Angel Wings

Bit of a weird one last night; I'm not thinking paranormal, more a case of expectation but other opinions - as always - are welcomed.

My nine-year old budgie has been a bit under the weather recently. He was being treated but when I got home from work yesterday he had tucked himself into the bottom corner of his cage, a sure sign things were not right. I opened the cage up, went to pick him up and he gave me some right attitude - something that is very him - so I just assumed it was having a bit of a 'moment' and hoped the treatment would see him sitting back on top of his ladder this evening, bashing his bell or rocking back-and-forth like the crazy bird he was on his swing. 

His cage was to the right of where I sit; he would often come out, walk along the top of the cage before dropping down on my head where he would chew my hair - last Sunday he tried pulling my eyebrow hairs out for me! I could see the paper I lined the cage with was still puffed up so assumed he was keeping to himself. I put the TV on, catching up on the season finale of The Curse of Oak Island - one of my favourite viewing pleasures. 

We were more than halfway through the show when I had this odd moment. I didn't physically see it with my eye, I didn't see it with my 'third eye' but in my minds eye, to the right side of my head I saw what I thought was my bird floating out of his cage. Being the sceptic I am I put it down to my imagination as he wasn't well and as much as I believed he'd get better, I'm sure a part of me thought he also wouldn't. Putting it down to my imagination though I carried on watching the end of the show. Once it had finished I would have usually taken myself off to bed, but last night something made me check the bird because I didn't want him to have died and be laying in his cage all night. 

I have no idea why I was so shocked to find him dead, but it really did knock me for six. I'm not ashamed to admit, I cried - a lot, he'd been part of my everyday for over nine years. Today I'm sad and it will be weird not having him give me shit when I get home from work this evening but I take solace from the face he had a good run. Nine is a good age for a budgie. 

Did I see his little spirit leave his body? Did I imagine it? I'll never know the true answer to those questions, we will all have differing opinions and answers. For now I'm going to tell myself I did because it's easier for me to deal with him not being in a mortal body any more.