The Parrot Story

WD Writing Prompt: A man buys a parrot, and is horrified when he discovers the only thing it can say is, “If you ever tell anyone what you saw, I’ll kill you.” (500 word max)

The Parrot Story

“Hey Billy, bet you can’t catch me!” Aurther Miller, the tallest fifth grader you’ve ever seen, taunted me every day at recess while the others egged him on.

“Yeah Billy, go get him!”

“What’s wrong, Billy? Afraid you can’t catch him?”

Their laughter pierced my ears. I could feel the redness rising in my face as I watched Aurther stick his tongue out at me and turn to run away. I balled up my fists and with all the gusto my little midget legs could muster I ran after him.

Legs pumping, forehead sweating, chest pounding… I was sure my knees would give out any second. Aurther turned a corner but when I got there he was gone. I collapsed against the brick wall of room 303, home of the meanest math teacher on the planet. Gasping for air, I slid to the ground and rested my head against the coolness of the building.

As my eyes closed I could hear the faint sound two voices. It sounded almost like whispers. I opened my eyes and peeked around the corner. There, in the locker room, sat Aurther Miller and Sandy McCullen… kissing!

I gasped just a little too loud and Aurther came flying around the corner, “There you are, you little twerp! I’m gonna get you!”

I picked myself up off the ground and ran right out of the Ethen Elementary School front gates and all the way home.

I came barreling through the front door of my house. My father jumped up in shock and I, equally shocked that he was already home, came to a screeching halt at his feet.

“What’s going on, Billy?” My father looked worried.

“Oh, nothing. I just tripped on my way in the door. That’s all.” I knew that if Aurther ever found out that I had told anyone what I saw, I would be sorry.

“Billy, your mother and I got you something special today! We went down to that pet store where Mrs. Miller works. You know, your friend Aurther’s mother. Well, your mother and I think you are old enough now and we got you that parrot you always wanted!”

My father pulled a sheet off the cage. There stood the most beautiful, green parrot I have ever seen. It was the parrot that once belonged to Aurther himself. Oh if he knew I had this, it would be the end of me.

I grabbed the cage and rushed upstairs. I could barely fit the cage through my bedroom door. I sat the cage on my dresser. I figured I would name it Aurther; seemed appropriate.

For a moment, I just stared at it as it looked around the room and then finally at me. It squinted a little bit, let out a funny noise as if to clear its throat. Then it uttered the last words I would ever hear, “If you ever tell anyone what you saw, I’ll kill you.”