birds as they can for the government. My little brother says it’s like listening to someone treading water forever, but he’s a big fan of understatements. He uses headphones to block out the sound, but I swear all the chirping cuts right through the foam. It sounds like popped balloons or piñatas imploding inside the walls around me. It never seems to stop.
I step into the house still searching for the hose. Jimmy’s Mom keeps everything clean. There are no dishes in the sink. I sleep on a fold out couch that is tucked away every morning. Everything is in its right place. I move through the house looking for something to help us spew burning gas into the air. A funnel or a piece of pipe—there really isn’t much to find. Voices clatter down the stairs and I try to ignore them. With all the birds outside, most of us have to use the phone to reach each other. Some of the older houses out here still use a party line. Jimmy’s Mom is always on the phone with someone. I can hear her laughing up there. Then somebody who sounds like Orlando starts talking about moving and I stop at the bottom of the stairs.
“Look, I don’t need to stay here. I’ve got money from when my old man keeled over. He has an old house down in North Carolina or something. We can move down there, take the kid. I don’t really care what happens. I just can’t stay here any longer, Kelly.”
“Jimmy won’t want to go. He still wants to…”
“What, finish off the birds? No, Kelly, this is a fucking ghost town. No one is coming back here. Oh, they might come for the bird anniversary or to take pictures of all the dead shit out here, but no one is moving into Hudson. We’re slowly draining out all the people until it’s just old timers and the poor fuckers who think they can win against these goddamn starlings. The things reproduce faster than you can blink. It’s a lost cause.”
“I know, I know, alright Orlando? I hear you. You wanna be the one who tells Jimmy? His Dad’s still buried here. All his friends are here. His school is here. He is still trying to be a kid. He doesn’t even know about you yet and now you wanna move him a thousand miles away?”
I try to sneak out the back door. Their voices are rising, but I know Orlando’s right.
“If it means getting away from this endless rain of shit? Hell yeah, Kelly.”
There is no way we can win. We can only try and run.
----
“What is it?” Jimmy says. He’s got the mower stuck in the mud again. He’s pushing it out of a hole and back up into the clearing. I try not to say anything, but he grabs me by the shoulder.
“You couldn’t find the hose or what? Come on, Tony. Do I have to do everything? Jesus.”
Jimmy starts stomping off towards the house, but I call after him. “You don’t wanna go back there, man. Let’s just finish up here and then…”
“What’s your problem, man?” Jimmy turns back towards me. He’s covered in sweat.
I say nothing and climb onto the mower. I try to back it up into the clearing, but Jimmy grabs the steering wheel. He tries to turn it off, but can’t get a handle on the key.
“Look, if you don’t wanna do this, that’s fine, alright? Just stop making excuses, Tony.”
I stop the mower. Jimmy won’t stop staring at me. His hands still clench the wheel.
“What is your problem, huh?”
I swallow and try to stare up into the trees.
“Orlando and your Mom—they were talking. They wanna go…”
“Go out, go what? Whatever he wants to do… Look, what is your problem?”
“They wanna move you down to Carolina or something. They wanna get out of town before everyone else leaves and Hudson just dies. And he’s right, man. I mean, he has a point.”
Jimmy lets go of the wheel and sits down on the ground. I don’t move from my seat.
“He thinks he’s my Dad? Is that it? I knew he was like, friends with my Mom, or whatever, but… he thinks he can take me down there? When we are doing all this shit here? Did they
I step into the house still searching for the hose. Jimmy’s Mom keeps everything clean. There are no dishes in the sink. I sleep on a fold out couch that is tucked away every morning. Everything is in its right place. I move through the house looking for something to help us spew burning gas into the air. A funnel or a piece of pipe—there really isn’t much to find. Voices clatter down the stairs and I try to ignore them. With all the birds outside, most of us have to use the phone to reach each other. Some of the older houses out here still use a party line. Jimmy’s Mom is always on the phone with someone. I can hear her laughing up there. Then somebody who sounds like Orlando starts talking about moving and I stop at the bottom of the stairs.
“Look, I don’t need to stay here. I’ve got money from when my old man keeled over. He has an old house down in North Carolina or something. We can move down there, take the kid. I don’t really care what happens. I just can’t stay here any longer, Kelly.”
“Jimmy won’t want to go. He still wants to…”
“What, finish off the birds? No, Kelly, this is a fucking ghost town. No one is coming back here. Oh, they might come for the bird anniversary or to take pictures of all the dead shit out here, but no one is moving into Hudson. We’re slowly draining out all the people until it’s just old timers and the poor fuckers who think they can win against these goddamn starlings. The things reproduce faster than you can blink. It’s a lost cause.”
“I know, I know, alright Orlando? I hear you. You wanna be the one who tells Jimmy? His Dad’s still buried here. All his friends are here. His school is here. He is still trying to be a kid. He doesn’t even know about you yet and now you wanna move him a thousand miles away?”
I try to sneak out the back door. Their voices are rising, but I know Orlando’s right.
“If it means getting away from this endless rain of shit? Hell yeah, Kelly.”
There is no way we can win. We can only try and run.
----
“What is it?” Jimmy says. He’s got the mower stuck in the mud again. He’s pushing it out of a hole and back up into the clearing. I try not to say anything, but he grabs me by the shoulder.
“You couldn’t find the hose or what? Come on, Tony. Do I have to do everything? Jesus.”
Jimmy starts stomping off towards the house, but I call after him. “You don’t wanna go back there, man. Let’s just finish up here and then…”
“What’s your problem, man?” Jimmy turns back towards me. He’s covered in sweat.
I say nothing and climb onto the mower. I try to back it up into the clearing, but Jimmy grabs the steering wheel. He tries to turn it off, but can’t get a handle on the key.
“Look, if you don’t wanna do this, that’s fine, alright? Just stop making excuses, Tony.”
I stop the mower. Jimmy won’t stop staring at me. His hands still clench the wheel.
“What is your problem, huh?”
I swallow and try to stare up into the trees.
“Orlando and your Mom—they were talking. They wanna go…”
“Go out, go what? Whatever he wants to do… Look, what is your problem?”
“They wanna move you down to Carolina or something. They wanna get out of town before everyone else leaves and Hudson just dies. And he’s right, man. I mean, he has a point.”
Jimmy lets go of the wheel and sits down on the ground. I don’t move from my seat.
“He thinks he’s my Dad? Is that it? I knew he was like, friends with my Mom, or whatever, but… he thinks he can take me down there? When we are doing all this shit here? Did they
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