The Pirate of Konoura

Every week after my evening English class, my friend Atsuko drives me home. We then sit in her car and gossip for a while. There are several reasons for this. One; Atsuko's car is very comfortable. Two; we can look at the weirdos that come out at night. There are plenty of late night power-walkers, of course. One of my neighbours gets home at 9.30pm and then always leaves again two minutes later. Why? But the strangest sight of all has to be Mr. Yamada. He is the caretaker of the community centre where my English class is held. After he locks up, he must go home for a while and then set out on his evening stroll. Every Wednesday we see him walk past at about 10pm. With a BIRD on his shoulder. Yes, he takes his pet bird for a walk.

Last night for some I reason felt like going for a walk too. I saw Mr. Yamada by the fitness gym, squatting on the ground. He was picking his bird up off the ground and putting it back on his shoulder. Of course, I immediately thought of the Dead Norwegian Parrot. Is Mr. Yamada's parrot alive, and it for some reason hopped of his shoulder and onto the ground? If so, why doesn't it fly away? Or maybe it's a dead parrot, and the whole situation is even more bizarre that it seems at first.