Blue Bird and the Crow
Once there was a lovely blue bird with a lonely song.
She had been locked in a cage for much of her life and watched behind bars as her owners went about their day. When she did sing, they would stop and smile, cooing to her to continue such a lovely song.
But deep down, what she sang was heart-wrenching. She sang of freedom and a wish to fly high above the clouds like many of the birds she'd seen outside her window.
One summer day, while she was singing, a large black crow came to the house. He was passing through, looking for scraps to eat, when the blue bird's song met his ears.
Following the song, he found himself perched on the window sill watching in admiration as the little bird sang her heart out.
She chirped in surprise when she saw the crow, startling her owners when she stopped singing.
"Get out of here you filthy thing!" the bird's owners cried, startling the crow.
But, in truth, he never went away. He watched and took notice of the blue bird's human's routine. Two days later, with the humans gone, he returned to the sill to talk to the little bird.
"Who are you?" she chirped when she saw him again, "Are you that bird that has been watching me?"
"I am," the crow cawed in reply, "I only noticed your beautiful singing and heard your sad song. Why are you trapped in a cage?"
"I've always been trapped," the bird answered, "I want to be free from here. Tis true, my home is beautiful and my masters are kind, but I feel lost and alone."
"The world outside is not as kind as you think," the crow spoke harshly, "I'm constantly on the run, with no place to live. The few who are kind to me rarely are permitted to see me. Others are harsh and throw stones at me when they see me. I am ugly and you are a beauty."
"You are not ugly. I'd say you're brave to come and see me again."
The two birds continued like this for a few months, until late September. The crow began to notice that his beautiful blue bird seemed to be fading away from him. She was always sad and chirped, never singing again.
The crow knew it had something to do with the way her owners kept her locked in her cage. He had not once seen them open the door to let her fly, and he was always watching from a tree near the house.
If she could fly away, she would soar and sing again.
Two weeks later, while the family was away, the crow soared into the room where the little bird was sitting in her cage.
He perched atop her cage, and looked at the lock.
"What are you doing?" the bird asked suspiciously.
"I'm getting you out, little one," the crow answered, pressing his beak against the lock, "You will fly and you will sing. I can't bear to see you as you are now."
"What do you mean?"
"Little bird, from the moment I saw you, I was captured. Unlike other birds and humans who attack me, you were kind and spoke with me. And for this small kindness, you should be free to soar and sing."
The cage door swung open then, and the little blue bird poked her head out, "But I know nothing of the world you see. Would you stay beside me?"
"Always. What's your name little bird?"
"Christine. Yours?"
"Erik."
And the two of them flew from the house.
It is said that the two lived in harmony for some years. They spent their first winter hidden in an abandoned barn, surrounded by hay and bugs, which Christine and Erik lived to their hearts content. And to this day, a crow and a little blue bird are seen flying across the sky, the birds both singing a song of freedom and love.
Notes:
Based on the art piece here:
One of my personal favorite artists on this website and her phantom art, if you haven't seen it, is amazing!