Rath, Joe Regan, Joanne Remington, Bill Robertson, Mary Ellen Rogers, Linnea Rogers-Notton, Diane Rountree, Ted Rucker, Paul Rushton, Mary Ellen and Jim Sharman, Audrey South, Stacy Spence, Amy Sprouse, Donna Totten, Michael and Dede Vergot, Mary Whaley, Mima Wicker, Andrea Wilbanks, Linda Zinnika—and to those intrepid souls who travel across the state to pick up and deliver injured birds. I thank you all!
Finally, for much more than I can write here, my love and heartfelt thanks go to my family: to Markus for grace under pressure, Claire, Gretta and, especially, Zachary for patiently being my dialogue coach for teenaged characters.
CONTRETEMPS
Though the world’s dark heart
brought me here,
where time was hiding
in the unleashed sea,
I will stay in this fragile place
of broken trees and wounded birds
that teach me patience as I watch
them fill the bared branches
like clusters of singing leaves.
I will follow
a passing flock of plovers,
who think faster than we can see
when they suddenly turn
and flash their snowy undersides
in one bright act
of collected caring consciousness.
They must have heard a warning
in the lost language
of the river wind.
But the silent merlin—
in pursuit
disarmed, confused, and angry—
cackles at his lazy gods.
I see the breath
of another god, moving
beneath still wings
of the osprey and the eagle
in flight. I see
countless angels, rising from the river
with open hands
and upturned palms
to hold the wings in place
as the animals glide over
this sanctuary
and pull the sky
back into the universe.
—Marjory Wentworth
“Fa ebeeting wha dey een wi, hunnuh kin tun Skyward an’ kno’.” (For everything that’s in us, you can turn Skyward and know.)
—Queen Quet, Chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation
The character of Lijah in this story was inspired by the Gullah tradition of the African-American oral historians (griots). The Gullah language is as rich and complex as the culture, and I was fortunate to have the guidance of Queen Quet of the Gullah/Geechee Nation in writing Lijah’s dialogue. However, I have taken the liberty of making substitutions so that the reader would more readily understand the text. Thus, while the dialogue is not pure Gullah, I've done my best to convey the unique qualities and rhythm of this significant Lowcountry language.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Epilogue
Birds of Prey(also known as raptors) have characteristics that distinguish them from other birds. A bird of prey has a sharp, hooked beak for tearing food, sharp, curved talons, powerful feet for killing its prey and binocular vision. Thirty-eight species of raptors are found in the geographic limits of the United States and Canada. These species are divided into categories: buteos, accipiters, falcons, harriers, kites, eagles, ospreys and owls.
1
A brisk, wintry wind whistled along the South Carolina coast. It rattled the ice-tipped, yellowed spartina grass and rolled a thick, steely gray fog in from the sea. The old black man paused in his walk and cocked his ear toward the sky. He heard the whispers of change in the wind. Hunching his shoulders, he turned the collar of his threadbare woolen jacket high up to the brim of his fedora, then dug his hands deep into his pockets. He resumed walking, but he kept his eyes skyward.
The old man had walked nearly half a mile when he heard a high, plaintive whistle over the wind’s song. He stopped abruptly, rigid with expectation, staring out at the heavy shroud that hovered over the wetlands. It was a still morning; the pale night moon lingered in the dusty sky. Suddenly, a magnificent white-crested eagle broke through the mist. Its broad, plank-straight wings stretched wide as it soared over the water.
“There you be!” he muttered with deep satisfaction. Bringing his large, gnarled hands to cup his mouth, he whistled sharp and clear, mimicking the birdcall.
The bald eagle circled wide, flapping its powerful wings with a majesty reserved for royalty. The great bird took a lap around the marsh before deigning to return the call.
The effect was not lost on the old man. Heartened, he rushed his hands
