Typical "stuck at school" scenario. Working in a cafeteria? I've been conscripted into a soccer match by an old friend employed as a security guard. Chris Caddle, I think... I'm trying to beg off because of my cycling injuries (bad ankle & knee, don'cha'know) when this surprise storm kicks in. I watch misty, nebulous arcs of plasma playing in the rain as everyone else surrounding me panics, scrambling to find shelter. It's quite lovely. Despite the apparent danger, I don't find it at all threatening.
The school was already in disastrous shape; an entire wing closed in the wake of some nameless Event. Construction equipment everywhere, anchored by stabilizer locks, encircled by orange tape & cones. The mortaring between breezeblocks everywhere throughout the yellow halls is broken, the paint peeling from runoff water. Inspectors arrive and being taking pictures, documenting the damage.
One of the staff (or possibly a student) calls the most curious bird-- brown white & blue-gray feathered, very spherical body, with a sharp pyramidal beak and trilling, chittering cry --which for no clear reason is fascinated by my face. It insists on clinging to my collar, obscuring my vision. The bird's name or genus seems to be "Gus", according to one helpful kid who finally convinces the wee pest to abandon me.
It takes a while to find someone with a functioning camera to take a picture of Gus, as mine seems to've been wrecked, either by whatever happened to the school or as a result of the storm. Many of the students have polaroids, but nobody has real luck with old-fashioned photography, and quite a few of them either don't know how their phone cameras work or can't get their heads out of their messenger apps long enough to manage a snap.
The pecks Gus left on my cheek & neck sting, and I'm anxious to wash my hands and face...
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