A birder, hoping to find and photograph a rare woodpecker, encounters a flute-playing stranger wandering in the woods. The bird is eventually spotted but before it can be photographed it is killed by a local hunter. The broken-hearted birder recovers the dead bird and says goodbye. The hunter arrives on the scene to defend his kill to the flutist, a resident at a nearby sanitarium.
| BIRDER | Biology teacher, 20-30; adventurous; curious; avid bird watcher. |
| FLUTIST | Confined mental patient, 30-40; respected musician in previous years; dressed in formal wear; often escapes and wanders the grounds. |
| HUNTER | Local resident, 30-50; land owner; shoots anyting just for the thrill of it. |
| ATTENDANT 1 | Hospital worker, 20-40; wears institutional garb. |
| ATTENDANT 2 | Same as Attendant 1. |