ONE MORE FLIGHT

A chronic runaway from foster homes and from the Center where he's spent most of his eleven years, Dobby is lucky enough on his latest flight to be picked up by nineteen-year-old Timmer who lives in a barn and takes care of injured birds for the Audubon Society. To Dobby's disappointment, Timmer sends him back to the Home; but meanwhile the two become friends, and Dobby learns something he can apply to his own situation as he comes to understand why Timmer won't release the birds until they're "ready." The parallels are too transparently contrived to be as effective as they should be, tho Bunting does do better with the textures of Dobby's sojourn than with the outline. One more diluted Dorp Dead?