Hollow Chimes

I slipped through the gap of the cracked screen door, leaving the quiet desk behind. Outside, the morning breeze hit my crest without walls to break it. Clambering up the balcony rails on all fours, I reached the top bar. Suspended just above me hung a cluster of thin silver tubes. A sudden air current rattled them into a frantic, ringing collision. I froze, crouching low with wings tucked until the clatter slowed. Then, extending my neck in a swift lunge, I clipped the lowest metal cylinder with my beak. It struck back with a hollow hum that buzzed straight through my jaw. An alert, noisy perch.