The branch felt joyful because the two yellow birds had managed to build their nest above it. Then the mother bird rested over her eggs with tenderness, while the father bird stood beside her, looking at her. A smile filled his beak and didn’t leave him. He remembered how he and his wife, the bird, had managed to build their nest, straw by straw.
The bird remembered how they had lined this nest with soft feathers. Truly, this feathers had been soaked with their sweat, but it was delicious and fruitful labor. After two weeks of this life, on a beautiful spring morning, one of the chicks began pecking the eggshell, then stretched its soft beak and began chirping, as if it wanted to inform nature of its arrival to this life so she would open her arms to it.
The parent birds felt overwhelming happiness, so they flew among the fields to talk about their happy news. Then the eggs continued to hatch until the nest contained four beautiful small chicks, which grew day by day. Their soft fuzz was replaced by beautiful soft feathers.
The small birds would sleep under each other’s wings, and they would eat the food their parents brought, except for one that ate only the large worm, and would only sleep when he stretched his legs. He didn’t care that the nest had become narrow for them because they had all grown, but he only cared about himself.
The other three birds spoke to their mother about their brother’s bad qualities. The mother said to him: “Be polite. You must learn that wrongdoing returns to its owner. Learn how to deal well with others, otherwise I will deprive you of food for a whole day.” The bird felt annoyed at his mother’s talk with him, but he didn’t learn; his character became worse.
The next day, the mother said to her children: “Come, my loves. Move your wings here inside the nest so they become strong to help you fly.” The three well-behaved birds moved their wings, while the fourth bird with bad character mocked his brothers, saying: “You will feel fatigue in your wings and won’t be able to fly. As for me, I will be stronger than you because my body is rested.”
The three birds began flying from branch to branch, playing with butterflies, laughing, and chirping. The fourth bird felt envy of his brothers and wanted to join their play, which made him jump high to fly, but he fell to the ground and injured his head. His parents and brothers rushed to him, embraced him, then carried him inside the nest.
The mother bandaged her bird son’s head wound until he couldn’t see anything. But the next morning, the parents and the three brothers felt happy, as the wounded bird was moving his wings alone inside the nest.
Story “Above the Branches”
A children’s story by the Syrian writer “Khair al-Din Obeid”.