A Little Bird, Part 2

This morning, I was lying lazily in bed and heard a strange scuffling, whacking sound coming from the living room area. Since the cat was on the bed at my feet, I knew it wasn't her, but ignored the noise for a little while anyway, figuring it was something on the roof (we get noisy squirrels a lot). Finally, it was obvious that it was INSIDE (and it was also time to get up). When I made my way to the living room, inside the skylight (we have about four of them scattered throughout the house) there was a little brown sparrow-type bird. Again in the house. I'm quite sure she was not in there yesterday. So I appear to have defamed my friend K for leaving a bird in the house while I was gone unfairly. Apparently, we are now a stop on the birdy underground railroad, hidden tunnels of access into our house SOMEWHERE. I don't know how the heck they're getting in here. They're pretty easy to get out-- you just open a door and make noise and wiggle around in the opposite direction to where you want them to fly-- and they smell the fresh air from the open door, or something, and head for the hills.

There are no holes I can see in any of the skylights (which would be my first guess, since the bird this morning seemed quite convinced she could get out that way). What's interesting to me about this is that mythology has birds as messengers-- sometimes, depending on your interpretation, of good messages or bad (even to a death in the family). In society's historical past, it wouldn't be unusual for a death to occur somewhere in one's extended family-- life is pretty hazardous, even today, and boy was it worse in the world without antibiotics (and other stuff too innumerable to list). I remember in the movie the Seventh Seal they said something about a myth that a bird in the house was delivering a soul (so if you were looking for a new baby, it should be a good sign). So now two birds in about three days in my house. Message, anyone? I just hope it's a good one.