A large, truly ugly seagull with an evil-looking yellow eye keeps perching on my windowsill and spying on me while I am working. I cannot figure what I am doing that is so fascinating or is worthy of such attention. I do know that I won�t be doing it much longer. Seeing the seagull there, staring, makes me feel creepy. I cannot stop myself from thinking about Hitchcock�s �The Birds.� I nervously eye other seagulls circling in the space between my office and the municipal building.

I wonder about the stupid parakeets at home. Do they have anything to do with this situation? Did they put out the word, �Watch that woman. She dislikes birds?� Worse, did they decide that their lives would be more complete without me. I doubt that they are looking for freedom. The girls have tried to let them fly free. Those birds are terrified of freedom. What on earth could the parakeets stand to gain? Besides, just think of the brain power it requires to coordinate birds from different species. The parakeets don�t have much in the brains department. No, it�s not Bud and Repeat.

So who has that seagull noting my every move? If I were one of my mental health clients, I would suspect that perhaps it were John Ashcroft. But I am nothing to John Ashcroft. I�m a state public defender, not a federal one. I�d annoy him if he knew who I were but he doesn�t. More likely, that seagull was recruited by our local police department or the Attorney General�s office.

Then again, it could be family members. Day-Hay is so busy at camp that I doubt that she cares what I�m doing, especially at work. She�d be more likely to recruit spies for my at-home antics. Kat too has no interest in what I�m doing at work. Mr. Philately? He could just come over here on the pretense of working in our library. He�s done it before. No, my immediate family did not send this bird.

If no one sent him, what is he doing here? Maybe it�s not personal. Maybe it�s not just me. Maybe Hitchcock is correct.

Is there a bird watching you too?

LAST YEAR: Right Thing By Accident

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Copyright 2006 by Ellen