The Last of the Red-Footed Boobies

I’m the last one left. Sitting here on this metal pole on the bow of this boat. There used to be many of us. Mostly boobies but some gulls too. We took over this place like it was our home. We rode the swell, lined up on this rope, and stalked all those fish. It was a feast! We ate. And pooped. And ate some more. But they all left when the boat turned south. “I’m going home”, Fernando said. “I’ve had enough and miss my mum”. So he flew east to the warmth of Santa Cruz. I should have gone with him. Now I’m here, alone, surrounded by filth. I wait and wait for the humans to clean up this mess. They never come, and it’s rude. I see them looking at me. I know they can see the mess. I see disgust in their eyes. I hear them talking about the poop. Blaming it on us, on me. I want to tell them… It’s not my fault. I poop. That’s what birds do! It’s really not my fault. I’ve got no diaper on my butt! And I yell, “Look at this filth! Come clean this mess, for God’s sake!” But no one does. No one speaks bird anymore. I hope they are not expecting me to clean this up. They are the ones with the thumbs. So tomorrow morning, when the sun is up, I will give up. I’ll time the swell and wind, and then I’ll jump.

• Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. If you enjoy this story, click “like” to help more readers discover it.
• This story is part of Ocean Tales, a collection of micro and flash fiction inspired by the sea and its creatures.
• The Last of the Red-Footed Boobies is the first story in the Stanley & Fernando series, which chronicles the life of a father-son duo of red-footed boobies as they search for meaning while fishing in the Pacific.

About Me

I’m Nestor Lopez-Duran, writing under the pen name N.L. Duran. I am a former psychology professor now sailing around the world while writing fiction and reflections on life at sea.