The Old Barn Owl

“What should we do today,” asked the sparrow.

“Fly high in the sky,” called the eagle

“No! No! you always higher than us, that’s no fair!” declared the blue jay.

“Whatever you don’t go bother him” says the raven motioning to an old rusty barn high up on the horizon.

“Who’s over there in barn? That’s so scary a place!” shakily asks the blue jay.

Seemingly at the same time “yeah who’s over there?” asks the sparrow and the eagle.

With a gust and a crash onto the branch arrived a frantic cardinal, with a gasp of air he declares “Smoke Fire Humans are coming we must flee before they take our beloved trees!”

As they start to shake and flutter their wings open, “Well someone has to warn the owl.” Says the Raven.

They talk in fits resting and bouncing on the branch. The smoke bellows higher in the skies as they blacken. They all decide to draw sticks, to see who will warn the owl. One two three fast enough they are all pulled and the sparrow pulled the smallest of all. The sparrow says goodbye to his friends then with a jump flies over to the barn.

“Owl Owl are you here” calls the sparrow then continues to speak “If you are, you must leave smoke fire the humans are coming.” Sparrow listens nothing no sounds not even a twinge of rusting metal or a crack in a board. Then as sparrow turns to fly away.

“Why should I? What have they ever done to me?” Calls back from the darkness inside the window.

Puzzled by the question sparrow says “because they will take this barn away.”

Owl calmly responded “maybe, we’ll see.”

The sparrow sighs “humans will burn the woods down.”

The owl nodded “maybe we’ll see.”

The sparrow pleads “they will take your home away.”

The owl just sat and said “maybe we’ll see”

The sparrow so sad cries out “You must! you must! you’ll be hurt!”

The owl calmly says “Maybe we’ll see.”

The sparrow flies back to his friends on the branch telling them the tale.

The years progressed the sparrow now all by himself and much older stops for the night on a branch. From out of the blue the sparrow hears a familiar sound a hoot hoot. Caught by surprise the sparrow turns and sees where the call is coming from. To his fright his branch was on a tree above a window. After another hoot hoot the sparrow lands on the bottom of the window.

“Barn owl is it you” Calls the sparrow.

“Maybe we’ll see” says the old owl.

The sparrow so happy to hear his old friend, almost blocked out the sight of the cage and began to weep.

“Please don’t cry for me, I had a great life. Now I’m old and this kind human looks after and feeds me day after day. Good things come to those who wait” softly says the tired owl.

Sparrow sighing says “I hope one day I’m as wise as you.”

Closing his eyes the owl simply said “Maybe we’ll see.”