Arthur leaned back in his wicker chair, the afternoon heat of the Costa Rican hillside humming around him. Across the table, a bright scarlet macaw shifted its weight, tilt-headedly watching him with one dark, intelligent eye. It was their daily ritual, a quiet hour spent sharing slices of papaya on the breezy balcony overlooking the mango groves. Arthur reached out a thumb to stroke the bird's crimson head, a gesture the creature usually welcomed with a soft cluck.
Today, as the bird stepped onto Arthur’s wrist to reach a fresh piece of fruit, its feathers ruffled in the coastal breeze. Arthur’s eyes flicked downward, expecting the usual scaly, grey skin of the avian foot. Instead, his gaze snagged on a glint near the bird’s ankle. It was hidden by downy leg feathers, almost completely hidden unless the bird stretched in just the right way.
Arthur froze, his heart dropping into a sudden, erratic beat as he stared at the object. His breath hitched in his chest, the slice of papaya slipping from his fingers and tumbling to the floorboards. The parrot didn't fly away; it simply stared at him, holding its foot aloft as if waiting for Arthur to finally notice the secret it had been carrying all along…