The Cockatoo

Majestic in nature, but cruel in heart, a cockatoo perched on the balcony railing outside a young boy's door. It watched as the boy packed away his lego, tracking the movement of each piece and which box it belonged in.

The balcony door was closed in that moment. The boy's mother, completely unsuspecting, walked into his bedroom smiling at the politeness of her son. She noticed how stuffy it was and decided to open the door. By then, the cockatoo had found another place, higher up, to observe from.

"I finished, Mama!" said the boy, innocence cuddling every word that escaped him.

"Well done," she said in response. Proud of his achievements, she picked him up and carried him out to the kitchen where they would share a small slice of the apple pie she'd made earlier.

This was where the cockatoo saw his opportunity. With an open door and no one to notice, it flew in, landing in front of the drawers of lego. There, havoc was released. The first tray was pulled out and, while perched on the edge, the cockatoo reached in with its claws, throwing pieces across the bedroom floor.

Its actions became even more cruel. Slowly transferring mismatching pieces into different boxes, it cackled with menacing sadism.

Suddenly, a scream bellowed from the doorway. The mother, having forgotten her son's water bottle by his bed, had returned. She caught the bird red-clawed, rushing towards it with great uproar.

It scuttled out the balcony door and rested on the closest electricity pole. In frustration, she flipped it off, effectively giving a bird the bird.

This was not the end, the cockatoo thought. Smelling pie in the air and spotting an open window, it cackled again, this time with a greater cruelty than before.