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There was once a young boy who wanted a bird for his birthday. Now the
boy knew his father to be a wise and generous man and so he went to his
father with his request. He told his father all about the bird he
wanted.
Not just any bird, mind you, for the boy knew exactly what kind of bird
he wanted. He wanted a finch. But not just any finch - a zebra finch!
But
not just any zebra finch - a female zebra finch! The boy's father
smiled
when he heard this but said nothing.
On the boy's birthday the father suddenly appeared at the boy's bedroom
door with a beautiful female zebra finch perched on his finger. The boy
ran to his father joyfully and extended his own finger to the bird. The
bird hopped onto his finger.
The
boy
however,
was perplexed. "Father," said the boy, "where is the birds cage?" "Oh
my
dear son," said the father, "if you place this bird in a cage you will
surely not have the bird you truly desired."
But the boy was afraid the bird might fly away and so he went to the
store
and purchased a birdcage. When he came home he found that the bird did
not want to go into the cage. It was a small frightening place with
bars
all around! But, the boy insisted on placing the bird in the cage and
chased
the bird with a net around and around the room until it was finally
caught
and placed in the cage!
Now the boy had wanted the bird to be his friend and so he would open
the
door of the cage and place his hand inside hoping the bird would perch
on his finger again. But the bird was terrified whenever the boy would
place his hand in the cage and flew fitfully back and forth. The boy
reflected
on this for awhile and after some time had passed he determined that
his
father had certainly not given him the bird he had asked for.
And
the boy was angry with his father...
One day the father came to the boy's room and saw his son sitting next
to the cage with a frown on his face. The father said to the boy, "What
is it that weighs so heavily upon your heart?" The boy jumped up
pointing
his finger at his father and said, "Why have you given this bird to me?
This is not the bird I asked for as a gift!" His father replied,
"Surely,
this is the bird you asked for as a gift. But it is not the bird you
truly
desired! This bird has known you only as its captor, the warden of the
prison you have placed it in. It has not had the opportunity to choose
you as its friend, but instead, because you were afraid, you have tried
to force your friendship with the bird entirely on your own terms."
"But who knows" said the father, "perhaps if you open the door of the
cage,
the bird may yet fly out and choose to become the friend you truly
desire."
And
the boy opened
the cage...
Copyright
© 2000 by R. Thomas Brass
All rights
reserved
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