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.
But the bird was ready to go- ready to fly and she realized that there was no way that she could stop it. He couldn’t wait for that door to open. He couldn’t wait to discover a more beautiful world than the one he knew. He couldn’t wait, not just to see the trees, but to land on their branches. He couldn’t wait to see other birds and to be with them too. Most of all, he couldn’t wait to reach the sky, to feel the wind and to soar high.
Then he saw the girl’s tears running down her cheeks, try as she did to stop it. He felt sorry for her. Though he couldn’t thank the girl enough for taking care of him and for saving him that day, he now knew that he couldn’t belong to that cage all his life. “I can’t thank you enough for saving me and for taking care of me. I can’t imagine what would have happened to me on that day if you hadn’t been there to save me. I know I owe you my life and for that I will be forever grateful,” uttered the bird.
Though, deep inside, the bird wanted to discover things beyond those four corners of the cage, he knew that his conscience couldn’t bear leaving the girl sad and empty. So he said to the girl, “I am sorry if I am the one who caused you tears; the last thing that I wanted to see from you is sadness. If leaving this cage will make you sad, then I will stay. I will stay because I couldn’t bear seeing someone who has been so good to me in pain.” Tears continued to flow down her cheeks; she was happy at first hearing those words. She wouldn’t be alone anymore, but she felt empty still. There was a part of her that wanted to see that little creature spread its wings and conquer the sky. She knew he didn’t belong to that cage for the rest of his life. There was a better world out there than that temporary shelter she had given to the bird. Perhaps it was time to let go...
“I am happy to hear that you won’t leave now, but I love you; that is why I’m letting you go. The first time I saw you in the bush and wounded, all I ever dreamt was, not to just see you fly, but to soar high. There is a bigger and a brighter world for you up there. Here in this cage, you will only see limited trees and flowers, but there up above, you can see the whole picture of the world; a different landscape. I am afraid to open this door because I know I will be alone again. Now that I am used to having you with me wherever I go, it seems so hard to imagine taking a journey all alone again. That is the reason I cried. But I don’t want you to simply stay there because I am too cowardly to be alone. If I let you stay then you will end up like me; someone who settled for less, just to be in a safe place. But I want you to chase your dream. I want to see you above, joining the clouds and other birds, soaring freely. What could be more fulfilling for a bird than spreading its wings freely in the sky, conquering, feeling the wind and being home? Now go and let your journey begin. Take risks if you may. Never be scared to get hurt by hunters, you have strong wings to help you get through it all. You have quite enough rest and energy to sustain you towards your sky.”
The little girl opened the cage. The bird spread its wings and soared towards the sky. At first he thought he was going to fall, and that he wouldn’t make it, but then he tried and tried harder until he could feel the wind guiding him in his new journey. When he looked back, he saw that he was moving a little further each minute. He uttered, “Thank you, and I’ll miss you, wishing that the girl could hear him.”
“I love you, and you take care,” the girl said, hoping that her words would be blown by the wind towards the bird’s heart...
Days have passed and each day the girl learns how to be in solitude again. She doesn’t feel empty, for she knows that the bird is in a place where he belongs. She knows that the bird will reach the peak; she just hopes that she will witness that day. She never fails to watch the sky, hoping that she will have a glimpse of that once little bird who made her life worth living and made her feel a sense of purpose.
One sunny morning, she wakes up feeling strangely happy. When she goes out, she notices that there is a powerful bird flying across the sky, so high that it looks like an airplane from afar. She follows his path with her eyes and notices that he is not alone. She couldn’t be happier because, deep within her heart, she knows that the bird is where he truly belongs. She thinks for a while, cries a little for reasons she doesn’t even know. Then she decides to pack her bags and leave the little cottage, and whispers a prayer to the wind.
Perhaps, its time to find her home too.
-The end or perhaps the beginning...
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