The Birds Read Free Page B

it hadn’t been there any spring before as far back as he could remember. He’d been out late enough to have seen and heard it if it had.
    But tonight it was going right overhead, over Hege and himself, and that’s how it would be from now on, every single morning and evening.
    Mattis looked at his house. It seemed to be a different house now, you had to look at it with different eyes. The woodcock had always seemed to be something that glided through valleys far away fromall that was his. That was how he had always imagined it. Now, this evening, it was here, it had simply moved right here. That’s to say if it wasn’t an illusion – he knew he was given to illusions. Had anyone ever heard of a woodcock moving from its usual path? Not as far as he knew. And why had it come here?
    Mattis sat waiting almost breathless. For if it was a proper flight, the bird would return in a little while, along the same path, again and again during the short hour that the evening flight lasted. He knew this from other areas where flights occurred. Early in the morning, too, the bird moved along the same path, a fowler had told him so. On dry marshlands he had sometimes seen the marks of woodcocks’ beaks, next to the imprints of their dainty feet.
    He sat waiting, full of excitement. The moments seemed to drag on, and his doubts grew stronger.
    But hush, there it was. The flapping wings, the bird itself, indistinct, speeding through the air straight across the house and off in the other direction. Gone again, hidden by the gentle dusk and the sleeping treetops.
    Then Mattis said in a firm voice: “So the woodcock came at last.”
    He didn’t know how or why he said this. It was the least he could say and do – and no one was listening as he said it.
    He felt as if something were over and done with, after a long and difficult time.
    His first thought was to tell Hege about it, he wanted to rush in right away. Sleeping or awake, she must hear about this at once. But he stopped. If it was true, then the bird would soon be back a third time, and Mattis was so unsure of himself that he felt he had to wait for this third appearance. Sit and wait full of joy.
    Hege’s got to believe me if I’ve seen it three times. Everybody’ll have to believe it then.
    Hush, there it was again.
    Just as before, the flapping, the shadow in the dusk, quick as an arrow – and then the faint call, whether anyone was listening or not. Straight across the roof, and away, out into space. Then it was simply late evening once more.
    But it’s come. Now I know something he concluded, without going any further into the matter. There was no doubt about it, he felt different.
    And Hege asleep.
    Now Hege would be able to feel different, too.

6
    HEGE ASLEEP – HEGE who was like lightning with her eight-petaled roses and sweaters, and who could cope with difficulties – Mattis was no longer sure which of them was more important. At this moment he almost felt like putting himself first.
    He went into her room, making quite a noise.
    It was a silly thing to do. Hege had long since gone to bed, perhaps even fallen asleep, so this was an unfortunate moment to disturb her. Her tone was rather sharp.
    “What’s the matter now?” she burst out before he could find words for his overflowing emotions. He recognized this tone only too well. She had obviously just fallen asleep, and then he came tramping in. But he also knew what would follow; she was already clearing her throat as a way of softening the impact of her first wounding remark.
    “What is it, Mattis?” she said wearily, in a low voice that was now friendly and full of remorse.
    The news Mattis was bringing was great. He hardly knew how to put it into words. In the end he said simply: “There’s a woodcock started flying over here tonight!” His voice was hard and inflexible. He almost felt like a stranger standing by her bed.
    Hege seemed to notice the tone of his voice. A tongue numbed by wonder and