Little Seagull Learns to Fly
Today is Little Seagull Kōngkōng’s first day learning to fly. Kōngkōng is very clever, learning the fastest and flying the highest. His wings brushed against tender green grass, beautiful flowers, sturdy trees, and soft white clouds. Finally, he flew to the surface of the sea.
The sea was calm, like a deep blue satin cloth. But when it roared, waves crashed against the rocks. Kōngkōng thought the sea was so beautiful and mysterious.
He couldn’t wait to fly down and see what was beneath the surface of the ocean.
“Kōngkōng! Come back!”
Seagull Mama called out, both worried and angry, flapping Kōngkōng’s wings twice.
“Kōngkōng, you’re too naughty! You’re a seagull. How can you go into the sea?”
Kōngkōng blinked and asked, “Why, Mama?”
Seagull Mama replied, “We are birds. If we go into the sea, we will die!”
“But… but… I really want to see what’s underneath the sea!” Kōngkōng said, tears starting to fall from his eyes.
On that same day, Little Carp Yángyáng was also dreaming: “What is it like above the sea? Is the sky always blue? Could it turn other colors?”
Yángyáng wondered, but his classmates laughed at him, saying, “You’re being ridiculous! You’re just a fish. You’ll never leap out of the sea. What’s the point of thinking about things that don’t belong to you?”
“Hmph! A bunch of… a bunch of… silly creatures!” Yángyáng thought his friends were too narrow-minded, but he didn’t know the word for it, so he could only call them “silly.”
Angry, he swam away.
Kōngkōng and Yángyáng fell asleep, one in the nest, the other in the sea, both murmuring, “What’s the ocean like (What’s the sky like)?”
At that moment, the God of Dreams was moved by their curiosity. Quietly, he cast a spell.
In their dreams, Kōngkōng flew and flew, and Yángyáng swam and swam, until finally, they met at the place where the sea meets the sky.
Kōngkōng felt a little shy: “Who are you?”
Yángyáng leaped out of the water, playfully twisting his body. “I’m Yángyáng, a little fish from the sea. What about you?”
Kōngkōng introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Kōngkōng, a little bird from the sky!”
“What color is the sky?”
“What’s beneath the ocean?”
They asked at the same time, their voices overlapping, and then they both laughed.
So, they started to describe their own worlds.
Yángyáng, being outgoing, opened his mouth and blew bubbles as he spoke: “Under the sea, there are corals, shells, and seaweed. Corals come in all sorts of colors and shapes. Shells have different patterns, some intricate, some simple, as if carved by gods. Seaweed is food for little fish like me. It’s all so boring.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Kōngkōng said enviously.
“And the sky?” Yángyáng asked. “Is it always blue?”
“No, no,” Kōngkōng answered.
“When it’s about to rain lightly, the clouds thicken, and the sky turns gray. If it’s about to pour, the clouds get even heavier, and the sky becomes black, like ink.”
“When the sun sets, there’s a fiery sunset, and the sky turns orange and red, like paint splashed across it.”
“I’d love to see that!” Yángyáng said with envy.
They both wanted to know more about each other’s worlds, and they continued talking.
They talked about the sky, where different birds soar, with the eagle being the king. Birds looked down from the sky and saw everything on the land: golden fields of rice, green grass, colorful flowers…
They talked about the ocean, where sharp-toothed, giant sharks swim, glowing lanternfish, and crabs and shrimp with armored shells. Fish lay lots and lots of eggs…
As they talked, they both felt a little sad. How wonderful it would be to enter the sky (the ocean)!
Kōngkōng said sadly, “It’s impossible. I’m a bird, and you’re a fish. We’re born to belong to different worlds.”
Yángyáng flicked his tail, “You haven’t even tried. How do you know it’s impossible?”
Hearing this, the God of Dreams cast another spell, allowing Kōngkōng to enter the ocean and Yángyáng to leap into the sky.
Kōngkōng quietly admired the beauty of the underwater world, his eyes dazzled by everything around him. Suddenly, his nose and mouth filled with salty seawater, making him feel extremely uncomfortable. He hurriedly flew out of the water.
“Oh! I’m in the sky!” Yángyáng shouted, leaping and jumping in excitement. But after a while, she found it hard to breathe. Her gills couldn’t handle the air, and as much as she didn’t want to, she had to return to the sea.
Both Kōngkōng and Yángyáng didn’t understand. They asked the God of Dreams, “Why? Why are we trapped in just one place? It feels so restrictive!”
The God of Dreams smiled and said, “Children, freedom doesn’t just mean a wider world or wonderful sensations. It also involves pain, persistence, courage, and strength.”
“We don’t understand!”
“Children, it’s painful to adapt to a place that doesn’t belong to you, and even if you endure it and persist for a long time, you still might not succeed. You need the courage to face failure. When you possess these qualities, you will slowly become strong. Only then can you truly open up a new world.”
Kōngkōng and Yángyáng pondered this for a long, long time and finally made their own decisions.
Thousands and thousands of years later—
“Look, there’s a fish in the sky, and it’s grown wings!”
“Look, there’s a bird in the sea, and it’s grown scales and gills!”
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
