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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
A journey that begins in the end Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by jean celeste paredes, Philippines Mar 12, 2008
Informal/Experiential Learning   Short Stories
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There was once a girl who lived alone in a small farm by the woods. She lived a simple but a happy life in isolation. She felt the best way to live a life was in solitude for she found freedom to do things that she wanted to do. She had once traveled the world and reached prominence but she was never happy with that kind of lifestyle. She viewed everything in her life as something that had simply come to pass and in the end she would only be left with an empty hand, so she decided to stay in the woods, away from everything and everyone. She lived there for a while and got used to being alone every day.

One day, while she was picking some flowers in the garden, she noticed that there was a little creature moving in the bush. Out of curiosity, she tried to check up on it. To her surprise, she found a little injured bird with broken wings. She thought that the bird must have gone away trying to fly. "Poor bird", she thought, “I wish there was something I could do to help you.” Something came up into her mind. "Why don’t I try helping the bird till it has strong wings again?" So she carried the bird in her palm and brought it home.

When she arrived in her cottage, she looked for a temporary shelter for the poor bird. She promised to take care of the bird until its wings could spread again. Everyday, she never failed to check up on her little pet, and seeing an improvement everyday made her feel needed and gave her a sense of worth. She saw improvement everyday and couldn’t wait to see the bird soar high again.

The bird couldn’t thank the girl enough; he only wished that the girl realized that. He had thought he would die on that day when he fell to the ground until he felt a hand reach out to him. He learned to love where he was, especially the warmth and security that he felt in that little cage. He thought that sometimes learning how to fly could be very exhausting. In that little cage, he found the comfort of home. He was so overwhelmed with the feeling that he wished time wouldn’t steal it from him. Everyday, the girl would bring him food and water which made him feel really taken care of.

One day, the girl looked at the bird with sad eyes; she realized that the bird had been in that same place since he had arrived in the cottage. She thought that the little bird was in total boredom by now. She tried to open the cage thinking that maybe this time the bird would fly again but the bird too scared to fly again. Past experiences brought traumatic flashbacks- the painful fall, the feeling of being helpless and even dying. So the bird decided not to move. He thought that it would be better to stay in that cage where he felt safe. He envisioned the cruel world out there. He thought about the hunters who ruthlessly killed his parents and destroyed his nest. He thought about the wind that blew him away. He felt that he couldn’t take another injury again. So he chose to stay.

Little girl: Oh, poor you. You still can’t fly. I hope there is something I can do for you to give you strong wings again. I know you are very sad in that cage because you are so alone. I can’t imagine how empty you feel.

Bird: I guess sometimes we opt to just stop looking because all we can see is a dark road ahead. Oh, how I wish I never have to leave this place.

The girl felt how pessimistic the bird was so she tried contradicting his idea. She decided to bring him outside her cottage for him to see the world and let him realize that the world was not as dark as he imagined it to be. She allowed the bird to see the beautiful garden and the trees that surrounded it. The girl wanted the bird to realize that there was more than that little cage to see.

Little girl: My little bird, you know what? When you fly again, your vision won’t only extend up to few trees but will include more of them. You will even see them from different horizons and perspectives. More so, you will see big bodies of water and grandiose landscapes. The world is so beautiful and you will miss the true joy of life if you will allow the opportunity to pass you by.

The scenery that the bird saw and the things that he imagined motivated him to see that there was more to life than the temporary shelter that the girl had provided him. So everyday he practiced waving his wings; the more he saw how beautiful the world was, the more his determination grew, until one day, he felt that he was ready fly

“Can you open that door for me? For I can’t wait to fly,” the bird said.

The girl was happy to hear that from the bird; it was her dream to see that once wounded bird fly, but scenes flashed in her mind. Now that the bird could fly, it was time for him to leave the cage, and that would mean leaving her. Now she wouldn’t have someone with whom to visit the beautiful world, to see the tall trees and smell the flowers. There was no one with whom she could share all the beauty she had discovered, and now she would be all alone again. Tears began to roll down her cheek. She couldn’t imagine being left by the little bird that she had found helpless in the bush. She feared that the other side of the world wouldn’t be as beautiful as she had made it out to be, that this would harm the bird and that there was no way that she could take care of him.





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Comments


jamal siddiqui | Mar 26th, 2008
nice work jean!!!!

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