THE CHRYSALIS EXPERIMENT ~ PROMPT # 15

This is my fifth attempt at writing a story for the experiment . Here goes prompt no. 15

AND NEITHER HAVE I WINGS TO FLY .

Ezio perched on the uppermost point of a stone crag , a vantage point of unbelievable beauty , it afforded the eye a sweeping view of the rich countryside spread out for as far as the eye could see . It was an endless landscape of mountains , lakes and streams , dotted by a variety of birds , wildlife and other creatures .

 He was truly on top of the world ! He was the master of all he surveyed , a powerful player who knew his strengths and weaknesses . And he had many , many strengths . He could fly at altitudes that others could only dream of . He loved the challenge  of an electrifying storm . Where others would shy away from this terrible phenomenon , Ezio would fly straight into it , the strong air currents that accompanied it would propel him to heights that were normally unattainable .

He was even more excited because his family was about to grow . Their nest contained 4 large eggs . It was only a matter of time before the little ones arrived .

His nest was well fortified with twigs, thorns, leaves, rags and cotton bits . He was as proud as he was majestic and only the best would do for his family .

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One day an earthquake rocked the mountain . It caused one of the eggs to roll down the mountain to a farm in the valley below . The chickens found the egg and took it to the safety of the enclosure . They protected and cared for the eagle’s egg . An old hen volunteered to take it and nurture it until it hatched . When the egg hatched , a beautiful eagle emerged . The eagle was raised to be a chicken . He therefore believed that he was nothing else but a chicken .Nobody commented on the fact that he did not resemble any of the other chickens in the farmyard . They simply accepted Aras as one of their own .  He loved his home and his family but he realised that something was not quite right . He felt restless and trapped but didn’t know what to do about it . The problem was that he didn’t know what was wrong with him . He tried to rid himself of these strange and confusing feelings but they persisted and his spirit cried out for more .

One day , while all the chickens were running about , they looked upwards and noticed a group of large birds flying above . These were not the normal birds that they saw everyday while playing outside . These birds circled round and round as they flew up higher and higher , then suddenly they would swoop down at an amazing speed , a majestic sight that left the chickens gasping in delight .

 

 Something stirred in Aras’ heart . “I wish that I could soar like those birds !” he couldn’t help himself . The others laughed at him . “You are a chicken and we do not soar !” They shook their heads in dismay . What was he thinking ? But he didn’t hear their response . He could feel his spirit reach out as it yearned for an answer to the turbulent feelings that had taken over and threatened to consume him . For a long , long time he had felt the pull of something that he didn’t understand and couldn’t explain . And now looking at these strange birds , he sensed that they knew the answers to his problem . But how was that possible ? Thereafter , each time he saw these magnificent creatures flying above , he would express his desire to be like them . And each time they told him that it was impossible , it couldn’t be done . But he knew that these soaring birds held the answer to what was in his heart and soul .

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Something happened in the yard . The chickens were running around in a frantic spin . There was a sense of panic and chaos . Non-stop chatter spread amongst them as they tried to find out what the fuss was all about . They craned their necks to see what happened but the older ones shooed them away and took control of the situation . The news spread quickly as the information passed from one to the other . An injured bird had been brought into the yard . It was placed in a large wooden enclosure near the far end , close to the pathway that led to the stream . Some of the younger ones were scared . A rumour passed around in a few minutes . The injured bird was the same type that had stolen two chickens from the yard . It happened twice in the same month . Nobody dared go near the enclosure . Two brave roosters ventured as close as possible . They returned with nothing to tell the eager ones who were left disappointed , waiting for a dramatic tale full of danger and excitement .  

A week later , Aras decided to see for himself . He wanted to know what the fuss was all about . While the others were engrossed in the arrival of a new batch of chicklets , he crept away and made in the direction of the mysterious box .

He peered in at the window opening which was closed with a mesh covering .

“And what are you doing here?” The lazy question came from the shadowed depths of the enclosure .

He started . Getting caught was the last thing on his mind .

“Come closer , let me see you . Come , come , don’t be scared . Though I can’t say I don’t bite …”

“What do you mean ?”

‘Well , I eat little ones like you , for breakfast ,” the laughter ended in a cough .

“What happened to you ?”

“Caught in a power line . Snagged a wing … almost electrocuted … just missed it …” a pause …” that’s the result of not looking where you’re going to …”

“How did you get up there ?” He couldn’t imagine being able to get as high as that .

"How else do you think …?"   

A shrug answered him .

“The obvious way , of course …”

Another shrug , this time accompanied by a confused expression .

“You know … by flying … you do know what it means to fly ? Flap your wings … “ He grimaced in pain at the futile attempt to flap his injured wing .

“You can go that high ?” A nod . “You can … fly that high ?” Another nod . “You can … FLY ?”

 

The injured bird moved closer to the mesh covering . He wanted to see who this peculiar creature was .

“Of course I can fly ,” he eyed Aras up close . “And so could you if you really wanted to ,” the dawning realisation crept up on him .

“But I can’t fly ,” the tone of defeat was audible .

“And who told you that ?”

“Well , for one thing , chickens don’t fly .”

He decided to remain silent .

“And I don’t have wings … chickens are not meant to fly ,”

“Let me tell you something ,” he leaned closer ,”promise not to tell anybody ,” he whispered . “I can give you the secret , so that you can learn to fly .”

He nodded , eyes wide in disbelief .

“Look at yourself in the mirror ,” the words were soft and knowing .

“The mirror ? How will I learn to fly if I look in the mirror ?” He shook his head . He felt cheated . He had expected a wild and detailed step-by-step guide but instead , all he got was — a mirror ? How on earth would that help him ?

“You are so much more than what you think you are .”

He was more confused than ever .

“The mirror will reveal who you really are .”

He wondered about the words . It seemed to make some sense . Was that the reason why the humans always looked in the mirror ? It had to be . They looked in the mirror at least once a day . Though the young girl looked in the mirror more than once every day . She looked in the mirror at least three times a day . Well the adults seemed to know who they were . The young girl was probably still trying to see who she really was . He would give it a try .

4 Comments

  1. Jennifer on April 18, 2011 at 7:47 am

    Cute and very timely.

    • mish on April 18, 2011 at 6:09 pm

      Thanks Jenn ~ I felt it was a little sub-standard in certain areas … I still seem to have a problem with writing a complete short story minus any editing . I am always tempted , somewhere along the way , to go back and edit parts of the work .

  2. Jes on April 22, 2011 at 4:11 am

    I loved the end on this one; can't wait to see what you come up with for prompt 16!

    • mish on April 22, 2011 at 10:30 am

      Thanks Jes ~ and I appreciate the thumbs-up for my ending ! About prompt #16 , let’s wait and see …

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