The conversation happens at the Hearth Corner Bar
R: Redmond; O: Otto
O: So. How’s life? (His eyes shining like snowflakes in the dim pendant light.)
R: Cold. For others maybe. Not for me though. (He shivers first, but immediately shows a determined confidence.)
O: You’ve clearly prepared yourself for it. (Eyeing him up and down.)
R: I did laundry this morning. (Gulping down a whiskey shot.)
O: And you’re wearing shorts now.
R: It’s okay for this short chat.
O: Where do you plan to go? It’s still early.
R: Places that’ll make shorts the right choice. (Waving for another shot, winking at the bartender.)
O: (Something inside his stomach wriggles.)Can I go with you?
R: But you’re wearing something totally different.
O: I can take some of them off on the way. I’m in layers. (Demonstrating his multi-layered personalities like a hardy cabbage.)
R: But then you would lose them.
O: I’ve lost many of them already. I had been through colder times.(Gulping down his ginger shot.)
R: I wonder why birds can stand both the winter and the summer, with the same feather coats.
O: Probably because they can take off at any moment.
R: (Rolling his eyes in his head.) Not with that fellow.
(He points at the owl in the bronze cage across the table.)
O: What a beautiful grey color. (He says when he smooths his grey pants)
R: It reminds me of the ashes at the bottom of the incenses.
O: Is it supposed to be poetic?
R: They’re so smooth if you take a pinch and rub it…(Raising his right hand and presenting the action in front of his face.)
O: (Suddenly coughing)Look. It can’t even spread its wings properly.
(The owl stops in the middle of the action and turns its head towards them.)
R: …but when they get stuck to the wall, it would slowly turn yellow, then dark brown.
(The owls eyes flash for a second before darkening)
(There goes a moment of silence when they watch the still silhouette and sip their drinks.)
R: I have an idea. Let’s give the owl some of our drinks.
O: And what’s the benefit of that?
R: I don’t know. It might enjoy it.
(He walks over and starts to have a conversation with it.)
O: (Muttering) He does that to every person. Every creature.
(He grabs Redmond’s third shot and gulps it down.)
(Two minutes later, Redmond comes back and shows Otto something.)
R: Look. He gave me one of his feathers.
O: And what sign did you take from him?
R: I think he’s trying to save us some trouble.
O: You mean now we have something to run away from? You with your shorts and me with everything to lose?
R: No, I think he wants to go out. He means that we take him with us.
O: You sound like a hero trying to save everybody. But he’s not like me.
R: You two are literally the same, if I may point out.
O: He’s only part of me. (Shrugging)
R: Don’t you have some magical abilities?
O: Oh you think I can sharpen my feathery mind as an arrow and shoot the lock?
R: If I were you, I might perform it to someone that needs distraction.
O: I don’t see how people will pay attention to something so light and insignificant.
R: They will when the chain reaction begins.
O: (Getting impatient) How? So the bartender’s nose will get tickled with the feather and he will sneeze? That’ll change everything.
R: Tell me more. I’m all ears.
O: (Getting angry, leaning forward) Oh WELL, then you might drop the feather into the wine barrel, so the customers will not get hallucinated and chaos BEGINS!
(Realizing he’s about to lose control, he leans back, and takes a couple of breaths before he says calmly:)
O: Then, the stage is yours.
R: You become even more wiser than I thought before.
O: You don’t need me in the real world, though.
R: (Looking at him sadly) Of course I need you. But I won’t show them anything.
River on Baltic Sea 
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