Wild Arrangements: Part 2

The two watched each other for some time after the hotel manager exited.  Then suddenly, the bird straightened its neck and opened its mouth causing the lobby boy to flinch expecting to either be pecked or spit at.  What happened instead, caught him completely off guard as a deep, raspy voice rose out of the bird's mouth as if coming from a far off distance deep inside.

“If you are just going to stand there and stare, then why don't you make yourself useful.”

The lobby boy stood stunned, unsure whether or not the voice was real.

“Come on now, you look as though you’ve never heard a bird speak before.  Be a pal and pass me one of those baskets.”

The boy turned to find an array of baskets filled with various fruits and vegetables piled in the corner of the room.  He plucked one off the pile and spun back, but froze when he found the bed filled with empty stained baskets including the one that had been in his hand.  Eventually finding his voice, he asked the bird, “How… when did you?”

“Forget it, I think it's about time now we should be going.  Don't you?”  The boy looked down at his watch to find that the two hours had slipped by in a flash.  Panic visible at the revelation, the bird spoke again reassuringly.  “Relax, I’ve never been late a day in my life.  Just hold out your arms and spin around.”

Unable to find a reason why not, he did as asked.  Briefly, lights flashed before his eyes and when he came to a stop, he found the large bird nestled in his arms.  But even more surprising was the realization that they were suddenly standing on a mountaintop covered in a blanket of snow.

“Oh, bother, I’m rusty.  Spin again, quickly now."

This time when he stopped, they were back at the hotel, only now the bird was an old man with a cane that weighed heavily on his arms.  Sliding down out of the lobby boy's arms, the weird man turned to give a wink and a nod before entering the ballroom leaving him and the hotel manager that had been standing nearby in a shared state of dumfoundedness, stuck processing what exactly had just happened.