The Forest Fire
There was a mother and a father quail who had seven baby quails.
The mother quail instructed the chicks to be good.
If they were good, she and the father would bring them back worms, insects, and grass seeds to eat.
Every time the mother and father brought back the food six of the chicks at the insects and worms while the same one chick only ate the grass seeds.
As a result the six chicks grew strong wings while the one who ate grass seeds wings did not grow at all.
One night, while the family of quails was sleeping, they heard a loud cry from deep in the forest.
They peeped their head out of the nest to see what made the sound.
In the distance they saw red clouds of smoke rising up from the trees.
The little birds started crying as the red clouds made crackling and hissing noises.
The littlest of the baby quails said, "See, Father, its a fire in the woods."
The fire was drawing nearer. It was destroying all the bushes and trees in its path.
The mother, father, and the six chicks with strong wings flew away.
The seventh chick got left behind.
The flames and smoke danced around the nest.
Somehow, the little bird was not afraid.
Instead he stared at the fire approaching and started talking to it.
He said, "I am small and have no wings. Why do you come to this wee nest where I am left alone. Go your way mighty flames; there is nothing here for you."
The raging fire went away and the woods become quiet.
Voices started emerging from the trees as animals began to talk to each other.
The moon became visible again.
The little quail had a smile on his face. He was happy and remained happy in those woods for the rest of his life.
I enjoyed this story but I am not exactly sure what it is trying to teach. Is it a story about bravery? Is it a story about not leaving a family member behind? I am not sure. It was a fun read though.
Bibliography
The Forest Fire from Twenty Jataka Tales by Noor Inayat
Image Information: What the little bird faced: National Park Service
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