Kindle Edition
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P.G Glynn's Books
Amazon Kindle
Category:
Children
Publisher: Piper Publishing
Type: Fiction
Pages: 34
Copyright: Jan 3, 22012
ISBN-13: 9780956447029
Price: $0.99 (eBook)
A fledgling without an identity – that’s Dusty! His quest to find himself gives him unexpected insights into life and he’s surprised, finally, to discover who he is and who he can one day aspire to be.
Dusty is a baby bird on a special journey that leads him through many adventures en route to adulthood. He grows spiritually on his journey thanks to those he meets on his way.
It is an inspiring, profound tale with a powerful message for everyone - adults and children - on a path of self-development.
Excerpt
From the safety of his nest he was suddenly propelled into the air. As he fell he felt scared. What would happen to him if he couldn’t find a way to break his fall?
Fear prevented him thinking coherently. Sure that he was about to be badly hurt – or worse – his whole body tensed. Then, as he saw the ground rushing up towards him, he closed his eyes and curled into a ball which rolled onto the moist earth below and kept turning over in an ever-downward motion, gaining a momentum all its own.
He was well protected and the fear went as he bounced along. Finally, amidst clumps of heather at the foot of the mountain, he came to an abrupt standstill.
Feeling dizzy, he waited until his world steadied. When it eventually did, he rolled over from his back to his front, finding that at the second attempt he was able to get to his feet. Peering down at them for the first time in his life, he was dazzled by their size and bright yellowness.
He felt special for having such big colorful feet, until he reluctantly recalled how he came to fall to the ground. His brother had kicked him out! Refusing to let this get him down he tested his legs, hopping from one foot to the other and then turning in a circle. As he turned there was a flapping at his sides and he asked himself how, while hurtling toward the earth earlier, he could have forgotten his wings.
Feeling foolish, he hung his head. He didn’t deserve to be a bird. Birds flew. They did not flop onto the ground like a limp thing. What was wrong with him?
He considered for a bit. Then he heard a voice saying: “Beak up, Dusty! Nothing can be as bad as you look.”
He turned and saw a strange phenomenon. The voice appeared to have come from under a big brownish shell that had four legs and a head. There was no sign of any feathers. He asked: “Did you just speak?”
“I don’t know who else could have spoken,” came the response. “So it must have been me.”
“Who are you? What are you … and why did you call me Dusty?”
“One question at a time! You are dusty, and disheveled, from your fall – that’s why. My name’s Tom … and it’s pretty obvious that I’m a tortoise.”
“Not to me. I’ve never seen a tortoise before.”
“And I’ve never seen such big feet on such a small bird. You must have a lot of growing to do.”
“Must I?”
“It stands to reason that some day you’ll have a body more appropriate for your feet.”
“Why does it?”
“Because that’s the way of things.”
Dusty sighed. “If you say so. I wish I knew all that you seem to know.”
“You probably will, once you’ve been around as long as I have.”
“How long is that?”
“Longer than you can imagine.”
Impressed, Dusty said: “I expect you can tell me, then, how to get back to my nest.”
“Why would you want to go back there, when your big brother tried to kill you and will be thinking you’re dead?”
“But I’m not dead.”
“No thanks to him!”
“How did you know that he got rid of me?”
“It’s more a guess than knowledge, but is based on past experience. If you remember, Dusty, to learn from all your experiences you’ll grow in more ways than one.”
“Is that how my body will become big enough for my feet?”
“Yes,” said Tom, “except that I wasn’t just referring to your body. There’s more to you – and to me – than others see. So it’s important to grow inwardly as well as outwardly.”
“How do you mean?”
“It’s quite simple, really. All you ever need to do is observe and learn and err on the side of right rather than wrong. If you do these things, striving never to settle for less than excellence, you will be the best of your breed.”
“My breed?”
But Tom’s head had disappeared beneath his shell and all Dusty could hear was silence.
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