Chapter 2Marwa
Four years later
Older and wiser, I awoke before dawn to find birds perched on my window ledge, shouting and arguing. Their bright enthusiasm made me laugh aloud, despite the rain. Not a morning passed when their tiny feet and hooting voices didn’t warm and cheer me.
I dressed quickly, laughing at their silly tales. “Really? Did she steal from your nest? That is s**t, absolute s**t. See you in the forest. Race you!” Their daily visits made me feel cared for. My bird friends were family to me in an otherwise lonely life.
Before heading out I collected my basket from the kitchen. It was my job to gather nectar from leaves and droplets of silver water before returning to Mistress. In the years since my employment began, the natural world had suffered terribly at the hands o
