Parrot's Pond

Strolling through the forest has always had a calming effect on you. Gone are the sounds of busy roads filled with loud cars, replaced with the sweet serenade of mother nature. Not even your own home could provide the same solitude and zen as a simple walk in the woods.

With the autumn weather getting colder, you intend on savoring these walks for as long as you can. Today was an unusually warm day, so it only made sense to take advantage of the opportunity. You start along your typical path, taking a left at your first fork in the road.

However, as you saunter on, you recall that this might be the last comfortable hike until next year, so before you reach the next crossroads, you opt to forgo routine and choose a new path. You fish around in your pocket for a coin. Pulling one out, you determine a new course of action. Every time you have to choose between a left or a right, you'll let a coin flip decide: heads is left, tails is right.

You're not worried about getting lost. After just a week or so of these woodland wanderings, you pretty much travelled along all the trails in the park. After a month, you knew the park better than you knew the back of your hands. You couldn't get lost in these woods even if you tried. You reach another fork in the road and flip the coin into the air and catch it in your open head.

Tails.

Looks like you're talking the scenic route by the pond. More often than not, you take the quick route through the forest, get some peace of mind, and get back to your life, but not today. Today, you're going to savor the sights and sounds of nature.

"Ugh, drat! Now it's all wet."

That wasn't one of the sounds of nature. As you approach the pond, you hear splashing, and through the trees and vines, you see a figure wading in the water. Coming closer, you pick out more details of the stranger: A green avian, a little overweight, but not unattractive, and very, very nude.

Bent over, trying to find something in the water, the bird had everything on display, and quite an erotic display it was. Hips like that would make anyone jealous, man or woman. And looking further down, you noticed quite easily that this bird is very much a male, one with a sizable girth.

What was he doing here? Didn't he know this was a public park? Anybody could come by and report him to the police. Heck, why weren't you calling the police? This is public indecency, isn't it? He must be crazy… or maybe he's a foreigner. They have different rules about modesty in other countries, don't they? It's probably best just to go up and tell him about that. As you walk closer to him, he straightens his back and turns around, locking eyes with you.

“Oh, hello! Didn’t see you there!” He greets, pulling a damp towel out from the water, “Don’t often see any hikers along this trail actually.”

You ask him why he’s naked.

“It would be kind of silly to bathe with all my clothes still on, wouldn’t it?”

You rephrase the question to ask why he’s bathing in a public park where anyone could see him and report him to the authorities.

“Well, usually this area of the park is so vacant and isolated, I figured nobody would come by. You’re the first person I’ve seen here in a couple of months.”

You question why he would still do it even with the risk of getting caught.

“To be frank, it’s kind of therapeutic. The forest has always had a calming effect on me.”

You mention you do always stroll through the forest whenever you need to meditate.

“Exactly! It’s like… gone are the sounds of busy roads filled with loud cars, replaced with the sweet serenade of mother nature. Heck, not even my own house is as zen and solitudinous as a bath in the woods.”

You weren’t exactly sure of the part about bathing, but you agreed with everything else. It was almost like he was reading your mind. You guess maybe he’s not as crazy as you thought.

“And with the weather getting colder,” he continued, “I figured I should take advantage of today’s warm weather.”

You let it slide that you had the same idea in mind.

“Heh, it’s like they say: ‘Great minds think alike.’ Actually, I was just about to step out and get dressed, believe it or not, but as you can see,” he clarified, raising the wet towel in his hand, “I accidentally dropped my towel in the water, so now I have to air-dry for a bit… unless you care to me for a bit.”

You beg his pardon.

“I’m only mean it in jest, of course,” he insists, “but then again, the company would be nice. Also, thank you for being a good sport about the whole nudity thing. I was half expecting you to shout me out and call me names.”

You consider his suggestion. Of course, skinny-dipping in the middle of a public park is illegal and risky, not to mention weird considering the part involving getting naked in front of a complete stranger. Obviously, you shouldn’t… then again, he didn’t say it was therapeutic… and he doesn’t seem to look half bad… and he doesn’t seem to mind you looking…

Just this once, you say to yourself.