The Curious Works of Verna A. Ringlander

Birdsong - Chapter 5

In this final episode of the Birdsong series, Jammy makes his formal exit from camp just as Uvi prepares to make her own. When the day finally arrives, she has one final moment with Counselor Fleeve to say goodbye. Uvi takes in a new perspective of camp, and almost boards the bus that awaits her outside to take her into town to begin her life as an adult.

Birdsong - Chapter 4

Orev leads Uvi out the doors of camp into darkness and uncertainty, and misfortune finds them quickly, bringing harsh punishment onto Uvi and certain death onto Orev. Jammy finds a way to make his statement about the situation and receives a punishment of his own.

Birdsong - Chapter 3

The intensity between Uvi and Orev heats up just as any teenage relationship can, but the closeness they share threatens to throw off the balance in concentric ways, and they are warned of dire consequences. Just as a new kind of freedom seems within reach, the frequency of the drills increase, and the sirens interrupt their lives in a way that Uvi has never experienced before.

Birdsong - Chapter 2

Uvi shares breakfast with the new camper and gives him the basics to begin his life at camp with his best foot forward, including a few tips about how best to handle the drills. His first drill arrives soon enough and threatens to overwhelm him very quickly, with Jammy right there, ready to make some trouble.

Birdsong - Chapter 1

A story begins about a girl who lives in an encampment for children, where there are frequent drills for terrible storms that seldom come, and always somewhere else, reportedly leaving complete destruction and widespread death in their wake. Many if not most children are without parents, forcing them to live communally in these encampments with the women who serve and oversee them under strict yet seemingly necessary protocols involving long periods of time in sealed underground bunkers, which our narrator chooses to make the best of, hoping to lift the spirits of the other children. Some of her peers, however, seem hellbent on making the lives of the children, especially newcomers, as difficult as possible, and while the girl tries to protect as many newcomers as she can, she can only get to one at a time. One such newcomer arrives on a particularly mysterious night, surprising her with his attitude towards his newfound situation and his resistance to her efforts to extend a helpful hand.