The Day of the Drinking Birds

The sun was high in the sky on a Wednesday in June. The Cibolians went about their normal everyday lives. High above the chasm that surrounded Cibola City a dirigible drifted in from the western horizon. As with other fantastical elements in Cibola City, no one noticed the dirigible as it gently floated closer and over the city center.  

The dirigible slowed and became stationary above Cibola City. Bombay doors opened underneath the gondola and bright red egg shapes fell toward the city. A few Cibolians looked skyward and saw these red eggs falling. The Cibolians had looks of confusion on their faces as they had no idea what was going on. Crowds started to gather on sidewalks and watched the red eggs fall from the dirigible.

Midway through their descent, the red eggs opened and revealed giant drinking birds wearing bright red cone hats. The eggs turned into parachutes and the giant drinking birds drifted slowly toward the city. On the dirigible, the nose cone hummed and clicked opening and formed into a dish with a transmitter in the middle. The dish extended out and aimed itself down toward the falling birds over Cibola City.

As the birds fell closer to the city, the Cibolians began to smile. Was this some sort of new circus coming to town?

On the dirigible, the transmitter beeped to life. The cone hats on the drinking birds responded, and the birds began to float into different directions over the city.

The Cibolians saw that the birds were separating and the sidewalk crowds moved to follow the birds and watch where they would land. A crowd on the sidewalk of Scoville Street watched as one of the drinking birds landed in front of The First Bank of Cibola City with ground rumbling thud. The parachute reeled itself into the bright red cone hat. The Front Street Cibolians had a front row seat to a drinking bird. Standing 40 feet high, 45 with the cone hat, its head and neck had a titanium look that met a clear round glass body. A strange bubbling red liquid filled half the drinking bird’s bulbous body.

The drinking birds continued their descent over the city from Grand Concourse, to Heppy Peppy Way to Front Street. Twenty birds in all landed in front of 20 different bank buildings. The 45 foot tall birds stood and faced their buildings the landed in front of. The crowds of Cibolians clapped, oohed and awed at the giant spectacles all over their city.

On the dirigible, transmitter transmitted again down toward the city. In unison the drinking birds began to sway front to back. The red liquid in their bulbous bodies moved as well as the birds movement gained momentum. The drinking bird’s momentum increased dramatically and the ground under the birds began to shake with tremors. Twenty drinking birds fell into the city and each contributed to the cities minor shaking. The crowds began to step away from the drinking birds as they started feeling something was wrong.

That something came when each of the drinking bird’s beaks hit the wall of the building they were standing in front of. In a single moment, each bird hit a wall with their beak and a

shock-wave followed by a noise piercing scream rocked the city. Anyone standing fell to the ground and covered their ears. The birds retracted from their walls and went forward to hit them again and again. The ground rumbled and buildings shook as the drinking birds attacked the bank buildings. On Front Street, the front wall of the First Bank of Cibola City fell into the street. Glass and rubble fell into a pile at the feet of the drinking bird. Across the city some front walls fell others stood but took massive structural damage as gaping holes tore open the banks.

Cibola City became a panic and its citizens ran for help and to protect themselves from the destruction. The Cibola City police descended onto the areas where the drinking birds landed. A group of officers raced to Fell Street where The Great Bank of The West building took heavy damage but was still standing. The officers drew their batons and raced toward the drinking bird. In mid sway as its beak hit the wall the officers ambushed the glass body. Two officers were on top of the bulbous body in a scene that looked straight out of a rodeo. The other two officers stood next to the legs of the bird. All four began hitting the glass body with their batons. Strangely enough the body was not as tough as the head and neck and started to crack where the batons hit. One of the officers on top of the drinking bird broke through the glass and was met with extraordinary heat.

The hole in the glass that the officer had made began to crack. He yelled to the other three officers to run. The drinking bird continued its sway motion forward but started slowing. The officers on the back of the drinking bird jumped and ran just as the glass body cracked and exploded throwing the hot liquid onto Fell Street. A blast of heat hit the officers back as they ran from the remains of the drinking bird. The drinking birds head and neck fell into the liquid and melted immediately.

The red liquid flowed toward The Great Bank of The West and began melting the front wall! The police officers watched in horror as the front of the bank building collapsed, fell and melted into the red liquid. The police officer who cracked the drinking bird ran to the closest Police Call Box and phoned headquarters. He told the dispatch officer they needed the fire department to Fell Street immediately. He had an idea of how to stop the drinking birds.

The Cibola City Fire Department hook and ladder Unit 515 raced to Fell Street. The fire fighters wasted no time and connected a fire hose to a fire hydrant. The unit raced and ran toward the bank building as more of the building fell into the red liquid. The fire fighters turned the hydrant on and aimed at the red liquid. The water met the red liquid and hissed and steamed. The heat coming off the red liquid began melting the road and sidewalk from its intensity. The fire fighters increased the water pressure and this caused the red liquid to scream and hiss louder then fell silent.

The steam cloud dissipated and the red liquid was no more, it had solidified into a grey black rock. The fire fighters turned the pressure down but kept watering the grey black rock. The fire chief came to the conclusion they were dealing with magma. The fire chief went to the cab of Unit 515’s and talked into dispatch on the cb. He told dispatch to send all units to the drinking bird’s vicinity and hose them down with the highest pressure. We’re dealing with a lava situation.

Back in the dirigible, a warning light lit on a panel. The mystery man behind the chaos down below went to the panel. His eyes grew big when he saw that one of his birds had been defeated. His brow furrowed and he grew angry. For months he had planned this disaster, to cause chaos so he could focus on his deep laid plan. As he stared at the panel, another light lit up. Another bird defeated. He closed his eyes and yelled a very angry scream. Another light lit up on the panel. The 4 foot man left the panel and raced for the telemotor at the front of the dirigible.                 

Down in Cibola City the drinking birds fell one by one. There was only one left, the drinking bird on Front Street. Three fire units appeared and began dousing the drinking bird in water. This drinking bird seemed tougher than the others.

At the Northern part of Cibola City, the police department had a fleet of 3 helicopters. The 3 Air Captains fired up their choppers and raced toward into the sky. Their goal, bring down the dirigible.

The drinking bird on Front Street kept its momentum going. The drinking bird, after breaking down the wall, was now destroying the ground on which the First Bank of Cibola City sat; as though it were its mission. The ground shook as the Front Street drinking bird pecked into the ground under the bank. Two more fire units appeared on sight to help destroy the Front Street bird. The 5 fire units had the max pressure flowing through their hoses and onto the bird to try and stop it. Nothing was working.

The 3 air captains reached the dirigible; one at the front and one flanking each side. The 4 foot man saw the choppers and furrowed his brow. The chopper in front of the dirigible made and announcement though a bull horn telling the person in the dirigible to surrender. The 4 foot mans eyes rolled from side to side in an annoyance from the 3 choppers outside. Standing behind the telemotor, he reached to a control panel to his right and pushed a yellow button. The back of the dirigible hummed, engaged and a series of panels opened. The 4 foot man then pushed a blue button which caused the transmitter on the front to        re-position itself straight ahead toward one of the choppers. The transmitter ignited in a spectacular web of blue light. In between dirigible and the front chopper a magnificent vortex appeared. The 4 foot man pushed a green button and the dirigible launched forward at a blinding speed. There was a crack of thunder a brilliant flash of light as the dirigible entered the vortex. There was a follow up thunder crash as the vortex disappeared as the dirigible disappeared. The 3 air captains watched in amazement as the ship just, disappeared.

Back in Cibola City, a piece of concrete fell cracking open the drinking bird’s body. The water from the 5 fire units met the lava and the bird exploded where it stood. The explosion destroyed what was left of the First Bank of Cibola City bank building, reducing it to a pile of rubble. The steam cloud dissipated and a grey black rock could be seen peaking from under the rubble.

What were theses drinking birds and who created them and why? The investigation would fall into the hands of the Cibola City Police Department to find the person responsible. Meanwhile, the city would recover and rebuild from the destruction. The Cibolians would continue their everyday lives and this day would fall into a distant memory. Cibola City has a way of clouding its past to events that have happened. The drinking bird’s invasion isn’t and wouldn’t be the last unique story this city must tell.