ME AND THE PELICAN:

SHOME DASGUPTA

I met this pelican four days ago, while taking a walk along the Pacific Coast beach. The stained-glass sun was half gone, and it was chilly enough to make you want to eat ice-cream in a waffle cone. I had mint chocolate chip that day, and every day before that day and every day after that day; I liked mint chocolate chip ice cream.

This pelican had black eyes and a scruffy gray and tan face. He sat on the edge of the beach, where the tide just missed the tips of his kneecaps. He was digging a hole with one hand, like a dog, and his other hand was placed on top of his head. He looked lonely; he looked like he was digging for a friend. It was a Friday evening, and the beach was full of sex and bonfires, but this pelican was flying by himself.

I was a bit drunk off of ice-cream, and I was more outgoing than usual. Without the ice-cream, I was more of a suicidal drunk, and on that day, I decided that I wanted to live. So I walked to this bird and sat down next to him and asked him how he was doing.

The beak smiled and continued digging with one hand, and his other was still on his head. I started to help him dig; he looked at me and smiled again. I asked him how he was doing again, and he just continued to smile.

After about two minutes, we had dug a pretty big hole. We stopped digging, but the pelican still had one wing on top of his skull. He started laughing; I started laughing too. We had a nice moment together, and I decided to get up and get one last cone of ice-cream, and then I would back to my condo to pass out.

As I stood up, the pelican finally spoke.

“I’m afraid,” he said, in a low, roller coaster of a voice.

“What’s that?”

“I’m afraid my head will fall off,” the bird said. “So I dug this hole to put my head in, if it did fall.”

“Well,” I said, “I hope your head doesn’t fall off, and if it does, that hole should be just about the right size.”

The pelican nodded his head and then turned it, to look out into the Pacific. Only the hat of the sun could be seen now, and the bonfires looked brighter.

“Good night,” I said.

He didn’t reply. He just gazed into the blue and green spectacle.