(The opening sentence for this story was suggested by Herb of The Haps with Herb. If you want to join in the fun of suggesting a future opening sentence for these stories, please leave your suggestion in the comments – only one suggestion per person!)
It sure wasn’t everyday that you see one, that’s for sure. Nick had returned daily for several hours to the swamp in the hope of catching sight of the critically endangered Zapata Rail (Cyanolimnas cerverai), one of the world’s most threatened waterbirds. The sighting had been by two staff members of the Natural History Museum of which Nick was in charge. He had sent them out one afternoon on a mission to “sight the Zapata Rail” as one had not been seen in over four decades.
His staff’s sighting had been reported in newspapers up and down the country. It was brilliant publicity for the museum. In fact, the two staff members were almost overnight sensations themselves. Wonderful!
Nick now knew then that there was definitely at least one of these birds in this swamp. That is why he had returned for five days in a row on his annual vacation. His vacation ended tomorrow. Today was his last chance.
Suddenly a Zapata Rail’s head protruded from the sawgrass at the side of the bank. After a few seconds the bird emerged slowly into the open and stopped.
Nick raised his gun.
The stuffed Cyanolimnas cerverai is proving to be a popular addition to the museum’s collection.
Weave a Web 
Oh, no! Please, kill off as many people as you want, but not other animals.
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Oh but it’s a pro-environment story – it is meant to horrify.
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It may be tooo subtle, in that case, BA.
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No one…person, animal, or thing is safe in Bruce’s hands. All of them are up for grabs.
I haven’t laughed that much in a long time. I should have known it was coming but I didn’t. I was thinking no…surely he won’t do it…and I love animals!
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Thanks Max. Yvonne is well worth fostering the friendship of, so be careful!!!!
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Hey…I share my home with a Saint Bernard and I never hunt…so there you go.
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Yeah, he’s right Max. I would bump off a human, so be careful.
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We too have Rails, and they are rare and secretive. I would strangle that Nick, and no regrets.
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Nick’s strangling by Inese could make for a good story. Perhaps he could be strangled on a desolate bypath on the way to Coumshingaun Loug!
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He wouldn’t get that far. I would strangle him on the spot.
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Ha!
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Aww. That dumb Nick! I hear them are good eatin’!
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Ha! Ha! An excellent observation thanks Herb!
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Zapatos is Spanish for shoe. I was visiting an orphanage in South America one time, and the kids there had a game where someone would randomly shout “zapatos!” at the top of their lungs. This was followed by a wild free-for-all where everyone would try to steal the shoes off of each others feet. It was kind of like a pinata, but with shoes.
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Look at you, going all linguistically educational on us, dumb #1!
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You’re welcome.
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He’s not only dumb, but well educated and well travelled. It’s a standard to which we can all aspire.
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That was beautifully rendered. The irony of preservation of a rare species is supreme. And you didn’t forget to give it your very own Midas touch.
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Thank you Uma. I’ve been wading around in a Swamp!
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Those museums glass cases don’t fill themselves!
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I always wanted (as a kid) to do those museum displays with stuffed things like they were real. I have no idea why I didn’t pursue it.
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“Everything in a glass case is valuable.”
(Janet Frame, When Owls Cry, chapter 4)
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Re Owls – Now there’s an autobiography that’s not an autobiography! I do so enjoy that woman’s cynicism (oops – I meant irony).
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Tchaa!
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It’s good to read you again Bruce
Opening sentence: A trumpet, a crumpet and a horse walked into a bar.
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Thanks Nitin. Lovely to know you’re still hanging around the blogs. Your opening sentence shall make its appearance on Thursday 28th January!
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And such is our sad human history…
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That is true – i.e. the sad history.
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