A Friendship to Forgo: Bird and William in the 22nd Century

Bird dreamed of a new life. He had an outlandish idea, to make living selling custom-made birdhouses. So with little money and big dreams, Bird ventured out of his tiny Germany town, toward the bustling city market. He brought with him only a few meager wares and tattered clothes, but it was enough-- he was determined to make a living.

As Bird posted up at his spot on the market, he met a colorful cast of people selling a variety of things, from cigars to soap to tomatoes. Retail after retail clustered around Bird, wanting their cut of the market pie. But much to Bird's dismay, few were interested in his ornate birdhouses. His name was laughed off, and people scampered away from his spot.

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, Bird stumbled upon a mysterious figure garbed in a long, black robe. It was William, a local entrepreneur from the affluent part of town. Though Bird had seen his face in the newspaper, this was William in the flesh.

“We're looking for someone like you,” William stated with a sly smirk.

It was here that William offered Bird the investment he was looking for. William had a few plays in mind that could help propel Bird’s business to the crest of the town market. It “would be the perfect union”, he said.

Excitement stirred in Bird’s chest. This could be his opportunity to create something more than he had ever dreamed of. With newfound strength and ambition, and his newfound investments, Bird could proceed on his path to becoming Germany's most distinguished and beloved brand of birdhouses.

The chicken coop that Bird had made to accompany William’s monstrous mansion was becoming a spectacle in the area. Bird’s work was increasingly popular in the town, and people started to recognize his name-- and were even utilizing Bird’s services for their own projects.

But Bird noticed certain idiosyncrasies about William that were cause for concern. Though William's intentions for helping Bird were generous and kind, Bird could feel something lurking behind it, something amiss.

One day, William decides to enlist Bird in a new mission— a quest he kept meticulously guarded from any hint of outside eyes. His mysterious agenda made Bird uncomfortable and inquisitive, but Bird hardly asked the questions that weighed on his tongue. After all, it was because of William that Bird even had a chance to make his dreams come true.

Though Bird felt conflicted and nervous about the mission, the potential income that was promised to him kept him motivated and working. One night, Bird apprehended someone raiding William's chicken coop and discreetly showed them away from the mansion.

When Bird returned to flesh out details of the design, William presented him with a check, a payment in full that completely exceeded his original deal. Sufficient to Bird, as his curiosity was also fully satiated by the strange, chaotic mess that began to unravel-- William was surely up to no good.

While William was meticulously grooming his reputation and manipulating the whims of both society and Bird himself, he had failed to realize that his deception duties were not unnoticed. The police, who had initially become involved at the time of the robbery, had now managed to discover William's underhanded practice of extorting and exploiting traders.

ATT 4

Placed in a seemingly never-ending web of guilt, vengeance, and ruthlessness, Bird grapples with the reality of William’s duplicitous nature. He's betrayed and alone. Nonetheless, even from this dire situation, Bird is presented with one last hope Go down with William on his unethical endeavor, or dare to go against him and jeopardize his own future.

Bird is weary and confused-- but if he follows his conscience, in whatever direction it points, Bird had the chance to make his dreams come true-- be it a nightmare or miracle in the making. What path will he choose? In the end, that is for the reader to decide.