“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,” cried the woman.
Willamina had arrived at the market with her bags of birdseed each day. “Share your good fortune and feed the birds. Tuppence a bag,” the woman said to those who passed.
Some ignored her, and others were not so kind. “The beasts should be done away with, not coddled like some newborn babe,” they would say.
Willamina did not care; she knew the birds’ value and was not about to let them suffer over a few pieces of shiny metal.
The children were kind and loved visiting Willamina, known as the Bird Lady. “Where do you live, Ms?” the children asked.
“Why in the tree with the birds, of course. I have a great hall filled with the feathers of every bird known to man,” Willamina teased.
“It must be the most beautiful place in the world,” said Sally Osmed, the mayor’s daughter.
“Can you talk to them, and do they speak to you? Questioned Billy, the blacksmith’s son.
“Yes, Sally, it is a very special place filled with all the rainbow colors and millions more. I do talk to them, Billy, but only when they ask questions,” said Willamina.
Sooner or later, an adult would shoo the child away and stare hard at the bird lady, saying, “You’re not welcome here. Be gone, or you’ll be given the boot.”
Willamina would push her cart home each evening. Her tree was an abandoned building on the wharf.
“Hello, my lovelies. What surprises do you have for me today?” the woman asks.
The birds would swarm their mistress, dropping knick-knacks at her feet. Oh my, this is a lovely, sparkly Thomas. You didn’t nick it, did you?” Ask the woman.
The crow swayed his head side to side, then gave a great caw. “Found in the rubbish. It will help feed the flock for some time,” said Willamina as she put the diamond ring in the desk drawer.
It wasn’t easy to imagine the humble Irish woman was wealthy beyond imagination. Over the years, her bird brought her gold, gems, and other discarded treasures.
“It’s time we move to Sanctuary, my loves,” said Willamina.
The following morning, the bird lady changed her rags for an elegant dress and then hailed a cab.
“Where to, mum?” Asked the driver.
“One Kensington Gardens,” said Willamina.
As the cab moved along, swarms of birds followed, creating a swirl of color. “It looks like you have company, Mum,” said the driver.
“Yes, my friends are giving me a send-off,” said the bird lady.
Stepping down from her ride, Willamina thanked the cabby and entered her new home.
Later, on the roof, the bird lady spread handfuls of seed. “No more living in an abandoned warehouse. The park is yours, and you will have all the seed you can eat right here,” said the woman.
So it was to be. By day, the flocks would play in the park; by night, they ate and slept in the poshest quarters.
As for the bird lady, she has tea on the roof with the children. Telling tales of a woman who befriended the bird of London.
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