Don’t cry the little parakeet said. It will be alright.
No, no it wont the other little parakeet cried, it’s not fair, no one likes me, I can’t help it if my feathers are not as fluffy and bright as all the other birds, I am a simple bird. Have I not a beak like you? Have I not wings like you? Have I not a heart like you? The parakeet put its head down.
Every day Patrick the parakeet gets teased on how he looks. When Patrick was just a small bird and still in the nesting box his mother would keep him and his brother Darby warm. She would feed them and preen them until one day she got sick. One morning when Patrick went to peek out the hole in the nesting box into the cage, he saw his father on the bottom looking at his mother, she was laying there still and lifeless, she looked so peaceful and serene he thought to himself, he only watched for a little longer until he saw a hand come in the cage and take his mother, after that day he never saw his mother again. He sunk back into the-
the cage and told his brother Darby. Darby just stared, stared out the nesting box, stared as though he some how could bring back their mother.
When Patrick and Darby get older they looked very different from each other, Patrick had blue feathers and a few white mixed in, Darby with all green and a little yellow. Darby became very popular with the other birds he was the most beautiful bird at the aviary. Darby ignored Patrick. Patrick became lonely although he was a sweet bird he was not as pretty as the rest of the birds in the aviary, so one day he made a plan to escape. One day when the humans were cleaning all the cages and the door was open he flew as fast as he could, he saw many things he had never seen many different kinds of birds. He met a beautiful parakeet named Jackie, she was everything a bird should be, she was magnanimous. So Patrick and Jackie flew back to the aviary to live and breed. As soon as Patrick arrived he looked for his brother Darby, although -
Darby was always mean to Patrick and he looked down on him because he was not as handsome has he was, Patrick still loved him, he saw the good in him he saw their mother in him. He went to a close friend of Darby, he knew she would know where he was after all she had always followed him around praising him on how Darby looked. Right before he could even asked her she said; I don’t know where he is, why don’t you look for an ugly bird with no tail feather. Patrick was in shock was this some sort of joke? He went to the waterfall were all the birds went to drink water and get clean and he saw a bird who somewhat looked like his brother, he was a little thinner then him, not as many feathers as he, he had just about no tail feathers, looked like he had been in a fight, his eyes were not at bright and filled with arrogance as they once were, could it be him? He walked over slowly, he gently pecked the bird and to his amazement Darby turned around and his eyes lit up with joy, Darby chirped
and danced it’s you Patrick I’ve missed you dear brother, Patrick in shock stepped back. Brother don’t be afraid Darby said, I was in a fight with another bird, that is how my tail feathers got this way, after you left I, I changed he said with tears, Patrick said, it will be alright. No, no it wont alright Darby cried, it’s not fair, no one likes me, I can’t help it if my feathers are not as fluffy and bright as all the other birds, as mine once were, I am a simple bird now. Have I not a beak like you? Have I not wings like you? Have I not a heart like you? Darby puts his head down. Patrick said with a gentle voice, I love you, I think your more beautiful now then you ever were, so come, come with me and don’t worry about how your feathers look, come be happy and free with me, Darby raised his head and preened Patrick feathers, okay he said let’s go.
