7 Birds

This story was written as a way to explore how few details I could write and still convey a message and invoke sympathy for the characters. The beginning of the story has very little details and as it progresses, more and more details are added to show thoughts and deeper emotions.

The reason why there are very little visual details about the characters, is because I desired for the readers to create their own visuals. Around the world, people look different. So if I write about one visual, that works for some areas but not for others, even if it was a very general look. However, this is a story that can happen anywhere. So it's more important that the readers fill in the visuals with their own beliefs and ideas than it is for me to write them. As the writer, I am responsible for conveying their actions, feelings, thoughts, and some beliefs. And I believe that the readers can create visuals that resonate more with their lives than I ever could. So I ask the readers to interact with the characters. Create your own visuals. Explore the world in which these characters live in. There isn't a right or wrong for these characters. Maybe the boy is a boy who thinks he is a boy. Maybe the boy is a girl who identifies as a boy because he wants to or his parents wanted a boy. Maybe the boy is an adult who thinks of himself as a boy. All three choices are right because, the character thinks of themselves as a boy regardless of their exterior.

There are some clues of a timeline, but for brevity, this happens within 4-6 months. It's a little flexible becausethe story wanted to show how things were barren at the beginning, and then things become more fruitful and giving towards the climax. All of the sightings happen within 2-3 weeks of each other and build in frequency until the end of the story.

I hope the story resonates with you. I've been sitting on it since 2016 and just recently I've felt a strong push to share it. It's a bit nerve-wracking because of the style I used. While I wrote the story, I listened to "Save Me" on repeat (with the violin version). The melody and the words evoked a lot of feelings that wanted to come out as a story. That's how this story was written in the first place. If you can figure out who sings "Save Me", then you'll know who the seven birds are. :)