Let me Sleep

It was around two o'clock in the afternoon when this horrible raucous had awoken me. I opened my eyes and in fact, it was my noisy neighboring squirrels that woke me up. They were arguing again.

"You can't store nuts in this tree, it's infested by bugs!" shouted Mrs. Squirrel.

"The nuts were stored here last winter and they were fine right here!" shouted Mr. Squirrel.

"Will you please be quiet!" I shouted from the inside of my abandoned barn out to the window.

I thought if I moved into a barn I would have some peace and quiet, but I was mistaken as Mr. and Mrs. squirrel decided to move into a tree next to my window. I let out a loud exasperated sigh, so they knew I was annoyed for being kept up during the day.

"No, Barn Owl, we will not be quiet!" shouted Mrs. Squirrel. My head spun around.

"Did you just say no?" I questioned her, her big brown eyes stared back at me, clearly realizing her mistake.

"Sorry, Barn Owl. My wife and I are discussing where to store the nuts when winter comes. I apologize," said Mr. Squirrel.

"You seem to have loud discussions, could you please discuss in the night, when I will not bite your heads off," I responded.

"Sorry, we will let you sleep," said Mrs. Squirrel and they disappeared into their tree. Finally...I could sleep. I closed my eyes again. When I opened my eyes again, the dark had finally arrived. My stomach rumbled loudly, yes breakfast...it was about time. I ruffled my feathers out and I poked my head out of the abandoned barn, the night air smelled fresh and the dumb squirrels were asleep. I could always eat them...I'd have peace and quiet, but no. They were quiet for the past three months. Mice. Yes, today was a mouse night. I spread my wings and soared out of the window. My eyes looking for a slight movement in the grass. spotted. A small field mouse. I quickly lunged down and breakfast was mine. Delicious. I found more field mice, I was fed and my stomach was satisfied. I spotted another barn owl on the way back to my home.

"Great mouse night, am I right?" he said.

"Fantastic, I am all fed tonight, just heading back now, see you tomorrow maybe," I told him and on the flight back I thought about where could that owl come from since he was the first owl that I had seen in months. That's when I spotted something in the barn. It was shaped like a small oval and had spots all over it, it was freckled. I flew closer to it and noticed that it was an egg. Where was the egg's mother? Why was it alone? Poor thing, then it started to move and I jumped back. Oh no! it was coming now? with no mother? I carefully picked it up with my talon and placed it in my bed. I had no choice. The egg shook again. Almost as if it was scared to come out.

"Come on little one," I said and the egg was cracking. "Come on, pull through," I told it. Then, very suddenly, its ugly head popped up from the eggshell. "Dear me! you are quite ugly!" and it started to scream... it must be hungry...what did little guys like this eat? Then, a bat swooped in.

"Bat!" I cried out, so he could hear me.

"Oh what's this?" said bat as she hung upside down.

"It's not mine...obviously...I just don't know what this thing eats?" I asked.

"Insects like me, it looks like a sparrow egg, I think you've got a sparrow, said the bat as she moved in closer. "Don't move, keep it warm. I will be back with food," said the bat. Bat was gone for a long while and when she returned she had insects in her mouth and spat them out. Feed it this, I will come by tomorrow to drop off more for you, chew up the insects, and then spit it out into its mouth," explained the bat.

"Right, but my beak it's far too large, I can't possibly feed it insects I swallow them whole," I replied.

"Okay, I will come every night, my roost is not too far from here, it is by those trees there," she said pointing north of my window.

"What do I do with it in the meanwhile?" I asked.

"It's your child now, you have maternal instincts, it will come to you," said Bat and she flew off. Bit by bit I picked up tiny pieces of the insect and launched it into the mouth of the sparrow, she squealed with delight over the insect and she opened her mouth again. I popped in another. The sparrow seemed happy.

"I will name you little sparrow," I told her and she nodded in acceptance and fell asleep.

Daylight came and something was making a racket. I looked down and indeed it was a little sparrow making noises. I looked at where I left the pile of insect meat and it was cleanout.

"Little sparrow," I said and it looked at me. "We sleep at daybreak okay?" I told it, but it was restless and it flapped its wings disagreeing with me. " I am mom now," I said and it seemed to understand.

"Why?" she said. I couldn't believe it not even one day and it was speaking. "Why?" she asked again.

"Why? No, dear, we say who" I explained.

"Why?" she asked again.

"No..no, we say who?" I repeated.

"You?" she asked.

"No, who," I said.

"Who?" it asked.

"That's right," I said. "Now, we sleep," I said. She understood and cuddled up next to me," I fell asleep with my wing around her. I woke up once it was night time and she also did.

"Who" she greeted.

"Who to you too," I replied and I could not help but sleep. As the days went on she learned how to speak. She learned to hide when me, Mama Barn Owl was away hunting. Finally, I taught her to fly and she was a quick little thing. The night came finally when I taught her how to catch her own insects., that owl that I saw a few weeks back was hunting as well.

"Beautiful night, did you see that weird sparrow? what's it doing out here?" he asked me.

"Actually, her name is Little Sparrow," I told him and he looked at me with a crooked face. "That's screwed up, an owl raising a sparrow, that's wrong," he said and he flew off. What a complete jerk! I watched him fly off and followed Little Sparrow around as she caught insect after insect. Eventually, word got around the forest that a barn owl was raising a sparrow as her own. A few forest animals would come into the barn and peak at us, even during the day.

Then, one day the squirrels were at it again and I looked and saw that Little Sparrow was not asleep near me. Panic filled me. What do you I do?

"Little Sparrow!" I called out.

"Little Sparrow!" I called again.

"What's the matter?" asked Mrs. Squirrel.

"Little Sparrow, she's gone. She's gone!" I shouted back at her.

"We'll help you look!" said Squirrel and they jumped from tree to tree looking for Little Sparrow. Where could she be? where was she? Why wasn't she home, it was not like her, she tells me always where she goes. Why wasn't she with me? Why? Was she kidnapped. I flew looking and looking into the trees and out of the trees, the sunlight did not help me on my search.

"Little Sparrow?" I shouted loud and clear a few other birds helped me too. Then, an old crow came flying at me.

"There's a sparrow colony over there," he grunted.

"A what?" I asked.

"A sparrow colony, come," he replied and I followed the crow, he rounded to a nest, and there she was...with...a male sparrow...I could hear my heartbreaking...I perched in the tree watching them build a nest together...she caught my eye and flew at me.

"I was going to show you at night!" she exclaimed.

"A male bird?"

"No, ma. I am building a nest with him, he's fast and has many colors, I was going to tell you at night that I am moving out with him," she said.

"Oh, I see. You gave me a fright...I was so scared. You are happy?"

"Yes, I couldn't be anymore happier, he's handsome isn't he?" she said gesturing towards him.

"Yes, Yes...I guess...it is time...isn't it? For you to leave the nest?" I asked her. "Why?" I said.

"Ma, we say who? remember?"

"Right. Who...who is that?"

"His name is Handsome Sparrow," she chirped.

"As long as you are okay, as long as you are okay Little Sparrow," I told her and she smiled as she flew back to him. I watched for a while as they built their nest. I flew off and back to my barn. She will always be my Little Sparrow. She will always be the sparrow that says who.