About a bird

On my way to work today, I stopped at a traffic junction which was manned by a traffic policeman. It was a mundane sight, one of the roads was being let through by the policeman, and others were waiting for their turn. As I looked on, suddenly the policeman left the middle of junction and plunged into the oncoming traffic. He started diverting vehicles from some spot on the road, all the while scolding and berating the drivers. It was such a strange sight, and I was trying to figure out what the cop was doing. Then it was clear: There was a crow on the road which wasn't flying away, and the policeman was going to rescue it.

All the traffic came to a standstill, while the cop first tried to shoo it off the road. The bird was evidently injured, because it started hopping slowly for the side of the road. Then the cop picked it gently, and put it on a wall at the side of the road. Traffic started again with a roar. But my story is not ended yet. Somehow, other crows knew that this one was injured. As I watched on, some other crows landed beside this one, and petted it with their beaks, touched beaks with it (were they kissing? are crows social birds?). Then as if in slow motion, the injured one began to topple over, and the other two lunged for it and caught its wings with their beaks! It hung there for a few seconds with one wing held in the two crows beaks and body hanging below, then it slipped and fell on the ground.

Dimly I heard honking behind me; I had been so absorbed in this little birdy saga and now I was holding up the traffic behind. Guiltly I moved on, but my heart was with the injured crow. Did it manage to get back home safely (wherever home is for the bird)? I dont know, but I like to believe it did.