Beyond Words

Fable

The balcony belonged to the pigeon couple.  From the time we moved into the apartment they were there.  It was their home before the apartment became ours.  We didn’t disturb them except for putting up the cooler against the window.  Then they made the cooler top their home. They built their nest there and the female of the pair laid eggs which hatched in the due course of time.  The nestlings grew wings and flew away when their time came.  The cycle continued.  Years passed.  Many more eggs were laid and many more nestlings grew wings.  We cleaned up the cooler top each time the nestlings flew away.

One day I was standing on the balcony when the mother started pushing a nestling out of the nest.  That was not a new sight for me.  It happens occasionally.  The first flight has to be forced sometimes. 

The nestling cried.  “Ma, please, don’t,” It said.

“You have to go, my dear.  You have to move on,” said the mother.

There was one more nestling sitting in the nest trembling in fear apparently.

“Don’t you love us?” the nestling asked.

“Love belongs to time,” the mother cooed.

“We don’t want to miss you,” the pigeon pleaded.

“Memory belongs to time,” the mother cooed.

The little pigeon cried.

“You have to move on,” Ma said.  “That’s the law of nature.”  By then she had already pushed the little bird to the edge of the cooler.  “Move on.”  And she gave the final push.

The little one didn’t even get the time to be startled.  Its wings spread out.  It remained in the air for a moment and flew away into the space that unfolded itself before it.

The other little one had stopped trembling.  It came out and fluttered its little wings.  “Go to the edge,” encouraged Ma.  “The take-off is easy from there.”

The little one obeyed.  And it took off.  Easily. 

The mother bird heaved a sigh.  Then it flew away into the air.

In the evening two pigeons cooed from the cooler top.   They were the original pair.