Willodeen

The meeting room is stuffy and full of people. The first order of business is the fair and how the village will survive without the hummingbear migration to bring tourists and money. No one has an answer, but Willodeen can clearly hear the worry and fear in the voices of everyone who speaks, whether to offer suggestions, complaints, or place blame. Finally, an older gentleman suggests the remaining money in the village treasury be put toward paying people to hunt pests like screechers. Someone argues that there are hardly any screechers left, to which Willodeen asks “And whose fault is that?” (97).

Willodeen is just as shocked by her outburst as the gathered assembly. She argues that the screechers didn’t need to be killed in the first place because they’re “as much a part of things as you and me” (101), but no one cares about the creatures but her. The meeting leader reminds the group they are there to discuss the disappearance of the hummingbears, and Willodeen suggests that the hummingbears might have left because the people keep changing things. The villagers laugh, and Willodeen storms out.