Nothing Exciting

As the Babies frolicked through the grass and munched on bugs, I propped my feet up on the patio table and fanned myself with my hand. The sun was blazing and the temperature was over 100. I glanced at my watch and decided to give the babies a few more minutes.

"Excuse me!" a tiny sparrow landed on the grill.

"Yes?" I said.

"Where are the flamingos?"

"The flamingos?"

"Yes, the flamingos. You know, big pink birds, skinny legs." The bird fluttered his wings and cocked his head at me like I was an idiot.

"Well, I don't know," I said.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" The bird was hopping about the grill in an agitated fashion.

"Why should I know?" I snapped, pulling my sweaty shirt away from my back. "Why would I have flamingos?"

"What about elephants then?" the bird tried again. "Pink ones that blow cotton candy bubbles from their trunks?"

I raised my eyebrow.

"Ducks? Lions? Unicorns? Spiders with blond hair?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my head spinning.

The bird blinked at me several times. It was clear he thought I was a complete moron. "This is the Pond!" he shouted. "The famous Pond with all the fantastic and mysterious creatures. Where are the flamingos? Where are the pink elephants? Where is the gigantic bee? Where are the carnivorous puppies?"

"The gigantic bee is Pumble, and he's in the Land of the Flowered Bed," I said. "And those are the carnivorous puppies." I pointed to Bear, who was gnawing on a stick as Bitty used his stomach as a trampoline.

The bird's tiny black eyes filled up with tears and his beak trembled. "It's not real, is it?" he sniffled. "None of it's real. All the stories I heard were simply untrue. You made it all up."

"Oh no," I said, a grin spreading across my face. "It's true. All of it."

"Then where are the creatures?" the bird shouted.

I spread my arms out and smiled. "You're simply not looking hard enough. If you did, you would see they were everywhere."

The bird scowled at me and ruffled his wings. He turned and stared across the yard.

"I believe you're correct," he whispered, gasping in awe. Leaping off the grill, he hurried towards the corner of the yard. "You were right!" he cried. "I see them now! They're so pink"

I just smiled.