Member-only story
SHORT STORY | LOVE | FICTION | FANTASY | BIRDS
The Caged Bird
a love story
And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
— 1 Corinthians 8: 2–3
Widespread and abundant in cities, woods, and neighborhoods. Sparrow, she is a bird — smart with a black bib, bright rufous nape, and stunning patterned wings with brilliant buffs and browns — narrow with a slender tail. Common and widespread throughout North America, often gathered in flocks in fall — clustered in dense bushes, bustling around, singing, chattering notes and trills — giving a soft musical thrill.
In short, the bird, she was a creature made to fly freely in the sky, bringing joy to everyone who saw her.
One day, on the thirteenth of February, a man saw this bird and fell in love. He watched her flights; his eyes shine with excitement as his heart is pounding with dread an amazement.
The man admired that bird, but then he thought: she might be visiting other people, and he was afraid; afraid that he would never see the bird again. The man, he felt envy, envy for the bird’s ability to fly.
“I’m going to set a trap, the next time the bird appear. She will never leave again,” he thought.
The bird returned the following day, pecked on the glass window, fell into the trap and was put into a cage.
There she was, the object of his possession and passion. He looked at the bird everyday. A strange transformation began to take place. Now he has everything his heart could possibly want; he began to lose interest and no longer felt the dread by her presents.
The bird, unable to fly and express the true meaning of her life, her feathers began to fall. She grew ugly, an ugly, and the man no longer paid her any attention, except for feeding her and cleaning out her cage.
Sometime later, days later, the bird died. The man felt terribly depressed, thinking about her, but he did not remember what spark his interest.
He thought only of the day when he had…
