The Thwarted Robin

I could have sworn I blogged about this a year or two ago, and I went looking today to find the blog entry so I could repost it, but alas, no luck.

Since I can’t find the entry I guess I’ll just write a new one. I’ve been reading a lot of fairy tales lately, so I thought I’d try my hand at a bit of (groan-worthy, I’m sure) creative writing…

Once upon a time, a night-owl lived by herself in a country home. She had a big glass patio door on the back of her kitchen, which let in far too much light. Being a poor girl, she hung an old sheet over it, since she hadn’t the means to buy a curtain. One day the girl needed to wake up for an important appointment, but prior experience told her she’d probably sleep through her alarm, so she prayed before she went to bed that God would help her wake on time.

The next morning, bright and early, she heard a really loud knocking sound, shortly before her alarm failed to go off (her subconscious, wanting to sleep in, had set it for PM instead of AM). Her sleepy body ignored the knocking and fell fast back to slumber, but the knocking continued, and she awoke again shortly after. Awake enough to realize this wasn’t a normal sound, she got up to check, and found a robin perched on her back porch post, patiently and curiously pecking at her kitchen door.

The girl was ecstatic. What a beautiful and wonderful answer to her prayers! She was up on time, and had only God to thank.

In her excitement, she didn’t think to shew the robin away, and he remained, enthralled with her window, for some time. After a while she finally realized it was his reflection that had so captivated him, and, finding this incredibly cute, she allowed him to stay.

Over the course of the next few weeks the robin returned time after time, and his patient pecking soon turned to singing and flapping and other antics. He would show up in the wee hours of the morning (much to the night-owl’s chagrin), and come and go the rest of the day as he found time. It didn’t take long for the girl to overcome her awe, and she soon started shewing him off. Only to have him return an hour or two later.

It didn’t seem to matter if the makeshift curtain were there or not, he could still see his reflection as long as the sun was shining. On rainy days he would just watch and wait patiently for the curious bird to return. On sunny days he continued his flirting.

In time, he fell in love with the beautiful bird in the glass, and decided it was time for a mate. Mating with a glass reflection, though, is no easy task, and proved to be a great challenge for the robin. His pecking turned to flinging himself against the window in every odd angle he could find, plastering and smearing it with droppings when he inevitably failed. But persist he did, and he returned daily to try, until the long winter came and he was forced to fly south.

The girl was glad to see the bird gone, and hoped he would forget his love, or find a new one, before next spring.

But alas, it was not to be. Come spring the bird returned to courting his shadow, and try as she may the night-owl could not find a way to block his view or scare him off. She eventually learned to sleep through all of his knocking and racket (which is why she can’t hear you at her door if you visit). For 3 years now, the bird has returned, ever faithful, to his mate, for true love cannot be denied, and songbirds mate for life.

And now that I’ve tortured you with this horrible excuse for a story, perhaps you’d like to read some quality stories? Check out my author friend Richard Fredrick Grenvile for some great stuff:
His Main Site
His Facebook Page