Sparrows and the Eagle

 

 

As the Eagle flies high and glides on his two huge extended wings, he feels like part of endless expanse of sky above. Everything below look trifling and worthless.
Lord has created Eagle in that way. It looks majestic with massive body with hooked beaks between a pair of piercing eyes , strong muscular legs and powerful talons. All these features stoke up awe in all.
He has a royal gait befitting his look. He has built his nest at the crotch of the tallest tree, much up in the sky with a commanding view of area.
He looks down upon all other birds having nests close to the earth and feed on small insects and waste food particles, scratching out of the earth with their diminutive claws. All of them are earth bound, they can’t conceive the vastness of the sky with their parochial outlook.
Eagle glides high in the sky, perch only on the top of mountain or on tall trees. This majestic aerial predator swoops on other birds in the air or mammals strolling on the ground at will with unfailing swipe of its razor-sharp talons and carry the kill to his nest. They have two healthy chicks who are their future and through them the progeny would survive.
Eagles pass their days dipped in sweet dream. Sometimes they glide as high as their ability to feel more close to the sky. They live complacent with a feel of fulfillment.
They sometimes perch on the low height trees and take a close look at the dank earth, the sight gives a cold crawl. The sight of shanty nests of sparrows close to the earth appears very repulsive.
They take pity on the sparrows at their smug attitude, who do not even try to look at the open sunny vast sky. Firstly, they don’t have time for that and secondly, their small lackluster eyes cannot withstand the bright sun. The sparrows remain satisfied taking a good look at the reflection of sky in the calm water of the swamp while drinking to which they kotow in reverence. They spend their days scratching through the earth thus making themselves dirty.

Eagles thought of making the sparrows aware of their worthless lives. Thus they serve an invitation to the sparrows to come to their huge nest and show their own worth by display of royal trappings and serve them with good food.
The sparrows start bubbling in mirth on receipt of the invitation.
Most of them have not seen or even heard about the eagle. They call for a meeting to share their knowledge about the eagle. Then they start counting the days to attend the invitation having conceived a smattering idea about the majestic look and the prowess of Eagle.
The Eagles smirked at the sight of preparation by the sparrows from high up.
In the morning of invitation day, eagle swoops on a rabbit with an air of panache and brings into the nest.
-It’s enough for the poor hungry sparrows. They thought.

The Eagles tear off the rabbit and eat themselves and feed the chicks.
The sparrows won’t be able to tear off the flesh of intact rabbit with their tiny beaks. They would rather relish the tiny pieces of offal. Thought the Eagles.
The sparrows below start chirping in mirth while getting ready. It’s a life time fest for them.
Finally, it’s time for them after a long wait. One by one they start taking off for the eagle’s nest.
But alas, they utterly failed to measure the height of the nest. That’s too high comparing their ability. The sparrows start coming down one by one having failed to reach that height and perch on the earth and branches of the small trees panting.
Some goes to the nearby swamp and slow down the throbbing by drinking some water. They also bow to the refection of the sky in the swamp water with fresh reminder of their inability.
Now, the sparrows really realize about their inability in comparison to eagle. The Eagles become a bit puzzled at the plight of the sparrows and their feeling of superiority is further consolidated. A strain of smirk of complacence gets evident on their face at the miserable state of the sparrows.
The Eagles feel pity for them.
The male Eagle thinks for a while and then starts pushing down the torn parts of the rabbit flesh from the nest with his talons.
The sparrows cringe away at the spectacle of falling food from the sky. Then they chirp in mirth, taking those a manna from heaven and start eating.
They start eulogizing the benevolence of the eagle in unison.
The Eagle is overwhelmed in ecstasy at the event below. He speeds up his work of scratching away the food with his talons looking up in the sky in gratefulness.
That’s a perfect ensemble of complacence incarnate like a flawless painting.
The sharp shriek of the old sparrow interrupts the rapture of the sparrows.
The Eagle being deeply infatuated with super consciousness pushed down his chicks inadvertently from the nest along with the food.
The sparrows throng around the fallen chicks in silence and surprise.
Some sparrows scramble to bring water from the swamp in their tiny beak and some brings dry hay and spread over the dank earth in care of the chicks.
The old sparrow keep calling for eagle at the top of his voice, who was busy showing his benevolence to the poor and hungry sparrows.
The absence of chirping below jars the Eagle out of his meditation.
Eagle looks down askance at the thronged sparrows.
He got shock as he takes a sudden look in his nest. His heart sinks and he flies down on to the earth straight.
Tiny sparrows cringe away at the sight of giant eagle beside them.
Two chicks are lying on the ground.
Eagle pecks on them. The chicks open their eyes. All heaves a sigh of relief.

They are alive. But both broke one leg and one wing each.
The eagle expresses his deep gratitude to the sparrows. The sparrows reiterates their unstinted support at all cost.
But problem arise about taking the chicks back to the nest.
-Let the chicks live with us till they are fully cured. Old sparrow says naively.
The eagle was much elated with the gesture of sparrows. He doesn’t have anything to do if the sparrows wouldn’t have shown that benevolence. Thought the Eagle.
The Eagle decides to make a nest on the damp earth despite his total abhorrence.
Eagle cannot sleep on earth, it stinks and gives an eerie feeling. Darkness swallows up everything as the evening sets in. Sky is not at all visible from here.
He feels of dying in suffocation. He passes the night counting every minute and seconds without closing eyes. He flies up in the sky as the sun peeks out. But he can’t fly for a long time. He feels tired and his eyes tend to close in slumber. He passes sometime in his nest and take forty winks.
He does not sense to be part of sky any more. Time hangs very heavy on him.
He grows patches of black ring around his eyes because of sleeplessness. He loses weight and royal gait is also gone.

The sparrows sleep deep with their tired body in their dank nest regardless. The myriad of problems fail to desist them from falling asleep as soon as sun goes down.
They couldn’t care less about the sky. That’s a very distant matter to them. Their days start and end up around the earth.
They dip their soiled body in the swamp at sparrow’s fart and scramble out in search of food by drying their body with few jerks. They start a new day taking a good look at the dim reflection of the sky in the calm water of swamp and freshly remind themselves about their insignificance in comparison to vast sky.

The eagle checks the wound of his chicks every day to ascertain the time left for them to heal up.
It’s a matter of few days. Eagle thinks. But each day appears to be very long.

-What a simple life the sparrows lead. They have so least but are so giving. Giving is simply an inner urge, regardless of ability. Now Eagle also lives the same way of the sparrow. Only the memory breeds expectation. In form they are different but in formless all are same. In essence, no one is superior or inferior to none. Eagle thinks looking at the sparrows lying in deep sleep. 

That day in the morning, the eagle slouches up to the swamp. None were around. By then, the sparrows have already started their day having washed in the swamp.
The place is wet and filthy, shadowed by trees. It gives a wriggle in his body. Stench wafts in the air.
Nothing moves in the water. A partial view of the reflection of sky was seen afar.
-If the chicks don’t get well and fly no more! His heart sinks at the thought. 

 To be happy live present; past and future are source of all unhappiness; children are mostly happy as they live mostly present:: Meher’s Quote