This is a story of a small bird. A bird that was born ,quite neglected, in the corner of the mango tree from where the morning sunlight flickered. I have seen him limping, chirping day long for water, but no one did even bothered to hear that feeble sound of the bird. I used to run out with a mug of water and keep it by m window to quench his thirst. He had those small wings which he wanted to spread out and fly. He used to look above the blue ocean and dream that one day he would spread his wings in that open heaven, leave home, leave his chirping sound, close his eyes and feel the winds beneath his wings and clouds going past.
One day his dream came true. I saw him as he limped forward and tried to fly, he fell down. He went up ahead, gathered his strength and tried to spread his wings. This time he was at the edge of life where it was just his wings that can take him to his dream land and so he gathered all the strength, closed his eyes and jumped. He kept on flapping his wings , so hard , again and again. He thought he was drowning into a black circle, his eyes was still closed, his heart stopped beating, he could hear the sounds of his wings fluttering heard. And then he slowly opened his eyes. He could not believe what he saw. He saw a world never seen by anyone. His feet was floating in nothing, his wings were going up and down , again and again and in front of him lies the vast start of nothingness, the empty blue ocean where he dreamt to be one day. He could see the white patchy clouds, the red glowing ball of sun. He was happy, he was proud, he was excited, he was amazed. As if all the emotions gathered all at once to celebrate the success of his first flight.
He flew through the clouds, through that old banyan tree, past the old temple whose bricks stuck out as if laughing in happiness of the flight. And there he went, swooooshhh!!!! Up, Up and Up. He never looked back. That concrete jungle seemed so small, that small branch of the old mango tree, that was his house for so long is just now a small black dot in the vast blue of happiness he was floating.
He dont know how long was he flying. The scorching sun was laughing sarcastically right above him. But who dare to stop this bird, today no one can stop this little small spirit. He kept on flying.
But suddenly, everything in front of him seemed to fade out, his arms became so heavy that he could hardly flap his wings. The wind was suddenly not there, not even the cloud and he was on his own. It was as if the nature has conspired against him all of a sudden. It was just then he started to enjoy his dream and everything seemed to be out of his control. His throat was drying up and his small thumping heart longed for a drop of water. The water for which he used to chirp every morning while he was in that corner. He tried to cry out but nothing came out of his throat.
He broke down completely. God gave him life, gave him desires, showed him dreams, and now he was living his dreams and now it was destined to an end. An end to nothingness. Those blue sky and those white clouds meant nothing to him now. He longed to go back to that small concrete place of his own. And so he cried out to God, ried out loud, "Oh lord! please save me. this is not the dream i want to live, i cant fly anymore, my wings are getting shattered, my heart drying up, my blood draining out. Please let me live, Happiness does not lie in this cloud, but in the place where i can dream, where i can live, where i can see this beauty and aspire it. I used to live in a world of hope, and now everything lies shattered. Let me live my dear lord !"
The lord saw everything and stayed silent. The small bird started crying and gave up. His heart was beating fast, everything started to black out just when he could feel small hot drops of water trickling into his mouth from his eyes. Those were hot salty tear drops which helped him to quench his thirst and kept him alive. The bird got the power to fly back and this small bird returned to where he belong.
It has been a long time i have seen this bird. Many things have changed, that old mango tree lies there no more, instead turned a huge shopping complex. One day i tried to search this bird, but could not find him. Maybe he has found his ultimate reason of happiness or tasted another dream of madness, who knows!. But as i close my eyes today i still can hear the bird chirping for water.
He is so thirsty and so am I.
One day his dream came true. I saw him as he limped forward and tried to fly, he fell down. He went up ahead, gathered his strength and tried to spread his wings. This time he was at the edge of life where it was just his wings that can take him to his dream land and so he gathered all the strength, closed his eyes and jumped. He kept on flapping his wings , so hard , again and again. He thought he was drowning into a black circle, his eyes was still closed, his heart stopped beating, he could hear the sounds of his wings fluttering heard. And then he slowly opened his eyes. He could not believe what he saw. He saw a world never seen by anyone. His feet was floating in nothing, his wings were going up and down , again and again and in front of him lies the vast start of nothingness, the empty blue ocean where he dreamt to be one day. He could see the white patchy clouds, the red glowing ball of sun. He was happy, he was proud, he was excited, he was amazed. As if all the emotions gathered all at once to celebrate the success of his first flight.
He flew through the clouds, through that old banyan tree, past the old temple whose bricks stuck out as if laughing in happiness of the flight. And there he went, swooooshhh!!!! Up, Up and Up. He never looked back. That concrete jungle seemed so small, that small branch of the old mango tree, that was his house for so long is just now a small black dot in the vast blue of happiness he was floating.
He dont know how long was he flying. The scorching sun was laughing sarcastically right above him. But who dare to stop this bird, today no one can stop this little small spirit. He kept on flying.
But suddenly, everything in front of him seemed to fade out, his arms became so heavy that he could hardly flap his wings. The wind was suddenly not there, not even the cloud and he was on his own. It was as if the nature has conspired against him all of a sudden. It was just then he started to enjoy his dream and everything seemed to be out of his control. His throat was drying up and his small thumping heart longed for a drop of water. The water for which he used to chirp every morning while he was in that corner. He tried to cry out but nothing came out of his throat.
He broke down completely. God gave him life, gave him desires, showed him dreams, and now he was living his dreams and now it was destined to an end. An end to nothingness. Those blue sky and those white clouds meant nothing to him now. He longed to go back to that small concrete place of his own. And so he cried out to God, ried out loud, "Oh lord! please save me. this is not the dream i want to live, i cant fly anymore, my wings are getting shattered, my heart drying up, my blood draining out. Please let me live, Happiness does not lie in this cloud, but in the place where i can dream, where i can live, where i can see this beauty and aspire it. I used to live in a world of hope, and now everything lies shattered. Let me live my dear lord !"
The lord saw everything and stayed silent. The small bird started crying and gave up. His heart was beating fast, everything started to black out just when he could feel small hot drops of water trickling into his mouth from his eyes. Those were hot salty tear drops which helped him to quench his thirst and kept him alive. The bird got the power to fly back and this small bird returned to where he belong.
It has been a long time i have seen this bird. Many things have changed, that old mango tree lies there no more, instead turned a huge shopping complex. One day i tried to search this bird, but could not find him. Maybe he has found his ultimate reason of happiness or tasted another dream of madness, who knows!. But as i close my eyes today i still can hear the bird chirping for water.
He is so thirsty and so am I.
