What a day (13-11-24)
In the Netherlands anf not only there, grizzles are a hype. Many people advertise them, many people want them. In many auction the highes bids are on grizzles.
What a circus. Read story below.
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What a day
'Hello Ad, It is Leo here. Are you okay there?'
"Ha, Leo. Okay? Hmm. Could be worse, could be better.'
'Here is a Chinese pigeon fancier with his lady, Ad. The man is crazy rich.
Could we come by this afternoon?" (Of course he could, but I read 'Hidden Seducers' during my studies, so I know about acting).
"Let's look at my calendar, Leo, just a moment." "Yes, here we are again. I happen to be able to take some time off at three o'clock.'
'Wow, that's a good chance. You'll see us appear.' (Quickly mow the lawn, clean up a bit, shave and go to the bakery. Because 'crazy rich?' Again. Hmm.
WITH A DOG
AT 3.30 a car stopped. And what a car. 'Just out of category'. Too bad the neighbours did not see that.
Three people got out of the car, the driver remained seated. And also a dog that I thought I knew from somewhere.
Leo: 'We're a bit late, sorry. My friend bought some cake (he put a box on the table) and saw a beautiful dog walking."
"Uhhhh? You don't stop for a dog, do you?
''He did, and that's how it was. Here in the street, a woman was walking with her dog. ‘Wonderful beast’, said Li, (Li is my friend's name): 'This is mine'.
"You understand Chinese?"
A bit. Anyway, we stopped and Li went to that woman and dog. It was a bit unfriendly for a while, but a little later Li, smiling happily with the dog in his arms, got back in. However, his coat was less bulging around his body. One of the two ‘money tits’ he was carrying was missing."
SITTING IN THE GARDEN.
'You mistel Shawlads. You good pigeons, huh?'
'Good pigeons? SUPER good pigeons Mister Li.'
He laughed happily. Because according to Leo he had come for ‘super good pigeons’. I nodded kindly to his wife, because it makes a difference if you have her with you. (Or was it his mistress, daughter, or secretary? I couldn't get a sense of it).
If Li' had ‘money tits’, hers would not be inferior to them, I saw.
And she knew it. She flaunted so much that I feared one might escape at any moment.
That lady doesn't know a word of English, Leo had said, but was that a problem with such a body, I wondered. My wife brought coffee.
"Madam Shawlakens?" Li asked me.
'Yes, the name is Ria.' ('You want to buy?' I almost blurted out)
'Lia nice name. You nice man, you nice wife, nice house and nice pigeons Mistel Ad.' (When I put a turd here, he still says 'nice shit' it went through my mind. What a slime. Soon my wife will have to go after him to wipe up his drool).
A PARKER
Then Leo: Li is a big one with at least 2,000 pigeons and four loft managers.
Does he also play well there in that faraway China?
Leo: 'Not yet, but later. That's why they were here in the first place. Li is a fan of yours and also thinks you have a good pen."
That's right, I said. That's a Parker, the best, so to speak.
Leo: Of course we come for pigeons. A ‘money tit’ is already gone for that dog. But there is still enough in the other and he wants to spend it here. Price is not an issue. No way he would not dare to tell his Chinese friends that he had bought pigeons for less than 1,000 euros each.
"Come, follow me to the aviary," I said. And grinned when I saw that the neighbors were now taking pictures of the fancy car with dog and sleeping driver.
IN FRONT OF THE AVIARY
Li pointed to a blue pigeon. Delbal? (He means Delbar, Leo said).
‘No Delbal. Solly Sul.’ I meant, 'Sorry, sir,' I said to Leo.
He nodded. Now Li pointed to a slaty. Janssen Alendonk?
'Janssen is history. Now other names. I mentioned some of today's top players.
He shrugged. So he never heard of the best racers of to-day
Li again: 'Sissi line?'
I rolled my eyes. Oh boy. Sissi? She was born in 1988.
Now he whispered something to Leo. "He wants to see good pigeons," Leo said, emphasizing ‘good’.
"Tell him they're all great," I said.
He whispered something in Chinese.
Li: ‘I want see LEAL supels.'
I didn't understand it. What went wrong here? I picked up a beautiful hen, wanted to hand it over but he recoiled as if he saw shit.
'Supel pigeons is glizle pigeons, Mistel Ad'.
I looked at both of them questioningly. Li took out his cell phone, scrolled until he found what he was looking for. A picture of a grizzle pigeon. And another picture. Also a grizzle. And another picture. Again a grizzle. And another.
''Moment', I said to Leo and searched, almost gagging, for the toilet.
SHOCKING GRIZZLES
What a shock. There was a pigeon on the drain. A grizzle one who grinned. Or so it seemed. There was another one in the window opening. Also a grizzle one. Was he laughing? Or so it seemed again.
Another grizzle one. Then grizzles everywhere.
But what strange faces they had. The eyes! These were not eyes, but coins. Dollars! Suddenly, I froze. A very terrifying sound.
It came out of the toilet, as loud as the pounding of my heart.
It got louder and louder and then something came bubbling up. A pigeon and another grizzle one with those crazy eyes. There was only one explanation for this: I was going crazy.
Then again some bubbling, now even much stronger than before. Some hairs came up out of the water, the hairs became a skull, the skull a human head. It got bigger and bigger and suddenly, with its mouth wide open, started laughing out loud. One pigeon after the other disappeared into his mouth and was slurped up. Then it disappeared.
AND THEN
I called for my mother, but the sound was drowned out by the loud flushing of the toilet, without anyone touching it.
Now I was immediately awake, drenched in sweat.
My wife was on the phone. "No, I don't think it's a fever," I heard her say. I shook myself like a dog coming out of the water. No trace of Leo and his friend.
The pastry was gone and I didn't see the money tit either. With a head still spinning with emotion, I looked outside and sighed deeply. The church tower was still there.