The Otherling Page 8

  Rachael furrowed her brow, and after a moment answered, “They’re great spirit communicators, and also seen as a traveler between this world and the spirit world. They were sacred to Athena, the Greek Goddess of wisdom, art and war tactics. They are quite a powerful bird, and gorgeous too.”

  “I remember seeing a movie when I was younger, one of my older sister's favorites, about the Greek gods and such,' Rachael commented. "Athena had an owl named Bubo. It was a pretty good movie."

  "Bubo. I like that." Annaleah looked down at the owl in her arms, wrapped in her jacket. Its deep yellow eyes were half closed, whatever distress it had been in earlier apparently forgotten. "Shall we call you Bubo then?"

  Having reached the classroom, with a neatly polished "Mrs. Adams, Animal Husbandry" plaque screwed into the door, Rachael knocked three times. She looked down at the bird, her dark red lips smiling wide, "Well Bubo, here you are then. Your healing is at hand. Come meet Mrs. Adams."

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bubo

  Mrs. Adams was a tall, thin woman with large, pale blue eyes set in a kind, slightly wrinkled face. She wore her graying hair pinned into an old fashioned bun on the top of her head, and wore a long navy dress with many buttons. The effect was rather matronly, but also somewhat comforting. She smiled at them as they entered.

  "Hello Mrs. Adams. I am sorry to intrude on your first day of classes,” Rachael said as the class turned their attention towards her. “But we are in need of your expertise. This is Miss Annaleah Grace. She's the new teacher working with Professor Bainbridge in World Religions," Rachael continued, addressing the class of about a dozen students as well. "She was just introducing herself when this great horned owl flew right into the window, and injured itself," she explained.

  Mrs. Adams walked over to Annaleah and gently shifted the jacket wrapped around the owl. Very gently, and with some trepidation, she looked closely at the owl and ran her fingers over its wings, trying to see if the owl flinched in either fear or pain. When it didn’t, she slowly lifted one of its wings, again looking for a reaction from the bird. As the bird didn’t seem to be bothered, Mrs. Adam’s released its wing and continued to study the bird in Annaleah’s arms, which looked rather content, given the circumstances. "Oh my, well that certainly is unusual, isn't it? Out in the daytime, are we pretty one?" Looking back up at Annaleah and Rachael, Mrs. Adams put her hand softly on Annaleah's shoulder. "It is wonderful to meet you Miss Grace. I wish you all the luck teaching with the Professor. Maybe having a young beautiful woman at his side will soften him around the edges somewhat. I think that would be wonderful for just about everyone."

  There were some snickers and laughter from the students behind her at this remark, and Annaleah felt her face grow hot. Her feelings for the Professor welled up inside her, quickening her heart and embarrassing her all at once. Really, how could she have such intense feelings for a man whom she had just met, and who had treated her so stonily? She was confused, and this further added to her feelings of unease. She looked away and smiled nervously, hoping her discomfort wasn’t obvious to everyone in the room.

  Mrs. Adams winked at Annaleah playfully and addressed her class. "So, can anyone tell me why a nocturnal bird such as this beautiful owl would be out during daylight hours? I’ll let you think on this for a moment while I take a look at the bird. Ruben, will you please get me a blanket from the closet?" There was a gentle wash of talking between the students as a young man dressed in jeans and a red polo shirt walked over to the closet, and, after a moment's rummaging, walked to Mrs. Adams with a soft blue blanket.

  "Thank you, Ruben." Slinging the blanket over her arm, Mrs. Adams walked to her desk and began to move things off of it and onto bookshelves, empty desks and her chair. Once this was done, she spread out the blanket and motioned for Annaleah to bring the owl to her. "I don't think our friend here is too bad off," she said, "Most birds of prey that get seriously injured actually die of shock long before their injuries prove fatal. This one seems rather calm for what it has just been through, and having so many humans around doesn't seem to bother it a bit. This entire situation is most unusual.”

  “I’m really not sure what it could mean either,” Annaleah said, furrowing her brow in thought. “I’ve never seen or heard of an owl acting like this before, it just doesn’t make sense.” Looking at the bird, Annaleah felt strongly attached to it. What in the world was going on, she wondered? So many strange things had begun to occur since meeting the professor, was it possible he had summoned the bird? If he had, then why had he acted so angrily at her for having gone out to rescue it? None of it made sense to her, no matter how she tried to figure it out.

  “Annaleah, since you are the one holding the bird, I am going to ask you to very slowly and very gently, open the jacket around the bird. Then, I want you to try to set it upright on the desk, on the blanket, so we can see the extent of its injuries."

  Looking into the owl’s eyes, Annaleah felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if she could sense the bird’s energy. She felt a sense of peace coming from it, as if somehow it was sending her a message that it knew her. The strange energy moved her, warming her heart even as it confused her with the lack of a logical explanation as to how this could be happening. Was this a spirit of a lost loved one? A spirit guide come to her in the form of an owl, so that she would know, through the animal’s spiritual medicine that something extraordinary, meant just for her was happening? Her heart opened at the thought, and even though she was aware of the stares focused on her, the feeling continued to grow as she looked at the great bird.

  Annaleah looked from the owl in her arms to the class, who were all still looking at her with rapt attention. She walked over to the desk, and, looking down once more at the owl, told it softly, "Ok Bubo, I am going to unwrap the jacket, ok? See that blanket there? That's for you. I am going to put you on it, okay?" The owl looked up at her calmly, and blinked its deep yellow eyes. Annaleah felt somewhat silly, and blushing slightly, looked back to the teacher. She was making a fool of herself on her very first day of teaching. What could the class and Mrs. Adams be thinking of her? Had they seen her face flush earlier at the mention of the professor? “Oh please don’t let them think I’m crazy,” she silently prayed, hoping to regain her strength and composure.

  "I know she can't understand me, but I feel I should try to explain what is going on to her anyway."

  Mrs. Adams looked at her with a warm smile. "No need to explain. I think it is wonderful that you are talking to her. She might indeed get a sense of calmness from the tone of your voice."

  Annaleah nodded, and looked down again at the bird. "Ok, here I go then." She shifted the bird around in her arms, so that she was holding it with one arm, and began to unwrap her jacket from it with her free hand. After being placed on the desk, the owl swiveled its head to face Annaleah, its amber eyes focusing upon her with a look of intensity. As it gazed at her, the bird spread its wings out to their full extent to test them, which elicited a unanimous sound of awe from everyone in the classroom. Its wingspan had to be at least four feet.

  As their eyes met once more, Annaleah felt a sense of awe wash over her, as she was hit with wave after wave of what felt like adoration that emanated from the bird. It had to be something more than what it seemed to be. Though she knew that there would likely be a rational explanation made by Mrs. Adams and the class, and echoed by her as well, she knew this was something spiritual, with a deeper meaning than she dared to ponder at this moment.

  After what seemed to be many moments, Mrs. Adams regained herself and addressed Annaleah and Rachael. "I am at a loss for a reasonable explanation for all of this. Great horned owls are notorious for being aggressive birds that don't like humans very well. This one must have been raised by humans from a very early age. There is no other reason for it being so calm. It seems particularly fond of you, Miss Grace. It also looks unharmed. I think it is a very lucky bird indeed to have survived crashing into a window at all,
let alone doing so without any noticeable injuries."

  "This is totally amazing," Rachael said, looking at the bird as it began to preen itself. "I think it has to be some sort of omen. Annaleah and I were just talking about it on our way here."

  Annaleah’s sense of a calm awe was suddenly gone. It was one thing to teach about omens in her own class, but talking of such things in this class was quite another.

  Visions of Shandy filled her mind, and memories of the endless torment at her hands made Annaleah clench her fists as she tried to push the ugly memories out of her mind.

  "Seeing an owl at daylight is seen as a very bad omen," one of the students, a young woman with brown plaited hair, at the back of the class said. "Even as a sign of death. I don't believe that though. Maybe it was being hunted by another animal, or its natural prey was scarce, which forced it to hunt during the daylight hours."

  Annaleah was relieved to hear this, and let out a breath she had not known she was holding. “Thank you, Goddess,” she whispered quietly.

  "Excellent Candace, very good thinking," Mrs. Adams said. "Many times when you see an animal out of its natural habitat or operating outside its normal hours, it is because of disruptions in hunting. It also could have been chased out of its habitat by something, be it man or something else in nature, like a fire."

  "No, I think it is something more esoteric than that," Rachael said, her large brown eyes full of wonder as she watched the bird. "Here we have a new teacher of the Occult and the arcane, and on her first day an owl flies into the window, cracking it, yet here it is unharmed. It is not afraid of humans, and when Annaleah told it she was going to put it on the desk, it just went there on its own, as if it understood her. That my friends, is not just odd, it's freaking otherworldly. On our way here, Annaleah told me some cultures see owls as messengers from spirits. Maybe this owl has a message?"

  Annaleah thought what Rachael had said was very likely, though she found that such explanations were frowned upon and widely laughed at by most others she came across. She expected laughter from the students, or for someone to outright disagree or even be openly rude. No one did; they all stared at the bird, which was clearly in no state of shock.

  "It's true," Annaleah said, "Some people think that owls can carry the soul of a loved one, and come to the aid of a living relative or friend. I am of the opinion that owls have gotten an undeserved bad reputation as far as omens and superstitions go. They have very powerful spirit medicine. Some Native American people think that seeing an owl is a sign that the trials and burdens that you or one very close to you carries have been lifted. Even though they could be associated with death, one doesn't always have to think of death in the most literal of terms. For instance, in tarot cards, most people freak out when they have the death card pulled, thinking it means either they or someone that they love will surely die. Death can mean the ending to a certain period in your life so that you can move on to something better, or it can mean the death of troubles, and the death of worry."

  Mrs. Adams walked up to Annaleah, and putting her hand on her shoulder once more said, "While I find this all most fascinating, I have to tell you I am a bit nervous about having a wild bird of prey in my classroom. Though it seems calm now, it could, at any moment, decide to try to attack one of us. While I would love to continue this, I simply cannot risk my safety, or the safety of anyone in this room, and that includes the owl. There are certain laws about birds of prey, and great horned owls in particular. I’m afraid I’m going to have to phone the department of natural resources. With their blessing, I know of an animal rehabilitator who will help the owl."

  The class erupted behind her, most of them in protest. Annaleah didn't want to leave the owl, even though she knew it was the most logical and ethical thing to do. She thought about it being the soul of one departed come to watch over her and her heart filled with hope.

  Annaleah knew that handing the bird over to someone with knowledge of how to help it was the best thing to do, yet her heart wasn’t ready to give the owl to someone else. What else was there to be done that would make sense? She couldn’t keep the bird.

  Her mind worked furiously to think of something as Mrs. Adams pulled a cell phone out of her pocket. If she had to let the bird go, then perhaps she could let it go outside herself. They had all agreed that the owl didn’t appear to be injured. It was worth a shot.

  "Please, let me try something first?" Annaleah asked Mrs. Adams. "If it doesn't work, I will make the phone call myself. Is that okay with you?" The other teacher nodded her consent, and moved back.

  Annaleah turned to Rachael, hoping her request would be granted. "I have a huge favor to ask you, Rachael, feel free to say no. I have no idea if it will work, but this is the only thing I can think of."

  "Of course, what do you need?"

  "Your leather jacket," Annaleah answered. A look of realization at what Annaleah was about to ask of her lit in Rachael's eyes, and for a moment, Annaleah was afraid she was going to say no. After a brief moment though, Rachael shrugged out of her leather jacket and handed it to Annaleah without a word.

  "Thank you," Annaleah whispered in Rachael's ear, "I owe you one." Taking a deep breath and steadying herself for what was about to come, Annaleah began to wrap the jacket over her forearm, securing it with the leather belt attached to the jacket. All eyes were on her.

  "Bubo," Annaleah said simply. The bird ceased its preening and looked at her. Taking another breath, Annaleah held out her arm to the bird, and called it again. "Bubo, come." The owl opened its huge wings and, to the astonishment of everyone in the room, flew to Annaleah, and landed gracefully on her jacketed arm. Cries rose up from the previously silent students, surprise and awe in their words and expressions.

  Annaleah exhaled her held breath, her heart hammering in her chest. She looked at the beautiful bird on her arm. Someone asked how she did that, another exclaimed it had to be a trick of some kind, that she was the animal's handler, and then everyone started talking all at once, the excitement electric in the air.

  "Quiet, everyone, quiet!" Mrs. Adams said in a forceful but not unkind voice, waving her hands for emphasis. Once the students had settled down, Mrs. Adams turned back to face Annaleah. "I’m not sure how on earth you have done such a thing; I have never in my life seen anything like it. What you have just done stretches my levels of comprehension to an almost uncomfortable point. I do commend you though. Am I correct to assume that you will be releasing the owl back outside?" Her voice was soft but bright with astonishment.

  "Yes, I will be," Answered Annaleah.

  "Well then," said the matronly teacher, her eyes now full of childlike wonder, "Can we come with you?"

  Not waiting for an answer, the students rose from behind their desks, obviously not willing to let such an opportunity pass them by.

  Still in a state of awe, Annaleah looked into the bird’s eyes. Trying to connect with it in her mind, she said, “Please trust me. I know you must be scared, I’m a little nervous too.” The owl bobbed its head slightly, its eyes still looking at her, as if it could indeed hear her speak to it with her mind.

  Leading the line of students outside, Annaleah walked slowly, getting used to the weight of the owl perched on her outstretched arm. It was heavier than she had expected it to be.

  What if someone raced out of the classroom, and frightened Bubo she wondered? Would the owl take flight and be loose in the school? Would she be fired for bringing inside, or even worse, arrested? What if, Goddess forbid, the owl tried to attack one of the students or teachers?

  Even as she worried, she felt a beautiful sense of calmness rush over her, a warm wave of trust that she was sure was sent from the bird.

  “I will do my best,” it seemed to say.

  As she continued down the hall, Bubo’s grip tightened on her arm. Annaleah could sense uneasiness from the owl as the noises from the school echoed in the hallway. Doors opened and closed, and the background sounds of classes in session
must have been quite foreign to the owl. Bubo was trying her best, Annaleah knew, to keep calm and not break the bond of trust that she had forged with her.

  Trying not to further spook the bird, she did her best not to cry out as she felt the sharp talons slice through the leather, and into her flesh.

  “Oh no,” she thought as she tried to ignore the pain in her arm, “I hope Rachael isn’t mad her jacket just got torn.”

  The owl looked up at her, its body hunched as close to her arm as it could get. She swore the look in its eyes was apologetic.

  Once outside, the students and their teacher formed a loose semi-circle around Annaleah and the owl, their eyes full of expectation. Annaleah found herself not truly wanting to let the owl go, feeling already somehow strangely attached to the bird she had only just seen for the first time not more than half an hour ago. Her heart tugged in her chest with a twinge of sadness, part of her hoping the bird didn’t fly off to its freedom. Risking her fingers getting nipped, she slowly reached out a hand to the bird to pet it, and was pleasantly surprised when the bird nuzzled her hand affectionately.

  "You have to go now, Bubo," Annaleah said softly to the bird. "It’s been a pleasure to meet you, but you don’t belong here. I hope to see you again someday." The owl blinked at her and made a soft sound, and then with a fluid, graceful movement, opened its wings and prepared for flight. Annaleah held her arm up high, thrusting it forwards to give the bird momentum. The great owl released her arm, its large brown wings fanning the air as it took flight.

  "Goodbye, Bubo," Annaleah said as the bird made its way higher into the sky, and further away from her and the group of astonished students.

  "Hey, it's okay," Rachael said, gently taking Annaleah's arm. "Maybe you’ll see it again. In fact, I would be surprised if you didn't." Wondering how Rachel knew she was so upset, Annaleah instinctively rubbed at her eyes and was startled to find that there were tears there.