The little gull Monti
The feathered dreams of their desires were mostly to be found in the Vorderreihe, the shopping promenade in Travemünde.
Maren, Merle, Mareike & Maiken also came from different seagull families and did everything to make the boys think they were air for them. There they did perfectly with fluffed up rumps, preened plumage and clean feet, which especially pleased Michel. How to express one's interest or attract the attention of the young ladies, neither Manni nor Michel, Mads and certainly not Momme knew. "Maybe invite them for a fish sandwich sometime?" suggested Mads as they sat on Hein Mück one evening. "Nooo," said Manni. "We don't know if they'd rather have Bismarck or maties". "Or crabs!" shouted Michel, and so they let the sun set.
The next day offered a new opportunity. A fancy cruise ship was to call at Travemünde and moor at the Ostpreußenkai. It is located directly on the front row and of course the seagull girls would not miss the chance to show up there. Such a luxury steamer was always honoured here with a big reception. Of course, the reporter and the photographer from Travemünde Aktuell were there and, as if by chance, Merle, Maren or Mareike fluttered in front of the camera when the photographer pressed the shutter release. Only Maiken did not take part in this act of self-promotion, preferring instead to observe what, or rather who, was moving around on the luxury liner.
Who knows, she thought, maybe there was a male yellowhammer or a wren, so it couldn't hurt to put herself in the right light. Manni, Michel, Momme and Mads, on the other hand, were only marginally interested in the cruise ship. They kept an eye out for the seagull girls and settled on the stepped gable of an old brick house opposite the terminal. "They look delicious again," Manni commented with a sigh at the appearance of the four beauties. "Then fly over and ask if they want to beak," Mads teased cheekily, but before Manni could answer, a large shadow came between him and the girls. He looked up and with him the other three. None of them spoke a word. As if frozen in place, they crouched on their gable steps and stared at the huge, black silhouette that seemed to hover in large circles above the ship. "Oha," Manni finally murmured and the others nodded silently.
"Yikes!" also escaped Maiken, who had never seen such a beautiful and strong bird as Albert. "What a man!"