A friend in need

Long, long ago, upon the banks of a river, there grew an orchard. A river flowing with cool, sweet water fed the various fruit trees and delicious, juicy apples, pears, oranges, and mangoes grew in abundance. The orchard was also home to hundreds of birds. Among them were Chirpy Sparrow and Kerry Crow. They were both young chicks, and the best of friends. They went to old Eric Eagle’s flying school in the mornings, and spent the rest of the day together, playing and practicing their flying lessons.

At the end of term, Eric Eagle invited the sparrow and crow families to come watch the flying exam. Chirpy and Kerry were quite nervous, but after a few strong flaps, they overcame their nervousness and managed to clear the exam with flying colors. Both families then went for a celebratory lunch. Afterward, as they returned home, Chirpy’s mother came into her room and hugged her. Then she burst into tears.

“What’s wrong, Mum?” asked Chirpy.

“You’re an adult now, Chirpy. Now that you’ve passed your flying test, it’s time you moved into your own nest,” she said. It was an old tradition in the orchard; as soon as young birds passed their flying tests, they moved out of their parents’ home and built their own.

“I’ll be right here in the orchard, Mum!” said Chirpy.

He mother smiled a sad smile, thinking how fast her little chick had grown.

“When are you going to find your tree? Would you like me to come along?” she asked.

“Noooo…Kerry and I will start our search tomorrow. I better get a good night’s sleep, Mum. It’s going to be a long day.” Chirpy said, as she lay down on her tiny bed.


Chirpy awoke early the next day and after a quick breakfast, she and Kerry flew off together, searching for the perfect tree to build their new nests in. By afternoon, they had found the most beautiful, majestic, mango tree overlooking a sleepy stream. They spoke to the tree and it agreed to let them build their nests on one of its new branches.

Chirpy immediately began building her nest. Kerry was disgusted.

“Do you have to start right now? Can’t it wait for a few days? After all, we just graduated yesterday,” he said.

“No, I’m all excited and can’t wait to move in,” said Chirpy.

“But it’s such a beautiful day. We can explore the world beyond the orchard,” said Kerry.

“No, Kerry. I really want to work on this. Why don’t you build your nest, too?” said Chirpy, as she gathered twigs for the nest.

“Oh please!” said Kerry, as he flew off to explore new places.

What with Chirpy busy building her nest and Kerry off exploring, it was a long time before they realized how little they saw of each other.

“How about going out for dinner tonight? Your nest is ready, we can have fun now,” said Kerry.

“Er…actually, I have to stock my larder now,” said Chirpy, sheepishly.

“Will you never stop?” asked Kerry.

“I know…but it’s going to start raining soon. Kerry, you really should build your nest soon,” said Chirpy.

“How long does it take? I’ll manage, you’ll see. Now, are you coming out with me or no?” asked Kerry.

“No…I told you. I’m busy.”

“Fine. Suit yourself. I have other friends who are more fun to be with,” said Kerry.


A week after the Big Argument, the sky darkened and ominous thunder filled the orchard. All the birds, including Chirpy, rushed to the safety of their nests. It rained and rained for almost three days. As Chirpy sat in her new nest, all dry and warm, and well-fed, she hoped that Kerry had heeded her advice and built a nest for himself.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Who’s it?” she called.

“It’s me,” said a familiar voice, though it was quite trembly.

“Kerry?” asked Chirpy, as she rushed to open the door.

“May I come in?” said a bedraggled, wet Kerry.

“Of course! What happened? Did you get caught in a storm?”

“Actually…Chirpy, I don’t have a place to stay.”

“What?”

“I didn’t get around to building my nest.”

Chirpy didn’t know what to say. After a while, she suddenly got up and went rushing to the kitchen. Kerry could only gape in gratitude when she returned with a bowl of hot soup and a fluffy towel. She watched in silence as Kerry dried himself and ate the soup.

Later, when Kerry was feeling better, he apologized for his foolishness. After chatting the night away and catching up on old news, they fell asleep at dawn, happy to be best friends again. “I’ll build my nest first thing tomorrow,” thought Kerry sleepily as he drifted off.