Jor WiLLiaMs x Baba lage and the Pelican Child [Bana {aca HAD A DAUGHTER, A PELICAN HED. THIS 01D NOT PLEASE her particulary, The pein child was stunningly strange and benutifl 1 well as being very very good, whih pleased Baba laa even les. It ‘wa dficulto ives pliean in the deep dark woods but the pelican hid never Seemed to thnk she belonged to anyplace other than here with her bony il-tenpered Baba and he cat and the dog. The lived ina lite hut om chicken es and they werent sncomsfortable Baba Tags didnot cate fo vistors so when anyone approached the chicken lege would move in cre, tuning the house so that the visor could not find the doot. This too, was acceptable to them al ‘When Baba laga went aay-—which she id Requenty though she alvaysalays returned—she would warn the dog and eat and her ‘best pelican child against allowing strangers into the house. Even if they do not appear as strangers, dont et them in Baba Taga sd ‘And she would go of on her strange erands inher ron moray, which she would row through the heavens with a peste. Often she would return wit itl se which the petican and the cat relished and the dog did not. The dog had his wn cache of food which he consumed judiciously never too much and never too fist—though he didnot hosed it, He was generous and noble to fault ely, though be was shabby ond ferocious looking.2+ yor watrams neafternoon when Bab aga was away atall someway arined nan approached the ouse- The chicken es immedst ly wet aaron so that the doo euk! not be fund. (Reals the Be rant vif they werent ven ava but nfo they neve SP) seve heard ere is a bess bird bere, the man sbouted ou and Tm het da her He waved secbenk i the sv inmora he cal The pelican child andthe dog sn he an ned iting que in xc onthe Aor where they ed ‘renlayng dominoes Theman remained ouside unt dims veerowaly cing out ther tate was an att and ery EY mead Then he wet sway, The et tune on te amp a BY dearer Babe lags to ear Tere were #0 amps nthe Hat one vr minnted ony what the ew already and another one ich aba loa kept locke in close that minted what hey di nt now. "ab tga returned and ssl something ots. rel tke rel enh Who has ben eet Aad hy describe the man a) sr ce had sid Ife turns under no circumstances et ini an lga aid The net ay she went ff one agin in er moras pose ogy dee oe cok! athe ante rai of ese srr they so she brought her broom ng ste? aA 27 ers Baba Ig wa sly ery crc though omens she was not. Te pacan cil andthe dogand the cetst nace on the Boor vet ne eloring books The pcan c's vote colo was as res back andthe dog prey ch prefered them al he si “Tay te fe Roe moving ab ter tao dno ee Once again the man ad appened and the chicken legs BG rove bm from nding edo He shouted upto shen = Ne ening his devonn tothe pcan cis steangenes = ‘say and promising tomakeherimmor My nae HOHE eal bids, be sad, waving his porto atthe windows "ts synomymons the dog whispered He had o iden what meant and he never woul A AND TIE PELICAN CHILD + 5 Jot tent niet om _inaein tot ie Bh eb mal aed ono hin in et ea ceo die prt ou = Pao ety he praca ed pe teu Zeppesac Oesshesnee area Comes at the drawings Thave made of hee avian brothers and sisters. “lila siege ia Stier gi ght gi imaged kevin Thy nob Hocadan ep tne mirth cnr ein syne aoe Cut pera eos ih or ine peeing i eer td ieee iron ie ori soyoven sy te wy Senate ey ei nea vl id ad omen ino ig ‘Baba laga something but she ignored it. na ele reread scene mn ors wr Bets <_< ror gt pedal heat teat, Weta no ter cs The ag ‘ove urn ass ato, Oh poy een ‘This deeply hurt the dog's feclings. ™ edith nae nc pt rca vig te oo pe Crem youl nets ey or eas dai, Tash serail itt tina ak set gt ‘Bab aga put the dog andthe ctin the closet and followed therain, looking fr the other limp. Ob, would you know, she muttered, T put it on the highest, ost-diicl-to-reach shelf Audubon slam med the door shut and bolted it Baba Tage and the dog and the cat were so stunned tht fora moment they were completly speeches. ‘Then they heard thee beatiflpeian child say, Oh peat si donot Lake me fiom ths bright world! and then a sharp crackas though rom a pistol then terse sounds of pain and surprise, and then nothing. "The dog began to how! and the ca to hiss. Baba Iga bet on the door wither bony hands and fet, which were sharp ass horse's hooves but the door was old and strong, the wood practically petrified nd they could not beak through it But the dog Hung himself gaint the door agin and agnn and worvied sliver loose with his teeth and ‘laws and then another sliver He did not know how long he tore at the door. He had no conception of time It seemed only yesterday he ‘was «puppy hanging onto Baba lag’ sock a she imped across the oom, or pouncing at moths, or grinning with jy when he was al lowed (before he got too big to sccompany Babs aga on heights ‘across the sy. It seed only yesterday chat his fur was ott and blac, his pms so pink end tender histeeth 0 whit, ort seemed as though it could be tomorrow, nally he hid made hole inthe door just large enough for him to crawl through. What met his eyes was asene so horrific he could ‘ot understand it He began to tremble and how The beautiful pli ‘ancl was peso through with cual rods and was arranged ina positon of life he great wings extended, her legant neck arched But her if had been taken away, and her eyes were fathomless and dark | specimen te a screamed behind hr, He has made of ou iste specimen! And then he felt the tears of Bab Taga striking him like al ele Outside he ran and ran though the forest. He could ee the ‘man ning, oo cltcing his watched paper and pens Often the dog stumbled and twice he fl fr shisha ben bad for sometime and his por ol hare now pounded with sorrow. At last he gave up the pursuit forthe evi one had far outdianced him, After he rested and caught his breath, he smelled the deaf sent of crue death Aud bon’ abandoned campsite was nearby and fire of green branches til soldered. Many were the ues that had been cut down, and on thet stumps were colorfl woodland binds thrushes nd lars and woodpeck «sana tiny iridescent and eolrflly patterned anes whose nares the og didnot know. Long nails thrust through their sal bodic kept them eect and thre and wireheld theirhesds wp andkep thei wings alot, ren more honing was the sight of birds dismembered, thee Pinions and claws severed for study. Whimpering the dog lsd and after he bad gone ashore distance or long distance afer along time or a short sime, he came tothe ite hut on chicken es. The legs were weep ingsnd Babs lagu and theca were weeping, Baba ag had enfelded her daughter inher arms and er tears fl without cessing onthe pelican child brown bres. Tithe morning, the eat si, We must do something, 1 wil go out again and find him and tear him to pieces, the dog ssid weary | don't givea ras 8 shout Audubon, the eat sid, We must bring our beausfl pelican sister back Pethaps we sould cll for Prince ran, the dog suggest. ‘Useless, Ba aga sid. He hashis princes andi case He never ails he never writes, hes of no use ous ‘Wie will put dhe beausfal pelican child in the oven, the cat an nounced. T coulda bear to put my daughter inthe cold cold oven, Baba aga sid. ‘Who sid anything about col, the cat said, We will preheat ito oh ay, two hundred fity degrees and we wil put her in fr only half an hou, Hilf an hour the dog sd ‘That stove hasnt been used in year, Baba laga said [bat they ad what the ct suggested for what elie could they do?6 + jor wrnatams ‘Carflythey lay he peican cil inthe oven which was noon ge cad ut not to warm iter Oh her beet fee Baba Ta ried, her beatiful bil tke care with er bil ‘Then they wate. ‘ase been aha an hour ye? the dog asked Not yt the eat si [at lst the cat announced that it had been half an hour and Babs lage opened the oven and the pelican cid as eautfl a she had ‘nerbeen, tumbled out an tottered into their happy arms lv. ater this Baba lags continued to through he skiesin her mor~ tar navigating with he pestle But instead of broom she cared the temp that ilurinaed the things people dd ot know or were eue~ tant or refused to understand. And she would lower the lamp over & person ad they would se how extstordinary were the bids and tests ofthe work and that they shouldbe valued fr their bright and ‘eautiy and mysterious seve and not willy harmed for they wee note precious than cas or the golden rocks dug ov from the earth ‘But she could reach only few people ach day with the lamp, ‘Once, seven experience is light but usally it was fr les. I sould take thousands of yeas, tens of thousands of ears perbapst0 reach al human beings with the Light. aba lags came home one evenings tred—and she gathered ‘rll family around het the pelican child and the dog an the cat nd sid, My dear ones, I sil have magic and power unrealized, Do You wish to become aman being fo some think yu ae unde & Fallih spel. Do you want to Become human? The et and the dog Spoke The pelican child bad not spoken since the day oer earn ‘othe dog andthe ct sid. x ‘When fs doing some earch ora book othe Florida Keys some went ears iI scveed that on James Auabon, ep oes vce en sgh of eas seroma he) Hee sl Pas eee Ibe ce oe oy oe started. Ido hope the curse of history wil atch up wit him i haba ngs i se gras finer a gr seni te eh ampne fer ae dived plan one pe te led erin hn fd bint de ees ronan eis tam hr Bod Bt te mariner lf an fore on peta hie ‘becomes kind and sorrowfiul, even, perhaps, tragic. ‘a —w