“See,” I said, pointing up. “The whole flock narrows from there . . .” I said, pointing to the back where there were too many to declare a prominent one, “. . . to here.” The flock funnelled toward a leader at the front. Approaching, I realized the problem. There was no way to reach out and grab it. It was unreachable from any corner of our platform, suspended ten feet above and nearly the same distance away from the railing where we stood. Even if I had a baseball bat it would be too far away to smack like a piñata.
I removed my knapsack. The chaos was dissipating.
“Time for my cowboy routine.”
“What’s that?” she asked.
I realized then she was so completely out of her element. The information from the note was the only item she could cling to for authority. Outside of that, she was lo
