 Blackstone Publishing presents Starling Days, a novel by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan. This book is read by Sarah Borges. The task of recording roosts in London is difficult, owing to the number of small and ephemeral roosts. The Winter Starlings Roosts of Great Britain. B. J. Marples. Augury. Noun. The practice of predicting the future, revealing hidden truths, or obtaining guidance on the basis of natural signs, such as the flight of birds, from the Latin, augur, seer, prophet or official, who observes and interprets the behavior of birds, to everyone who struggles with black dogs, or inner demons, or any shape of sadness, and to my family, always. August. She wasn't expecting the bridge to shudder. It was too big for trembling. Cars hissed from New York to New Jersey over its wide back. That August had been hot, ninety-six degrees Fahrenheit hot. Heat softened the duller bills and clung to the quarters and dimes that passed from sticky hand to sticky hand. It was night, and the air had cooled, but humidity still hung in the red fog in Mina's lungs. Wind galloped over the Hudson, pummeling the city with airy hooves. The bridge shifted, the pylon swayed, and Mina closed her eyes to better feel her bones jutter, even her teeth shook. The day's sweat shivered between her bare shoulder blades, and the tank top felt too thin, and the down on her arms rose. She took a step forward along the bridge. The tender spots between her big and indexed toes were sore from too many days in flip-flops. She took the sandals off. They swung from her fingers as she walked. Under her feet the rough cement was warm. She wondered about the people driving their shadowy cars. Were they leaving over air conditioned offices, or bars cooled by the thwack of ceiling fans? Were they going home to empty condos, or daughters tucked under dinosaur quilts? The bridge was decked out in blue lights, like a Christmas tree, like those monochrome ones shopping malls put up. Still, it was beautiful. Mina readied her phone to take a picture. She watched the granulated night appear on screen. Sample complete. Ready to continue?