Sicking

“Morletta!” my father screeched. “Yes,” Mother said, more calm than father was. “Our baby…stolen…right under…my…nose,” father shivered in fear. It was day, still, and I was still awake, listening to my parents’ conversation. “Oh, no, not Sicking,” Mother cried. Sicking is my younger brother. “Those snakes!” mother tried to calm herself down. “Please not be eaten, little Sicking,” prayed father. I was getting tired of listening of them. Soon I fell asleep, and the next time I woke up, it was night. Owls are nocturnal. And we’re owls. Mother and father and I gathered around in our nest. “Sicking has been stolen,” father said. “I heard, father,” I said. “I see, young one, we must go hunting, but tonight, you not to be with us. You gourd the nest from those snakes,” mother said and sighed. “I don’t want you eaten.” “But, mother, the snakes cannot eat me. Only eagles,” I said. “Then watch out for eagles, too,” father said. We did not know, but miles away, an eagle was watching us with the sharp eyes they had. When mother and father left for hunting, that eagle that had been watching us swooped down, and put me into its sharp nails and flew away with me. I tried to yell, but no sound came out. The eagle took me to its nest, where more baby eagles were. As soon as the eagle set me down, I tried to fly away. I could not. The eagle saw me and gave me such a look. I hate eagles! Mother and father came back, a while later, and soon discovered I was gone. “Goodness,” mother gasped. Father groaned. “Oh, that was the only other one we had!” cried mother. I knew that mother and father were very worried. Days passed. I never got eaten. Each day, a hole in my heart grew even bigger. I thought I would never see Sicking or mother or father again. On a Friday night, when the eagles were sleeping, I saw a shadow that looked like an owls come down to me and say, “Curloty, I’m Sicking. I know mother and father were very worried about the two of us. While I was gone, I learned to fly. C’mon, let’s go home.” “Sicking?” I whispered. “Yes, we must go,” Sicking said. It amazed me how Sicking learned to fly. I made sure the eagle was asleep, and very quietly, Sicking and I snuck away and flew back to the nest where Mother was crying, father was moaning, but when we came down, mother shouted, “Sicking! Curloty! Honeys! Oh, oh, we missed you!” “We figured,” I muttered. “Sicking, did you learn how to fly?” father asked. “Yes,” Sicking said. “And, Curtoly, you almost got eaten!” cried mother. “I’m just glad we’re all together,” Sicking said. “I tried to fly one night, when you were out hunting, but I dropped instead, and I stayed down there for days, till I taught myself to fly.” Mother kissed us both.

The end