“Why... don’t you talk, talk?” Barley squawked. I have to stop repeating my words, but how? He thought. Barley had spent the past two days practicing his speech. Lucy and Wilson had been giving him extra treats too; at first, Barley thought they were rewarding him for biting them less, but they seemed to be acting entirely different around him.

They were more talkative than usual and whispered to each other things Barley could sometimes make out as “back” and “Barley.”. Lucy gave him more than just seeds for his meals now, and she often asked him what he wanted. They were suspicious…

They didn’t figure me out, did they? Barley tried to think of more reasons they’d suddenly treat him. I’ll have to come up with a new plan! I can’t fail! I’ve gotten so far... They wouldn’t reward me for plotting against them, would they?

“Barley, what do you want?” Wilson was asking this time; Lucy was probably cooking.

“Apple!” He flapped his wings; apples were Barley’s favorite treat. “Apple!”

“Again?” Wilson shook his head and laughed, walking away.

Hmm… What’re they up to? Barley wondered. Since when was I allowed anything but seed? Barley watched Lucy; he could hardly see what she was doing. They kept him in a separate room in case he got out and started running while they fed him.

“Lucy.” Wilson washed an apple. “Think it's time we let him know?”

Lucy didn’t answer and continued cutting the chicken.

“Lucy, he’s gotta be aware; Jack might show up. If Jack doesn’t show up, there’ll be nothing to worry about; if he does, and Barley’s unprepared, we might lose all the progress we’ve made with him.”

“I know, but I’m not ready for his reaction. He’s a very smart bird, and he can understand us. He’ll remember Jack; I know it.” Lucy gritted her teeth.

“Then I’ll tell him, you don’t have to be there.” Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but Jack interrupted. “If you’re not ready for his reaction, then you can stay here, and I’ll go tell him. I’ll do it right now.”

“No, I want to be there for him. Just give me a minute to finish cutting this chicken.” Lucy sighed. She didn’t want to tell Barley, but she knew it had to be done if Jack came around.

“Alright then.”

What’re they talking about? Barley leaned his head closer. Ah! I think I heard them say something about chicken… Wilson said something and entered the room with a plate of apple slices.

“Apple!” Barley said in a singsong voice and flapped his wings.

“I see your wing is better, Barley. Now, here are those apples you’ve been waitin’ for.” Wilson cracked open the door and placed an apple slice through it. In times like this, Barley didn’t care about fingers or toes. He just wanted the apple.

When Wilson left, he shut the door. It was an unusual thing to do for him. They normally kept the door open or cracked open so they could monitor Barley, making sure he didn’t find his way out.

Right. Barley remembered. I should make a new plan just in case they’ve figured me out. First, how would they have found out? Was I too friendly? Less friendly… I'll be less friendly, and I’ll take it slower.

Wilson and Lucy both entered the room, interrupting Barley’s thoughts. Barley watched them cautiously, wondering if they came to confront him.

“Barley,” Lucy said. “We need to tell you something.”

Wilson stood quietly with his eyes closed. Lucy turned toward him, and he nodded his head.

“Barley.” Lucy bit her lip and let out a deep breath. “Jack is back. He got out of prison, and he said he’s coming for you. You don’t have to worry, though; we won’t let him near you; you’re not even gonna see him again!”

Jack? He’s back? The man who threw me away? Barley couldn’t hear anything but a ringing in his ears after “Jack is back.” NO. Don’t let him near me... I have to get out. I have to get out. I have to get away.

Barley gripped the cage wires with his feet, flapping wildly. He had to get out. He didn’t care about revenge anymore; he didn’t want revenge anymore. He wanted to get away. Squawking loudly and flailing about in the cage, Lucy started to panic. She didn’t think he’d react like this; she knew he wouldn’t be happy, but scared, yet not this scared.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Barley, it’ll be alright!” Wilson shouted. Barley’s feathers started filling the air, and the cage began to shake.

“Oh, no, no, no! I knew something would go wrong, but not this terribly!” Lucy cried, “Barley, please! He won’t hurt you! We won't let him!” Wilson held the top of the cage to keep it from falling as Lucy cried out to Barley.

He couldn’t hear their pleas. All Barley could hear was Jack’s shouting and the sound of his footsteps across the house—the very sound that let him know he was trapped in an endless cycle of pain.

CRACK.

Pain swept over Barley’s body. What happened? He couldn’t fly. Barley tried moving his wing, only to realize he really hurt it this time. His injury was no longer fake.

“OW!!” Barley screeched, pacing at the bottom of his now-muddled cage. “OW!!”

“Wilson, I think he broke his wing... I’m not sure it’s supposed to be twisted that way.” Lucy grimaced; she felt horrible. Maybe it would have been better to just keep it a secret unless Jack did, in fact, show up.

“I think you’re right.” Wilson frowned. “And we’ll need to take him out; we can’t keep ‘im in this mess here.”

“I know.”

After trouble transferring Barley to a carrier, they made their way to the vet. Dr. Linda was surprised to see his behavior after how he acted last time.

“What happened?” Linda watched as Barley knawed the metal bars; she didn't dare try to open the cage.

“We’ll tell you once he’s not in the same room, but for now, please help him.” Lucy quavered. Sensing the urgency, Linda pulled her gloves on and opened the door. Barley burst out as soon as she opened the door, falling off the table and onto the floor.

“Barley!” Lucy cried, “Please! We’re only trying to help!”

Help? How are they trying to help? Barley thought. His chest burned; he had been betrayed, and he wanted his revenge more than ever, but not for locking him up. He wanted revenge for broken promises, reminders of the world, and betrayal.

Barley pecked at their feet and ran, dodging them around the room. Lucy jumped in front of him, cornering him. her arms stretched out, ready for his next move toward her. Choosing to avoid being caught by Lucy, Barley went for the side where she left the largest opening. Linda and Wilson stood on either side of Lucy, making it harder to get away.

Barley took to the left and swerved to the right once Linda came forward. It looked silly for three grown adults to be chasing a small green parrot, but to Barley, this was a fight for his life.

He dove under the table and ran for the back door. Barley had never been in it before, but Linda was always able to push it open. Running under Wilson, he pushed the door, blistering pain coating his wing as he pressed against it.

It was of no use. He couldn’t push it open.

Barley was lifted into the air. “Let me go!” he demanded. Lucy was struggling to keep him still but managed to place him on the table. "LET ME GO!"

“This is for your own good, Buddy,” Wilson said, helping Lucy keep him down. Linda went through her drawers, looking for something.

“I found the anesthesia!” Linda shouted, “I’ll give him this, and we’ll have to place him back in the carrier before I can start checking him out.” Linda injected the medication while Lucy and Wilson held him down and placed him in the carrier once he was finished.

Linda directed them outside the office until she finished her scans and had another appointment while the medication took effect.

—

“Alright, it looks like he’s broken a few bones here. There are no major breaks, so with proper rest, he should heal quickly.” Linda grinned, handing Lucy a paper with Barley’s scan.

“As long as he’s doin’ fine.” Wilson removed his hat, placing it on the table, leaning over, and massaging his temples. “Darn Jack! If he wasn’t around, none of this woulda happened!” he shouted, slamming his fist.

“Wilson… Please calm down; we can’t change what’s already happened.” Lucy spoke softly.

“He’ll be okay, Mr. Turner. But, for now, Barley will need to stay with me so I can monitor his wing after surgery.” Linda sat at her desk, managing papers.

“That’ll be alright.” Lucy feebly smiled. “Can you keep him until his wing is healed? I don’t think he’ll heal with us right now.”

“I won’t ask why, but yes, as of now, I do have space to keep him for some time. If I need to, though, I’ll have you take him home.”

“That’s fine by me.” Wilson talked over his shoulder as he left the office, leaving Lucy to deal with Linda.

“He’s mad,” Lucy whispered.

“I'm sorry, Lucy. Can you explain what happened to Barley?” Linda spoke in a gentle tone. She turned to face Lucy, folding her hands on her lap.

“I received a call a few days ago from Jack Carson, Barley’s previous owner.” She sighed. “He said he would be coming for Barley. We contacted the police, but they said they couldn't take any action unless he continued to make calls or showed up.” Lucy sat across from Linda, rubbing her temples.

“I see. That is quite problematic for Barley, but how did he go crazed?”

“We waited a few days before we told him, but...” She continued, “Once we told him Jack was out of prison, he went wild. He tried to escape the cage and hurt himself in the process. He just flew around a bunch, and suddenly he was on the cage floor screaming.”

Tears filled Lucy’s eyes as she recalled the event. Linda offered her a tissue box and started taking notes.

“Thank you for telling me, Lucy. I’m so sorry about Barley, but I’m sure everything will be fine with time.“ Linda pulled her glasses from her eyes, cleaning the lenses and placing them back on. “He’s been traumatized and needs a lot of time to readapt. You were doing well, but he was never fully healed.”

The room went silent, excluding the leaking water tap and buzzing from overhead lights.

“Thank you.” Lucy whispered, “I’ll be heading to the waiting room.”

“Very well, I’ll come get you once he’s awake."