Lockdown

‘Indoors, indoors, indoors!’

‘Crow, it’s for the benefit of all.’

‘Indoors, indoors, no more!’

‘Crow, it’s for the good of human-kind.’

‘Indoors, indoors, I hate these walls.’

‘Crow, you picked the colour, remember from before?’

The little blackbird ruffles his feathers in his spot on the corner of their kitchen table. He looks longingly out of the window and snarls, ‘Fucking panic-buyers, there wasn’t any chicken nuggets left!’ Unique turns off the saucepan that now has heated baked-beans, mushrooms and onions inside. ‘Crow, we’ll be fine. We have chickpea-chick’n for tomorrows dinner.’

‘Indoors, indoors, indoors! No more indoors, no more.’

Unique serves up two bowls of mashed potatoes, beans, mushrooms, onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Places the dishes onto the table, Crow grumbles and whispers, ‘I wanted roast chicken!’ Unique rubs his left cheek and prompts him to try his first meat-free meal.