Bianco: The Beginning

Chapter 1:  The Warning

On the day that my neighbor's cat, Bartholomew, died, the sparrow told me first.

I was trudging up the hill from the mailbox with my mom, bouncing a basketball beside me as I walked.  I looked up just as we passed the "Summit Lane" road sign and saw the sparrow sitting there, right above the "i" --- exactly where he always was.

"Hello Sparrow," I said, just like I had for as long as I could remember.

 I turned the basketball on my hand, ready to bounce it again, when I heard it:

"Bart . . . Bart . . . Bartholmew is de -ead, de-ead, de-ead." 

I jerked my head up and looked wildly around, left and right, to see who was talking.  My mom was pushing my little sister Iris in the stroller.  Mom's face was red and sweaty, and the only thing she seemed concerned about was getting up the hill.  It was pretty obvious that she didn't say it.

I took off my favorite Chicago Bears hat and rubbed my ear to make sure that I wasn't hearing things, and then I heard the sparrow whistle.  I looked directly at him and - sure enough - he sang:

"Be - ware, ware, ware:  Barthomew is de-ead, de-ead, de-ead."

"Are you talking?" I said - stupidly, because I had just seen him talking.  The bird cocked his head and stared at me, and so I asked him again:

"Hey - are you talking to me?" 

My mom, now half way up the hill, turned and looked at me, sweat running down her nose:

"Bianco, who are you talking to?"

The bird whistled again and then - just as plain as day - he winked at me. 

"Bianco - I'm asking you a question!  Who are you talking to?"  My mom asked-ordered.

"Ummm - no one."  I mumbled, not about to tell her I was talking to a winking bird.  She already thought I made up enough stuff.

"Ok - well, catch up.  We'll wait on you,"  she said.

I took one last look at the sparrow, and he looked back at me.  I began to run to catch up to Mom and Iris, and I heard one last warning as I jogged up the hill:

"Be-ware, be-ware, be-ware the night!  Bartholomew is dead!"