The Tale of the Swallows Building a Nest
In the winding river, the ice began to melt into water, slowly flowing through the gaps between the stones toward the village. Splashes of water moistened the brownish-yellow reeds on the shore. After the ripples faded away, three swallows could be seen drinking from the river, and Nini murmured something…
“Mom, we’ve been flying all day again. Why haven’t we reached our new home yet?”
“Sweetheart, just ahead is the new home we’ve been looking for. Look, the Mountain God Temple and the village are not far from the river.”
“That’s wonderful! We’ve finally found it!” The little swallow excitedly tiptoed and flitted about, even splashing water onto its wings, which sparkled with rainbow light in the warm sunlight.
Following the river, the little swallow flew towards the village, closely following its parents. The little swallow was so happy, flying and glancing around. It was here that it was born last year.
The seedlings on the ridges peeked out, wearing little soil caps, lying soft and fluffy on the ground, swaying and singing with the breeze. Tiny beetles tiptoed around, and earthworms wriggled through the soil, occasionally revealing their tails.
The swallows flew over the river, over the fields, and over rows of houses, finally landing under the eaves of a house with green tiles. The little swallow couldn’t wait to look around. In the yard, the fruit trees and apricot trees were busy sprouting new buds and branches. The kindly old grandfather with a white beard, wearing a black cloth hat, was still there, playing with his grandson’s ball. The little yellow dog and white rabbit had both grown taller, but the apricot tree in the corner had not. Its branches were thin and delicate, struggling to open flower buds. Under the eaves, there were many pots of bright flowers, with a faint fragrance wafting through the entire yard.
“Mom, look! Our home is still here!”
“Yes, yes. Let’s fly over and take a look,” said the mother swallow, seemingly excited too.
“Our home is still livable, but it’s a bit damaged. We need to repair it before we can move in.”
“Mom, who will help us repair it?”
“We have to repair it ourselves.”
“But I don’t know how to fix a house, Mom. Can we ask Aunt Pigeon next door to help?”
“Aunt Pigeon is too heavy; she would crush our house.”
“Then… then how about letting the little white rabbit fix it?”
“The little white rabbit can’t fly; it can’t climb up to our house.”
“We swallows have always repaired our houses by ourselves. Little Swallow, be good and help Dad fix the house,” said the father swallow gently.
The little swallow was unhappy. It was tired and didn’t want to fix the house; it just wanted to sleep. So, it flew into the house and fell asleep.
The next morning, the rooster’s loud crowing woke the little swallow. It squinted and dazedly stared into space. After a while, its parents returned, their beaks full of mud and straw, which they tirelessly piled into the house. The little swallow stretched lazily, thinking the house was already comfortable enough and that there was no need to gather more mud, and fell back asleep.
Another day passed. When the little swallow went out to catch insects, it met many swallows of the same age. They all boasted about how beautiful, sturdy, and comfortable their new homes were. The little swallow sulked, thinking, “I don’t want to listen to you. My house is already good enough. You’re all so silly, catching little fish in the stream and playing in the sky. That’s much more fun than getting dirty with mud.”
At dusk, as the red sunset was about to fade, a large dark cloud suddenly appeared on the horizon, pressing ominously toward the village. After a gust of wind, the raindrops fell heavier and heavier. The villagers ran back to their homes to avoid the rain. The little swallow, afraid of the thunder and the blinding lightning, flew back to its house with wet wings.
Its parents also returned, but the house was too small. The family of swallows had to huddle together to avoid the wind and rain. “Mom and Dad, my wings are wet. I need to stretch them out to shake off the rainwater.”
“Little Swallow, be good. Our house isn’t fully repaired yet, so it’s not big enough. We have to stay close together,” comforted the mother swallow. The little swallow’s body was wet and cold, unable to stretch its wings, and it felt very miserable.
The storm continued, and the wind whistled through the power lines, even blowing into the swallow’s house. One side of the house hadn’t been repaired yet, so the wind kept blowing in. The little swallow was cold and wet, huddling pitifully with its parents through the chilly night.
The next morning, the rooster’s loud crowing woke the little swallow again. It squinted and stared into space. Before long, its parents returned, their beaks full of mud and straw. This time, the little swallow didn’t go back to sleep. It blinked its sleepy eyes and decided to help its parents repair the house.
Again and again, the little swallow followed its parents, tirelessly gathering mud and straw. Their house grew bigger and sturdier by the day…
Just as the buds on the fruit trees in the yard were about to burst open, the little swallow’s family had finished repairing their house. The little swallow and its parents were very tired, but now their house was spacious and no longer cramped. They no longer feared the wind blowing in. The house was warm inside, lined with soft new grass, and incredibly comfortable.
In the winding river, the water had begun to rise, flowing over the gaps between the stones and rushing toward the village. As the last rays of the setting sun slanted down, the reflection on the water revealed three swallows drinking by the river. The little swallow was still hopping around, and Nini murmured something…
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
