It was raining heavily throughout the night. A pigeon was all wet and cold, looking for shelter and food. After flying for many hours, it finally found a bush.
While the pigeon landed to rest there, it spotted some grains scattered on the ground. He rushed to eat the grains, but a sparrow reached before him.
There was food only for one of them, so they had to fight for it. But before they could do so, the sparrow came up with her story.
“I do not want this food for myself, but I want to feed my child, who is waiting in the nest. If I do not carry this food home, my child will have to starve,” said the sparrow.
The pigeon was starving, too. Yet, he chose to be kind.
“Alright, you take these grains. I will manage my hunger,” he said.
The sparrow thanked him and carried the gains in her beak to her nest.
Many years passed, and the pigeon grew old. Too weak to move around, the pigeon spent most of his days inside nest. There was no one to take care of him.
One day, he had nothing to eat in the nest. So, he flew away in search of food, but he got tired and fell onto the ground.
He was helpless. He wanted help.
And then, a young sparrow came down from the tree above.
She gave the old pigeon some food and helped him fly back to his nest.
“Thank you for the help,” said the pigeon.
“You do not need to thank me. You have saved my life and now it is my time to pay you back. I will take care of you and bring you food every day,” said the sparrow.
The pigeon had never seen the sparrow. He didn’t recognise her. He didn’t know what the sparrow was talking about.
“I have never met you before. How did I save your life?” he asked.
The sparrow reminded the pigeon of his act of kindness, how he had stayed hungry to help the child of a sparrow.
“I am the child you saved that day. I learned about you from my mother,” she said.
The pigeon was delighted. His one good deed saved him.
The sparrow left and returned to the pigeon’s nest with food every day.
…ENDS…
