Friendship

One winter a cuckoo with nothing much to do sat on a branch watching the world go by. He watches as many brightly feathered birds fluttered past, and there amongst the early morning throng a plain blackbird rooted quietly around on the surface of the frozen ground.

The cuckoo watched with increasing curiosity at the persistence of the blackbirds hunt. He watched and watched, until he was unable to stem his questions any longer, he called out ”What are you doing down there on the frozen ground?” The blackbird stopped and looked up, ”I’m looking for signs of new life”, replied the blackbird with a puzzled look on its face, as if the cuckoo had asked a very silly question.


“Why do you waste your time down there, when all the other birds are making ready to create new life for themselves?….. Do you not wish to join the rest of our kind in building and creating for ourselves? Instead of waiting for mother nature to give you to what it can and wants?” the cuckoo continued.

The blackbird stopped and hopped up to where the cuckoo was sitting and looked even more puzzled. “What is this idea that you are talking about?” “Will you show me?”

The cuckoo saw a twinkle of something in the eyes of the blackbird he’d never seen before and he felt his heart flutter like the wings of the passing birds. “Not only shall I show you, little one, but i shall build with you”.

All through the rest of the winter and the spring the odd pair worked and chatted. Together they collected straw and twigs… enough to create a nest of safety. Sometimes the wind would blow hard and rock the branches upon which their nest perched. Sometimes the wind would blow so hard that the nest would all but be reduced to its bare foundations… but the two would grow more and more industrious, until they had restored their creation to its former glory. As they worked together each began to appreciate the qualities that they brought to the partnership. The cuckoo smiled with affection at the effort, persistence and diligence with which the little blackbird carried out whatever task the cuckoo and she had discussed. The blackbird grew to admire the vision, creativity and depth with which the cuckoo communicated the designs in his head.

As the spring months continued to warm the two birds continued to bask in the delight of the others company and missed each other when they were apart. And so as more days passed the two became inseparable. Then without warning the cuckoo announced, “We are done!” The blackbird looked at the fruits of there joint labour and asked “What is this that we have forged between us?” The cuckoo drew close to the blackbird and smiled down at her. “This is trust and with this trust we shall always feel safe together”, he explained. Looking overwhelmed the blackbird whispered almost to herself “I feel proud to have built this with you. Thank you for showing me how”.

The very next day the blackbird awoke to find cuckoo looking into their nest. Hopping a little closer, she spied a very odd shaped object deep inside the nest and was very surprised to find it there. “What is this, which lies so perfectly in the midst of our trust?” she asked the cuckoo without taking her eyes off the object. “Ah, my friend, this is very special”. The cuckoo began slowly to explain. “See how it fits our trust? See how our trust supports it?” “Yes, yes, i see this cuckoo, but what does it mean?” asked the blackbird excitedly. The cuckoo raised himself up and puffed out the feathers on his breast with pride and said “This? This is a future!” “And it has come to grown deep from within our trust… it is the fruit of our union” He continued. “and one day we will get to know what treasures are inside”.

The little blackbird hopped around the edges of the nest looking at the future from many different angles, until she finally declared “I like that it has come”. They snuggled up against each other and gazed at their future and felt very happy. As the sun began to get heavy in the sky, the blackbird yawned and leaning against the side of their nest she fell into a contented sleep.

Once alone, the cuckoo’s happiness was crowded by plumes of dark thoughts, he gazed at the future as the sun lit it from the side… from this angle he could see the surface of the future was not smooth, but pitted with imperfections, and a dark hairline crack snaked its way down one edge. The more he looked the more he realised this future may fit their trust perfectly but it was far from perfect! The cuckoo began to worry that the treasures inside that were yet to be seen would be as flawed as the outside. He wrestled and worried and worried and wrestled.

The cuckoo jostled the nest so much that the eventually he woke the blackbird. “What is the matter cuckoo?” asked a sleepy voice. But the cuckoo could not take his eyes off the future and did not answer. “Cuckoo?” said the same voice. “I’m sorry to wake you my friend, I did not mean to hurt you, but the more I think about it, the more I realise I do not want this future”.

The blackbird sat up. “But did you not say this was our future, and that one day we would know what was hidden inside and until that day our trust would keep it safe?” But before the blackbird was finished and without another word, the cuckoo spread his wings and flew off into the night sky. As she watched the blackness close behind the cuckoo, the little blackbird felt something below her crack but did not dare look down.