Talon, Flight for Life

By Gigi Sedlmayer

2020 Top 10 Finalist with Author Elite Awards (Author Academy Awards)

NEW APPLE: was chosen as an "Official Selection" in the 2016 and Older category of our Summer eBook Awards! 2019

5 star review by Readers Favorite  

FINALIST for BOOK C

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aurora House
• Release date: Aug 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9780992339975

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Talon

Flight For Life

Gigi Sedlmayer

First published in 2012 by Bookpal

This edition published by Aurora House, Australia

This edition published 2013

Copyright © Gigi Sedlmayer, 2013

Cover design, typesetting: Chameleon Print Design

eBook formatting by FormattingExperts.com

The right of Gigi Sedlmayer to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Author: Sedlmayer, Gigi 1944- author.

Title: Talon, flight for life / Gigi Sedlmayer.

ISBN: 9780992339975 (ebook : epub)

Series: Sedlmayer, Gigi 1944-. Talon series bk. 3.

Subjects: Andean condor--Peru--Fiction.

Dewey Number: A823.4

Also by Gigi Sedlmayer

the Talon series

Talon, Come Fly With Me

Talon, On the Wing

Talon, Connected

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1. Moody Matica

2. Elsa

3. Will You?

4. Hide-and-Seek

5. Talon’s Misfortune

6. Aikon and Elsa

7. The Rainforest

8. Once More the Incredible Embrace

9. At Home

10. The Dream

11. The Day of Departure

12. Getting Ready

13. Setting Off

14. The First Two Hours

15. Giant Lobelias

16. Macaws

17. Are We There Yet?

18. The Significant Tree

19. Having Lunch

20. What a Bold Monkey!

21. The Rainforest

22. The Tree

23. The Tapir and the Slope

24. Fish and Macaws

25. Toucan

26. The Strangler Fig Tree

27. The Orchid and the Tree Frog

28. The Bromeliad

29. Will You Come?

30. Birds or Humans?

31. Bambamarca

32. What Will I Find Out?

33. How Could You Cope With the Disability?

34. The Pool

35. Maximilian

36. What is That?

37. Chief

38. Walking Through the Shrubs

39. A Whirlwind

40. Everybody Heard About You

41. At the River Cajamarca

42. The Ferry

43. Suburbs of Cajamarca

44. Cajamarca

45. Tessa

46. The Hotel Room

47. A Visitor

48. Father Christmas

49. The Hospital

50. Maya

51. The Bank and the Bookstore

52. Lost

53. Michael

54. Are They Enjoying Life?

55. The Post Office

56. The Botanical Garden

57. Chaka

58. Rescue of Chaka

59. Analysing

60. The Supermarket

61. Troubled Tessa

62. The Old Worry is Haunting Her Again

63. Matica, the Star

64. At the Boat Landing

65. My Living Calculator

66. The Llamas

67. Will That Thing Catch and Eat Us?

68. Talon, the Whirlwind

69. Alexander

70. Back in Bambamarca

71. Spirit, the Bold Monkey Again

72. The Puma

73. The Incan Dwelling

74. A Whirlwind Again

75. Yay, a Spider

76. What Was That?

77. The Spider

78. The Boulder

79. He’s Dead

80. Was it For a Reason?

81. Feeling Helpless

82. Tamo

83. Flight for Life

84. Giving Him New Strength

85. Another Spider

86. On the Boulder Again

87. The Life-Giving Leaf

88. Can Talon Find Paper?

89. The Infinite Darkness

90. Mum’s Letter

91. Remarkable Recovery

92. Feeling Better

93. The Water Boy

94. To the Creek

95. Waiting

96. Crayn’s Confession

97. Talon

98. The Indians

99. Tamo Killed the Spider

100. Tamo, the Nurse

101. Bad News

102. Coming Home

103. At Home

104. The Leaves

About the Author

In fact, this amazing author keeps surprising me with her innocent narrative, first-hand accounts, lively description and positive outlook on life amidst terrible circumstances. One thing that really struck me in her biography was her successful life struggle with cancer some time ago, which I profoundly admire, especially when reminiscing upon my late mother’s destiny.

I also deeply respect people who have seen a lot in their lives, travelled around the world and immersed themselves into various cultures. One could definitely learn so many things from their wisdom.

In that respect, I was intrigued to know more about fossicking and I certainly have found some treasures for myself in Matica’s adventures.

Finally, I am sure you will find yours here as well.

— Boyko Ovcharov

An ending you won’t expect and a girl named Matica who never gives up. Three birds that you will fall in love with each with their own personality and differences making them unique. One little girl named Matica whose spirit and drive never give up on anything especially life and who begins to question God’s will and why things happen. So many friends made along the way and others who are revisited along the way. Find out where the final flight takes Matica, Crayn and the three most precious condors in the world.

— Samfreene Fran Lewis

I dedicate this book to my husband Albert, for his encouragement and brilliant ideas, and to our twin daughters, Anita and Tina.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many thanks go to my sister, Sigrid Dentler, with her supportive enthusiasm for my writing. I also acknowledge my mother Hildegard, for being there for me, albeit in Germany having a hard time reading my story in English.

I thank Antonius J. Voorham for his part in making the publishing of this book possible.

I thank Annette Hansen for her brilliant editing and positive input.

1

Moody Matica

Humph.’ Frustrated, Matica sighed heavily then pushed her empty plate into the middle of the table. Crossing her lower arms and placing them on the table, she laid her left cheek onto them and looked gloomily at Talon who stood beside her, grooming his feathers, what he regularly did these days. ‘Talon,’ she whispered. His head snapped up, eyeing her. ‘Should I really go with Dad to Cajamarca or should I stay here with you?’

Mira, Aikon and Matica were sitting at the bench outside, finishing their last lunch together. After the storm and the heavy rain that had hit the village five days earlier for two days, it was now only partly overcast with little rain here and there. Today was the first day with only scattered clouds and no rain up to now.

Since the storm had settled down, Crayn had decided, with the go-ahead from Pajaro, the leader of the village, to walk with his daughter to Cajamarca, the next big city, as he had planned. For Matica it was the last day together with her condors and the last time where she could fly on Talon for the next five days, since it would take them five long days to walk to Cajamarca and back. And tomorrow morning they would set out.

Aikon, who sat opposite his sister, leaned over the table, trying to look into her eyes but couldn’t because her eyes were only on Talon. He accused her, ‘Mat, what’s wrong with you? Wasn’t Talon’s embrace enough? You should be cheered up with that embrace, you know? That’s why he did it, to cheer you up. I would have been, I tell you that.’

Matica didn’t show him that she had heard him. She did not even blink, nevertheless she had heard him and thought: I’m not you. I need to know if I can still fly on the way.

Mira put her hand on his arm and whispered, ‘Aik, let her be. Talon is the only one who can and will cheer her up and will tell her to go. We can’t, neither of us.’

Right, Mum, Matica thought.

‘But Talon cheered her up already with that incredible embrace he gave her,’ Aikon said, reproachful. ‘What else does she want?’ I need to know.

‘I know, Aik,’ Mira said, still looking at her daughter. ‘I thought it would have been enough too, but I guess it isn’t enough. It might be enough for the time being; however, now she’s probably thinking that she can’t fly on Talon for the next five days. And that makes her moody again. Yes, that’s it. She’s gone back to the moody state. So I think we have to let her alone.’

‘Hmpf,’ Aikon sneered.

Talon had watched their conversation, trying to understand what they were saying. But now he put his attention back to his best friend. Eyeing her, and seeing her sadness in her eyes and feeling it in her whole body, Talon laid his beak into the nook of her arm, looking into her face and grunting.

But Matica, not reacting to Talon’s doing, just looked at him, not moving at all, not saying anything, not even blinking. Nothing. She appeared to her mother and brother as if she was on another planet far, far away.

Talon looked questionably back at Mira. Mira shrugged her shoulders then waved her hand in front of her daughter’s eyes. Matica didn’t even flinch, as if she wasn’t in her body. Aikon poked with his pointing finger into her cheek. Still no reaction came from her. It looked as if nothing could cheer her up, absolutely nothing.

Talon unfolded one wing and laid it on her back, stroking her gently. Finally focusing her eyes on Talon, Matica inhaled deeply, and slowly she came back to the reality, to the now. She lifted her head. Deep lines spoiled her forehead. ‘Talon, my dear Talon, should I really go with Dad to Cajamarca tomorrow? I mean really, really, really? We can’t fly for a week … or can we? Will you come with us? You see, I don’t know how long I’m able to fly on you. That’s why I’m so hesitant to go with father. Otherwise, I would love to go with father. But they’re five long days where I can’t fly on you, then.’ She grabbed him around his neck and embraced him impetuously.

Talon let it happen, hanging in her arms, closing his eyes now. ‘I can’t stand it. Please come so I can fly every day and so that I can see you, love you. Please, Talon?’

Talon pulled out of her embrace; however, he left his wing on her back to comfort her. Then he nodded strongly and then he screeched. It wasn’t a loud one, but it was one to acknowledge she should go and then he poked her in her side, even pushing her with his head.

‘Talon, are you telling me to go with Dad?’

Talon nodded.

Looking at him, she finally said, listless, ‘All right. I’ll go.’

Talon screeched the same screech as he did before.

‘What are you telling me now?’

Talon poked her in her cheek. ‘You will come every day and we can fly on the way?’

Talon just grinned then he screeched again.

‘You tell me to go and tell me that you visit us on the way, finding us, wherever we are, so I can see you, love you and we can fly every day?’

Talon grinned.

‘Oh, Talon. Thank you, thank you.’ Out of sheer happiness, because she believed him that he would come and they could fly every day, she embraced him again, nearly falling off the bench and onto him. But she held herself up by holding on at the table.

2

Elsa

But then loud clucking and squawking took her attention away from Talon. Her eyes wandered to a clucking chicken that stood beside Aikon’s feet, looking up at him. Aikon tapped his lap and she fluttered up on his lap. Aikon rubbed her neck and over her wings then whispered to her. She clucked and made herself comfortable on his lap, leaning her head against Aikon’s tummy.

Matica sat up. Talon dropped his wing from around her and looked surprised at the chicken, then at Aikon and he grinned and grunted softly.

Matica, wonder and surprise in her expression, leaned over the table, pointing at the chicken and asking her brother, ‘Aikon, what is that?’

‘That,’ he said mischievously, poking his finger into her side, ‘is a chicken.’

‘I can see that,’ Matica said, narrowing her eyes now. ‘But, why did she jump so freely onto your lap? Ahhh, did you make her a pet?’

‘I wouldn’t say that,’ he sang out, grinning. ‘She made herself a pet to me.’

‘She did? Mum, you knew about that?’ she asked her, seeing her grin.

‘Hmm.’ She patted her daughter’s arm that was lying on the table. ‘And that little chicken let you snap out of your moodiness.’

‘Uh? Oh, yeah, true.’ She grinned, embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry about that. I was … you know. It’s all because of my concern about how long I can still fly on him. I know I can be with him forever, but flying? That’s the problem. But since Talon told me he would come, all is better now.’ She made a dismissive gesture and turned back to Aikon. ‘Is that the chicken that always comes close to us and likes our company? And is it the one I nearly sat on once? Do you remember?’

Aikon nodded, grinning. ‘Yeah, I remember that. I’ll never forget that, you know. It was too hilarious. And yes, I think it’s her.’

Just then Talon stepped toward Aikon and poked his beak into the chicken’s side. The chicken looked at him then clucked joyfully and lifted her wing. Talon grunted at her.

‘You like the chicken, Talon?’ Aikon asked him. Talon nodded and buried his beak into her feathers. The chicken sniffed around his head. ‘They like each other. I like that.’

‘So, how did that happen and when?’ Matica asked, curious. ‘How long is she your pet already? I never saw you with her before.’

Laughing, Aikon said, ‘No, you couldn’t have. It started only yesterday when I fed the chickens. You were with Talon. I sat here and had some corn in my hand, lurking and asking if one of them would come to me and would eat out of my hand. She came and ate out of my hand. I patted her and next moment she fluttered up on my lap. So she made herself a pet to me.’

‘Just like that?’

‘Just like that.’

‘Do you know for sure it’s the same one? They’re all brown.’

‘Not quite. See here.’ He turned the chicken so that Matica could see. The chicken let it happen without complaining. ‘See the two black feathers? The others don’t have that.’

‘What will happen if she loses those two feathers? It happens quite often, you know.’

Aikon pursed his lips. ‘I don’t know. Never thought about that. But you’re right. Hmm.’ He played with the two feathers. ‘By then, I think, I hope and I believe, I’ll know her too well not to know that it is her. Anyway, she will always flutter up to me.’

‘Yes, that’s true.’

‘Do you know that chickens can purr?’ Aiken then said. ‘Listen.’

Matica, knowing that Talon can purr, walked around the table and, putting her ear on her body, she listened. She could hear a strange purring-clucking noise and nodded to Aikon. Matica sat down again, looking first at the chicken then at Talon. She asked Talon, ‘What do you think about the chicken, Aikon’s pet?’

Talon grinned and nodded then poked his beak into the chicken’s body again.

Mira grinned in the background when Aikon said to Talon and Matica, very seriously, ‘Thank you for agreeing and approving the chicken as a friend to me, and thank you that I can have her. She likes me and I love her now. We’re friends.’

‘That’s just wonderful, Aikon,’ Matica praised him and patted the chicken. ‘Now you have a feather-friend too. I really like that. But what about,’ she looked at her mother, ‘when Mum … well, I mean, Mum, do you want to have her in one stage for the pot? Like you do with the others?’

‘No!’ Aikon yelled out and turned around, so his mother wouldn’t see the chicken. He looked back over his shoulder at his sister, pouting his lips, and said, ‘You can’t say that. That’s not nice.’ He bent back to his mother. ‘And you can’t have her for the pot.’

Mira patted his back. ‘No, I won’t take her for the pot. She can stay and lay our eggs for a long, long time. Right, Aikon?’

Aikon pursed his lips. ‘Yeah. She’s not for the pot. Only her eggs. So there.’

Talon’s beak poked at Matica’s hand as she still stroked the chicken. ‘Hey, Talon,’ she stroked him over his head, ‘you’re not jealous, are you? Come on. You don’t need to be.’ Matica embraced him and he grinned, embarrassed, then he shook his head.

‘Good Talon.’ Then she asked Aikon, ‘Do you have a name for her? You can’t always say only the chicken to her, I would say.’

‘Kind of. I have two names but can’t decide which one, yet.’

‘Tell me. What are they?’

‘Esther, from the Bible, you know, or Elsa.’

‘Hmm.’ Matica tapped her lips with one finger, saying, ‘Yes, Esther is nice, but I think she looks more like an Elsa.’

‘You think so? Elsa.’ He lifted her up and looked into the chicken’s eyes. ‘Hmm, maybe you’re right. Okay.’ He then said into her face, ‘I name you Elsa. Elsa, your name is Elsa. Okay? I’ll call you Elsa. Elsa.’ He poked into her body. ‘You have to be familiar with that name if you would like to be my pet. Elsa?’ She turned her head and looked at him. ‘Yes, Elsa. Your name is Elsa.’

Mira stood up to bring the lunch dishes into the house. When she came out again she scattered some corn onto the ground to feed the other chickens. Elsa fluttered down to have her lunch as well.

As Matica watched the chickens, Talon grunted into her ear. Matica stroked him over his head automatically then asked, ‘You’d like to fly now? But then it’s over for a week, if I don’t see you on the way. But I really hope I’ll see you on the way. Yes, you’ll come, right?’ He nodded and poked her in the cheek. As she stood up to get her poncho, Talon ran into her way and stopped her. ‘What is it, Talon?’ But not waiting for what he wanted, she continued to go into the house to get her poncho.

The next candidate was Aikon. So, Talon ran to him and poked into his leg then he looked at him. Aikon gazed at him and pondered what he might want. Then he asked him, since nothing came to his mind and he didn’t know what Talon wanted, ‘Why are you grinning so mysteriously, Talon?’ He knew that he wanted something, something to do with his sister. But what was it? ‘You want to do something with my sister to cheer her up again, right? What is it? Come on. Try to tell me. Show me what you want to do.’

Talon hid behind him then peeked between his legs. ‘Ha, I know what you want. You want to play a game of hide-and-seek with us before you fly with Matica, right? To cheer her up once more, right?’

Talon nodded.

Mira, seeing her daughter coming in, asked, ‘Getting your poncho to fly from here?’

‘Yeah.’ Reaching for it and throwing it over her head, she pursed her lips and, pulling out a chair from under the table, she sat down, facing the door.

‘Not yet ready to fly?’ Mira asked her.

‘I should wait for a while. It’ll be over too fast.’

‘It’s not over,’ Mira said accusingly. ‘Possibly you’ll fly on the way to Cajamarca. It’s still their territory, as you pointed out. So, they fly there wherever you are. And voila, here comes Talon, lands and picks you up. Dad is walking on. You fly and catch up with him, easily with Talon. Who knows? There’ll be lots of opportunities where Talon could land and pick you up. Don’t you think?’

Matica turned to face her mother. ‘Mum, you mean that? Picking me up and flying? Really picking me up and flying?’

Mira embraced her from the back with the chair, kissing her on her hair. ‘Yes, I actually think that.’

‘Why do you say that now? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?’

‘I wanted to keep that for the last minute. Anyway, didn’t Talon tell you so?’ Mira grinned. ‘So, have fun now and enjoy it. See you later when you come back. Oh, by the way, Mat. I would love to see Talon, and, if it is possible even Tamo and Tima as well, when you sing to them. You know, how they react and that. I only know what you tell us about how they react, but I really would love to see it for myself.’

Matica nodded. ‘I think you should see it. Should I do it now, or …’ She pulled a face.

‘No, it doesn’t need to be now. Dad wants to see it as well, I would say. You’re not in the mood anyway. When you’re back from Cajamarca. Okay?

3

Will You?

Matica stood up to go outside to Talon to fly but looked back at her mother because she wanted to say something to her. Before she could say it, she collided with Aikon as he came running into the house. Both yelled, ‘Whoa!’ and lifted their hands as a defence reaction to protect themselves. Mira, alarmed, held her arms out, ready to help who would need her help. But Aikon, as he was stronger, didn’t lose his balance so he grabbed his sister by her wrists and held her steady. Next, both doubled up with laughter.

Aikon let her go and stepped aside. Since Matica faced the door, she saw Talon standing in the entrance with his head between his legs, shaking himself and making strange purring, clucking noises. ‘Talon,’ she called to him, ‘what’s wrong with you? Why do you … Oh Talon, are you laughing?’

Talon couldn’t help himself. Even when he nodded, he still made that strange noise with his beak open. Matica stood there, staring at him and wondering because she had never heard or seen him act like that before.

Mira, amazed, said, ‘He can laugh. He really can laugh. It sounds like chuckling, doesn’t it? That’s amazing. What a bird. Matica, have you heard that from him before?’

Talon walked, grinning, to her side. Matica stroked him over his head then said, standing with her hands on her hips before him now, ‘No, Mum. I haven’t heard that before.’ But then she said to Talon, ‘You think that was funny that we bumped into each other and now you’re laughing your head off?’

Talon, stopping chuckling, nodded then grunted, rubbing his head on her side.

Having her hand still on Talon, Matica didn’t move. Her head fell onto her breast.

‘Matica,’ Mira called her softly, putting her hand on her shoulder. She didn’t budge. ‘What is it? Are you falling back into brooding again? You have no reason. Come on, flip out of it. It’s such a beautiful day. And we all heard Talon chuckling. Amazing.’

Aikon, looking first at Talon then at his sister, said why he came running into the house as if he hadn’t heard what his mother had said. ‘Mat, Talon and I wanted to tell you something, or better, we thought of something that we could do with you before you fly. It’s to cheer you up as well. Will you do it with us?’

‘What?’ she snapped, not looking up and not taking it in consciously that Aikon had said ‘we’. ‘What makes you think I would need that?’

Mira looked questionably at her son when she noticed that Talon stepped behind Aikon then peeked around his legs. Next he vanished again behind his legs then peeked around again. Mira understood.

Not letting himself feel intimidated by his sister’s harsh voice, Aikon folded his arms over his chest, standing directly in front of her, saying, ‘We just know it and we can feel it, right Talon?’ Talon grunted loudly, standing beside Aikon. ‘See, he knows. And I know you want to be with Talon as long as possible today. So does Talon.’ His dark brown eyes were round, sparkling but pleading. ‘So, Talon suggested having a game of hide-and-seek.’ He bent down to look into her face. ‘You hear me? Talon suggested it.’

Aikon had taught Talon that game when he was a chick. Learning it really well, Talon had hidden many times so that Matica even thought he had left her.

‘That’s a good idea,’ Mira said. Pointing at herself, she shook her head. Aikon made a dismissive gesture, pointing only at Talon, Matica and himself.

Mira drew a deep, relieved breath but smiled, happy for the diversion that would bring to her daughter and that it would finally, hopefully, let her snap out of her moody state.

‘Talon suggested it?’ Matica asked, surprised, and looked up. Aikon nodded. ‘But he wanted to fly …’ She shook her head, looking at Talon now. ‘Oh, that’s why you wanted to stop me before.’

Talon nodded as she embraced him.

Letting him go, she said, as Talon passed Aikon and stepped out of the door, ‘So, you feel and think the same way as I do. Spending more time with each other.’

Aikon pouted his lips and blurted on, ‘It’ll be good for me also, because it’s the last time for me with you as well.’ He rolled his eyes back and sighed, letting his arms fall to his side. ‘No one is asking me. How can I cope with that, you being away?’ He pouted his lips again as he sat on the ground. He hugged his pulled-up knees with his arms. Talon laid his head on his knees, looking at Matica. Aikon stroked Talon under his beak.

‘All right.’ Matica, giving in, made a step forward to go outside to start the game but had not taken it in that Aikon had sat down before her. Now she tripped over him.

Aikon instinctively sat up straight with his arms stretched out so that Matica wouldn’t tumble head over heels over him and then possibly would fall on top of Talon who stood beside him. But Talon grunted and stepped back, watching the outcome of that.

Mira called out, ‘Oh my God. Not again.’

As Matica struggled for balance, Aikon held her up with his outstretched hands. She gained back her balance and said, ‘Hey, what did you do that for? Now we bumped twice into each other in just five minutes.’

‘I know. Never mind that. Come on, we go.’ He stood up, and looking at her, said, ‘Not everything you think is as it seems to be.’ He grinned, apologetic, pursed his lips then shrugged his shoulders.

And then they heard Talon laughing again. ‘Are you chuckling again?’ Matica asked.

‘He’s hilarious,’ Mira said, then she said to his son, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, ‘Aikon, you’ll cope, as I will.’ He turned around and hugged her legs.

As he got up, Mira bent down and lifted his chin. ‘We spent lots of time together, you and I. You like that?’ He nodded. ‘I’m alone too, remember? Anyway,’ Mira went back into the house, ‘you have Emelio and Raphael and now Elsa.’

‘I guess so.’ Then he said to his sister to lure her in, ‘It was Talon’s idea.’

‘I heard you the first time.’ She looked at Talon und nodded then looked at her brother. ‘You really want to play the game with Talon? Us three? You said earlier …’

‘Hey, you know I took it back. I was in a bad mood. Anyway, I tried to teach Elsa yesterday and today, but she doesn’t understand what I want.’

‘Hey, Talon needed more than a day to learn it,’ Matica said. ‘So, give her a chance.’

‘Y-e-a-h-h, I guess.’

Matica felt Talon’s gaze at her. ‘Okay, then, we play. Who’s counting first?’

‘Talon.’ Aikon pointed at him. ‘You know the rules, Talon? Mum?’

‘Yeah, yeah. Off you go,’ Mira said.

4

Hide-and-Seek

Talon, playing it fair and square, didn’t turn around to peek where Matica and Aikon were going to hide. Instead he went into the house and watched Mira intensely doing the dishes while she counted to fifty. ‘You can do the dishes tonight, Talon. Twenty-nine,’ she said, patting his head, leaving a pimple of white bubbles from the dishwater on his head. Looking at it, she piled it up to a pyramid. ‘Thirty.’ She grinned at her work. ‘Thirty-one.’ Talon shook his head. ‘Thirty-two.’ It splashed to the ground. He sniffed at it then sneezed.

In the meantime Matica and Aikon, not hiding too tricky, passed the big tree in front of the hut and cowered behind the tight and thick growing shrubs behind it. As they settled down, Aikon whispered and asked her, cheerless, ‘Mat, are you excited to go with Dad to Cajamarca?’

‘In a way I have to say, yes, I am. It’s something new and exciting, I guess.’

‘Yes, you will see lots of different things on the way, I would say.’

She nodded and for a while her eyes went wide in excitement, then they clouded over. ‘But again, not being able to fly on Talon?’ She pouted her lips, but then a sparkle appeared in her green eyes. ‘But again, I might. Talon made it clear to me that he would come.’ She looked at her brother. ‘Aikon, what’s the matter with you? You sound and look unhappy. What’s troubling you?’

‘You. You’re away. I can’t play with you. That’s why I liked Talon’s idea to play now. And Dad is away.’ He pulled a face.

‘You’ll be all right, Aik. I know you will. You have your friends and now even Elsa.’

He nodded. ‘Yeah, I guess.’ Then, after staring into the next bush, he said as a matter of fact, ‘I believe Talon will come, will get you on the way and you will fly. And if you think, what about Dad, then? Well, he walks on. You’ll find him. He is easy to spot flying over him.’

‘You sound so grown-up, Aik, and so sure.’

He patted his shoulder and grinned. ‘Because I am, and I believe that he will come.’

She grinned. ‘But, what makes you believe that Talon is coming?’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘After seeing that squeeze Talon gave you? He can do whatever he wants. Anyway, I do have that feeling in my heart. Talon said it anyway.’

‘You’re not saying it only to sheer me up?’

He shook his head. ‘Why should I do that? No, I really feel that. Hey, Mum said something about singing. What was that about?’

‘Mum wants to see how Talon reacts when I’m singing, not only hearing it from me.’

‘Hey, I’d like to see that too.’

‘You will. I’ll sing when we come back from Cajamarca, because Dad wants to hear it too, Mum said.’

‘Great.’

Then they heard their mother yelling, ‘Fifty! Ready or not, Talon is coming!’

Aikon quickly rolled away from Matica then crawled under a different shrub.

They watched Talon coming out of the house. He turned and looked around. Next he walked to the right corner of the house, looking and sniffing around it then to the left. He shook his head. Then he looked at the big tree and beyond. Here his keen eyes must have spotted something because he suddenly ran with elongated neck directly toward Aikon’s hiding place and poked his head through the bush, touching Aikon’s cheek.

‘Hey, that was fast. Is the bush transparent for you, or what?’ Aikon rubbed Talon’s neck. ‘But now you have to find Matica.’

Talon looked right then left, grunted then waddled to Matica, followed by Aikon. ‘He can find us too easily. I think his eyes are too good. That’s not fair. You wait. Next time we’ll hide with more difficulty, you’ll see. Now I’ll count and find you.’

5

Talon’s Misfortune

Hearing Aikon counting in the house, Matica ran to the left side of their hut and a bit further away. Here she hid behind a huge old tree trunk that had broken down the middle a long time ago. Aikon had climbed it often, having a good foothold on the rough bark then he stood on top of it, between the spikes of the wood. With the years, he rounded them down. And then, standing on top and having much fun, he would yell down how tall he was and how he could look down at everyone. He also had a good sight of the great Andes in the background from there. But now, since more and more bark fell off every time he climbed it, he had difficulties in doing so. One of the last times he climbed, the last of the bark peeled off and fell down. Now it was stripped of its bark completely and the stem became bare and smooth and slippery. Now he could only climb it barefoot, which he still often does.

In the meantime Talon walked first behind the house, and there he ran and got airborne. Clever bird, Matica thought. He doesn’t want to give it away that he’s flying off. Aikon might be able to hear his wings in the wind.

And so Talon flew to another big, dead tree a bit further away from where Matica hid behind the broken down tree trunk. That tree where Talon flew to had not broken down yet. It still stood tall with all its fat branches stretched out but was nearly stripped of all its bark as well.

Matica watched Talon as he flew up the tree to land on the topmost big and long branch as quietly as he possibly could with his huge, flapping wings. Matica suddenly flinched. She knew that that tree was brittle. Will he make it? Will the branch hold him up?

Matica listened to the voice of her brother. He just counted twenty. But then

Reviews for Talon, Flight for Life

[sheiladeeth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Should Matica go on a five-day walk to Cajamarca with her father, or should she stay home with her condor friend Talon? Can she bear to be separated from the friendship that has made her whole?Flight For Life starts with Matica's difficult decision to risk leaving her bird for five whole days, for Matica has known no other joy so great as that of flight. And now she’s growing, albeit slowly. Soon she’ll be too big and heavy to fly. What if that happens now?The Talon series of stories, set around a missionary family, tells how Matica learns there are strengths in disability, being different can be gift as well as curse, and things you fear may not always be what they seem. It Matica can trust herself to believe in her family and friends, she’ll have more fun in the end.Short chapters make this a good bedtime reading book, with pets that really seem to understand their people, rainforest animals with real lives, curious dreams, and a fascinating journey. Fame, insecurity and hope all play their part in a changing world filled with known and unknown dangers.Matica’s relationship with her father is pleasingly filled out in this volume, and her ability to accept herself comes to the fore. It’s a slow read with lots of well-researched detail, short on action but long on absorbing thought, and well designed for families to share.Disclosure: I was given an ecopy and I offer my honest review.

[uvi_poznansky · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book, Talon, Fight for Life, teaches me an important lesson: having a handicap may at first seem to hinder you, until you find a passion in your heart, something that drives you in inventive ways to overcome your difficulty. For Matica, whose body will always be trapped in the body of a two years old, this passion is her condors. We find her brooding at times, worrying about traveling to new places where she may be faced with rejection all over again, but perhaps a trip home to Australia may be an adventure. We have the confidence that she will overcome her challenge, “because without her handicap, she couldn't do what she is doing now.” I hear the author’s voice, whispering in the background of the story, if you have a disability, find a "condor”, a passion of your own. Given the author’s biography, her struggle with cancer, this is far from preaching, it is a model that she uses for her writing and her own life. The passion Gigi Sedimayer has for all animals—spider monkeys, pumas, chameleon, critters and even bugs—enrich this story with lively adventurous tales, not the least of which is the ultimate test of courage, when her father is bitten by a poisonous spider. I love the ever present closeness with animals, exhibited here by him: “But before he lay down, he rubbed the birds’ beaks and said to them, ‘Thank you for caring for me, for us. Good night, Mat.’ He closed his eyes.”How will Matica save his life? Read the book to find out. Five stars.A handicapped girl and her father embark on a journey of adventure

[lawonder10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Talon and his parents are very unique condors. Matica and her family has taken this family of birds "under their wings". This is a continuing amazing account of the interactions of Matica, her father and the fowl with the people, on the way to Cajamarca to get supplies. Matica has never been outside her village since she was five years old. Her father is desirous that she discover many things which exist outside her little community. Things are fairly slow until they begin their journey home. That is when some traumatic and exciting things occur.This is and ARC but I pity the editor. The punctuation, grammar and typos were excessive. Because it is an ARC and I have not viewed the final published works I will not rate on grammatical errors. Still, the third book seemed very repetitive and dragged for the first half of the story. The last half of the book made up for the lack of adventure in the first half. Besides, if you skip this book of the series, you skip some very important, key events.This is still a very good series for older elementary and Middle-school age children. It would be a great series for family reading time.

[cmtruxler_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Talon, Flight for Life by Gigi Sedlmeyer Gigi Sedlmeyer’s Talon, Flight for Life is the third book in the Talon series. This series is about a girl, Matica, and the animals she loves, but above that, it is about the connection between all living beings and family. This is not a tale or a book for the faint-hearted as it is a mighty-sized work. One will regain a child’s outlook on the natural world and find that such a perspective is a blessing. Matica and Aikon, her brother, are the epitome of childhood exuberance. They live with their family in a village near the Peruvian rainforest. The characters are emotionally well defined and relatable. One may have difficulty separating the humans from the animals in this work, but that adds to the desired cohesiveness of the storyline. Talon, a young condor and family member, shines as the star of this piece, as his behavior and Matica’s deeds mirror each other throughout the work. A number of the adult characters learn from both Matica and the three feathered members of the family. The plot is designed for the experience and message it carries, although it does not always carry the reader along through the story. It is well thought out and contains all the elements needed for a good strong tale, but tends to lack the momentum to propel readers into the sky to share the flight with Talon and his parents. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I only wish it enveloped the energy of its characters so that readers would feel the exhilaration of each flight. That said, I fully believe Sedlmeyer’s work is worthy of a reader’s time. One must only keep in mind that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Talon and Matica’s journey is definitely worthy of setting steps down the path to its conclusion.

[gisela.sedlmayer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By David Broughton Format:PaperbackThis third book in the Talon series is even better than the previous, the writer has gained experience, and it shows. The first was great, this one is magnificent.