A clean , cool morning, the perfect day to get a good meal.

I soar effortlessly through the blue sky , looking down at the water. I see the schools of fist gliding through the water like silver torpedoes, and my stomach rumbles. As i swoop down I open my beak in anticipation of my next meal . Right as I skim the water and my mouth starts to fill, something catches my eye.

Against the blue horizon, coal black smoke rises against the sky. It strangles my lungs and I feel myself straining for air. The people struggle to get off of the burning structure , they scream with anguish. I laugh at their pain. This is their fault for intruding upon my world, sticking those awful machines in my ocean.

My stomach rumbles reminding me I still have yet to eat, so naturally I break my attention away from the destruction and resume my hunting venture.

Later I sit on the weather worn dock. I am watching the sunset with a full stomach. Two fisherman sit at the end of the dock looking quite morose. The man on the right shakes his head and a scruffy voice resounds from his throat.

"Did ya hear what happened to the rig?"


"Yup," Grunts the other, a tall slender man, " Them Fish are all gonna die."

"Yuh ," replies the first, " I have no idea what Imma do with the kids and Abbie."


" Take 'em up to New England, the fish won't be affected up there."

With this comment my brain starts spinning.

"Why would the fishing be affected," I ask myself, "Will I have to start going without?"

With this as a final thought I flap my wings and take flight, not knowing where to go.
I fly towards the electronics store on Magnolia st. It's not much but they have T.V.s there and where T,V.s are so is the News. The wide Glass door is open, and of course I take the liberty of walking in.

People are sitting on an old musty couch reminiscent of the seventies . I look at the faces of the people sitting around the T.V. and it registers in my mind that something terrible has happened , Something that will affect us all. The news anchors calm collected voice floats towards me across the muggy room.

" The rig caught on fire , and proceeded to break off the head, and as we speak thousands of gallons of crude are flowing freely into the Gulf. Wildlife IS expected to die. Back to you Anderson."

With these final words I let out a squawk, not believing it to be true. The stupid squeal that resounded from my mouth makes my presence known to the unsuspecting humans, jolting them out of their state of shock. A bald man, badly in need of an exercise routine comes barreling towards me.

" Dumb bird!! Get your filthy self away from my business!!!"

I waddle away , escaping the hostility of the folically challenged man .

The next day i fly off in search of those delectable silver fish my taste buds favor so much. I swoop down to the cool water and fill my mouth . Right away I know something is wrong. The liquid, instead of being cool and refreshing, is sludgy and acidic. It burns every part of my body, and I feel as though I am on fire. I spit out the acid . It's affects are immediate. I feel week, like I have just flown one thousand miles through head wind.

I tumble towards the the tainted ocean, once blue , now streaked brown and red. Before I break the surface I black out. The darkness surrounds me and I give way to it.

When I wake up I find myself lying on a rough towel in the bottom of a boat. It gently rocks back and forth and I can hear the sound of the engine and the waves lapping against the sides. Who knows how long i was out of it. it could have been minutes, it could have been days.

I feel weighted down , as though I'm still in the muck. I look down at my once beautiful white and gray feathers and I see they are now pitch black. I sigh in disappointment

I look up at my saviors, the ones who plucked me from the sludge. A young woman with hair the color of sand looks down at me and I catch a glimpse of pity in her big brown eyes.

" It will be O.K." she whispers in a soothing voice.

But I know that it won't be . My home is destroyed, my habitat gone, my feeding grounds replaced with acid, and no matter what they do it will never be the same again.

"Thanks a lot B.P "













The End