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other, a skinny tabby, jumped onto the railing. Its tail
swished frantically back and forth as it watched the small birds flitter about
on the power line. Liliana held her breath, anxious for the cat’s safety. The
railing wasn’t wide, and the alley was a far drop from the third-floor balcony.
    Just
then, one of the birds caught sight of the feline and flew away. Startled by
the bird’s hasty escape, the rest of the flock took off as well, some flying in
confused circles. There was a loud thump as one of the birds hit the glass door
and bounced to the hard balcony. Liliana watched, breath held in anticipation,
to see if the sparrow would fly away, but it lay motionless.
    “I have
to go,” she told Aimee. “I’ll see you at school, okay?”
    Her
friend sighed. “All right…Think about it, okay?”
    “I will.
See you in a bit.”
    She
forcefully urged the old sliding glass door open and was assaulted by the cold
February breeze. For once, the Seattle sky was clear; not a cloud was in sight,
and the sun winked down between the rooftops. Still, the temperature was near
freezing, and the damp breeze that blew in from the bay sent chills down her
bare arms.
    She
gazed down at the motionless bird. Unsure if it was dead or simply stunned, she
didn’t want to stand out in the cold trying to figure it out. Regardless if it
was alive or dead, she couldn’t leave it on the balcony. She looked around for
something to pick it up with and grabbed a kitchen towel, from a nearby
counter.
    Her toes
curled when she stepped, barefoot, onto the frozen balcony. Quickly but gently,
she scooped the bird into the towel and leapt inside. With the towel-enwrapped
bird held against her chest, she struggled one handed to shut the rickety glass
door.
    She sat
at the kitchen table and carefully opened the towel, wary of the chance that
the bird might fly up at her. It didn’t, however, and as she laid the towel in
her lap, the sparrow remained motionless. She observed it carefully for any
sign of life and thought that she detected movement in its chest. Delicately,
she touched a finger to the top of its head and gently stroked its back. After
a few moments, its eyes opened. Startled, it stuck out a wing as though to fly.
Liliana reacted quickly and cupped a hand over its back to hold it in place.
She noticed that, while one wing fluttered in its will to fly, the other
remained crooked at its side.
    Poor
thing. It has a broken wing , Liliana thought. She frowned when she realized that it had stopped its
attempt at escape and now lay still in her lap, breathing heavily. With one
hand cupped over its back, she continued to gently stroke its head.
    Her
grandfather, known around the Chinese community as a healer, was well practiced
in the art of ancient Chinese medicine. If he were home, he would have known
exactly what to do with the poor creature, but he had stepped out to the
morning marketplace.
    She looked
down at the bird and frowned again. It had been over a year since she had used
her healing ability. Well, it’s certainly worth a try , she thought.
Gingerly, she fingered the broken wing, cupped it between the palms of her
hands, and closed her eyes. Heat radiated from the spot that was broken. As she
concentrated, heat and energy began to radiate from her own hands, and her
energy began to overtake the heat that radiated from the broken wing. In her
mind she saw the bones heal and fuse together, and then she imagined the bird
taking flight in freedom.
    She
opened her eyes and slowly released the wing. Unsure of how the bird would
react, she took hold of the towel, prepared to cover it if it should panic. The
last thing she wanted was for the bird to take flight in the apartment and
reinjure itself. It remained motionless on her lap, but it was clearly more
relaxed and at ease. Its breathing had slowed and it had stopped trembling.
    A rustle
of keys at the door caught her attention, and a moment later, her grandfather
entered. His arms