Every minute of every hour of every day of your life, you've been followed by birds. When you were young, you didn't realise: you just thought that the sparrow at school was obviously not the same as the sparrow at home, because why would it be? But as you've gotten older and more observant you can see that whenever you see a sparrow, that strange white splodge on the left shoulder is exactly the same shape. There are other birds, too: owls, pigeons and gulls dog your every step. The incessant birdsong keeps you awake at night.

One day, one of the birds lands on your shoulder and whispers in your ear: "You are one of us". And at once, you are free.