The heron bursted into his office, panicking, and out of breath. As he scrambled towards the desk, he reached for the red phone on his desk, yanking it off the receiver and up to his head. 

“Then it is one of your kind, right?!” Lyam yelled into the phone, “I thought I told you, I don’t want to deal with your other alien friends! Yeah, that’s right! I found out what you really are! And I’d appreciate it if you told them to fuck off!”  The Detective slammed the phone back down on the desk.

Lyam woke in terror, gasping as his body jumped and his eyes shot open. He perked up and looked around. For some reason, the familiar scene of his office felt unfamiliar, something was off; Everything looked and felt how it should, but there was this one element in the atmosphere that’s out of the ordinary. 

The heron feared that there was something in the room that he couldn’t see. ‘Another ghost?’ He began to ask himself. ‘One that has a more hostile nature?’ The bird scrambled to get up onto his feet and rushed to the red phone, quickly grabbing the receiver that was dangling from the desk.

“Red?” He didn’t put the phone too close to his ear, just in case the unknown spirit could communicate the same way the doctor could. He read books and seen movies of hostile haunts, and was worried that he may be in the midst of such an event. While holding onto the call with one hand, his other hand reached over to turn the projector left and right, trying to see if Red was anywhere in the room, or worse, if another ghostly being was. “Red?” He called out once more, this time more desperate. His mind begged her to answer.

Feeling like the fear in him was about to burst into a full blown panic attack, Lyam convinced himself that it was nothing and just needed to leave the stuffy office and go for a walk. Quickly, he gathered his things and rushed out the door.  

In an attempt to calm down further, he decided to do some work while he was away from the desk. The one place the heron thought of going to was the laundromat that burnt down a few months ago. He didn’t know why he chose to go there, especially on a whim, but he wanted some progress. Some may say he was desperate for it.

Outside of the business, Lyam looked disheveled as he walked up, only for his confidence to be broken as soon as he burst through the doors. Stopped in his tracks, he looked around the laundromat and the many faces staring at him. 

“I-I…” Lyam had a hard time forming any words at all, instantly regretting his decision to come here. “I want to see… S-Sive?” His tone made just about everyone listening confused on what was happening.

One of the birds near the backdoor stood tall, revealing himself to be an owl. “Who’s asking?” Their voice shook the detective to the core as they got closer to investigate the disturbance he had made.

“I-I-I was just walking by and just thought I would come by to… ask some questions.” Lyam knew it was a bad excuse, but he was trying to find a way out of this situation.

“Stay here.” The large owl demanded as he went into the backdoor into some sort of stairwell. As soon as the night bird was out of sight, Lyam quickly burst out of the laundromat, running back towards his office. 

A feeling of regret washed over the heron as he left the area. He wondered if he should’ve stayed and asked the questions he desperately needed to crack the case wide open. Perhaps about businesses, or maybe about a ledger. Lyam looked over his shoulder, wondering if it’s too late to turn back now, completely unaware that he was walking straight into someone. 

“Watch where you’re goin-” The heron stopped more words from leaving his mouth when he realized that the well-dressed hen before him was his own wife. She was wearing Lyam’s favorite color of red, which caught his attention first. Along with her were three children, each having similar characteristics to each other. 

It took the detective a moment to recognize the individuals before him. “P-Pasha? Kids?” the words stammered out as he spoke up again.  

“Lyam.” His wife said with a sigh, “I would ask if you are doing well, but I think your looks speaks for itself.” She looked back at their kids looking at Lyam with the same old admiring gleam in their eyes. “Listen, I am not going to ask why you look like… this…” She gestured to the messy and wrinkled clothing that was on the heron’s back. “But please promise you are taking care of yourself.” Pasha said with sincerity in her voice.

“Dad! Dad!” A trio of voices sang out, as the kids crowded around him. “Are you arresting all the bad guys?” Roka chirped, grabbing their father’s dress coat and bunching the corner in his hands.

“Are you off saving the world?” Laico gleefully voiced, as he tried to reach up to hold one of his fathers talons.

“Are you solving all the crimes?” Nuet trumpeted, standing upright before the detective with his fists triumphantly rested against his hips.

The three boys asked at once, causing a bit of panic within Lyam, who was unsure on what to say to his kids. His head looked from one child to another as they spoke to him. A dress shirt partially buttoned up with wrinkled sleeves with shorts, his eldest, Roka. Sky blue shirt neatly tended to and tucked into his well pressed dress pants, Laico. His youngest wore brown slacks held up by little suspenders, dawning his favorite newsboy cap, Nuet. The heron’s mouth trembled as it tried to form words that could answer their curiosities. ‘Roka couldn’t reach my coat before. He’s gotten bigger… they all have.’ Before he could even speak, Pasha walked up and pulled them back.

“He is working hard. Right?” She then looked back up at her husband, helping him with a response.

“R-Right.” The detective answered, which only excited the children. They jumped up and down with glee and exhilaration.

“Awesome!” Roka’s eyes dazzled in awe.

“Amazing!” Laico clasped tightly to his mother’s hand, his little tail feathers shaking with excitement.

“Cool!” Nuet declared.

They sang out once more, bobbing up and down in joy while fluttering their arms. It wasn’t until their mother spoke up did they retreat. “Let me talk to your father for a moment, okay?” The small trio stepped back and huddled together, talking amongst themself. “I told them you were ‘off saving the world’.” Pasha had a light chuckle, “I wanted them to calm down and not worry so much about you.” His wife let out another sigh as if he is holding back what she really wants to say. “I know your work is important. Just don’t forget about us.” Her words were cold, but had a real sense of concern.

Pasha then returned to the kids, huddling them around her. “Time to go, say ‘bye’ to your father.”

“Bye, dad!” Roka called out, waving both arms in the air.

“See ya, daddy!” Laico peeped, waving shyly with one hand as the other continued to be comforted by Pasha. 

“Later, papa!” Nuet trilled, attempting to cheep louder than his older brother.

They all said in unisine again, as Lyam raised his hand. “I’ll be home soon, kids, promise.” He watched them all walk down the street, only for a few of them to look back until they were out of sight.

While walking back to the office, he felt impatient and uncertain, those emotions triggered his anger. He was unsure why he would feel this way and it was not even clear if the negativity was towards himself or other people. All he knew was that he was in an uncomfortable position, wanting to go back to his family, while the nagging need to push for progress on his work was gnawing at the back of his mind. He wanted to walk towards the laundromat, but also wanted to return to the office. 

The detective felt so torn on so many levels, and it was overwhelming him. Not wanting to change the course he was set on, Lyam stomped his way back to the building and bursted into his office. He had to clear his head, to think on his next step. A part of him was still fearful of the office feeling off, but upon entering, perhaps clouded by his anger, the space felt normal. He absentmindedly reached for the red phone and placed it to his ear. 

“Oh, good afternoon Lyam.” Red’s voice was soft, but not as energetic as she normally is. 

“Where were you?!” Lyam almost snapped when he heard the woman’s voice, raising his own out of excitement as well as to express his distress from earlier. Now that the doctor had returned, it felt like he was able to let out a suppressed breath that he had been holding in for a long time. “I called you this morning and you weren’t there!”

“Y-Yes, I do apologize. There were some… Interruptions, and I was unable to answer your call.” She explained, worried about what was so urgent. “I am here now, so please, tell me what is going on.”

“I’m a dumbass, Red. The most stupid detective ever. That’s what’s going on.” His rant began and disappointment was the first thing he expressed. “I went to the damn laundromat today thinking I could do something to push the case forward. When I got there though, my confidence was shattered.“ The heron had plopped down into his chair with a feeling of defeat in his words. “There were these… I want to say guards… Standing around, and I just froze up. I asked for Sive, but as soon as they left, I booked it. I’m a spineless coward, Red. Leaving when there could’ve been something, answers, or new leads within the case.” His voice shuttered from just thinking back to the predicament.

“And if that wasn’t enough, guess who I bump into?! Pasha, my wife!” The tone had shifted drastically from what it was before. “I left the laundromat to bump into her and my kids. Out of this entire city, and every place they could’ve been, they were in the direction I was going!” Lyam’s voice had swelled more with the tone of anger, without realizing he was practically yelling into the phone.

“I see.” Red said, understanding that he and his wife didn’t separate on good terms. “Well, what did you two talk about? And it must have been good to see the kids, right?”

Lyam showed reluctance to answer the question. He had remained silent for a bit before finally answering. “I wouldn’t know how they are. Since I moved into the city and focused on the case, I have yet to check on any of them. Pasha, my kids, left in the dark about all I have been doing here.” The heron’s tone became softer than it was before. “I have not been there for any of them, I was more focused on myself instead of my kids. More on the job than showing appreciation to my wife, Pasha.”

Tears had begun to build up in his eyes, the feelings of his frustrations and all the different emotions seemed to let loose, like a shaken up soda bottle. The question of ‘what is the point of all this’ tumbled in his mind as he looked back on all he did since being fired from the police force. He felt like he had failed himself and everyone around him by tunnel visioning on the case alone. He had enough money to sustain him and the family until he found another job, but he chose to dump those savings into the detective agency instead. He could’ve used the time at home to think about this turning point in life, perhaps finally move a bit closer to his ideal life, start up some hobbies, catch up with old friends or just spend some time with the boys that were growing up so fast. 

“I’m not a good husband, Red. Nor am I a good father. It’s been just Pasha raising them without me. So many missed birthdays, holidays, and lessons that I should be teaching them. How are they going to be proper avians when the three of them grow up? What will they even think of me trying to be a part of their lives now?” The questions poured out continuously, asking ‘what ifs’ with doubt. He left almost no time for the therapist on the other end to answer.