful things in my life, but none as wonderful as my older brother. He was brave, wise and beautiful, but most of all, he was my friend. All the chicks wanted to be with him, all the guys wanted to be like him. He used to say that this bracelet that he wore around his ankle was a mark of honour and the number engraved upon it was indeed the amount of times that a father had approached him in the hope to make a match for his daughter. But i think a more understandable reason was that it was a constant reminder of his rebellious nature regarding the times that he played up at bedtime and the number is actually a record of the times my parents smacked him for not obeying them. He was a real high flyer and a good teacher of the ways of this world. When we were young we used to go on adventures together and we would experience some amazing things.

Despite the good times, i cannot forget this particular day. The air was clear and it was time for adventure. Turree and i woke up as the light came to say hello and after singing our morning songs we left the warmth and comfort of our home with exploring as our focus. We would see some colours that reminded us of our cousins in far away places, colours of a richness and a warmth. On our travels we had seen big silver birds with fire coming out from behind them. These masters of the skies would swoop and dive and move faster than the fastest eagle. They were big and they made a loud noise. We would try and be like them, we would fly through the sky after each other, going one way and another at high speeds. Our wings would be outstretched to allow more speed to catapult us forward. My trusted wing commander and i were kings in the air, a team that could predict each others moves. We flew through the air like a big fish travels through the water, gracefully and with power. Lifting our wings a little we would turn and dive, the sound of the air against our feathers would remind us of grandma's rumberling stomach.
I looked down to the ground to see creatures moving without feathers. These creatures were clothed in many different colours. They were many different sizes and some...... some would have something attached to them which had a fire on the end and smoke came from it.

" Look at those down there Turree"

"Where? " he said,

"Down there, see the one with the smoke?"

"Who maaaaaan?" was the answer i heard.

We both laughed because Turree had a tendency to speak with a slur in his voice as if he had been inhaling some of that smoke that we had seen, but eventually he saw who i was talking about and with his laughter he swooped straight into a mid-flight roll, but this was his final act of aerial acrobatics. I did not know that this day was going to come, this was something he had never taught me and something we had never discussed. As he rolled he laughed, and as he laughed he rolled more. He started to fall from the sky, out of control and couldn't recover. Still laughing he turned over and over and was heading for one of the big things that come out of the ground, the large things that blow in the wind that look like they are standing on one leg...

"Tuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrree" i shouted in desperation. It was too late, he could not get back in control of his spinning and went face first, died instantly, and his body fell to the ground with a thump.

I flew back to my home, told my parents what had happened and while my mother comforted me, my father said...........
"Do not worry my son, Turree will be in feathen, for this is where all good birds go, but it is up to you to keep him alive in your memory. We believe that if you keep someone in your memory, they will never die."

The days went past and i had lost my desire to explore. I watched the heat giver rise in the morning and go to sleep in the dark. Every time it appeared i would try and sing my morning song, but it was hard. I missed my flying companion, my brother and my best friend.

One dark time i was looking at the lights above me, everyone was sleeping and it was very quiet. It was then that it suddenly dawned on me that I was doing everything that Turree did the opposite to. He was life, he was adventurous, he was brave and here i was hiding, afraid and not living my life as i should.

The cold season had come and gone and I had to force myself. It was not easy to fly alone. I had got used to having somebody look out for me, protect me, make me laugh and even find me food when i didnt have the energy, but this was a time where i had to really spread my wings. To learn to fly by myself, to learn to be safe, to learn to provide for myself and to keep the passion of exploring alive, for two reasons.......for Turree and for me.

I sat on the edge of my home high in the air, i said to myself.....

"Turree, give me the strength, the passion, the ability to keep flying"

It was at that moment that my heart was filled with peace and i heard my mother say to me

"Watch out for that turree, because he's watching out for you"

I jumped, i opened my wings and i felt the air again. The rush of adrenaline filled me as i swooped down and around the various obstacles that crossed my path, my desire to explore started to cloth me again like the warmth of the morning after the dark. I wanted to explore more, i wanted to go to places i had never been, to see new things, new colours and to meet other explorers. I wanted to live my life for the sake of Turree, my trusted friend and brother.

I noticed alot of things on those early journeys, but i have never experienced anything as wonderful as imagining my brother flying with me again, because i too now believe that when i keep his memory alive......he is always with me.





© Travelling Boy content belongs to Philip D Norris