he opened his mouth to tell her about the crane in his backyard , a story he 'd been shy of up until now , especially given amanda 's sceptical reaction to it , but maybe now was the moment to tell her of the strange bird whose life he may have saved , whose origin he could never know , whose appearance had marked the beginning of this impossible segment of his life , a segment his heart was in continual danger of breaking over in fear that it would end .