"Little Canary" by ARK

Another animal-related short story from yours truly...

Once there was a lost land called Paradise.

Nobody has ever been there, except for an ancient group of birds. Paradise was inhabited by an endless flock that did nothing more but feel the breeze of the wonderful sky. Below them, only the rain forest. Above, nothing but the clouds.

The birds swooshed and swayed all around the trees, dazzlingly playing their majestic games. There, not a single bird had to feel fear. They dreaded not the food chain, for there were no predators to hunt them, nor were there prey they could hunt.

Instead, fruits sprouted all over Paradise. No bird has ever heard of the word 'hunger.'

And no one has heard of the rule where you must stay with birds of the same feather. Hardly any bird had somebody "of the same feather." They just enjoyed flying--not caring who they were with.

"Outside?" said Elder Owl, the wisest bird in Paradise as a group of little birds gathered around him. "Why would you want to go outside? We have everything here."

"Well...sir, Elder Owl. I was just...wondering if there is a world beyond Paradise," answered Little Canary. He hatched just weeks ago, but every bird in Paradise has noticed him for being very curious.

"Why, of course there is!" exclaimed Elder Owl. The young birds listened to him in astonishment. "It's called The Earth. Paradise itself is a part of The Earth. But alas, no other place on Earth is as perfect as Paradise."

"Why?' asked Little Canary.

"Good question, young one. You see, the rest of The Earth is a wasteland, compared to our home. There, equality does not exist. Animals fight each other for food. No wonder everything runs out. Here, fruits grow endlessly because we know that there is enough for everybody."

The flock of young birds fell quiet, shocked at what they heard. "The world outside is a terrible place, my children," Elder Owl adjusted his spectacles. "I've been there before, And I must say I never should have."

Elder Owl took a glance at Little Canary and saw he was troubled. "What's the matter, my boy?"

"I...wanna go outside Elder Owl," a surprised gasp echoed from the other young birds.


"But why would you go there?" "It's scary there!" "Nobody ever leaves Paradise!" said the birds.

"Elder Owl must have been very brave to fly away from Paradise. But I wanna see what The Earth is really like. I wanna see why this place is Paradise, and why the rest of it is imperfect."

Elder Owl stood quiet. He reacted no more. He knew that by the end of the day, by the time the birds fall asleep, Little Canary will have forgotten his foolish desire.

But he was wrong. That night, Little Canary snuck out of his tree and quietly flew towards the heavens. He knew that beyond the clouds, The Earth was waiting for him. His curiosity was seeping through his veins, powering his wings to fly higher and higher.

The Song Birds, who magnificently danced and sang to keep all the birds asleep, took notice of him. One of the birds stepped away from the chorus and anxiously shouted: "Little Canary! Where are you going at this time of the night?"

"Outside! I'm going outside! See you later, my friends!" Little Canary shouted to the birds below. He knew that now wasn't the right time to stop. He was afraid, but he was also excited. He knew there was a whole new world for him to explore.

And he was so close to it.

For a moment, he took in the view as Paradise grew smaller and smaller beneath, and the sky before him grew larger than everything he has ever seen. Only the clouds were on his way now. There was nowhere else to go but up.

But all of a sudden, a loud, vicious roar froze him. He flapped in place, searching for what caused the violent explosion of sound. The clouds grew dark, and Little Canary realized it was about to rain. And in a second, the storm began.

Water heaved Little Canary down, and lightning almost struck him. The dark sky continued to roar, as the bird tried his hardest to get back up.

Feeling weak and afraid, Little Canary fought no more. He let the turbulent winds send him back down to where he began--the ground.

He closed his eyes and let himself fall with the waves of water pouring from the heavens...

Until he heard a familiar voice. "LITTLE CANARY!"

"What? Who could that be?" Little Canary thought.

And he slowly tried to opened his eyes as he fell closer and closer to the ground. And he was bewildered to see every bird in Paradise desperately flapping their wings trying to get out of the flood that has become of their homes. The trees were gone, and everything was submerged in the dark water.

"SAVE YOURSELF!" Elder Owl screamed at him again. "FLY AWAY! AND DON'T YOU EVER GIVE UP!!"

Little Canary realized that the moment he touched the water, his wings would get too heavy to fly with. He would drown with everybody else.

Little Canary knew he couldn't save any of them. He just cried as he flapped his wings again, fighting hard against the rain.

"I know what you're thinking, Little Canary! Don't worry about us!" Elder Owl was also about to drown. "Even if The Earth is not as perfect as Paradise, consider it your sanctuary. Flap your wings until you find yourself a new home."

And those were his last words.

Paradise was no more. That night, the lost land became nothing but Ocean and Sky...and in the middle, only a little yellow canary struggling to stay alive.


Little Canary looked up, his wings getting heavier by the minute. "An imperfect world is all that is out there!" he shouted at the clouds. But he flapped harder and harder. "But that will be my new home."

...

Days later, Little Canary has found himself a place in The Earth. he was found severely injured by a little boy who took him in compassionately. He fed him, he gave him shelter, and loved him more than anything else. "There you go, Little Canary," said the boy as he placed the bird in a golden cage.

Little Canary never felt safer. He thought: "An imperfect world it is. Elder Owl, I reached it. Hey, maybe imperfection isn't such a bad thing."

A house is not a home. But sometimes, all you need is a house.