The little boy stood up.
He naturally looked up...
"!?"
His mouth hung open, but no sound came out.
The little boy froze.
He... was face-to-face with a pair of eyes—
No.
More than one pair.
Two pairs!
He was face-to-face with four eyes.
Only when the other creature's pupils shifted did the little boy seem to come out of pause...
His expression came alive.
The little boy staggered backward a few steps.
He kept going until his back pressed against the cabinet door.
Then he stopped.
The solid feeling of the cabinet at his back seemed to give his anxious, erratic heart something to hold on to.
He felt a little better.
At last, his gaze focused again.
He could see the... creature in front of him?
The little boy was astonished.
A bird?
He widened his eyes.
So big...
Like...
A flash of inspiration came to him.
As big as an ostrich!
No...
Two heads!?
A monster!?
The little boy's heart pounded.
A faint roar rang in his ears.
The little boy was so nervous he could barely keep from fainting.
But as the seconds ticked by...
He saw that the creature made no move to hurt him...
And little by little, he grew less afraid.
The little boy pressed his back tightly against the cabinet.
He stared at the giant bird.
The more he looked...
The more he thought...
Although the bird's build was a lot like an ostrich's...
It actually looked like...
"...A magpie..."
The little boy mouthed silently.
He recognized it...
The giant bird looked so much like a magpie!
He'd seen magpies before.
At the flower and bird market.
His mother had bought his older sister goldfish.
He'd wanted a turtle.
His sister thought turtles