The Orange Cockatoo
An orange colored-Cockatoo with gray spiky head is resting on her majestic nest in a hollow of an old tree's wide bark. Her nest is about twenty-five feet above the soiled ground. The tree is seventy-five years old and its thick roots are visibly seen on the surface of the ground.
While resting and looking down the ground, the orange bird saw three young female birds standing on one of the branches of the tree, just five meters away and under her nest -- chirping, talking about their fantasies and admirations. These birds are colored red, blue and green.
The red bird said, "I wish I can be human someday so I can sleep on bed. I see humans live in beautiful houses and they sleep on soft, clean beds."
The blue bird reacted, "Not possible. We are created as birds. We will live and die old like real birds. I thought the same way, but we're still sleeping and living everywhere. Comfort is only in the state of mind."
The green bird said, "Both of you are funny. You talk about fantasy and realism. I am and I think in the middle between you two. We are together as friends for a reason and for three years now, living with our imaginations. I wish we live a long and happy life like humans!"
The blue bird asked the green bird, "Why do we always visit this old tree?"
The green bird responded, "I don't know. Our friend keeps on coming back, that's why we are here too."
The red bird confided, "I don't know what makes this old tree so special to me. I had a dream. This is the vivid description and exact location that I saw in many of my dreams... a big, tall, old tree."
The blue bird whispered, "My gosh! Your too much imagination is flowing through your veins... Let's go somewhere else and look for some food!"
The two birds agreed and the three flew to the nearest ground where humans throw their food for stray birds and animals.
The next day, only the red bird went to the old tree. She brought a small paper cup with some water in it. In the succeeding days, she did the same thing.
The orange cockatoo sees the red bird everyday under the tree -- watching her.
One week later, the three young female birds went to the old tree. They are playing on the soiled ground. The orange cockatoo is just watching them.
The three young birds are talking about the red bird's crush on the human -- a young guy living in the house only about fifty yards away from the old tree where it stands.
The blue bird yelled at the red bird, "Stop fantasizing! It will lead you to nowhere. We are birds. Humans can never fall in love with birds."
The green bird requested the blue bird to stop discouraging their red friend who has deeply fallen for a human so neat and hardworking. The green and blue birds left the red bird alone for a while.
The orange Cockatoo is still watching the red bird on the ground. The red bird moved to one of the low branches of the tree, looking at the young guy cleaning the beautiful garden at the front of the young guy's house.
The red bird left after several minutes, peeking at the young handsome guy.
The next day, the red bird is back again. She is standing on one of the branches of the old tree, overlooking the house where the young guy lives. She's waiting for him to come out of the house.
From behind, a voice was heard by the red bird and she turned around. It's the orange Cockatoo talking to her... "Why are you here?" softly asked by the Cockatoo.
The red bird replied with shyness, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I know you own this tree because I've been seeing you for more than a year now, living in this old tree."
"No, you are not disturbing me." said the Cockatoo. "You are watering the roots of this tree everyday to live longer. This is not a fruit-bearing tree and without blooming flowers too. Leaves are always dried, but because of your clean intentions your heart speaks more about yourself. This tree will live forever because of you."
"Who are you?" asked the red bird.
"I was cursed to be a bird for loving someone so much in my previous life. I was young and beautiful in human form. I already chopped this tree forty years ago with the help of my gardeners. I used to own that house you see, fronting this tree!"
She can hardly believe that the orange Cockatoo was a human sometime ago. She fainted and said, "I really don't know why I keep on coming back to this tree. It's my dream that's forcing me to do it. That's why I keep on returning."
The Cockatoo whispered, "Your dream is not a dream, but a reality. Earlier, I told you that I was human. This old tree is the exact location where my first and only lover's body lies when he died holding my arms so tight. My lover fell down at the foot of this tree when he was accidentally shot by my father while me and my lover were running away one dark night to get married. I was eighteen then and my lover was nineteen. My lover's mother is a witch, a secret in their family I never knew. She blamed me and ascribed to me my father's fault for her son's loss. She hated me so much because her son chose me over her decision not to marry me . While I was sleeping one night in bed, the witch went inside our house to avenge... cursing everybody living inside the house and set it on fire. My father defended our family, saw the witch and shot her. And it is the house that you used to stare at everyday. When I woke up, I'm already an orange Cockatoo. I flew away and stayed in the cold for many years. I came back here and still remain as a bird, loving the same person... living in this old tree."
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