Winging It!

“Pop! Pop test? Uh, oh…oh, no!”

Silverwind Seagull knew her egg group had told her to expect it, but it still came as a jolt when Ms. Kananduz, her teacher, told her the time had come for her to condense what she had studied and repeat it in a logical and convincing manner.

Silverwind felt anxious, close to panic, and wished she’d not been quite as blithe in spirit after her lessons had taken place. Always, she’d been eager to fly away to enjoy the strength of her wings, soaring with her egg group, the 2011s, instead of stopping to consider her teacher’s words after each class.

A verbal pop essay test, but nothing popped into Silverwind’s mind as her teacher stood on one leg, regarding her pupil. Ms. Kananduz was looking a bit impatient. She had, in fact, just spotted her favorite old couple driving up in their vintage VW van, the couple who always had plenty of chips to toss to the air and into her beak.

As her teacher waited, Silverwind shifted from one leg to another, wishing the post on the pier was a bit more comfortable and wishing more that she could remember anything at all that she’d been taught over the last few weeks. There wasn’t much time either. She at least recalled that the verbal pop essay test had to be done as soon as the teacher called for it, not later after she’d had time to talk to her egg group about it again or after she’d flown somewhere alone to sort out her thoughts.

Finally, however, after her teacher had waited and waited some more - while Silverwind sounded only a few feeble squawks that went nowhere toward the synopsis of her lessons - Ms. Kananduz, hoping for at least some time left to see about the special old couple and a few remaining chips, decided to help her student.

“Relax, Silverwind. Be calm. To remember, it helps if you picture yourself back in time, the very time when your studies began. Imagine that you are now hearing what I said then and what we discussed. If you can find one part of the instruction in your mind, that one part will soon lead to the rest of the lore that you have learned. Remember now that you did pay attention, and you do know the material.”

The breeze ruffled her feathers, the sun shone high above the pier, the water glistened in the bay, and Silverwind concentrated. She thought back to discussions with her egg group. She remembered how blue was the sky the very day the class began. She concentrated harder, and soon a few of Ms. Kananduz’s words came back to her: “Watch for the special ones that have been here before.” Now she remembered the main idea of the lessons!

As soon as she reviewed how Ms. Kananduz had phrased the question to verify exactly what her teacher was asking her to do, Silverwind spoke her synopsis, clearly and concisely. Ms. Kananduz nodded, pleased, but did not linger for further talk before taking to the air fast, as if she had somewhere she just had to be as soon as she could be there.

With cheerful cries, the 2011s congratulated Silverwind when she told them she’d passed, too. Whirling in the air to return to the pier, the entire egg group arrived just in time to see Ms. Kananduz expertly catching the very last chip thrown to the air before two old humans, regular visitors, strolled back to their van.

Ms. Kananduz surely was one smart seagull, all right, one whose lessons on humans and how to catch chips were well worth remembering.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!