The mulberry tree stood there for years, on the plateau by the river. It was filled with mulberries, orange and purple and green. Several had fallen to the ground and dyed it an arty mix of black and purple.
In the thick of the tree, a baby myna was alone in a nest.
Ptchh, ptchh, ptchh.
Ptchh, ptchh, ptchh.
His cries were of loneliness, for his mother had left the nest to search for food. The mother was not gone for long before the baby started missing her, feeling abandoned and vulnerable. More time passed, and the baby started to think she was not coming back.
The mother was too far to hear the cries. But, hovering over the plateau, an eagle and a crow heard him loud and clear.
They smelt an easy prey, and came flying to the mulberry tree.
And there the baby myna was, in the nest amidst the dense branches of the mulberry tree.
The hunters could see him, and he saw them. They tried to drag the baby out. The eagle tried first, but his claws got caught in the branches.
The crow tried next, and his beak got tangled in branches and twigs.
The baby myna was terrified. He inched backwards for protection but hit the wall.
Realising they could not reach the nest through the branches, the eagle, as well as the crow, tried to trick the baby into coming out of his nest.
“You poor baby, your mother has left you. She is not coming back. Come out and I will take care of you,” said the crow.
“Your mommy sent me. She asked me to take you to her as she has found a new nest with lots of food,” said the eagle.
The baby heard them well. Every feather of his wished to go with them. His fear was giving way to hope.
He was alone and scared, and they offered company.
He took one step towards the crow and came back. Then he took a step towards the eagle and came back again. Something was pulling him back.
And then he remembered what his mother said before leaving.
‘You are going to be alone for a while, but I will come back for you. You have to trust me and believe in yourself, no matter how scared you get or no matter who says what.’
‘What does believing in yourself mean?’ he had asked.
‘It means telling yourself you are on the right path and would triumph no matter the difficulties,’ she had said.
‘And trust means to do as I say because I will always protect you.’
He closed his eyes. His heart was beating fast. But he kept faith in himself and trusted his mother would come.
The eagle and the crow tried very hard for a while, but seeing all their tricks fail, they gave up and flew away.
The baby myna opened his eyes and, to his delight, saw his mother flying into the nest.
They hugged each other. The baby myna cried profusely; the mother consoled and loved him.
“I was watching you from a distance,” the mother said.
“I saw you were terrified, you were confused. But you proved to be the bravest, because you kept faith in yourself and trusted my word. There is no one braver than you.”
The baby myna understood that courage doesn’t mean not being scared, but having trust and faith in the face of any danger.
He hugged his mother tighter as she fed him the food she had got.
