The Nest at the Sky Stop

Tessa went to work by flying taxi every morning. Her sky stop was on a roof. The building was very tall. She waited there with a coffee in her hand.

The taxi came at eight o'clock. It was small and white, with four round lights. It landed on a round pad. A door opened, and Tessa got in.

That morning, the taxi did not land.

It flew over the roof again and again. The pilot's voice came from the sky. "Sorry, everyone," he said. "The pad is not clear. I cannot land."

Tessa looked at the pad. It was clear. The morning was bright and cold. There was no bag, no box, and no person.

"What is wrong?" asked a girl next to her. She had a violin case on her back.

"I do not know," said Tessa.

An old man with a gray hat pointed. "Look there," he said. "Up on the light pole."

On top of the pole sat a small gray bird. It sat on a messy ball of leaves and sticks. It was a nest. The bird looked at the taxi and did not move.

"The taxi sees the nest," said the girl. "It thinks the nest is on the pad."

"It is very close," said the old man. "The taxi wants to be safe."

Tessa looked at her watch. It was eight ten. She had an early meeting. She did not want to be late. But she did not want to move the bird.

"Let us wait," she said.

"A few minutes is not a big problem."

"The bird is not in danger. It just needs a home."

They waited. Nobody talked. The taxi flew in a big circle. The bird made a small sound. A second bird flew to the nest. It had a thin stick.

Then the pilot spoke again. "There is another pad on the next roof," he said. "It is only two minutes away. Can you walk across the glass bridge?"

"Yes!" they all said.

The group walked over the bridge. The wind was cold. The girl played one soft note on her violin. The old man laughed.

On the next roof, the taxi waited. Tessa got in. She looked back through the window. The nest looked very small on the tall pole.

She was twelve minutes late for her meeting. Her boss did not mind. He loved birds. He asked to see a photo of the nest. She showed him one.

That evening, Tessa walked to a shop near her home. She bought a small wooden box with a round hole. It was a bird house. She also bought a pen and a card.

The next morning, she went to the sky stop early. She put the bird house on a post. It was far from the pad. She wrote on the card, "Please keep away." She put the card on the pole.

Then she waited for her taxi. The gray bird looked at the new house. It put one stick inside.