Explore "Border Guard" by Don Whitehead on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
One day in 1957 an examiner in the New York Customs Appraiser's Stores opened a packing case received from Switzerland. He lifted out a small brass object resembling a canary cage. On a tiny swing in the cage sat an extremely lifelike little bird. When the examiner wound a key in the bottom of the cage, the bird threw back its head, opened its beak, and burst into song. It ruffled its feathers and wagged its tail as it trilled its merry little time.
The examiner called to a colleague nearby and said, "Hey, Joe! Come and look at this one."