donnie and the bird
Donnie was just coming home from school that day. He decided that instead of going to the front door and making his mother come down to open the door for him, he would just go around the back and go up the stairs to the kitchen door. His family lives on the second floor, upstairs from his Grandma who has the first floor apartment. It is his Grandma's house and Donnie and his family have lived there since he was a baby. As Donnie was getting ready to go up the backstairs, he heard a bird chirping. He looked around but couldn't see a bird anywhere. He sat on the steps, took his backpack off and listened. Again, he heard the chirping.
He got up and walked over to the bushes that were in the back of the yard. He got on his knees and looked under the bushes, but did not see a bird. Still, he kept hearing the chirping. He crawled a little further under the bush, moved a branch and saw the little bird that was chirping. It was a very tiny baby bird. He tried to pick the bird up with his hand, but the little bird slipped and fell to the ground. Donnie said, “Oh no! I hope you didn't get hurt.” Donnie tried to pick the little bird up again, but this time he made sure that he was holding him very safely in his hand. Donnie looked at the little bird, and said, “My goodness, you are just a little newborn bird. You don't even have any feathers yet. You poor little guy! You must have fallen out of your nest. Don't you worry, I will take care of you until you can fly.” Donnie put the bird back under the bush and told it not to go anywhere because he would be right back.
Donnie ran as fast as he could up the stairs and pounded on the back door until his Mother opened it up. She looked at him and said, “Where’s the fire?” Donnie said, “I will tell you everything, but right now I have to hurry.” Donnie ran into his bedroom and got the cigar box that had his crayons in it. He dumped the crayons out on his bed and ran out to the kitchen where his Mom was getting dinner ready. He yelled to his Mom as he was going out the door that he will explain what is going on soon. He ran down the steps, into the yard and stopped to pull some grass from the lawn. He placed the grass in the cigar box, then went over to the bush where the little bird was. He crawled under the bush, and very carefully picked the baby bird up in his hands, then placed it gently into the box. The bird seemed to understand that Donnie was trying to help him and wasn’t chirping quite as much. “I will bring you up to my screen porch so you will be safe tonight.” The little bird chirped again as if to say he understood.
Donnie's Mom called him for dinner. Donnie gently patted the little bird on its back and told him he would be right back after he finished his dinner. He told his mom and dad all about the baby bird. It wasn't too long before Donnie came back like he promised the little bird. Donnie sat on a rocking chair on the porch and put the cigar box with the bird on his lap. He rocked a little and patted the little bird on his back. The bird seemed to like that and also seemed to be very happy with his new home, the cigar box, that Donnie had padded with soft cloths. After a while Donnie's mother and father came out to see the little bird. Donnie's mom said that he could take care of the bird only until he learns to fly, so when that happened, he would have to let the bird go. Donnie said he understood and was glad that his parents were allowing him to take care of the little bird.
Donnie fed the little bird small bugs he caught and made sure his cigar box was always clean. Every day after school, he would run home as fast as he could so he could take care of the little bird some more. Donnie took very good care of the little bird, so much so, that much to everyone’s surprise, the little bird was getting bigger and was now covered in feathers. He had outgrown his cigar box, but Donnie found a bigger box for the little bird. The little bird really liked his new home. Donnie cut a hole towards the bottom of the box so the little bird could come out whenever he wanted to and hop around the screen porch a little to get some exercise. Soon, the little bird started trying to fly. Donnie laughed watching the little bird excitedly flapping his wings, but he could only raise himself up a few inches in the air. Still, Donnie knew that the day was coming soon that the little bird would figure out how to fly and then he would have to let him go. Donnie wondered if the little bird would fly south before winter comes like most birds do. He worried that the little bird might not know what he is supposed to do because he didn’t have other birds around to teach him.
One day when Donnie was holding the little bird on his lap, he looked at him and said, “You know little bird, we never gave you a name. If you could talk you could tell me what you would want for a name, but seeing as how birds don’t talk, I guess I’ll have to pick a name for you. Let me think now.” Donnie thought and thought, then said, “I noticed that your feathers are turning blue, so how about we call you Bluebird? I think that is a very nice name that fits you little bird – oops, I mean Bluebird.” Bluebird must have really liked his new name because when he heard it, he started chirping and flapping his wings.
Bluebird continued to grow and get better at flying. He could fly all around the screen porch with no problem at all, so Donnie knew it was time to let him go. He put Bluebird in his box, then carried the box down to the yard. Donnie opened the box, then put his hand next to Bluebird who quickly jumped up on it. Donnie raised his hand up to his face so he could look Bluebird in the eye. He told him, “I’m going to miss you terribly, but it’s time you were on your own. You know I will always love you and you are always welcome to come visit me, but it’s for your own good to be with the other birds.” Donnie gave Bluebird a kiss on his head. Bluebird rubbed his head against Donnie's hand as if to say, “I love you too.”
Donnie’s eyes teared up as he raised his hand up and watched as his bird flew up into the air. Bluebird circled around Donnie and looked like he was really enjoying being able to fly in such a big space. Donnie smiled as Bluebird flew close to his head several times as if he wanted to play, but then at the same time, both of them saw a flock of birds flying close by. Bluebird flew around Donnie’s head a few more times, then started to fly towards the flock, but turned around and came back by Donnie. Donnie told Bluebird, “Go Bluebird! Go with the other birds. They are your new family now. It’s what’s best for you.” Bluebird flew around Donnie’s head a couple more times before he turned and flew towards the flock of birds. Donnie saw Bluebird join the flock and watched as they all flew further and further away until Donnie couldn't see them anymore. It was a sad time for Donnie, but he had to do it for Bluebird’s sake. Donnie cleaned out Bluebirds box and as he was throwing it in the trash, he looked up at the sky and said, “Good Luck Bluebird, wherever you may go.”
The next summer Donnie was sitting on the screened porch when a bluebird perched on the railing. Donnie looked up from the book he was reading and said, “Bluebird, is that you?” The bird started chirping and hopping excitedly so much so that Donnie knew it just had to be Bluebird. He was so glad to see him again. “I am so glad to see you are okay!” Donnie said and with that, Bluebird flew away, but very shortly came back to the railing. This time he had two smaller bluebirds with him. Donnie asked, “Is this your family, Bluebird?” All three of the birds started chirping. Donnie could not believe what he was seeing. His mom came out on the porch to see what all the chirping was about and saw the three bluebirds on the railing. Donnie explained that Bluebird had come back and brought his children with him. Donnie’s mom said, “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes!”
Bluebird’s children visited Donnie every year when they came back up north. This went on for many years. Every summer one, two or more bluebirds would perch on the porch railing and when Donnie came out of the house, they would chirp excitedly, then fly off. Even when Donnie got older and moved away when he got married, his mom would call him on the phone the day the bluebirds came back and hold the phone up to the birds so he could hear them chirping. The love that Bluebird felt for Donnie was so strong that it had been passed along to all his children, and his children’s children. All because Donnie did everything he could to take care of a poor little baby bird that had fallen out of his nest.
