Just waiting for something to happen

Blasé Gull in Approaching Surf

Blase Gull in Approaching SurfAn blase gull guards lunch, a quahog, as the wave rolls in and over the meal. Soon the bird will grab the shelled meal and soar above to drop the creature on rocks to crack the shell open.

Blasé Gull in Covering Surf

Blase Gull in Covering SurfAn blase gull guards lunch, a quahog, as the wave rolls in and over the meal. Soon the bird will grab the shelled meal and soar above to drop the creature on rocks to crack the shell open.

I was walking along the beach one day, enjoying the sun and the breeze, when I saw a gull standing on the sand. He looked bored and uninterested in anything around him. He didn't even bother to fly away when I approached him.

"Hey, what's up?" I asked him.

"Not much," he said with a yawn. "Just waiting for something to happen."

"Something like what?" I wondered.

"I don't know. Something exciting. Something different. Something that will make me feel alive."

He sounded so dull and unhappy that I felt sorry for him.

"Have you tried looking for food?" I suggested. "There are plenty of clams and crabs in the surf. Maybe you'll find something tasty."

He shrugged his wings.

"I've tried that. It's too easy. And boring. And predictable. They're all the same. No challenge. No thrill. No fun."

He sighed and looked at the horizon.

"I wish I could find something that would surprise me. Something that would make me laugh. Something that would make me feel something."

As he spoke, I noticed a clam lying on the sand near his feet. It was slightly open, as if inviting him to take a bite.

"Hey, look at that," I pointed at the clam. "Maybe that's what you're looking for."

He glanced at the clam and snorted.

"That? That's nothing. Just another clam. What's so special about it?"

He kicked the clam with his foot, sending it flying into the air.

"See? Nothing."

But as he said that, something unexpected happened. The clam snapped shut in mid-air, catching his foot in its shell.

"Ow!" he cried out. "Let go of me!"

He flapped his wings and tried to shake off the clam, but it held on tight.

"Help! Help! Get this thing off me!"

He looked at me with panic in his eyes.

I couldn't help but laugh. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen.

"Wow," I said. "That clam sure surprised you, huh?"

He glared at me.

"This is not funny! This is painful! And humiliating! And annoying!"

He continued to struggle with the clam, but it wouldn't budge.

I decided to help him out.

"OK, OK, calm down," I said. "I'll help you get rid of it."

I picked up a stick and pried open the clam's shell, freeing his foot.

"There you go," I said. "You're free."

He rubbed his foot and looked at the clam with disgust.

"Stupid clam," he muttered. "That was not fun at all."

He tossed the clam back into the surf and shook his head.

"I still haven't found what I'm looking for," he said.

He walked away, still looking bored and uninterested.

I watched him go and smiled.

Maybe he'll find it someday.

Or maybe he won't.

But I know one thing for sure.

He'll never forget that clam.

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