This week I continued Big Bird a free write story I wrote a month or so ago for the prompt describe a bird. It was chosen in a vote last week as the free write you wanted to see continue

Here are the first six episodes being read by me

Author reading:

This week I decided to award one person who commented on my Big Bird posts with a SteemBasicIncome share (SBI). If you want to know more about SBI then check out this post: @steembasicincome/steem-basic-income-weekly-voting-distribution-12-may-2018

These are the people who provided a valid comment (and the number awarded to them). You will notice some names are repeated: that is because they commented on more than one post.

1 @fleurinna
2 @waterworks
3 @wonderwop
4 @rabiujaga
5 @tristancarax
6 @mariannewest
7 @wonderwop
8 @tristancarax
9 @wonderwop
10 @titus-andronicus
11 @kilbride
12 @whatisnew
13 @abhinavmendhe
14 @kilbride
15 @wandrnrose7
16 @improv
17 @pixiehunter
18 @mariannewest
19 @whatisnew
20 @tristancarax
21 @mariannewest
22 @whatisnew
23 @whatisnew
24 @whatisnew
25 @wonderwop
26 @liverussian
27 @freedomtowrite
28 @wonderwop

The result is:

#The winner is…

24 @whatisnew

Congratulations @whatisnew!

It’s not over! You have another chance to win!

Next week there will be two draws!

Draw 1 - one person will win a @steembasicincome share for commenting on Big Bird week 1 (Big Bird 2-6)

To give everyone a fair chance to read/watch this week's episodes and to leave a “meaningful” comment there is another chance to win a SBI

How to enter
If you commented this week (i.e. you are one of the names above) then you don’t need to do anything! You will be put into a second draw next week (using the same number(s) allocated to you). You can increase your chances of winning by commenting on this post (you’ll get allocated another number) and/or commenting on the Big Bird posts 2-6 that you “forgot” to comment on this week.

If you aren’t in the list above, don’t worry! Just add a “meaningful” comment to any or all of my Big Bird posts (this one and/or posts 2-6) and you will be allocated a number.
The draw will be made next Saturday (19th)

Draw 2 - one person will win a @steembasicincome share for commenting on Big Bird Week 2 posts (Big Bird 7-12)

How to enter
Sunday to Friday I will post a new Big Bird post. Just post a “meaningful” comment on a post and you will be allocated a number to enter next weeks draw! If you comment on all 6 posts you will be allocated 6 numbers!
The draw will be made after the payout of this post.

Big Bird episodes 1-6

Big Bird (prompt: describe a bird)
@felt.buzz/big-bird-a-five-minute-freewrite)
The bird was huge. Like the size of an elephant.
Okay, maybe not that big. But it was big.
It took up the whole of my bathtub. But what the fuck was it doing in there?
It was an unusual colour. Orange feathers, with a green tinge on the edges. It's beak was purple, and red. And the claws were sharp looking bastards.
What the hell was it?
And more importantly how had it got into my bath?
It was dead.
At least I thought it was dead. I didn't want to get too close.
The first thought: could the cat have dragged it in here?
Well, it's possible I suppose. The cat is a mean killing machine. But even Tibbles would struggle to bring something that big in the house.
Fuck, he'd never get it though the front door, let alone the bloody cat flap!
I opened the bathroom door and looked at the carpet in the bedroom, checking for tale tell signs of a cat dragging injured or dead beast into the room. No blood, no feathers.
What the hell..?

“It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” (prompt: party)
@felt.buzz/it-s-my-party-and-i-ll-cry-if-i-want-to-a-five-minute-freewrite-big-bird-2

There were half empty bottles, and plates with food all over the bedroom. It was as if someone had had a party in my bloody bedroom.
I took a deep breath went back into the bathroom. Took another deep breath. Looked in the bathtub. Huge dead, unusual looking bird still in tub.
I opened the door to my bedroom again and peeked out. Yep, still signs of a party. What was going on?
I walked into the room and started picking my way through the debris. It looked as if it had been a pretty good party, to be fair. I just wondered how the hell I had missed it.
I wasn't hung over, I wasn't still drunk.
So why did I have a hole in my memory, not able to remember a big party (in my bedroom) or how a huge bird of unknown species had got into my bathtub?
I sat down on my bed - which was unoccupied, luckily- and thought I needed to get my head together.
I needed to phone J I thought. If anyone knew about a party in my bedroom it was going to be J.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and swiped the screen...

"Pieman, spill the beans" (prompt: important)
@felt.buzz/pieman-spill-the-beans-a-five-minute-freewrite-big-bird-3

J anwsered the call on the third ring.
"This had better be important Pieman," he said, grumpily. He'd been calling me Pieman for a couple of months, now. It is true I had put on a bit of weight. At least he'd now stopped singing the song "who ate all the pies" whenever he saw me. And at least he'd dropped the old nickname from junior school: ShitPants. "What do you want at this hour."
I looked at my watch. "It's midday, J," I said.
"Exactly," he said. "Unearthly hour on a Saturday morning to be calling someone. What d you want?"
I coughed, looking at the mess around the floor. "I wondered if you were at my house last night. You know, for the party?"
There was a pause.
Then, "Party, Pieman? You been having a party and not inviting your J-man?" I didn't answer straight away. "Come on Pieman, spill the beans..."
I cleared my throat. "I don't know what's going on, mate," I said. "The bedroom is covered in empty bottles, and there is a bird in my bath-"
"You scored, Pieman? Well, done..."

"photographic memory" (prompt: parasol)

@felt.buzz/photographic-memory-a-five-minute-freewrite-big-bird-4

"Not that sort of bird, J," I sighed into the phone. "An actual bird, the feathered kind. Although I don't know what kind it is. It's bloody huge. Fills up the tub."
Pause.
Then, "Sounds strange, Pieman. Let me get some clothes on, grab a bite to eat, and have a shit - not necessarily in that order - and I'll be round."
I said my thank yous and he hung up. The thing about J is he can be a total arsehole, but if a mate is in genuine need he'll do his best to come and help. Granted, sometimes he makes things worse - I thought suddenly of the holiday we had in Spain last year, the nice German couple and the parasol, and what ended up in the swimming pool, and shuddered - but at least he tries.
I had a sudden thought. Perhaps my phone held some answers as to what had been going on. I swiped it and had a look in the gallery at the photos.
Sure enough there were some photos I didn't recognise, although none of them featuring a giant bird, nor of a party in my bedroom…
…
“Katie” (prompt: back pain)
@felt.buzz/katie-a-five-minute-freewrite-big-bird-5
I stared at my phone, wondering why it would have photos of Katie in it.

Things hadn't ended well between me and Katie. I could have blamed J. But although he certainly didn't help - the two most important people in my life (at least for the two years I shared with Katie) hated each other from the moment they met - he was not the reason we split up.

It was my fault.

Or rather the fault of my back. And my judgement.

I had been having back pain for some time, probably due to an old rugby injury back when I was a little more "sporty" than I am now. I had put the bastard out again, during a "fun" night out with J.

I was supposed to be taking Katie out to dinner with her parents, but the pain was so intense that I almost cancelled. I didn't.

That was a big mistake.

Instead I took some "medication" J gave me. "This'll take away the pain Pieman," he said. "Shame I haven't got a pill to take away those extra pounds, though, eh?"

I had let Katie down one time too many. This time, I thought, I will be there for her...
…
“A couple more something's” (prompt: late)
@felt.buzz/a-couple-more-something-s-a-five-minute-freewrite-big-bird-6

Katie told me often that I was irresponsible. That I didn't think about anyone else. And that I was always late. Right, I thought heading off into town in the taxi, my back pain beginning to ease with whatever magic pill J had given me, I am not going to be late today!

I wasn't. I arrived at the restaurant two hours before we were due to meet (Katie was going round to her parents, first, and then coming to the restaurant together).

I paced outside of the restaurant for a couple of minutes and then thought, I'll just nip into the bar next door. Have a coffee, or something.

Another lapse in judgement.

I chose something off the menu, rather than coffee. Then I had a couple more something's and another one of J's pills he told me to keep 'just in case'. When my mobile rang, and I saw it was Katie I was already too fucked to talk properly.

I should have gone home at that point.

I should have taken the (quite appropriate) abuse Katie gave me down the phone, about letting her down and being late. But no. I told her (or slurred her) that I was right here. "Well, not right here, but next door. I'll be round in a minute..."