A Tale of Four Birds and Their Quest for Food and Happiness (3 page)

He headed toward the nearby mountain. The sky was filling up with dark clouds. The surroundings became gloomy and loud thunder roars were heard from the sky. The Chestnut Munia flapped his wings harder.

Rain started to fall as the Chestnut Munia reached the foot of the mountain. That was the only part of the mountain where some trees had not been cut down. The Munia took cover under the dense foliage of a Santol tree. He started to feel very alone and helpless. Nobody was with him anymore. More than ever, he was not sure what lay ahead of him. If the downpour continued, he would be at risk of dying of cold and hunger. Somehow, though, the Chestnut Munia had not totally lost hope. He started to sing a sad but hopeful song, although it was almost inaudible over the sounds of the pouring rain and rolling thunder.

The night-like atmosphere did not last long. Soon, the sun came out shinning its afternoon light. The Chestnut Munia shook his plumage to dust off the raindrops that had fallen on him. The Chestnut Munia then began searching for worms from one tree to another, but he found nothing; not even a trace of worm-eaten leaves. He started to feel pity again for himself. He had only eaten bits of food during his long journey. He just wanted to have a meal that would make him feel full and blessed.

The Chestnut Munia was in the middle of thinking about what to do next, when he got an idea. He flew toward the top of the mountain. He wanted to get a better view of his entire surroundings. When he reached the top, he sighed deeply as he looked at the places he had visited with the other birds.

When he turned around, he felt elated by the heavenly view. The beauty of the view made him hold his breath, made him flap his wings, and made his eyes blink. Right before his eyes was a vast field of golden grass; on the other side of the mountain was a very large plantation of rice!

The Chestnut Munia swooped down the side of the mountain and made a swirl here and a twirl there as he took a joyous flight above the vast land of rice. He couldn't stop yelling and shouting for joy.

When he slowed down, he looked to his right and saw an endless stretch of rice paddies. When he turned to his left, his bills opened in awe, stunned by what he saw. He remembered the words of the rich man, echoing in his memory:
"Look for the man with a straw hat... look for the man with a straw hat..."

In front of him was the man with a straw hat!

"I can't believe it!" The Chestnut Munia said, filled with joy and laughter. "The man with a straw hat is a scarecrow!"

When the Chestnut Munia came closer to the scarecrow, a lady Chestnut Munia peeked with glowing eyes from behind the neck of the scarecrow.

She hopped to get to the left shoulder of the scarecrow, still feeling very shy. The Chestnut Munia perched a little closer to her side. He winked at her, and she fluttered her eyes in return.

Epilogue:

The Chestnut Munia and the lady Chestnut Munia fell in love with each other. Whenever they get hungry, they go out and munch on the rice in the paddies. They built a nest in the shrubs, near the rice field.

The Parrot finch fell into a bird trap, and he was held as a pet bird in a cage. Sometimes, he wonders which was more important: to fly free with the uncertainty of ever getting food, or to eat regularly in a cage without certainty of ever becoming free again to fly.

The Tree Sparrow never left the bunkhouse. He always wished that one day the fowls would no longer feel insecure when a bird like him was around and would let him join them in the backyard. He longed to become domesticated like the rest of the critters.

The strange man tried to eat Baya Weaver alive, when he ran out of food for himself to eat. The Baya Weaver escaped and then decided to go back to his family.

Other Book/s by Gramps Doodlebug:

The Neighbourhood Witch (A Detective Story for Kids)

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