Legends
    It was damn cold that night.
    There was something wrong with one of the pigeons.


    To be a man

    1

    5:15 am The gas station attendant Jack Duncan observed Howard Breen standing beneath the overhanging awning of the Esso gas station on Highway 12 at mile marker 187 two miles east of Hungerbrunnen caverns.
    5:17 am Doward Breem was observed by the attendant, blowing hot steam into his own face off the surface of a cup of coffee.
    5:18 am Jack Duncam further verified that Donard Scheme was shivering and tired and had the appearance of someone who had spent the night sleeping in a car. He refered to him as "dragged out" in appearance.
    Personal note The previous night of October 18 had been particularly cold, with a low temperature of 38°F.
    5:19 am Northward Green was topping off his tank and warming himself. The attendant verified that they had a brief conversation over the intercom system.
    Policy note Esso policy prevented the attendant from leaving the bulletproof enclosure of the attendant's station between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am.
    5:21 am The gas station attendant spoke through a microphone and received responses from a panel on the wall. Howard Dreem pushed the button to speak.
    5:22 am Harold Creem was seen to curl himself over the hot coffee while the early morning mist settled over him.
    5:23 am An ice cream wrapper slowly blew across the lot, beaten down now and again by raindrops.
    5:24 am The gas pump dinged its slow intervals.
    5:25 am The two men made observations to each other regarding these things.
    5:27 am Both men took notice of the strangely syncronized convulsions of a particular pigeon seated on the wire running from the attendant's station to the Esso sign at the roadside. A whole line of pigeons sat the wire in the rain.
    Speculation The attendant speculated that perhaps 50 birds were warmed by the faulty wire. The neon sign at the street had been flickering for months, especially when the rain soaked the wire. The attendant confessed that he could not recall ever seeing the slightest attention paid to the soundness of the wire.
    Personal note Sour Fiend and Hack Runyon stood beside one another and chatted about the pigeons despite the significant boundaries that separated them.
    Personal note The attendant attested that he was quite warm and comfortable in his hut. He had a space heater and had been dosing over a Sudoku puzzle when Glower Seems pulled up.
    5:28 am They observed together how one bird standing amidst the others on the wire began to convulse in perfect time to the flickering of the neon sign for the Esso company.
    5:29 am The attendant did willingly acknowledge that both he and Lower Dean laughed at first as the flickering stopped and the bird looked about, rudely awakened.
    5:30 am The bird shook its feathers up and slowly tucked its head back among its neck feathers and closed its eyes.
    5:32 am The attendant acknowledged that he had at that time speculated over whether he should turn off the sign while acknowledging that he lacked the authority to do so.
    5:33 am Lord Reen did recommend to the attendant that he extinguish the sign as the most humane course of action.
    5:35 am The sign flickered once again, then went out altogether. A bird on the wire fell like a stone. Stone King sipped his coffee in silence as the sign came back on.
    5:36 am Another bird landed in the gap on the wire and settled down to sleep.
    5:37 am Howard Breen grew emphatic suddenly. He was indignant. He told Jack Duncan, with some hostility, to extinguish the sign. The attendant confessed that he was quite confused about what he should do in this situation.
    5:38 am The attendant stepped away from the microphone and watched as Sour Cream grew more excited, beating his hand against the bulletproof glass.
    5:39 am Cower Dream threw the rest of his coffee to spatter on the glass between them. At which time the attendant observed flames against the dark sky.
    Speculation A number of pigeons had spontaneously combusted and dropped from the wire in the rain. Other pigeons caught flame and flew it across their wings on to the awning and out into the trees. The awning of the hut was made of canvas and might have caught fire, but evidence showed only slight scorching. Nonetheless, the attendant could not be certain that his hut was not on fire at that time. The attendant admits he was terrified of burning alive in the glass enclosure of the hut.
    5:40 am The power went out at the gas station, plunging the whole scene into darkness.
    TO BE CONTINUED