Macaulay - Angelo

Angelo

For Ruthie

Copyright 2002 by David Macaulay

All rights reserved. For information about
permission to reproduce selections from
this book, write to Permissions, Houghton
Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South,
New York, New York 10003.

www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com

Walter Lorraine Books

Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Macaulay, David.
Angelo / David Macaulay
"Walter Lorraine Books."
Summary: While restoring the front of a
church, an old master plasterer rescuse an
injured pigeon and nurses her back to health.
RNF ISBN 0-618-16826-5
PA ISBN 0-618-69336-X
[1. ArchitectureConservation and
restorationFiction. 2. PigeonFiction.
3. Wildlife rescueFiction.]
PZ7.M1197 An 2002
[Fie]dc21 2001039536

ISBN-13: 978-0-618-69336-8

Manufactured in China
SCP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

A n g e l o

David Macaulay

Houghton Mifflin Company Boston
Walter Lorraine Books

As Angelo cleared away the tangle of sticks and feathers left along the ledges of the old church by generations of thoughtless pigeons, he peered into every nook and cranny looking for cracks. They would all have to be repaired before he could apply a new coat of stucco.

At first he mistook her for just another abandoned nest "What's this?" He moved in for a closer look. She was small, barely breathing.
"What are you doing here?" He tried coaxing her with the end of his broom.
"Come on. You can't stay there. I've got work to do." But she did stay there, so he worked around her.

At the end of the day, he scooped the helpless creature up in his hat and set off for home, hoping to find someplace to leave her along the way. He was still carrying her when he reached his own front door.

"Okay. Just one night," he grumbled. "But you sleep on the terrace."

When he noticed a large cat cleaning its paws on a nearby roof, he brought her back into the apartment.

"Mamma mia! I restore walls, not pigeons."

He continued complaining as he made her bed.

In spite of the demands of his work, not to mention his professional dislike for pigeons, Angelo soon found himself devoting all his spare time to her recovery.

When she was strong enough, he started taking her to work.

On sunny weekends he drove her out into the countryside to recuperate among the ancient ruins and majestic pines.

In the evenings, he introduced her to his favorite music.

With this kind of attention, it wasn't long before she was completely recovered. One morning after breakfast, as he left for the church, she disappeared over the rooftops.

Angelo loved his work. With wet plaster and a few simple tools, he had spent his whole life making crumbling walls smooth again and bringing even the most weathered pieces of sculpture back to life.

She was just beginning her career in the performing artsas an actress in one of the more popular piazzas.