It had black eyes! Round, shiny, very intelligent black eyes. Emma stared at it for fully two minutes. That wasn't normal, she was certain. Very slowly, so she wouldn't startle the creature, she backed across the room to her bookshelf. Still looking at the bird, she slid her fingers over the animal books which she had gotten acquainted with yesterday, until she found the one she wanted.

It slipped off the shelf into her waiting hand, the pages already turning to the very entry her mind ...