Forlade Dalen

Tomas, parkbetjenten, kom til besøgscentret ved solopgang. Han havde en termokande med kaffe. Han satte sig på en bænk ved siden af Polly.

Tomas the ranger came to the visitor centre at sunrise. He had a Thermos of coffee. He sat on a bench next to Polly.

De sagde ikke meget. Polly pudsede sine fjer. Morgenen duftede af floden.

They did not say much. Polly preened her feathers. The morning smelled of the river.

"Du tager afsted," sagde Tomas.

"You are leaving," Tomas said.

Polly vippede med hovedet.

Polly tilted her head.

Han fortalte hende om resten af parken. Det høje land med sine søer. En anden dal mod nord. En lund af høje træer.

He told her about the rest of the park. The high country with its lakes. Another valley to the north. A grove of tall trees.

"Dette sted er for stort til at se på tre dage," sagde han. "Man ser kun brudstykker."

"This place is too big to see in three days," he said. "You only see pieces."

Polly tænkte på sine dyk fra klippen. Ingen af dem var gode. Men hver gang blev det lidt bedre. Hun kunne blive ved med at forbedre sig hele livet.

Polly thought about her dives off the cliff. None of them were good. But each one was a little better. She could keep getting better for a lifetime.

Den grønne shuttlebus kom tilbage. Den samme chauffør. Tomas rejste sig. "Afsted med dig," sagde han.

The green shuttle bus came back. The same driver. Tomas stood up. "Off you go," he said.

Polly strakte sine vinger. Hun løftede sig fra bænken. Hun kredsede omkring besøgscentret. Hun steg op.

Polly stretched her wings. She lifted off the bench. She circled the visitor centre. She climbed.

Dalen forsvandt under hende. El Capitan var til venstre. Half Dome var til højre.

The valley dropped away. El Capitan was on her left. Half Dome was on her right.

Ved kanten drejede hun mod vest. Under hende jagtede en vandrefalk små mursejlere langs klippen. Polly kiggede. Så fandt hun vinden og lod den føre hende ud af parken.

At the rim, she banked west. Below her, a peregrine hunted small swifts along the cliff. Polly watched. Then she found the wind and let it carry her out of the park.