Pelican Story: The Little Pelican Takes on a Disciple
Part One
The pelican’s home was nestled in a dense thicket of reeds.
One morning, Mama Pelican took the little pelican to the lake to forage for food. This was the little pelican’s first time at the lake, and he was filled with curiosity about everything around him. Whether it was the birds flying in the sky or the fish swimming in the water, the little pelican would ask them what their names were, what they ate, where they came from, and where they were going.
Mama Pelican patiently explained everything to him. From her explanations, the little pelican learned that birds fly in the sky by using their wings, and fish breathe using their gills.
“Mom, when will I be able to fly in the sky?” The little pelican asked enviously as he saw a pelican soaring above.
Mama Pelican replied, “Eat well, and when your feathers are fully grown, you’ll be able to fly too.”
“I love eating fish the most!” The little pelican exclaimed happily, and then dashed toward the water.
“Hold on!” Mama Pelican stopped him and said, “You can’t go into the water like that, or you’ll get your feathers wet.”
The little pelican reluctantly stopped.
“Come, do as I do!” Mama Pelican said as she turned her head back and rubbed her long beak against the base of her short tail a few times. Then, she began grooming her feathers with her beak.
The little pelican watched his mother in confusion.
Mama Pelican explained, “At the base of our tail feathers, there’s a yellow oil gland that secretes a lot of oil. When we apply this oil to our feathers, it makes them smooth and soft, and keeps the water from soaking through when we swim.”
“Oh, that’s how it works!” The little pelican said, and he started grooming his feathers just like his mother.
Meanwhile, Mama Pelican was looking around, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Part Two
After applying the oil, the little pelican tentatively walked into the water to catch some fish. However, he could only catch small fish; the larger fish would escape before he could get close.
“Mom, how can I catch bigger fish?” The little pelican asked anxiously.
Mama Pelican replied, “One bird’s ability is limited. To catch big fish, you need to rely on collective strength!” After saying this, Mama Pelican let out a loud call.
In response to Mama Pelican’s call, seven or eight pelicans flew in from different directions and landed beside them.
The little pelican watched as his mother gathered with the other pelicans and had a brief meeting before taking off into the sky, while the other pelicans spread out across the lake.
“What method are they going to use to catch fish?” The little pelican curiously observed what was about to happen.
Looking at the water, he saw that the pelicans in the water had formed a fan shape and were now driving the fish towards the shallow water. As the fan shape gradually shrank, countless large fish began to leap anxiously in the water. Looking up at the sky, he saw his mother flying at an altitude of about 15 meters before she dove into the water like a missile.
“Wow!” The little pelican exclaimed in amazement.
In the blink of an eye, Mama Pelican resurfaced. She swam back to the little pelican and placed a fish over a foot long in front of him.
The other pelicans drove the fish closer to the shore, and as the encirclement grew smaller, the fish, having nowhere to escape, became a feast for the pelicans.
Part Three
“What kind of birds are these?” As the pelicans were enjoying their feast, a little black bear was hiding in the reeds, curiously watching them.
He stared intently at these large white birds. “Are they the swans my mom told me about?” The little black bear wondered. But when he saw the large yellow pouches under their long and thick beaks, he dismissed that idea, remembering that his mother had said swans had long, slender necks.
“How strange, why do they have such big pouches?” The little black bear’s curiosity drove him to walk out of the reeds and approach the pelicans.
As he got closer, the scent of fresh fish made the hunger, which had been temporarily subdued by curiosity, surge up again. He eagerly walked into the water to try to catch some fish to eat.
Since bears are not predators of pelicans, the pelicans didn’t need to avoid him. After they had eaten their fill, they moved to the shore to bask in the sun.
Part Four
The little pelican noticed that the little black bear was struggling to catch fish because before long, he had returned to the shore.
“Didn’t you catch any fish?” The little pelican asked, concerned.
“Not a single one!” The little black bear replied weakly.
“What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“No, I just haven’t found anything to eat for several days!”
“Where’s your mom? Didn’t she teach you how to catch food?”
“No!” The little black bear said. “When I was very young, my mom fell into a trap and was taken away by humans!”
“Oh, poor little black bear!” The little pelican said. “It’s hard to catch fish by yourself. Why don’t you stay and catch fish with us pelicans?”
“Oh, so you’re pelicans! I couldn’t figure out what you were called!” The little black bear said, then asked worriedly, “Would you really let me stay?”
“Why wouldn’t we? You don’t harm us!”
“Then can you teach me how to catch fish?”
“Of course!” The little pelican said with a smile. “But first, you have to become my disciple!”
“Hello, teacher!” The little black bear quickly stood up, dropped his front paws, lowered his head, and gave the little pelican a deep bow.
“Haha, you took it seriously!” The little pelican said. “I was just joking; we’re friends!”
Mama Pelican saw the little pelican talking to a little black bear and came over to ask what was going on.
The little pelican told his mother about the little bear’s situation.
Mama Pelican quickly regurgitated a fish from the pouch under her beak, which she hadn’t yet swallowed, and gave it to the little black bear to eat. After watching him eat the fish, Mama Pelican then called the pelicans to start a new round of fishing.
The little pelican guided the little black bear, and the little black bear, imitating the pelicans’ method, joined in the effort to encircle the fish.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
