A Slip Of The Tongue [I]

Leila ignored Hazel deliberately. She squatted at the table and talked to Zac, "It can read ancient poems. When I read any line, it will read the next line of that poem." She swallowed and murmured, "Wild grasses spreading over the plain."

"With every season come and go," said the parrot in a shrill voice.

Leila continued, "In the morning one departs from Baidi, amongst rosy clouds."

"One thousand li to Jiangling, in one day returning," the parrot continued.

With his arms around his chest, Zac touched his chin and asked, "Did you get this from the zoo?"

"No, I bought it with a man who has parrots. There are many parrots among them, and it is the smartest one. So I picked it and give it to you. You can ask it to wake you up every morning," Leila grinned.

"Okay, I take it. It's much more interesting than an alarm." Zac asked the servant to hang the birdcage on the balcony. Then he sat on the sofa and chatted with Leila, ignoring the woman standing at the stairs.

Hazel was not happy to b