Athene's Pigeon

At the Transition Towns meeting the other night, I got talking to Athene. She'd headed off to Dorstone that afternoon, to take her son to a music class - at least, that was the plan.
There was a white pigeon sitting on the roof of the car, and it wasn't moving.
"Never mind - we'll set off slowly, and it'll lift off and fly away."
They moved off. They looked up through the sun roof. The pigeon was squatting as close to the roof of the car as it could manage with its wings spread, as if it was trying to hold on.
"Oh, this is silly - we'll have to stop."
The pigeon was quite happy for Athene to pick it up - and then it huddled itself on her shoulder. And stayed there all the way to Dorstone (her son drove).
When she got back, she went round to her sister's. "I know you like animals...."
"I've got cats."
"So you wouldn't want...?"
"No."
She did provide some grain for the poor bird, though, and when Athene went out for the meeting, the pigeon was eating quite happily, and looked as if it had moved in for good!