The Little Bird on the Eagle’s Back
Once upon a time, there was a little bird, so small that compared to other birds, it seemed even tinier. To put it into perspective, it was barely larger than a thumb, and its wingspan was not even the length of a thumb. Its body wasn’t strong either. Once, a magpie accidentally bumped into it, sending it flying far away. When it flew with other birds, it always lagged behind. While other birds could fly to the mountaintops to watch the sunrise, dive into the sea of clouds to play hide-and-seek, or fly to the seaside to enjoy the view, this little bird couldn’t, because it was so small. It could never fly high or far.
The little bird lived in a small forest. Whenever it saw other birds flying high and far, it felt envious. It especially admired the eagles soaring high in the sky. Every time an eagle flew by, the little bird would look up, staring intently. Sometimes, it saw the eagle flying towards the sun, seemingly higher than the sun itself; other times, it saw the eagle bravely diving off cliffs or fighting against storms to show its courage. The little bird thought, “If only I had wings as strong as the eagle’s, then I could also fly as high and as far as the eagle!”
Eagles occasionally rested in this forest. When the eagle rested on the treetops, the little bird, along with other birds in the forest, would gather around to listen to the eagle’s stories.
The eagle told them about the majestic pyramids in faraway Egypt, the Great Wall that winds through northern China, and the gem-studded palaces by the Ganges in India.
Every time the little bird heard the eagle’s tales, it felt very sad. It thought, “How vast the eagle’s world is, and how small my world is, confined to this little forest.”
The little bird had also heard the story of “The Early Bird Catches the Worm,” so it worked very hard to learn to fly. If other birds practiced ten times, it practiced twenty times; if other birds started practicing at sunrise, it started before the sun even rose. Every morning, it flew east to greet the sunrise. At dusk, it was always the last one to return to the nest, wanting to fly a bit longer to strengthen its wings and improve its flying skills.
But, being such a small bird, no matter how hard it tried, it still flew lower and shorter distances than the other birds. Its sky and world remained narrower than theirs.
The little bird became increasingly sad and more self-conscious.
One day, when the eagle came to rest in the forest again, it saw the little bird sitting alone on a branch, crying.
The eagle asked, “Little bird, why are you sad?”
The little bird replied, “Eagle, I really wish I could fly as high and as far as you do. I wish I could see the sights you’ve seen! But I’m so small. No matter how hard I try, I can’t fly as high or as far as you…”
The eagle looked at the little bird and said, “Actually, you can fly higher and farther than me. You just don’t know it yet!”
The little bird found this very strange. “I’m so small. How can I fly higher and farther than you?”
“Come, little bird, sit on my back, and I will prove it to you!” said the eagle.
So, the little bird sat on the eagle’s back. The eagle spread its strong wings and soared into the sky, carrying the little bird. They soared into the clouds, skimmed over plains, flew over mountains and seas, and circled above cities. The little bird saw a vast world it had never seen before from the eagle’s back.
By dusk, they reached a high mountain. The little bird wondered what lay beyond the mountain. It asked the eagle, “Eagle, can we fly over the mountain to see what’s on the other side?”
But the eagle said, “I’ve been flying all day and I’m tired. I need to rest. If you want to know what’s on the other side of the mountain, you can fly on.”
Indeed, the eagle was tired from flying all day, but the little bird, having rested on the eagle’s back, was still full of energy. So, the little bird let the eagle rest on a big tree at the mountain’s base and flew on by itself.
The little bird flew over the mountain and saw a vast grassland on the other side. The grassland was filled with blooming flowers, herds of cattle and sheep, and clear lakes scattered like fairy mirrors. The scenery was incredibly beautiful.
The little bird was so enchanted by the grassland that it lingered until nightfall before flying back over the mountain. When it saw the eagle, it excitedly told the eagle everything it had seen and even brought back a beautiful flower as a gift for the eagle.
After listening to the little bird, the eagle said, “I told you, you can fly higher and farther than me. So, was I wrong?”
The little bird looked at the eagle, thought for a moment, then nodded and said, “Yes, today I indeed flew higher and farther than you, but that was because I sat on your back before taking off! Because I was no longer an ordinary little bird, but a little bird sitting on the eagle’s back!”
Short stories are shared for free on our ” Sitestorys “. Thank you for reading!
