Story...What the Bird Learned

 

 The Tower: What the Bird Learned

 

Many years ago, in a beautiful nameless town near the foothills of the Alps lived hardworking people with love and harmony. There stood, oblivious to all, a tall tower with a red cone roof. On the ginormous, rusty iron gates that made entrance to the tower hung a red sign that read ‘Trespassers will be dealt with…’

 No one knew or cared who lived in the tower; at least they never showed their concern. It was always there, casting its shadow on the town square. They were curious initially but soon forgot of its existence. And unknown to them lived a young girl in the cold tower’s highest point. There she would look outside through the partially opened window; from there she could put her gaze on every living, breathing being. Yet she was lonely. She had very long ears and very sharp eyes but no mouth as she only gazed and listened but never ate. Outside her window was a huge sycamore tree that served home to little birdie and mamma birdie.

One day she heard the little birdie as mamma bird, “Mamma, why do you insist that I find my food?”

The mamma bird replied, “Because you need to remind yourself that you have wings. If not, they may become lazy like the hinges of that window. The girl living in the tower only opens it partially and hinges have long forgotten what it is like to be open wide.”

The little birdie asked again, “Mamma, why do you insist that I pick at my food and not swallow them whole?”

The mamma bird shook her head and said, “Because your beak needs to know its purpose or it may fall off and become hollow like the girl's mouth since she never uses it.”

To a shocked little birdie the mamma bird explained, “God always gives you what you must use in your lifetime and if you too busy recognizing it, he might take it back. But it’s never too late to do the right thing because doing it later is better than not doing it at all.”