Jack and Poppy came spilling into the kitchen and threw their school bags in a big heap. Crash! Bump! Mum said, “What’s all that about?” But Jack and Poppy were too excited to explain. They were bursting with news. Jigging up and down. Hands waving and going in circles!
“Mum! Mum!” Poppy said. “You’ll never guess. We had the most exciting thing today at school.”
“Yes,” Jack said. “Someone came and showed a tiny pair of new baby birds to us. To all the classes.”
“They were so … so small and cute,” Poppy said. Mum nodded. She knew what these two were going to ask next. Mum said, “And you two want to go up the hill and find some little birds too?”
Jack and Poppy smiled and laughed. How did mum know that? Well, somehow she knew and she went on, “OK. That’s all good. First though, pick up your bags and find a better place for them. Then sit down and have something to drink. And I might even be able to find some of the biscuits I made this morning!”
Well, that was all sorted and in less than 10 minutes Jack and Poppy were racing out the garden gate, along the footpath and up onto the hill.
“I hope we find some!” Jack panted. And Poppy nodded. “I think we will,” she said. “This is the time when little birds hatch in their nests.”
Well, it certainly looked like that. As Jack and Poppy went up and up the hill they could see mother birds flying overhead, carrying squirming worms in their beaks. “They’re bringing food for their babies,” Jack said. Then, as they got close to the trees they could hear chirping and chupping in the branches. Everywhere there were birds.
Jack said, “Where will we look first?” Poppy said the best place would be a low bush, so they’d be able to stand on tiptoes next to the bush and peep into the nest. “Then we’ll either see eggs that are nearly ready,” she explained. “Or little birds that have come out of eggs!”
So they slowed down and started to peer and stare around them. There were many different kinds of trees. Big high ones and little short ones. Trees with big leaves and low sort of bushes with tiny leaves. They walked through the trees, looking and looking for nests and baby birds. On and on they went.
Jack thought he saw something. At the top of a little bush kind of tree. They went over to it, quietly and softly … but no. It was just some leaves stuck in the top branch. They kept hunting.
High above them in the sky dark clouds were starting to gather, but Jack and Poppy didn’t notice. They were too busy trying to find a nest. And there were also some big black seagulls up in that sky. Gliding and whooshing high above them. But Jack and Poppy weren’t looking up. They were peering down into every little bush, hoping and hoping.
And then, Poppy suddenly stopped and grabbed Jack. She let out a quiet little excited yell. “Jack! There!” She pointed to the top of a short bush tree and, sure enough, there was something that looked like a nest. “Shhh,” Jack said and the two of them crept forward. Carefully they stood next to the bush, went up on their tiptoes, and sure enough there was a nest.
Inside were two little birds. They were crouched down as low as they could. Like they were hiding. Their big beaks were stretched out in front and they had large round eyes that were staring straight at Jack and Poppy. “Wow.” Jack and Poppy were amazed. They’d never been this close to new little birds in the actual wild before. “Amazing,” Poppy breathed. “So still and so beautiful.”
The two of them just stood there. It was just so awesome and remarkable they couldn’t think of anything to say. Well actually, Poppy was thinking something. She was thinking the little birds were transfixed. Jack didn’t know about that, but he could see they weren’t moving. Even a tiny little bit.
Then, suddenly, something exploded! Above Jack and Poppy’s heads! A flapping and beating and cracking explosion. A ‘bang’ of big black wings flailing and switching and crashing in the air. Right over their heads!
The two of them ducked. The crashing and flapping got faster and louder. Jack and Poppy were totally shocked and surprised. Then there was a loud, horrible, squawking sound. Jack turned his head up and there it was. A huge black seagull thing jerking and bobbing in the air. Just above them! It was throwing its great wings around. Stretching out his big feet. Tumbling and falling straight down on little birds in the nest!
“No!” Jack stood up and shouted and waved his arms.
Now Poppy saw the bird. Diving and falling straight towards the nest. She hopped up and she also shouted, “Jack, it’s going to eat our little birds!”
Jack yelled, “Go away! Don’t be so mean!” And he and Poppy jumped and called and swung their arms around and told the big seagull to stop being so bad and wicked.
And then it was all over. The seagull stopped. It heaved itself back up on strong wings and flew back up and up and high into the dark sky. And disappeared. Everything went quiet.
“Whew!” Jack said. “That was so frightening.” Poppy said, “Yes. That seagull was so evil. It’s just not right that a big bird should come and attack two little new birds.” “They hadn’t done anything wrong,” Jack pointed out. “Exactly,” Poppy said. “So unfair.”
But then Jack stopped. He blurted, “The birds!” They spun around and looked over to the low bush. Their hearts were pounding. But the nest was still there. What’s more, the mother bird had come back! She was sitting over her little babies.
“Jack,” Poppy exclaimed, “she’s back! They’re safe.”
Jack nodded. Yes, indeed, the little birds were protected now. That big black seagull wouldn’t attack again. So Jack and Poppy said a soft, ‘Goodbye, little birds’ and turned and slowly walked away down the hill towards home.
By now the sky was quite dark and Poppy said that meant rain was imminent. Jack didn’t know about that, but he did think it would soon be raining and they should hurry. So they began to trot and run and soon they were flying through the trees and long grass. Down they went, onto the footpath, through the garden gate and into the kitchen.
“Did you find some new birds?” Mum asked. Dad was home now and he wanted to know too. So Jack and Poppy told them about the nest and the darling little birds and the evil black bird that had crashed out of the sky and almost gobbled them up.
“Well, that’s interesting,” Dad remarked. “Jesus was once in a situation like that. He was hungry and in the desert and he had to decide; will I be angry and selfish, like that evil bird? Or will I be good and gentle, like you two kids were?”
Poppy said she didn’t think Jesus would ever be angry and selfish. She said, “I remember you reading us that Bible story one bedtime. He didn’t yell or shout.” Dad nodded. “You’re right. He did the right thing. He decided to be good and gentle.”
Then mum said, “Talking of ‘good’ there’s a ‘quite good’ evening meal just about ready. Could you two wash your hands and help dad set the table?”
A few minutes later they were all sitting together enjoying a really, really good evening meal.