Union of Damaron

The

Union

of

Damaron

J. Radfar

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements:

The Orphan, the Lady, and the Lonely Bird

In Search of the Legendry Bird

Gone with the Waves

Lonely Life in Paradise

Betrayal, Tragedy, and the Abandoned Child

Old Rivals and the New Leader

The Tale of the Runaway Princess

On the Verge of the Roof of the World

The Last Surviving Bird

Copyrights

Dedication

To that innocent child whose cry is lost in the thunderous sound of our war….. and to those beautiful animals and plants that are disappearing in the silence of our ignorance.

To my family and friends.

Acknowledgements:

I would like to express my gratitude to all those people who continuously encouraged me to follow my dream, even when I was overwhelmed with the pressure and wanted to quit.

I specifically thank Helen Prandekas and Zabel Boyadjian for helping me with the synopsis of the story.

I acknowledge that my inspiration for writing this book primarily comes from the work of these three amazing poets/writers:

Persian poet, Ferdowsi (c. 940–1020)

Persian poet and philosopher, Farid Attar (c. 1145 – c. 1221)

Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875)

The Orphan, the Lady, and the Lonely Bird

It’s a nice sunny day in the city. Just like any other ordinary day, the people of the town are busy with their day-to-day jobs. However, the sudden thunderous sound of galloping horses gets the attention of everybody walking in the street.

People quickly turn toward the north side of the road. The big crowd remains motionless, as if their souls just left their bodies. They nervously wait to see what is about to happen. The crowd keep staring until they see the big horses of the king’s soldiers coming toward them.

Everybody quickly runs toward the sidewalks and the adjacent alleys. They know very well that the soldiers do not hesitate to run over anything standing in their way. Within just a few minutes, the soldiers reach the main street. They go so fast as if they are ready to get into another battle. Some of them are carrying bows and arrows on their backs while others have their swords hanging from their armour. The reflection of the sunlight on their armour makes the soldiers look even more powerful, invincible and certainly intimidating.

Some people on the sidewalk stand still, watching the soldiers, while others continue walking to make room for them to go through. After the last war, most people feel secure with the presence of the army, but on the other hand, they worry about the possibility of another bloody battle.

Amongst the crowd, there is a boy who is watching the soldiers with fear and anxiety. He is Javad, an eleven-year-old boy who has been living in this town against his wishes, after losing everything he had in the last war.

Javad looks around. As a stranger in this town, he feels less secure with the presence of the soldiers. In fact, he feels insecure simply living in this city. Javad glances at all the people. None of them looks friendly in the eyes of the young boy. Every single one of them would be as cruel as those soldiers if they had the chance to be in the king’s army.

Javad decides to ignore everything and just walk away from the crowd. He doesn’t want his boss to beat him again for being late. He has been running fast for the past hour to make sure that the heavy lumber he is carrying will get to the warehouse in time. Watching the soldiers gives him a few moments to rest. He takes one last look at the crowd. Then he picks up his package and walks away, leaving the crowd in this dirty and crowded part of town.

Javad breathes harder and perspires more as he keeps running in the heat. His back is bent under the tremendous pressure of the heavy load he is carrying. The young boy feels that he is losing his strength. He is running a bit slower now. Then, after a few minutes, he starts walking, and soon he stops.

Javad puts the load down to catch a breath. He closes his eyes while panting heavily. Meanwhile, people keep walking from one side of the street to the other, without bothering to ask the young kid whether he is okay or if he needs any help. Javad opens his eyes and heaves another big sigh. He then takes his time, looking at the load he is carrying. It’s too much even for a big adult man.

Javad looks around. He sees little carts in the middle of the street, being pulled by mules. Amongst them, he notices a little donkey pulling a big cart with a heavy load. The animal is walking slowly with its head down, and its owner walking next to it. Javad keeps staring at the little donkey. The young boy thinks to himself that he is probably the only one who understands the misery that the poor animal is going through.

Suddenly, Javad’s thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a running horse. Right after, he notices a nice carriage followed by a cavalry. They are coming rapidly toward where he is. Now everybody is talking to each other while pointing at the carriage and the horses.

Javad quickly picks up his load and walks away. He does not feel comfortable staring at those frightening soldiers. Their swords and spears remind the young boy of a terrifying past that he is trying hard to forget. He runs fast while carrying the lumber on his back. It appears that the fear of seeing those monstrous-looking cavaliers has somehow re-energized the young boy. However, after almost half an hour of walking fast, he starts feeling the sharp pain in his back.

Javad stops walking. He stands still while holding on to the rope on his chest. The rope keeps the load tight on his back. The young boy continues breathing and sweating heavily. He takes a look around. He is now in an empty alley, with no one around.

Javad thinks to himself that he should drop the load and rest for a few minutes. But then he realizes that lifting the load will put even more pressure on his back.

He is about to walk again, but he suddenly loses his grip on the rope. The load instantly falls on the ground and makes a loud noise. The young boy yells loud out of frustration. He then angrily stares at the lumber scattered all over the ground. After a few seconds, he slowly bends to pick up the pieces, one by one. As he is picking up the pieces, he suddenly hears a voice.

Hey…look who is back again.

Javad recognizes the voice. It’s the voice of Abdul, the big boy who always picks on him. Javad lifts his head and looks at Abdul. As usual, he is accompanied by his two friends. The three boys constantly harass Javad, anytime they see him.

Listen, I’m…I’m very busy today, says Javad in a broken and frustrated tone. Please let me go.

Abdul stares at Javad for a few seconds. Then he raises his hand and points to him. Didn’t I tell you not to show your ugly face here? the big boy yells.

Leave me alone, Javad responds angrily. I need to get to the warehouse soon.

One of the other boys kicks a piece of the lumber toward Javad. Then, with a condescending tone, he says, Don’t you think you are too small to carry these things?

Abdul and the other boy laugh at their friend’s comment.

Javad slowly stretches his hand and picks up the wood. He then drops it into the sack he was carrying. The three bullies are now walking toward Javad.

Listen, guys—I am not looking for trouble, says Javad with the same broken tone. I need to get these things to my boss. Otherwise, he will get mad at me, he says as he picks up his little cloth hat and wipes his sweaty forehead with it.

Abdul and his two friends stand right next to Javad. What do you mean by ‘You’re not looking for trouble’? Abdul asks. Javad doesn’t say anything. Abdul then continues, Last time I clearly told you that you can’t come to this neighborhood. But you have the nerve to show your ugly face here again, the big boy continues. "You just ignored what I told you, kiddo, so don’t you think it’s a sign that you are looking for trouble?"

I…I…forgot— mumbles Javad.

Abdul does not let him finish his sentence. Shut up, you stupid donkey! he screams. Don’t you get it? We don’t like you here! As a matter of fact, we don’t want to see any of you here in our neighborhood. You people stink like skunks! The big bully pauses for a few seconds. So you better stay in your barn instead! Do you get it or should I talk to you in donkey language? Abdul’s friends laugh hysterically.

Suddenly, Javad becomes furious. He feels the rage is burning him from deep inside. He has had enough of these thugs. In fact, he has had enough of everything and everybody. After all of the insults and harasses he has endured, now it’s time to react. Javad grabs a big piece of wood from the ground and stands up. He points the piece toward Abdul and his friends and yells, Don’t you dare talk to me like that!

The three boys are surprised. They never thought that the little boy would dare to make such a response. Abdul keeps glaring at Javad, trying to look strong in the eyes of his friends. "Hey, look at that! The big boy shouts, pointing to Javad. We made the little donkey angry, he adds, condescendingly. Well, I guess we have no other choice but to beat you like a donkey," the bully yells as he and his friends suddenly rush toward the little boy.

Javad lifts the bar and hits Abdul on the head before the big bully can land his fist on his face. Abdul screams loudly as he falls on the ground. Javad quickly steps back to put some distance between him and the other two boys. He keeps holding the wood pointed at them.

Abdul quickly gets up, holding his bleeding head. He is also breathing heavily. The other two boys keep looking at Abdul. They are shocked to see the little boy standing up to them. Abdul stares at Javad as he continues holding his injured head.

I will kill you, you little donkey! the big bully yells very loudly while pointing at Javad. He then rushes toward the young boy while screaming madly. The other two boys follow him, as well.

Javad hits Abdul again. The big boy falls on the ground one more time, but his friends manage to grab Javad’s hand before he can hit them. Javad falls down right next to Abdul. One of the boys grabs his hands, as the other one quickly picks up the same piece of wood he beat Abdul with.

Now I will show you who the real fighter is here, screams the boy holding the piece of wood as he is about to hit Javad.

Suddenly, the voice of a man is heard from close by. Put that thing down! Right now!

The boy immediately drops the piece and nervously looks back. He sees two big soldiers standing a relatively short distance from them. They are two very tall men wearing the same helmet and armour as the cavaliers. Their faces are covered with full beards, which makes them look very scary. Their enormous muscular arms and biceps indicate that they can easily lift those big, heavy swords they are carrying. And the very serious looks on their faces imply that they would not hesitate for a second to use them.

The boys are stunned. They stare at the soldiers while shaking out of fear. The boy holding Javad’s hands quickly releases them before walking a few steps away. Abdul quickly stands up. He is so scared of the two soldiers that he forgets all about his bleeding head. Javad also gets to his feet immediately. Just like the other kids, he is also shaking out of fear.

Ex-excuse me, sir, says Abdul in a pleading tone. This boy started picking on us. We just wanted to defend ourselves, he continues while pointing at Javad. Then he points to his bleeding head and, in a crying tone, continues, See what he did to me?

Javad looks nervously at the soldiers. He is lying—I swear to God! the young boy responds. I was just defending myself.

Suddenly, the voice of a lady is heard. I saw everything with my own eyes, she says. Leave that boy alone, or I will order the soldiers to take the three of you away and teach you a lesson that you’ll never forget.

Javad turns to see the lady. The young boy is stunned when he sets his eyes on her. She is a tall and slim young woman who appears to be in her late twenties. She wears a beautiful white dress which is covered with colourful rubies, diamonds, and emeralds. On top of her dress, she wears a beautiful pink cape. But the things that capture the attention of the young boy the most are her long wavy black hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. Javad has never seen anybody this beautiful in his entire life. She is like bright sunlight that gets everybody’s attention and makes everything around her look dull in comparison.

The lady walks slowly toward the boys before standing right in front of them. The two soldiers stand right behind the lady. The lady slowly raises her hand toward one of the boys and then grabs the piece of stick from his hand. I don’t think this belongs to you, she says in a soft, yet serious voice.

Abdul and his friends keep staring at the lady. It seems they are also stunned by her charm and beauty.

After a relatively long pause, Abdul says, Uh, we…just… he cannot finish his words. He keeps alternately staring at the lady and the soldiers. We just wanted to play with him, that’s it, he continues with a shaky tone.

Javad angrily points to Abdul. You liar! he yells. You wanted to—

The lady does not let Javad finish his sentence. That’s okay, son. There is no reason for you to get upset, she says softly. She then turns to Abdul and his friends, and says, This is the last time I see you guys harassing others. If I see you one more time bullying other kids, I will tell my guards to arrest you and put you in prison forever! Do you understand? says the lady in an angry tone.

The three bullies nod their heads.

Then the lady points to the other side of the alley and says, Just get out of here before I get really angry.

Abdul and his friends stare at each other briefly. Then they run as fast as they can and, within just a few seconds, they are out of sight.

Javad keeps staring at the lady and the two guards. He is still scared of the men, but the presence of the beautiful lady is an indication that no harm will come toward the little boy from these two soldiers.

The young lady smiles at Javad. She is about to say something to the young boy, but instead she turns to the soldiers and points to them to leave.

The two soldiers bow to the young lady and immediately walk away. Javad notices a big, beautiful carriage on the other side of the road where the two guards are headed. This is the same carriage he saw earlier on that busy street.

The young lady turns to Javad and looks at him again. She then walks toward him with a big smile on her face. Her beautiful smile, along with the beautiful scent of her perfume, penetrates the soul of the young boy, making him forget all the pain he experienced just minutes ago. Javad is completely mesmerized by the young lady. He thinks to himself, Who is she? And what does she want from me?

The lady stands directly in front of Javad. She then bends down until she is face-to-face with the young boy.

Javad’s heart is pounding hard when the lady looks straight into his eyes. He doesn’t know what to do. Part of him wants to run away, but then again her beautiful smile and the warm look in her eyes have rendered the young boy motionless.

What is your name, sweetheart? the lady asks softly.

Javad trembles. Ja-Javad, he mumbles while looking at her with his eyes and mouth wide open.

The lady smiles again. Javad. Hmm…what a nice name, she says. She then stands up and walks a few steps before turning back and looking at the boy. Are you from Zablostan? she asks hesitantly.

Javad is shocked. How did she know where is he from? It must have been his damned accent. He has tried hard to change his accent, so no one will know where he is originally from. Javad looks at the beautiful lady, wondering what is going on in her mind.

Is she going to ask me what happened to me and how I ended up here? he asks himself. Or she is going to yell at me and tell me to leave and go back to my homeland?

The young boy is afraid whether the lady is going to mistreat him just the way the others have mistreated the Zablostani refugees in this town. He wonders what those scary looking guards would do to him, if the lady orders them to get rid of him. The young boy thinks to himself that he should escape right away, and if his boss asks him about the lumber, he will make up a story about being robbed.

The lady walks toward Javad again. She realizes that her question has made the young boy uncomfortable. She stands in front of him for a few seconds. Then she bends down again and holds the boy’s hand.

Javad feels a chill all over his body the moment she touches his hand. Just the touch of her beautiful skin makes the young boy forget all his apprehensive thoughts.

The lady continues smiling at Javad. My name is Soraya, she says. I wonder whether you know who I am.

Lady Soraya? Javad shouts quickly while staring at her in surprise. He is not sure whether he is dreaming, or if what he sees is indeed happening in front of his eyes. Of course, he’s heard of Lady Soraya. As far as he knows, the whole world knows about the generous wife of the king. Everybody talks about her. People keep saying that she is the only one who can tame the conceited, self-centered king. She is the main source of power behind all the good things that the court has done for the people.

Javad keeps looking at Lady Soraya without being able to say anything. Part of him is happy to get the opportunity to meet the legendary Queen face-to-face. But on the other hand, it makes the young boy feel more uncomfortable, knowing who she is. As far as Javad is concerned, she represents the king, the court, and the army who destroyed his home and made him an orphan.

I hope you feel more comfortable being with me now that my guards are gone, says Queen Soraya while still touching the young boy’s hand.

Javad doesn’t know what to say, although he has a lot to ask. He just nods. He wants to know more about the angelic wife of the selfish king. He also wants to know why she is wasting her time talking to him.

Queen Soraya points to the lumber on the ground. Are you taking these things for your home? she asks.

Javad puts his head down. No…I deliver these to my boss, he mumbles. Then he slowly raises his head and stares at the lady again.

Queen Soraya is not smiling anymore. Instead, she is staring at the young boy with a serious look on her face. So, where do you go after work? Do you go back to your home with your family? Or... She pauses for a second. Or, do you sleep in the same place you work? she asks compassionately.

Javad nods as he puts his head down.

After a long pause, Javad looks at the lady again. I-I-I need to go! he stutters. If I don’t get to the warehouse in time, my boss will get angry. He then runs toward his stuff. He quickly puts all the wood in his bag and bends over to lift it. The bag feels heavier than before. The little boy uses all his power, but right before he manages to lift the bag completely, Javad collapses on the ground and his stuff falls all over the place again. Queen Soraya rushes toward him. She then sits on the ground and holds Javad’s hands.

Javad does not respond. Instead, he cries quietly. Queen Soraya stares at the young boy with tears in her eyes. She then puts Javad’s head on her chest and holds him tight in her arms. After a while, Javad stops crying. He lifts his head and, with tears in his eyes, stares at the queen. He now sees the queen smiling at him, with tears in her eyes as well.

The two keep staring at each other for some time until Soraya breaks the silence. Have you heard the story of Simurgh? she asks the boy. Javad shakes his head. Soraya continues, Yeah, the story of Simurgh, the king of the birds, and the little crow named Kolie. She pauses for a brief moment. Do you want me to tell you the story? the queen asks.

Javad nods as he wipes the tears from his eyes.

Soraya begins, Once upon a time, there was a little crow named Kolie. He was from Zablostan, just like you. Javad’s eyes shine as he hears the name of his homeland.

Soraya continues, One day, Kolie was flying in his hometown…

As Queen Soraya continues telling the story, Javad pictures her words in his mind.

Kolie is flying as fast as he can. Once in a while, he looks down to see whether those nasty boys are still following him.

Come on, you idiot! yells one boy to the other one. You can’t even hit a little crow?

Oh, shut up! I don’t see you hitting him either, says the other boy as the two keep running after poor little Kolie with their slingshots.

Kolie nervously looks around. He is desperate to get rid of these two boys. Just a few minutes ago, he tried to fly at a higher altitude, but he lacks enough strength and experience to go any higher.

Kolie takes a look at the city, trying to find the best way to escape. He thinks maybe it’s better to go south. By doing this, he will fly in a straight line above the houses. Therefore, the two boys will not be able to chase him. But on the other hand, he is exposed to more humans. Then, instead of just these two, he has the whole city aiming to kill him. The populous north and east are not much better. It seems that flying west, where there are fewer people and more trees, remains as his best choice.

Kolie looks up at the sky. He thinks maybe they won’t be able to hit him if he can just fly a little bit higher. The young crow holds his breath as he looks at the sun. He tries to muster all his so he can fly higher. But before he manages to do so, a sharp piece of stone hits the corner of his tail. The little crow loses his balance while flying.

I hit it, I hit it! I hit the crow! the boy screams joyously.

Kolie flips in the middle of the air, trying not to fall down. He is extremely scared. He knows very well that he’ll be a dead bird if those two boys get their hands on him. Another piece of rock is thrown toward the little crow before he manages to balance himself in the sky.

You missed again? the boy yells at his buddy. Just stay away! I will get the damn bird! he says. He then puts another piece of rock in his slingshot and shoots it forcefully toward Kolie. The rock cuts through the air, going fast toward the bird, but just misses the crow as he flaps his wings faster.

Kolie feels that he does not have enough strength to fly any farther. He breathes heavily, as he feels the pain spreading from his tail to rest of his body. After a few seconds, he starts going down.

He is falling down! He is falling down! yells one of the boys, while pointing to Kolie. Hurry up! Let’s get it before it escapes! the boy continues. Then the two run faster to capture the crow, when he hits the ground.

Kolie feels the pain and exhaustion all over his body as he rapidly descends toward the ground. He looks at the two boys while trying desperately to gain control of his flying. Meanwhile, the two boys keep running after him, making sure that he is not going to get away. They are sure that they will be rewarded well for killing another dirty crow.

As he is coming down, Kolie notices a big wall adjacent to the alley. He realizes that he is falling toward it.

Look! shouts one of the boys to the other. He is going to hit the wall! The two boys keep watching Kolie, waiting to see where he is going to fall. What if he falls on top of the wall? the boy asks his friend.

That’s okay, the other boy answers. The moment he hits the edge of the wall, he is going to lose consciousness and fall down in front of us. If he falls on the other side, we are going to call the owner and ask him to give us his body. The boy pauses as he quickly turns to his friend. Don’t worry! One way or the other, we’re going to get our reward.

Kolie keeps freefalling. The two boys cheer loudly, thinking that the crow is going to hit the wall soon. But just before he hits the wall, Kolie manages to regain his balance. He opens his wings wide open and, in a split second, flies over the top of the wall.

The two boys look stunned. Oh, he escaped! The stupid crow escaped! yells one of the boys.

Kolie turns back for a second just to make sure that the nasty boys stay on the other side of the wall. He then looks forward before reducing his speed.

Ahead there is a beautiful garden on this side of the wall. The garden is huge. It’s filled with lots of trees of different sizes. Kolie looks around while flying. He wants to find out how big the garden is. He keeps flying toward the centre of the garden, without being able to see the end of it. The trees are so big that it feels as if he is flying in the middle of a forest.

Kolie flies for a few seconds and then lands on the highest branch of the tallest tree. The moment he lands, the little crow collapses on the branch. He closes his eyes while breathing heavily. He still feels scared. He thinks that he was lucky to find this place. Otherwise, he would have been killed the same way his parents were.

Kolie continues breathing heavily. He thinks to himself that it is very stupid of him to come back to the town. He knows better than anybody else how much humans hate birds, especially crows. He is sure that his presence here will create quite a stir amongst these people once they find out that there is a crow who has escaped death. They are still under the impression that all the crows have been killed in this area. For sure they will not hesitate to kill the last surviving crow once they get their hands on him. They think killing crows will prevent the spread of their evil diseases. After the death of his parents, Kolie promised himself that he would never, ever come back to this place. But after being away for such a long time, he felt that just one more visit to his hometown would lift his spirits. Now he realizes that it was a big mistake, and that it’s much better for him to be snubbed by the other birds in the hideout, than to be brutally killed by these savage humans.

Kolie closes his eyes for a few seconds and takes several deep breaths. Then he opens his eyes and looks at the beautiful trees surrounding him. The branches of the trees look so beautiful when the sun shines through them. The garden is located close to the city, guarded by big walls. Kolie thinks to himself that this magnificent place must belong to someone rich and powerful.

He keeps looking around but does not see anybody. He then sits on the branch and looks at his injured tail. He still feels the pain, but it’s not as bad as it was a few minutes ago. He is now breathing normally. He also moves his wings to make sure that he is able to fly. Everything seems to be okay. He is ready to fly away. He thinks it’s better to get out of this place as quickly as possible before another crazy human finds him.

Kolie is about to fly, but he suddenly hears a noise. He immediately hides behind the big branch.

What is it? the crow thinks to himself. He is worried that someone has spotted him. He thinks that no human should be able to see him hiding on top of this tall tree. But then again, it’s not something he can risk. He thinks that maybe it’s an animal trying to hunt him. He quickly looks around, but doesn’t notice anything unusual.

After a short pause, Kolie can hear the noise again. He stretches his head, trying to listen more carefully. The noise continues to be heard every couple of seconds. Kolie checks the adjacent trees but sees nothing. He wants to find out where the noise is coming from. It is definitely not coming from the trees. It sounds like something is squashing the fallen leaves on the ground. The young crow is now sure that the noise is coming from somewhere on the ground.

The squashing noise continuous, and it seems to be getting closer. Kolie keeps looking around while crawling underneath the leaves of the branch. He clearly feels the danger. He decides to fly away but quickly changes his mind. It could be someone with a slingshot, just waiting to shoot him in the sky. Or it could be an animal, waiting to attack him. The crow keeps looking around, but he is not able to see anything. At this point, he just wants to determine whether it’s an animal or human who is making the sound.

After a few seconds, Kolie sees something moving on the ground. But it is not clear what it is. The good thing is that it’s not too close, so the little crow is not worried about being seen. However, it’s slowly getting closer to where he is. Kolie keeps looking at the moving creature until he can see it more clearly.

Kolie sees a little man walking very slowly in the garden. The man keeps looking around as he walks forward. It seems he is either looking for something or trying not to be seen. Kolie looks carefully at the little man. It seems he is carrying something in his hand. The way he is holding on to the object indicates that it means a lot to him. Kolie is worried that the man is carrying a slingshot or some sort of small bow. He also notices that the man wears some sort of greyish uniform. Usually, the servants of rich people wear this type of outfit.

The man keeps walking without noticing the crow on the top of the tree. Now, Kolie is quite sure that the man is not looking for him. But he is curious to know who the man is and what is he doing here.

The man is now quite close to where Kolie is hiding. He stands under a tall tree and checks the package he is carrying. He seems quite nervous and agitated. Maybe he is also escaping from someone. The man slowly bypasses the tree Kolie is in. He pauses for a second and then goes the other direction.

Kolie takes a deep breath. He is happy that the man is walking away from where he is. He thinks that it’s better to wait for a few minutes until the man disappears. Then he will quickly fly away.

The man slowly walks away as he keeps anxiously looking around. Kolie continues to watch him. His desire to fly away is replaced with a strong curiosity about the mysterious man. He wants to know why this man is so nervous and where is he going. After a few minutes of battling with his thoughts, the young crow finally decides to follow the man. It’s quite easy for a bird to follow a man without being noticed. He just flies quietly from the top of one tree to another without making any noise. The man keeps looking around while moving forward. Meanwhile, little Kolie keeps following him silently.

Time slowly goes by with Kolie following the man. He quietly flies between the trees until he notices a midsize two-level mansion right in the middle of the big garden.

The mansion looks like a little castle, surrounded by different trees. Because of those trees, it’s quite difficult to see the mansion unless you are very close to it. The mansion is not big enough to be considered a palace, but it is nice enough to belong to a rich and powerful person. The man quietly walks toward the mansion. Kolie quickly lands on a tree not too far from him, watching the man getting closer to the mysterious house. After reaching the entrance of the house, the little man carefully looks around. He then slowly opens the door and enters the place, and then quietly shuts the door.

Kolie wouldn’t dare to get any closer to the house, although he is dying to know what is going on inside that place. The crow is again facing another dilemma. Part of him is still curious to know about the mysterious man and the house, but the other part reminds him that it’s too dangerous to stay here, and it’s better to get out of this place immediately. Finally, Kolie decides to leave. He thinks to himself that it’s going to get dark soon and he needs to get back to the other birds in their hideout, although he is sure that none of them are going to miss him if he doesn’t show up at all.

Kolie is about to leave, but he suddenly hears something got broken. The sound comes from inside the house. Right after that, he hears a quick but loud scream. Kolie is shocked. What could have happened? he