Raven and the French Fry Dilemma – p.5

The gulls were more than noisy, they were filthy and rude. Raven watched as they fought amongst themselves for positions on the tops of lamp poles and signs. They soon covered much of the surface of the parking lot with droppings.

Cardinal had flown over to the dumpster where Raven was, and was perched on the lid. He looked down at the big black bird and chirped. They were united against their common foe now, the past days’ squabbles forgotten. Raven was glad to finally have a friend.

As he was looking up at the Cardinal, he noticed that the contraption that usually kept the side door of the dumpster locked was missing. Raven took flight and hovered next to the door, then grasped the handle with his feet and hung on. He tried flying forward, then backward, all the while glancing about to make sure none of the gulls were watching him, and finally he managed to slide the door open just a few inches.

Raven let go of the handle and made a wide circle around the dumpster before landing on the lid next to Cardinal. The small red bird wasn’t sure what Raven was planning but he was certainly ready for action.