The Great Cold by Gladys Milroy

Author:Gladys Milroy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fremantle Press
Published: 2015-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

The Wingless Bird

The next day another exciting thing happened. Crow felt her egg move. There was one small peck and a little black-feathered head poked out of the eggshell.

Crow was overjoyed. ‘How much happiness can one bird have?’

News of the baby bird’s arrival spread quickly through the Cavern.

By the time the other birds had gathered to look at him, the baby bird was almost completely out of his egg. But when the last piece of shell fell away, they all gasped in shock. Baby Bird was missing his wing feathers.

‘He’s a bird who will never fly,’ said Magpie sadly.

Goanna looked at Crow’s baby and felt very guilty. Had Baby Bird been born without wing feathers because of him? Goanna began to cry.

‘It wasn’t your fault,’ Crow said, but the old goanna kept on crying.

Then a strange thing happened. The little bird stumbled over to Goanna and snuggled up to him.

Goanna smiled. ‘I will be his wings, Crow. Your baby will fly with me.’

From then on, Goanna flew with Baby Bird on his back. Goanna’s eyes were growing weak, so Baby Bird helped to guide him safely. Together, they were like one big, beautiful bird. At night Goanna and Baby Bird would return to Crow. She had built a much larger nest so they could all sit and talk about the adventures of the day.

‘If you could have one wish, Mum,’ Baby Bird said one night, ‘what would it be?’

‘I’d wish for Moon to stop fighting with Sun. Then we could all return to our homes,’ she replied. ‘What would you wish, Baby Bird?’ Crow asked her son. But Baby Bird did not reply, he was already fast asleep.

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