The cardinal on the windowsill

"I dreamed there was a cardinal sitting on my windowsill, bright red against the gray sky. I don't know why I noticed it, but I couldn't stop looking at it. It just stayed there, perfectly still, like it was waiting for something. I remember thinking I should get my phone to take a picture, but I didn't want to move in case it flew away. At some point it turned its head and looked right at me, and I felt like it knew something I didn't. Then I was outside in my backyard, and there were more cardinals—maybe five or six—hopping around in the grass. One landed on my shoulder, and I didn't even flinch. I just stood there, listening to them chirp. I woke up before they flew off, still feeling calm, like I'd been somewhere quiet for a while."