Feathered Friend

The crew works in space on

The crew works in space on twelve-hour watches and needs little sleep. There is no natural day and night in permanent sunlight, but they still use the

Claribel is a small yellow canary

Claribel is a small yellow canary smuggled aboard by Sven Olsen. She is light, eats little, and adjusts easily to zero gravity.

Sven says he brought Claribel

Sven says he brought Claribel for scientific curiosity, wanting to see how a bird would use its wings when weightless.

Claribel is found lying still

Claribel is found lying still with clenched claws, so the crew thinks she may be dead. Oxygen briefly revives her, but she collapses again.

The narrator remembers that miners once

The narrator remembers that miners once carried canaries to detect gas. This memory helps him realise that the station air is unsafe.