Milly And Tommy

Milly And Tommy

On a mild, late morning day during, early Spring, Tommy sat on a lower branch of an older shade Tree. He sat silently, enjoying the solitude, something he rarely seemed to have before he decided to re-locate to a higher part of the Valley.

What he did not expect, and certainly had no reason to expect, was a larger bird flying in his direction. Certainly not one that displayed several shades of colorful feathers, mostly Blue and Red. When the bird slowly descended it perched on another branch, perhaps three feet from where Tommy was perched.

“Sorry about me borrowing part of your tree without asking, but I simply got a little tired of flying.” it told Tommy.

“No problem, because I can understand that while migrating. And I’m Tommy.”

“Hello, Tommy. But I’m not sure what you meant just now, not sure what migrating is. I got a little tired because I was escaping and didn’t know how long I had to fly to really be safe. And some humans have called me Milly, so I guess that’s my name.”

“Hello, Milly, and I’ve never met a bird that looks like you.”

“I think I heard some humans say I am a McCaw, so I guess that’s what I am.”

“And you were escaping why?”

“At first, I wasn’t actually thinking about escaping, but a cage carrying a bunch of us fell out of the back of a truck and broke open. The five other Parrots lingered around for awhile, trying to decide if they should flee of stay around waiting for the truck to return because they were well fed and taken care of. But I wanted to experience what freedom felt like.”

“I’ve never been in a cage, though a few humans tried to capture me. I noticed them quickly enough to fly away. But I heard some of them say I was a Toucan.”

“And you’ve survived because you are careful and have found the right food to eat?”

“Of course, and I’m sure some of that food you can eat, too.”

“Thank you, Tommy. But if it starts raining here?”

“I take shelter in spots that don’t get wet, until the rain stops. And it rains here often in this Amazon Park.”

“I never had to worry about the rain, until I escaped. We were raised to be taken away from our parents as soon as we were feeding ourselves, then placed in cages and taken to different places. So, I welcome this new life, Tommy. And you as my new friend.”

“Well, obviously we can’t become a mated pair, but I would love to have to you as a friend and companion to talk to. We can also help each other find food and avoid humans.”  

“I would love that, Tommy.”

“So would I, Milly. But I’m certainly not looking for one because this is my second Spring and I’m still too young to think about it. One of the reasons is because my folks said we live a long time. But, if it should happen if one of us found someone we’re willing to become mates with, which is okay if you do, what about the rest of it?

“To me, they would have to accept the non-mate friend as part of the family.”

“I agree.” he replied, then noticed Tina flying by and called out to her. As she was near them she smiled at Tommy.

“Just a quick question, Tina, if you don’t mind.”

“Okay, bur make it quick because I’m heading towards the upper part of the Valley,” she replied without landing.

“You know a lot more Parrots than I do. So I’m wondering how long they live?”

“The ones I know live as long as we Toucans do. And tell your lady friend we’ll talk later, but I gotta go now.”  She replied and both Milly and Tommy waved as Tina flew away.

Reviews

[M.E.Lyle]

A really neat little tale. Who would have thought of something like this? It shows your sense of imagination and your compassion for nature. We humans truly are not the nicest of creatures sometimes.