Charles rested about a third of the way up the boulder. From there he could see the twigs in the bird nest jutting out into open space.
Charles had been one of the first to take the Covid vaccine when it became available. The vaccine – rushed through all clinical trials in order to save the world – had a fault: over time it robbed the host of essential amino acids and starved the body to death.
Now the only thing that would save Charles’ life was an influx of super amino acids found in the egg of an American bald eagle.
Unbeknownst to Charles, the path he had followed to the foot of the boulder continued on around the mountain’s north face and wound up and back, leading directly to the eagles’ nest. But Charles was American; he had grown up in the post-2008 economy, so he automatically assumed that the hard way was the only way to go.
The sun beat down as Charles continued up, handhold by handhold, to the lifesaving eggs that he hoped were in the nest. The sweat poured from his back, dripped from his arms, and slicked his hands. The sweat on his hands mingled with the dirt on the boulder face and created a slippery paste.
Charles lost his hold and fell back into the air over a deep ravine. The eagles flew with him, down and down to his death. They thought they were too tired – having just flown home from saving Frodo and Sam in faraway Mordor – to spare the strength for another human life.
Above – The boulders on College Hill in Hoquiam, Wash., just a few blocks away from downtown. No eagles, but while standing on that rock (see the view below) I have watched hawks and vultures glide by at close to eye level.
A note on the writing
To say I wrote this freewrite in five minutes is a bit of a stretch. I worked it out in my head as I lay down for my afternoon nap, probably worked on it subconsciously as I slept, and then took just a touch longer than five minutes to type it out. Hopefully it is entertaining enough to excuse the broken rules.
Parting shot
Tuesday evening I made it down to the river to catch a sunset glow in the trees. It seems the perfect way to end this evening post.
