Lady Bird!

== LADY BIRD!        ==
=== By Pamarty Venkataramana ===
Published in StoryStar 2014
She was the prettiest looking bird the greenwood forest had ever been
home to. A new arrival as bride of a big cat, she was adored by all the milder
inhabitants, even as wild beastly ones cast an evil eye upon her. She, however,
was innocent as ever. When the daisies danced to her cooing at dawn and dusk,
the pretty young thing was reminded of her parental nest down South in the
hilly region where all picked upon her to do the community song & dance
show. Birds of all feathers would flock around the huge clearing atop the
solitary guava fruit tree. She would spend hours hopping up the branches day
dreaming as all maidens of her age used to...!
Her parents had chosen this big cat as her spouse and after a grand
feast for all animals & birds of neighbourhood woods, left her in her
husband's den, and returned to their own forest-city. 
Time flew by. She brought two little birds into this world, and forgot
the tortures meted out to her by her in-laws and husband by immersing herself
in raising her bird-babies. The hay of her nest was often drenched by her tears
and it acted as her lone confidante. 
More time passed by. One sunrise in autumn season, she was drawn to the
verses of a human sage being played loudly on the forest guard's smartphone.
Oh, those humans had a way with expression of feelings, and with communication.
She made random queries and soon found herself perching atop a tall coconut
tree looking down at the saintly form seated in a posture of deep meditation. 
Hours later, she saw him look up and smile benevolently. Responding to
his gesture of welcome, she flew down to prostrate herself before the learned,
wise man. Being a lady of virtuous disposition, she felt herself sobbing and
bless-echoing the holy man to save her and her baby-birds from the awful
torturous big cat, her spouse, and his wicked kith & kin. 
She noticed the sage close his eyes for a few moments, apparently
looking into her life's past, present, and future through his Third Eye. The
serene soul then spoke in a quiet tone- 'Yes. But, The Lord who protects is
greater than evil ones who wish to inflict injury. I will pray for your happy
life, and that of your loved ones. But, you must stop eating worm-food and
mingling with wicked cats, hereafter. And, sport a red spot of protection on your
forehead. Do not let evil misguide you in the name of partying or such other
forms of gallivanting.'
He then pulled out an amulet from his right arm and asked the Lady-Bird
to don it around her neck but not let it be visible even to her big catty husband.
She accepted the protection-guard, bowed in reverence and flew back to
her nest-house!
Months turned into years. She adhered to the sage's advice obediently.
Things had begun to change. Within a fortnight, she had been gifted a huge bird
house of her own by her big cat and in-laws. Her catty sisters-in-law ceased to
visit her place and turn her husband against her. Baby birds picked up health
and were faring well in studies. She herself would wake up and say the prayer
imparted to her by the sage. 
Soon, her big cat of a husband brought in a wagon load of twelve
jewellery -items, boasting of his intelligence and success. He sold off the
items in the grey market to unsuspecting women-customers (wives of highly
placed officials in government of human-beings) little informing the gullible
purchasers that these were 'made in China' and not from 'Switzerland banks' as
he had announced to them!
Atmosphere was now wholly changed in the huge bird-house. A home-theatre
set, gymnastics equipment, fancy cars to ferry the grown-up bird kids and many
more things that added to paraphernalia of wealthy human beings transformed the
air. She too was corrupted by the relatives and opportunistic friends that
began to frequent the bird-mansion. All airs soon turned the grounded, docile
Lady-bird into as monstrous a creature as her husband and in-laws.
She soon got convinced of her riches having come her way not due to the
non stop penance of that unsung sage in the jungle, through rain and shine, day
and night ...but wholly on account of her own destiny, smart spouse and lucky
kids! 
One night, she hears the voice of the sage in her sleep cautioning her
from succumbing to artificial, imaginary allurements, for evil was out to
throttle her life, to bring in a harem of slave-wives. She was also asked not
to remove the sacred amulet under any circumstance. 
The Lady-Bird pooh poohed away the voice but her inner sense prevented
her from removing the amulet.
She, however, began a whispering campaign which spread throughout the
greenwood forest and surrounding woods that the Sage was a fake beast, out to
eat the birds, and that he must be shunned as a pariah would be by human beings
in the society of gadgetry and sophistication. In this, she was aided by a few
crows and cuckoos as were hyenas and other members of the forest club of
ladies! 
One said- 'there is no God'.
Another squeaked- 'Holy men? As extinct as dinosaurs'. 
Yet another lady bird of position said- 'he can just be a man, not
God!'  
The chorus worked on her mind and, sipping her pomegranate-juice, she
deputed her servant, a jackass, to go out to the nearest forest settlement of
human-beings and spread malignant rumours about the sage, so that her new found
friends would remain pleased with her and the secret of her re-birth, as the
proverbial Phoenix emerged, would remain unknown to anybody. She smiled to
herself ruefully. Even as she began to sing her bird tunes, merrily. 
The sage, who was on non-stop fasting prayers for the poor, suffering
bird, though continues to meditate on the ways of Nature: a huge amount of his
physical energies were drained out by endowing the power of his spiritual grace
to bestow peace, health & wealth on the hapless bird and her chicks. To
what end and to what purpose? At what cost? 
Such is the prowess of compassion, mercy, sufferings, evil, goodness
ingratitude and wickedness that each battles to outshine the other. Here comes
the necessity for a religion, an order of faith and need to harbour a good
conscience! 
Saga of the Lady Bird does not end even where she has turned enemically
disposed to her protector based on hearsay and foul play of her big cat and
minion companions. Sage knows what is in store and continues to meditate for
the bird who scorns her saviour. She was his adopted protege. Almighty had sent
a suffering-being to seek his help and he had done the miracles of Almighty:
success of penance. 
But, his health deteriorates even as the Beneficiaries remain unaffected
by the result of their inhuman attitudinal change. He shall live on even
without breathing. To pour life in a multitude of future generations. As a
Saint. But, the hurt of being mistaken by benefactor singes his bright Soul. 
Lady Bird is smarter than her big cat. She does not take off the sacred
amulet for she knows her big, fat cat would devour her and her baby-birds and
wear the feathers around his neck, if ever she let charm of divine-protection
be separated from her bodily form!
A lady bird smiles on ... The Sage meditates ... World cares less ...
Rest in Peace! 
Category:Venkataramana
Category:StoryStar
Category:Web-Published