Istanbul is home to millions of seagulls.
They scream above the Bosphorus. They patrol the ferries. They steal simit. They interrupt conversations. They appear in virtually every photograph taken near the water.
This has led us to several theories.
The first is that seagulls are hiding them. The babies remain in a secret location until they are large enough to become a public nuisance. Only then are they released into Istanbul, fully trained and fully confident.
The second theory is that there are no baby seagulls. Seagulls simply appear as adults. Nobody has ever witnessed the transition.
One day they just arrive, angry, loud, and somehow already convinced they own the city.
The more we think about it, the stranger it becomes.
We know where the cats are. We know where the dogs are. But where exactly are thousands of baby seagulls being raised?Perhaps there is a perfectly reasonable explanation. Perhaps somebody knows the answer.
We certainly don’t.
What we do know is that every adult seagull was once a baby seagull. Which means they are out there somewhere.
Hidden. Waiting. Growing stronger.
Preparing to scream directly into our souls.
