Lilly, a small gray dove with a longer than usual neck, loved to watch people on their daily walks. She knew that she could see ahead and warn of any danger that lurked along the road. Always on the lookout for a snake or wolf that may be in the bushes.
If there were no people to watch, she would look out for stray cats and fly down to distract them if they were heading toward danger. A black and white stray cat would cross the road each morning, making his rounds, searching for food. Lilly knew his routine well and watched ahead. A car pulled out of a driveway and sped toward the path of the cat when Lilly dove down and buzzed the head of the cat, turning him around just in time. Feeling good about her mission, Lilly returned to her perch on the wire.
A young boy who had just learned to walk escaped from an open door and played in the front yard alone. Lilly began keeping an eye on him. A copper head slivered through the grass toward the child. Lilly would dive down and flutter in front of the child until he would try to catch her. Then she would flutter just out of reach, leading the child away from the snake. When the boy would wander toward the road. Lilly would do the same and lead the child back closer to his house. At last, the mother, missing the boy, looked out the window and saw the two playing in the front yard. Amazed at the strange behavior of the bird, she took a short video of the two.
The next day the mother showed the video to a friend who worked at the local newspaper, and the two of them watched from the house as Lilly flew from spot to spot on the wire above the road, watching people and animals that walked by. They noticed that Lilly would watch and guard anyone on the block until they left. Then returned to her spot on the wire. Curious about other birds in the area, the reporter noticed other small doves on other streets in the neighborhood, doing the same thing. It was like they had been assigned each a street block to guard.
As word got around about the doves guarding the neighborhood, a lady came forward and said that she had been praying for the protection of those in her subdivision, and it appeared that Lilly and others were an answer to that prayer.
