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Little Curlew
LITTLE CURLEW

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DarknessAndLight

Are you certain? the cloaked figured standing in front of the little bird asked for the last time. All its life, the bird had felt unworthy and plain. Uninteresting and unremarkable. With its beak too long, its feathers a drab color, it felt utterly worthless. The only solace it knew came from the daily visit of one human girl. Every day, she would come to the clearing and every day it would meet her. The little bird would sing to her even though its song was nothing special to offerit was all it could give her. He had a wish, only one wishto be human. If it were to be human, it could interact with the girl and be accepted and seen and loved and cherish instead of only being observed and most probably judged. The little curlew was nothing special to look at and it knew it. The human girl must have seen it too. If it became a human, it wouldnt be an it anymore. It would be a he. It would matter. That was why the little bird wanted to strike this deal, wanted to become human. And the price to pay was not a price per se. There was no price for the gift the cloaked figure was to give to the little Curlew. Nothing to pay, only something to gain. To have what he most desired, the little Curlew would also have to be given understanding. To the little Curlew, it was two wins. Yes, the Eskimo Curlew answered without faltering. Then it shall be done. The cloaked figure waved its hands and the little bird was struck in the middle of its chest by a blinding light. This was what death must feel like, the little curlew thought as its body shattered into million of particles to be reconstructed into something else something better. The change was quick. After all, the price for this gift had not been the pain of the transformation. When the change was completed, the now human lay down on his side, panting, trying to move his new muscles and foreign limbs. The change was tremendous and unsettling but it was necessary. And so, as he gained control of his motor skills he got on his feet. He did not have a lot of time. The girl would be back from school soon, and she would head for this very clearing. Because he was a human now, he knew he could not meet the girl in the same environment. He had to leave and meet her in her human world. Taking a deep breath with his new lungs, the once little curlew got ready to take his flight but realized too late that he had no wings anymore.
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He fell back on the ground. Groaninga sound he had never made before he got back on his feet and this time, tried the complex and straining task of putting one foot in front of the other. He was walking. As he trekked to the girls house, he tried to form words with his mouth, instead of a song with its beak. If he wanted to speak with the girl, this was vital. The sounds did not glide the way they used to, but after a few minutes, with a groggy voice, he was able to form complete sentences without breaking into coughing fits. Soon, too soon, the girls house came into view. He was glad now that he had followed her back many times after their countless meetings. Using the knowledge he had been able to collect over the years, and taking his time as he climbed up the stairs, he came to stand in front of the door and knocked. The girl was not the one who answered the doorhis mother did. Clearing his throat, the once little bird said, Excuse me, I dont want to bother you, but Im lost. May I use your phone? Phone. The little bird had observed enough of the humans to grossly understand the use of that object. The woman was slightly reticent at first, but being a kind soul, she opened the door wider and told him to wait. It was then that the girl walked out of a room, clearly on her way to their clearing. She jumped in surprise when she saw him. What are you doing here? she asked, frowning. I am lost. I asked to borrow your phone, he explained. The trust he had been so used to see from her eyes was nowhere to be found then. She looked at him as if she were gazing in the eyes of a strangerand for all intents and purposes he was a stranger to her.
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COMMENTS & REVIEWS (28)

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Very well told, such a sad moral here.

slpsharon 1 hour ago

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So perfectly written...

SelMania 5 hours ago

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This is amazing! :')

xxSquibblyDooxx 9 hours ago

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So touching :)

Angel23522 10 hours ago

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That was an exquisitely written short story. I think we all can learn something from the Eskimo Curlew.
Marjac 14 hours ago

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Whoa

SilverHeartBeat 20 hours ago

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Amazing but depressing. T.T

raceycad 1 day ago

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your totally amazing... :')

Naehj10 1 day ago

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it's beautiful...

AoifeSummers 2 days ago

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@DarknessAndLight oh wow, that's so sweet of you to do so. I think this is a unique, and sweet story. I love your stories :) xoxo Iris
xxIrissxx 2 days ago Reply Report

This was amazing and yet sad, but I loved it! "Love yourself for who you are, don't become someone else for another person" Beautiful :)
Kaitsumi 2 days ago Reply Report

DarknessAndLigh... 2 days ago

@xxIrissxx Yeah, it's a short story I wrote for the BirdLife campaign to raise awareness about endangered birds species. So yeah... that's how it ends.
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This is beautiful and incredibly depressing...

kindlingofstupi... 2 days ago

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@xxIrissxx nope not kidding n i know i feel the same way! :-\

lifeless_soul 3 days ago

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xxIrissxx 3 days ago

@lifeless_soul You're kiddding right? But this is such an interesting story! I don't want it to be finished... :(@DarknessandLight this is amazing, I love your books :) So please, keep writing! :D xoxo Iris
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My heart hurts now T.T

SpeedReader8117 3 days ago

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@xxIrissxx this is a short story so it's completed, there won't be any updates :)
lifeless_soul 3 days ago

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OH my goodness Kay why the hell is your writing so flawless? This was pure perfection i have never read a story that short containing that many emotions. You are truly a genius seriously you're amazing.
lifeless_soul 3 days ago Reply Report

It's strange how the shortest story can hold such meaning and messages to the readers... It was beautiful because it was simple and it had much more feeling than something a thousand words long. L
Oceondreams 3 days ago Reply Report

The bittersweet lesson, the deep meanings of the sentences and the choice of the right words.. Everything just fit together so well.. In 2 words : Beautiful Story !

Sherin_GH 4 days ago

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This is amazing. Just amazing. I'm really curious how this story will continue... So I'll put this book in my library and wait for an update! :) xoxo Iris
xxIrissxx 4 days ago Reply Report

But... but... but... ohgod. whyyyyyyyyyy? *shoves ice cream into mouth and sobbing*
PurpleSnowO_o 4 days ago

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beautiful and wonderful (they both rhyme yay) and marvelous and stupendous (another rhyme :D)
icecreamandspri... 4 days ago

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Oh my God, that was beautiful!!

erinaudy 4 days ago

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Beautiful, with such a clear intended meaning. And very well written.
Packzi 4 days ago

:D
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