Sublime
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and a semi-insane African grey parrot for a pet who uttered Swine at intervals, and who otherwise spoke only in profanities.
Jean McNeil • The Dhow House

Grace Macaulay, then: seventeen, small and plump, with skin that went brown by the end of May. Her hair was black and oily, and had the hot consoling scent of an animal in summer. She disliked books, and was by nature a thief if she found a thing to be beautiful, but not hers. She didn’t know she couldn’t sing. She was inclined to be cross.
Sarah Perry • Enlightenment
Later, confirming my hunch that she was an eccentric woman, Mrs. Martínez bought a parrot, which she named Carlos but insisted I refer to as Mr. Carlos. Sometimes I would purposely call him Carlos just to upset Mrs. Martínez. I was scared of this bird but still had to feed him. And as long as I did my chores, Mrs. Martínez didn’t seem to care if I
... See moreRob Henderson • Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class
Penny cast a glance toward the bird in her cage. “Delilah is more effective than you’d suppose. Certainly a better chaperone than Mrs. Robbins would be.” “Sadly accurate,” Alex said.
Tessa Dare • The Wallflower Wager: Girl Meets Duke
"They don't kill birds, and apparently they do kill cats," Terry declared. "MUST be men here. Hark!"
Charlotte Gilman • Herland
‘You’re our longest-serving contributor,’ said Carleton, flinching at the bang. ‘Our most admired. Indeed I should say our most popular.’ I’m beginning to speak like him, he thought: Thomas Hart is catching, that’s the trouble. ‘I’ve often heard it said that it’s a consolation – that’s the general feeling, as I said to the board – to wake on
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