Impressive Stripes
My trip to Brazil was amazing and exhausting . There were a few times I felt like the early bird and a night owl on the same day. Rest was a luxury , so I tried to take a load off every chance I got. During our first full day in the Pantanal, I enjoyed a shaded rest by a small pond before our next outing. Giving myself a moment to relax and get comfortable under a tree , I sat my camera down, took in a deep breath and reflected on my adventures.
I don’t remember feeling sleepy, so I likely dozed off quickly. When I woke up, a Rufescent Tiger Heron was finishing a fish only a few feet away. Cautious not to move too quickly, I slowly sat up and said, “It’s embarrassing I fell asleep here like this. Hopefully, I wasn’t snoring … Do you know how long I was sleeping?” His only visible eye never moved as his neck extended steadily, almost doubling the bird’s size. Speaking to me but never looking in my direction, the heron said, “For a stripe or two.” Hoping I didn’t miss the group and confused about what that actually meant, I asked, “How long is a stripe?”
Glancing down and looking at his tiger-striped plumage , “There are many stripes for every tiger heron, one for every meal. ” That didn’t answer my question, but I was astonished at the magnitude of meals he consumed to equal that number of stripes. I blurted, “Do you remember every stripe?” He stiffened while his one visible eye roamed everything about me. His whole body began to glow and vibrate as the next subtle stripe formed near the top of his neck. Acting as if nothing happened, he said, “That’s an impressive thing to ask.”
His statement made me feel special, and a warm glow now filled my chest. In my thoughts, I imagined his stripes were more than a magical tattoo that appeared after every meal, but instead something universal that ties the galaxies together. However, there was something suspicious in the way he said it. The heron closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and staring straight ahead. With a very intentional voice, the heron said, “Tell me, what else do you see.”
Believing this was some sort of a pop quiz, I wanted to give it my best shot. I must have taken too long to answer because he snapped, “ Well-, can you see me?“ Giving up on overthinking, I spouted philosophically, “Your dark slender beak is a symbol that represents the dark void it sends creatures within its reach. Your eyes are-”, clapping his beak to cut me off, he said, “Never mind, that wasn’t the one.”
Not wanting to miss the group and starting to get creepy bird vibes from this socially odd heron, I began reaching for my camera, but it wasn’t there . Confused about its whereabouts, I panickedly asked, “Have you seen my camera?” Still looking straight ahead, he said, “Also wasn’t the one.” At this point, I was tired of riddles because my camera was nowhere in sight. Forgetting the pleasantries and minding my tone, I voiced. “If you have seen my camera, tell me where it is, right now.”
I seriously doubt the heron was intimidated or took my command seriously. Besides, he grew up with the anacondas , ocelots, caymans, and jaguars. Without a hint of regret, the tiger heron said, “I ate it”. I can’t remember what I said exactly, but it was pretty much like “Why the heron would you do that?”
Still looking straight ahead and in a solemn tone, he said, “There is a legend of a special Tiger Heron, called ‘Negro Espelho’ or ‘The Black Mirror.’ The Mirror is the deadliest hunter of all the herons. It is told that when a tiger heron eats an impressive meal that no heron has eaten before, they will become ‘The Mirror.’ After taking this impressive meal, their black stripes merge, creating the new dark shadow heron that blends into the background, reflecting everything around him, like a mirror.” I was still upset but intrigued at the mystery behind this story, so I said, “You go around eating everything you think could be ‘impressive’, with hopes to one day become the black mirror?” Only moving his beak, he replied, “Yes.”
I was shocked by his audacity and unruly life of total gluttony. I diverted my eyes to look at the ground in discomfort. Then I quickly remembered he also said I was impressive... I looked up to see the tiger heron glaring directly at me with an unmistakable intention. I fumbled reaching for anything to defend myself, before he let out a loud squawk and lunged…
Everything went dark, but I could hear muffled voices and the loud squawking of the bird that put me here. Suddenly, the world around me began shaking, and a bright light flashed that forced me to open my eyes. Turns out, I have vivid dreams and can sleep pretty hard. When I asked the group how long they were trying to wake me, one said, “ Only for a stripe or two.”
-The end
Written by Donte Hunter
Shot on Sony A1 w/600F4
ISO 800 f4.5 1/2000
7/19/25
Pantanal, Brazil
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