Bird of Fate

Written for First Line Fridays - Write a 500 word short story when given the first line.

Prompt: "The job interview was going well until the parrot on my shoulder answered the question first."

Total words: 569 (we're a little bit over but shhh....we're going to live with it)

Genre: Fiction

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The job interview was going well until the parrot on my shoulder answered the question first.

"Well, that is certainly different..." my interviewer said awkwardly as she cleared her throat.

I tried to shoo the parrot away, to no avail. "I'm sorry, this isn't even my parrot! It just won't leave me alone!!" I almost yelled, trying once more to shoo it away.

I groaned in frustration as I sank my head into my hands. I yelled out in surprise as the parrot nipped at my finger.

"Cracker," the bird suddenly squawked. "Break half. Nitwit."

I looked up and saw my interviewer shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she wrote something down in her notes.

"I'm not getting the job, am I?" I asked curtly.

"No...but good luck on your job hunt," she said skeptically, and hurried back inside. I saw her eye me through the window one last time as she let the door close behind her. I let out a long sigh as I got up and walked to my car, the parrot annoyingly staying perched on my shoulder. As I opened the door, the parrot suddenly started screeching and flapping its wings around.

"Get off of me!" I yelled as I shoved the parrot away. It landed on the roof of my car and looked at me, cocking its head to the side. It nipped at the air above my head as I continued trying to get in my car.

"Fine," I said, finally giving up. "Come on, there's a shelter down the street. I'll take you over there."

"Cracker. Cracker," it squawked again.

"Yes, they will have a cracker for you," I said, exhausted. A freaking parrot had worn me down! I started down the street as it came and landed on my shoulder once again. At least it is nice outside today. The animal shelter was only about a half mile down the road, so I could easily walk it. I pressed the crosswalk button for the intersection and stood near the curb waiting for the light to change, then I scurried across the road and continued down the sidewalk.

When I finally reached the shelter, I pushed open the door. As soon as it was a few inches ajar, the bird flew right off of my shoulder and landed on the counter off to the side.

"Coco!" the woman behind the counter yelled as I jumped, only to realize after a few seconds that she was talking to the bird. She leaned down under the counter and pulled out a cracker for Coco.

"Break. Half," the bird chided, as the woman broke a cracker in half, handed one piece to the bird, and ate one herself.

"Thank you for finding my bird," she said, finally turning to me. "There must be something I can do to thank you!"

"Not unless you can get me a job. Your bird just blew my interview," I said as I turned back toward the door.

"Wait!" she yelled. "We're actually hiring here. Let me get you an application and we can do the interview now."

I stared at her in shock.

"If you want to, I mean..." she said hesitantly.

"Oh my gosh, yes, please!" I said excitedly. She smiled, reached under the desk, and handed me the application.

Thirty minutes later, we shook hands as she offered me the job. I left the shelter and began to walk back to my car.

Did that really just happen? ... My day was both ruined, and saved, by a bird...