The other day I parked my car. Out my front window I saw a woman standing on the sidewalk staring in the shadowy area underneath some trees growing between a fence and the sidewalk. She seemed to be anticipating something or at least her posture suggested it. Her arms were slightly raised in front of her and slowly gesturing, acting out whatever she was thinking of doing next. When my eyes had adjusted I noticed what looked like a black duffel bag in the shadows of the trees several feet from the sidewalk. There was a crow standing beside it eyeing the woman. She made a "shooing" motion and the crow hopped back a few steps. She faltered for a moment there unsure of what to do next.

I opened my door and started to get out to help assuming that she was trying to get her bag and was scared of the crow. But as I watched she stepped off the sidewalk and walked to the bag. The crow stood in place, its head cocking every which way to see what was happening. Just as the woman's hand grabbed the handle of the bag and began to lift it, the crow made a mad dash for the woman and her bag. It alarmed me a little. With a swift jump it leapt into an open flap on the side of the bag I hadn't noticed.

Now I could see. There were vented areas on the top of the duffel. It wasn't a bag, it was a cloth folding animal carrier. The woman slowly put the bag back down and scooped the bird out. With a one handed swooping motion she made him scurry back a few steps. She zipped up the bag, stood up covering her face with her hand and hurriedly walked backed to the sidewalk and away.

The bird hopped toward her a few steps and then watched her leave. He stood there quietly for a moment not responding to any of the other crows in the area. His stillness made him stand out from their constant movement. Then with a burst he flew off.

I wondered, still sitting there in my car, if he was off to a new life or to find the lady that had set him free.

Not that the story has anything to do with the picture... : ) It just was an interesting scene I was there to witness. I wondered how many little dramas go on in a city like Los Angeles in a day. It also made me think of every "pet" I had let go. I was that kind of child, bringing home hurt animals, to my mother's horror, and trying to nurse it back to health. I empathized with that woman, for that letting go is a torn experience... It meant you successfully helped another animal which was rare, but more than likely you had become attached to it as well.