Secret world

About a year ago, I discovered a whole new world, right on my doorstep.

I'd kind of forgotten about it until I found this photo in my phone.

I had given into my night owl tendency, and worked through until around 4am. Looking up, I'd noticed daylight was already creeping in through the curtains, and so, not quite ready to go to bed, I decided to go for a walk.

Outside, I was amazed to find myself an intruder – an unwanted outsider – in a pre-dawn land that belonged to the birds.

The cacophony of their song was incredible. From every rooftop and branch, it seemed, there was an amazing singer working hard to outdo his neighbour.

Birds was strolling in crowds across the roads or hopping about on car bonnets with the kind of brazen confidence you never see in daylight hours. They threw me dirty looks and cracked jokes about humans.

It was wonderful and magical. But as the sun peeped over the horizon and a few other lone people began to appear, the secret night magic began to fade... until next time.

Pearl