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Four baby
bluebirds followed their mama. It was their first flying lesson. She took
them over the lake and the trees before going back to the nest. “There you
go, my babies. You had your first flying lesson. Tomorrow Mama will stay
here in the nest and you are going to fly all by yourselves. I want each
of you to fly to Mrs. Donaldson's flower garden and bring me back a flower
of your choice.
The
bluebirds hardly slept. They were so excited about flying by themselves.
Gus, the oldest, was the first to leave the nest. He flew off in search of
Mrs. Donaldson's flower garden. Gil left next, and then Gail and Gabby.
Off they went, flying over the lake, the pine trees and far across the
hills.
Gus
couldn't find the flower garden. His tiny wings were tired, so he landed
on a tree branch to rest. Gil couldn't find the flower garden either. His
tiny wings were even more tired than Gus's, so he landed on the tree
branch next to his big brother. The two girls landed a few minutes later.
“None of us can find Mrs. Donaldson's flower garden. What will we do? Mama
will be disappointed in us if we don't bring her back a flower,” Gail
said.
As they
sat in the tree, they watched people walking by. “I wonder where they're
all going,” said Gabby.
“Do you
think they're going to Mrs. Donaldson's flower garden?” Gus looked at all
the people.
“Maybe,”
said Gil. “Let's follow them.”
The four
bluebirds flew above the people's heads. They heard noises and musical
sounds. The people started laughing and sat on the grass to eat big slices
of juicy watermelon.
“I don't
think this is Mrs. Donaldson's flower garden,” Gabby said.
Just then
a clown released hundreds of balloons. They flew into the air, heading
straight for the bluebirds. “Help! Where did you go?” Gus couldn't see his
brother or sisters.
“Gus!
Gail! Gabby! Where are you?” Gil flew between the colorful balloons,
getting bumped and tangled in the strings.
Gail and
Gabby both tried to find a way out of the balloons. “This way, Gail,” said
Gabby.
At last
all four bluebirds fluttered to the ground. “That was close. I thought I
was going to strangle on the strings,” Gil said.
Gabby
smiled. “Look!”
They sat
in the middle of Mrs. Donaldson's flower garden. “I'm going to pick a
yellow rosebud for Mama,” said Gail. She bit it off with her beak.
“I'm
going to take a nasturtium,” Gabby said. She picked it off.
“I'm
taking a poppy,” Gil said.
Gus flew
from one flower to the other. “Ah ha! I am taking Mama a bright red
geranium.”
The four
birds held their flowers in their beaks and flew back to the nest,
carefully avoiding the balloons. When they returned Mama was waiting for
them. Each of them gave her the flower. She put them in a vase of water.
“There now, isn't that beautiful. I'm so proud of you all. You did well
for your first flight. I hope you didn't run into any danger.”
The four
baby birds looked at each other and winked. “No, Mama,” Gus said. “We
didn't.”
That
night Mama fixed them a bowl of juicy worms and fresh strawberries.
As they
ate, Mama said, “Tomorrow, we're going to learn to dig worms.”
The four babies sighed and hoped that tomorrow would be
better than this day had been. |
