Lilly, a small gray dove with a longer than usual neck, loved to watch people on their daily walks. She knew that she could see ahead and warn of any danger that lay in wait for her on the way. She’s always on the lookout for a snake or wolf that might be in the bushes.
If there were no people to keep an eye on, I would search for stray cats and fly to distract them if they headed towards danger. A black and white stray cat crossed the street every morning, making its rounds, looking for food. Lilly knew his routine well and was looking ahead. A car pulled out of a driveway and sped into the cat’s path when Lilly dove and hit the cat’s head, spinning it around just in time. Feeling good about her mission, Lilly returned to her place on the wire.
A child who had just learned to walk escaped through an open door and played alone in the front yard. Lilly began to watch him. A copperhead slithered through the grass toward the boy. Lilly dove and fluttered in front of the boy until he tried to catch her. She then fluttered out of her reach, pulling the boy away from the snake. When the boy wandered towards the road. Lilly would do the same and take the boy closer to her house. At last, the mother, missing the boy, looked out the window and saw the two of them playing in the front yard. Startled by the bird’s strange behavior, she took a short video of the two of them.
The next day, the mother showed the video to a friend who worked at the local newspaper, and the two of them watched from the house as Lilly flew from one place to another on the cable over the road, watching the people and animals around her. they passed. They realized that Lilly watched over and protected anyone on the block until they left. She then went back to her place on the cable. Curious about other birds in the area, the reporter noticed other small pigeons on other streets in the neighborhood doing the same thing. It was as if each of them had been assigned a block of the street to watch.
When word got out about the doves guarding the neighborhood, a lady came forward and said that she had been praying for the protection of those in her subdivision, and it seemed that Lilly and others were the answer to that prayer.
