The Return the Parrots Already Knew About

Omar Enrique Berdugo Cabeza arrived from Cerro el Peligro with the weariness of the trail still heavy in his boots, but what awaited him at the foundation left him no time even to catch his breath. Before he had quite made it through the entrance, the air was already alive with wingbeats and voices: guacamayas, chejas, pionus cabeciazul, and loros de frente roja — all at once, all rushing toward him, as though they had been counting the minutes since he'd been gone. There were no introductions. Each bird recognized him on the spot, and each one wanted to be first: first to come close, first to receive food, first to tell him in its own way that they had missed him. Amid the commotion of colors and feathers, Omar shared attention and nourishment among them all, unable to hide what he was feeling. From all of it, Omar was left with one certainty — simple and deep: animals always know who has treated them well. It doesn't matter how much time has passed, or how many hills you've crossed in between. They hold onto that. And at just the right moment, they give it back to you, with everything they have.