RAMBLINGS OF THE MIND
And the next two years were the best two years of his life. Pippa didn’t mind the cage anymore. He considered it his bedroom, where he went to rest after the day was over. It’s also his kitchen, where he went for food because there was always food in it. So even the cage which he used to detest, had been transformed into a place of love. He never thought it would end, and that it would come between him and his new sense of freedom.
He started seeing less and less of the young girl whom he loved most. And every time she came home, Pippa would be so excited he couldn’t wait for her to get him out of the cage so he could kiss her (without being flirty, of course). It was an event that Pippa had learned to register in his body clock. So that when weekend comes and she didn’t come home, Pippa would start to feel sad and depressed.
He didn’t know if this became obvious to the father and mother, because Pippa could hear them discussing freedom more often. Until one day, with tears in her eyes, the mother came to him and rubbed his neck, and told him that he would be set free.
Suddenly freedom was not as attractive as he had thought it to be. Flying where his wings could go was not a motivation anymore. For what good was freedom if you’re separated from your loved one.
Then the day arrived, that dreadful day when they went to the park and released him from the cage so he could fly up to the trees and to anywhere he would want to go. At last he was free. At last he could fly. It was the young boy’s words that really summed up all his feelings that day.
“It is because we love you so much that we set you free. Be the best that you can be,” the boy said as he opened the cage.
Reluctantly, Pippa walked out of the cage, bobbed his head, looked at the family who loved him for more than two years, and flew towards the nearest branch of a tree to the west side of the park. And the rest of the day, he had spent hopping from branch to branch of the trees in the park. It was the loneliest and
saddest day of his life. The irony of it all was being free outside, yet your heart inside was held captive by a love that could never ever be.
PRESENT DAY
Pippa had learned to live a life totally different from where he had been. No more cage, but neither was there food all the time. He had to search for his food now. He had already forged friendship with other animals in the park, like the birds who at first looked at him with disdain because he was different, but then later accepted him as part of the flock.
But things started to get exciting, when one day three more parrots arrived in the park and asked if they could stay around. Pippa said yes, only because one of them was beautiful. She was a few months younger than he was, but boy oh boy, was she beautiful.
Her name was Carla. She had a strong curved beak, strong and straight legs, and clawed zygodactyl feet. The set of feathers on the top of her head was so endearing, but the most attractive part of Carla was her intelligence.
One afternoon, as Pippa and Carla were flying around the park, they heard music at the east side of the park and they decided to check it out.
A group of teenagers were dancing like there’s no tomorrow. Wearing shorts, that were really short it barely covered the essentials, the girls attracted the attention of boys (of all ages).