My Life as a Bird

© 2009 Armanda L.Warren. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 4/1/2009

ISBN: 978-1-4389-7516-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4670-5981-7 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Bloomington, Indiana

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 1

ONE DAY, WHILE ON A FAMILY PICNIC with my mother and sister Peg, a very bad storm suddenly appeared. Somehow, I became separated from them. Spinning around in the strong wind my wings became so weak I tumbled down and landed on a small tree branch. While sitting there waiting for the storm to blow over l heard a soft voice crying.

Looking around I saw a little gray moth stuck under my wing. I lifted my wing to free it, but it didn’t move. It looked at me, and said, My name is Willie, I got lost from my mom during the storm. I told him I was lost from my mom the same way he was, but as soon as the storm was over, we would look for our mothers together. I told him my name was Sam. He looked at me, and said, Thank you, Sam, for saving my life.

As soon as I thought the storm was over, we started out. To our surprise, another storm started, and the strong winds blew us farther away. When the winds finally calmed down I was so tired and weak I could not go any farther, so we landed on some tall grass.

After resting for a while, seeing that the storm was over, we decided to look for some food and water. Somehow, we got separated-I looked everywhere I thought Willie might be, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. Now I really felt lost and all alone-I had lost my little friend. I held my head down, crying for my mom. I cried for days, running and hiding from loud noises, trying to find my way back home.

Then one morning, I heard a loud, beautiful voice that sounded just like my mom. I hid in the branches of a small tree, and peeped to see where the voice was coming from. I saw a beautiful female that looked just like my mom. I wasn’t sure, so I decided to follow her.

When she left, she flew so fast I could hardly keep up. When she stopped, I couldn’t go any farther, and fell to the ground. When I opened my eyes, and looked up, I saw my mom looking down on me smiling, telling me how much she loved me, and how worried she had been, and how happy she was to have found me.

I was so happy to be back home with my mom and sister. Life was good again. I often thought about my little friend Willie, hoping he had been lucky and found his mom.

The next spring, I decided I wanted to go out into the world on my own. My mom told me that I was too young, and I needed to finish my schooling first. I insisted on leaving, so she gave me some good advice and her blessings and told me to be careful.

One early morning I headed out to see the world on my own. I flew most of the day non-stop. I knew I would have to stop soon to get some food and rest. I saw a big oak tree I thought would be a good place to spend the night. I didn’t know I had settled in next door to a mother and her new babies, until I heard them crying for food.

I knew then I would be awake all night, but l was too tired to go anywhere else. When I finally got to sleep, it was time for me to start back out on my journey. I hurried down hoping to find something to eat, but everything was gone.

Then I remembered my mom saying the early bird gets the worm. I knew I would have to find food to be able to continue on my journey. I started flying around looking for food, when I saw this big log near the water. I thought there must be something around it to eat. When I pecked at it, to my surprise, a swarm of wasps flew out and attacked me. They were all over me.

Realizing I couldn’t get away, I fell to the ground, and played dead until they all left. This was an old trick my mom had taught my sister Peg and me when we were growing up. When I saw the wasps were gone, I got out of there as fast as I could.

I knew I was going to have to find food somewhere, so I kept flying around until I saw this big building with large containers sitting behind it. I thought, There must be food in them, so I circled around and landed nearby. I flew up and looked in I saw all kinds of good things to eat. As soon as I dove in to fill my stomach, the top came down and trapped me inside. I was so afraid I forgot about my need for food, and started trying to find a way out. I scratched around until I found a small hole to free myself. That scare taught me a lesson I will never forget.

I felt myself getting weak from the lack of food. I was so hungry I would have eaten almost anything. Just when I thought if I didn’t find food soon I might become sick and die, I saw this farm with a lot of cows and a large barn. I knew there had to be food there. I flew down as fast as I could.

When I landed, luck was staring me in the face. I saw this deserted nest on the roof of the barn with dried berries scattered around in it. I started to wonder what had happened to the family that lived there. That thought left my mind as fast as it entered. I started eating as fast as

I could. When I had eaten all the berries I saw, I started scratching around looking for more.

Suddenly I fell from the roof to the ground, and couldn’t get myself up. I knew I had broken my left wing. I somehow got myself to the nearest tree, hoping if I tried hard enough my wings would take me up, but they didn’t.

While sitting there thinking what to do, I heard footsteps, and then I felt a pair of hands picking me up. I just knew that was the end of me. I must have passed out, because when I opened my eyes, I was in a strange place. My wing was tied up, and I couldn’t move. The next thing I knew I was in a big cage with plenty of food and water and my wing still bandaged up.

I wasn’t hungry any more-all I wanted was out of this cage. My thoughts went wild thinking, suppose I would have to stay in there the rest of my life. I started wishing I had listened to my mom when she told me I was too young to go out into the world on my own. This is what I got for not listening to her.

My cage was placed on a large tree limb behind a large house. I had plenty of friends to keep me company until all the food was gone. I didn’t mind sharing, because I had more than I could eat. I had one special friend that I liked very much, because he would stay and talk with me even when all the food was gone. He told me his name was Bob, and that he had a sister named Sue. I told him my name was Sam, and had a sister named Peg. I said I was in this trouble, because I hadn’t listened to my mom.

We had a long talk about our childhood, and the crazy things we used to do. He told me he lived with his sister, and was going to school to become a flight pilot. He was home for the summer to get some much-needed rest from the hard work of learning to become a pilot. I told him that I always wanted to become a doctor. I wished I had listened to my mom, and finished my education, but I didn’t listen and ended up here in this cage afraid, and alone.

As time went by, Bob and I became good friends. We had breakfast together every morning. His sister Sue would come when she had the time. She was a news reporter, and didn’t have much time to spend with us.

One day I told Bob that I was thinking about escaping, but I would need his help. After telling him my plan, he agreed to help me. I was still afraid that my wing wasn’t well enough for me to fly, but I felt that I would have to take the chance. I walked up and down my cage for hours that night, thinking, suppose something goes wrong, and I can’t fly.

When morning came, I had the worst headache I had ever had. I was sick with fear. I started thinking back to when Peg and I were little, when my mom would leave home to gather food for us. She would leave me in charge to take care of Peg until she returned. Peeping out, I couldn’t wait to get grown so I could gather the food for us. I thought, now look at me, I couldn’t even gather food for myself, all because I wouldn’t listen to my mom.

While in deep thought, I heard Bob coming down the trail singing real loud. I thought something had happened, because he never came for breakfast this early. When he got to my cage he was almost out of breath. I quickly asked him what was wrong.

After getting some air in his lungs, he told me he had some good news. His sister Sue had heard talk in the cornfield that I was going to be released as soon as my wing had healed enough for me to fly. Now I wouldn’t have to try to escape. He said Sue would be over after work to tell me herself what she had heard.

I was so happy I just started laughing and dancing around, thinking this was too good to be true. When Sue came over she told me everything she had heard, and that I would have to be seen by a doctor to make sure my wing was well enough for me to fly, before I would be released. Thanking her for the good news, I knew I would be able to sleep that night.

After Bob and Sue left, I started thinking what I would do first when I got out of this prison. I wanted to run home and hug my mom, but I didn’t want her to know what had happened to me just because I didn’t listen to her. While deep in thought, looking out the window, I saw this big yellow spider coming straight to my door. I couldn’t believe my eyes-peeping in, the spider looked me straight in the eyes, and said her name was Pearl. She had been traveling all day and needed a place to rest for the night.

I invited her in, told her she was welcome to spend the night, and showed her to a corner where she could rest. I said to myself, as soon as she goes to sleep she would make a nice snack. When she reached the corner she opened the pack she was carrying on her back. I was shocked to see ten babies crawl out. I knew when I saw them my snack time was over. I couldn’t eat her, unless I ate them all. I just forgot about it and watched them get settled in the corner.

When they settled down and went to sleep, I went back to my thoughts of freedom, and fell asleep. When I opened my eyes next, Pearl was gone, but her babies were still there huddled in the corner. I thought maybe she had gone out to get food for them. I thought to myself, now I’m going to have to stay awake until she gets back. I fell asleep watching her babies.

When I opened my eyes again the sun was rising, and Pearl still wasn’t back. I wondered what I was going to do with her babies when they awoke. I had no experience when it came to taking care of babies. Then I thought I should stop worrying, because she would be back by the time they woke up.

While sitting there looking out for Pearl, I heard loud noises coming from everywhere. My house was being torn apart. I didn’t know what to do, then I heard my cage door open, and my breakfast tray was put in. As soon as the door was closed the babies all jumped in the food and water bowl. They ate all they wanted, then scattered the rest of it all over the floor, and wasted most of the water. I became so outraged, I started to eat them all. Then I thought, they were young, and didn’t know any better.

When Bob stopped by for breakfast that morning I told him what had happened, and that I needed his help to try to find Pearl. He said his sister could put a missing notice in the news, and maybe we could find her that way. I had a very bad feeling that something bad had happened to her. I knew something would have to be done fast, because it was almost time for my cage to be cleaned, and the babies would be killed.

Pearl’s babies were driving me crazy, but I didn’t want anything to happen to them. I wondered who would be willing to keep them, because they were so bad-always into something, swinging from the ceiling, or hanging out the window. I had to wonder why this trouble had to come knocking on my door.

While still in deep thought about their care, I heard my cage door open. I was lifted out, and put in another cage, and taken away to have my wing checked to see if it was well enough for me to fly. I heard the doctor say, my wing had healed well enough for me to fly, and was almost as good as new.

I had forgotten about everything except being free, until I got back to my cage, and realized Pearl’s children were gone. When I saw that my cage had been cleaned, I just knew they had been killed. I felt so bad I couldn’t eat. I was blaming myself for their death. Then I thought, there was nothing I could have done to save them anyway, even if I had been here when my cage was cleaned.

Later I started wondering how much longer I would have to be locked in this cage, when a light scratching on my door interrupted my thoughts.

Looking towards the door, I saw Quick and all his brothers come rushing in. I had named the biggest one Quick, because he was the one that always started the trouble between them. When I asked him where they had been, he told me they had been out looking for their mother.

They had found her, but she was stuck in a tree, and they couldn’t free her. She had sent them back to ask for my help. I told them not to worry, I would find a way to help them. After they had filled their little bellies, they piled in a corner, and fell asleep.

The next morning when Bob came over for breakfast I told him the good news about my wing, and that I hoped I would be set free soon. I said I had another problem I needed him to help me with. I told him about Pearl being stuck in a tree, and needing help to get free.

Since Bob was in training to become a flight pilot, maybe he could fly there and free her. He said he would be glad to help, but he would need one of her children to show him the way. Quick jumped up and said he would show the way. I was so glad to have such a good friend like Bob.

Sitting there waiting for them to return, it seemed like they had been gone forever. It wasn’t much longer before I saw them headed to the door with Pearl leading the way. I was so happy she had been rescued. She said she had left to find a home for her children, and on her way back she got stuck in some tree gum, and couldn’t free herself.

After thanking Bob for saving her life, and hugging her children, she asked him if he would take her and her children to their new home. Bob was so happy he jumped to his feet and said, Let’s fly!

Before she left she thanked me again and gave me a small necklace from around her neck, and told me to always wear it, and that she hoped one day she would be able to repay me for all my kindness. Looking out the window until they faded from sight, I felt a little lonely, because I knew I would miss them. That night I didn’t get any sleep at all.

Early the next morning I heard my cage door open. I said to myself, It’s too early for breakfast. When I looked around it was breakfast time, and my cage door had been left open. I became so excited I couldn’t move. When I did get my legs moving, I eased to the door, peeped out, looked around, when I didn’t see anyone I flew out of there as fast as I could.

I flew up, down, and around as fast as I could testing my wings to make sure they were strong enough for me to fly. Then I landed on the ground and began hopping, skipping, running, and flapping my wings singing, Free at last.

I was so happy I didn’t wait for Bob to show up for breakfast. I met him on the trail-as he saw me he ran to meet me, telling me how happy he was for me. He took me to Sue’s work place to tell her the good news. She was so happy she took us to her favorite eating place for lunch. After lunch she went back to work and Bob showed me around town where he used to work and his special hangout places.

That night he told me that since I had